AM i CRAZY! So little tools so much money

[k5krawler]

lets start.. i bought all my tools from the matco guy for work, im a tech at dodge level 2. i spent 2000 in 2 months on tools and my box is smallll!!!!

first off i have a matco rollaway cart/box
matco 3/8 drive 1/4-2in sockets (impact and chrome )
matco 3/8 drive 8mm-38mm (impact and chrome)
matco bent handle flex head socket wrench 3/8 (best ******* investment ive ever made)
matco 1/2drive flex head socket wrench
matco 1/2 in drive 3/4 7/8 1" 19mm 21mm 22mm 22.5mm (impact)
matco screwdriver (matco Brest cancer pink)
matco 3/8 impact (i have air and electric)
matco 1/2 impact (air and electric)
snap on 1/2 in torque wrench
matco oil filter wrench
matco E-Z outs
matco die grinder
im positive i have more

 

[J Knight]

I bought a Snap-on box and tools when I was your age, I paid something like $4-5k for all of it. Not worth the money IMO. I got about $1500-$2000 in Craftsman now and have twice as many tools than I had with Snap-on.

 

[HotRodPC]

Yeah, I"m not much into the famous name brand tool truck tools anymore. Mostly due to Cost. 85% of my tools are craftsman and over 25 years old and have served their purpose well. Still have the normal broken ratchets that get repaired, although, seems after repair, they last longer than they did new, broken socket here and there when put big breaker bars on them but they all get exchanged, even if it has to be done in the catalog dept.

Alot of that Snap-On, Matco, Mac stuff is even made in China these days. Ebay is a good place to buy those type tools too if you insist. Still pay bigger money, but at least there is a little grease for your ass as far as price. Seems like you're giving the Matco truck operator a good Christmas.

 

[k5krawler]

Yeah, I"m not much into the famous name brand tool truck tools anymore. Mostly due to Cost. 85% of my tools are craftsman and over 25 years old and have served their purpose well. Still have the normal broken ratchets that get repaired, although, seems after repair, they last longer than they did new, broken socket here and there when put big breaker bars on them but they all get exchanged, even if it has to be done in the catalog dept.

Alot of that Snap-On, Matco, Mac stuff is even made in China these days. Ebay is a good place to buy those type tools too if you insist. Still pay bigger money, but at least there is a little grease for your ass as far as price. Seems like you're giving the Matco truck operator a good Christmas.

most of matco is made in the usa .. 1 thing im glad i bought is my socket wrenches. and big sockets , sounde weird but the 22.5 mm socket comes in handy!!

 

[Driver4r]

Snap-on and mac(and im sure other brands) Have a lifetime warenty. If it breaks, they replace it, no matter if you bought it or not. So you could buy a broken snap-on ratchet off of ebay and send it to snap-on, and they will send you a new one.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Not any more. SO has changed their policy. You usually have to have the original receipt to warranty a tool.

 

[kleedus]

craftsman tools are great no ******** warrenty

i have cut a wrench in half and bent it to do what i needed it to do then took it to sears and got a new one.

the only good thing about snap off or matco or mac is they come to you and sometimes have what you want on the truck.
and the finace you.

i have worked in two body shops and one repair shop and i have been turning wrenches since i was strong enough to hold one.

the only high priced name brand tools i have are the ones i have found in trucks or bought used cheap.

my tool box is a 15 year old matco box i paid 1,000 for it full of tools about a year ago.
but i mostly buy craftsman when i buy new tools.


in this picture you can see my matco box and my first box ever the craftsman to the right it served me well and still in great shape.
the crafstman box is probably 20 years old i bought it used when i was a teenager. and have moved it a million times still in good shape.
its full of junk now my junk box.

for the price craftsman makes great tools with no ******** warrenty.
i have found a 1/2 drive ratchet in a ditch on a dirt road rusted solid and bent took it in and got a new one no problems.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

I've sold off much of my newer tools...Nearly everything I have is older than myself. Only new tools I buy are Wright and Cornwell. Otherwise I pick through pawn shop loose tool bins and buy anything made before 1980.

 

[cumminsedge]

Man, if you got all that for 2 grand, you did pretty darn well. I've got a 53" snap-on roll chest, and probably a 36" roll cart, filled with mac, snap-on, matco, craftsman, pittsburg, KD, you name it. Have over 20K in name brand stuff, and I'm still finding myself needing specialty tools. I dont blink an eye anymore when people say they have 20-40K in tools. It doesnt take long to get there anymore.

Glad to hear you got IR air impacts. Way better than snap-on. But, snap-on has a better electric impact in my opinion. Nice start on your tool collection though.

 

[smurph20]

I had well still have a IR 1/2 drive that weights almost 8 pounds that i use all day long just recently i got a Snap-On MG3255 that only weights 2.5 pounds. The difference between the 2 is night and day. The IR is heavy and with having to hangon to it all day long the lil bit of torque lost to the Snap-On is well worth the weight savings. Besides i havent come across any bolts yet that i couldnt break loose with having 300+ ftlbs on hand.

 

[cumminsedge]

The titanium composite IR is the one to have. The older IRs with the heavy aluminum case were near bulletproof, but they were heavy. The other thing I like about IR is that you can grease the hammer, where the snap-on is a sealed unit.

Other than that, the IR also has a much better trigger feel. Snap-on impacts just seem like they have a full on trigger, which doesnt work well when you're just trying to run bolts up to torque them.

As far as price between the two, I think I gave 320 for my 3/8 and 450 for my 1/2. The 3/8 was a IR bought from Matco, and the 1/2 is a MAC branded IR.

 

[89Suburban]

Posted from mobile...

 

[smurph20]

Yea it does take some tripper control to use it slowly on the Snappy gun but once i got used to it i can do it all day long.

 

[hizen]

The best way I found to get good tools at good prices, keep an eye on craigslist when people get out of the trade or estate sales.

 

[MrMarty51]

Mac, Snap On, Proto, KD, Balkamp, New Britan, Crafdtsman, IR, Victor, oh crap, and a bunch a others I`m not thinking of in the moment.
I have never had a problem with handing the Snap On man a ratchet, screw driver, socket, that was wore out or busted, and, He handing Me a new one or repairing the one I have,no mattrer how I come across getting it.
S.O.an once told Me it was up to the individual dealers how they, and, what they would warrantee.