I'll join the argument, errr I mean discussion! Because I've read so many good responses and the truth is... there is no right or wrong tool or toolbox. My dad was a Port Engineer and a Diesel Mechanic for over 40 years before retiring last year, and my very first set of tools when I started in the wrenching biz was a gift from him back in 1997-98. It was nothing special but it got me going. He always told me, the tools you use every day are worth spending the extra money on, the ones you use once in a blue moon, buy the cheap stuff because It will do the job 9 times out of 10! I started way back out of high school with a used, off the truck 7 drawer mac box, the tools my dad gave me, and a little bit that I could afford to get going. and over almost 20 years I've built my box up to a very nice snap on box that is loaded with a mix of just about every brand under the sun. My main every day tools are all snap-on (the common sockets, wrenches, ratchets, screw drivers, etc. But my over size wrenches 1 1/4" to 2 1/2" are cheapies, as are my 25mm to 50mm wrenches. I've got cheap screwdrivers, expensive screw drivers, cheap punches to expensive ones.. Pretty much all the tools a Heavy Equipment mechanic might need.. hammers...buy a name brand if you don't want the heads flying off! Impacts, the cheaper ones will do for odd job work, but for everyday taking apart and putting stuff back together, I run a mix of Ingersoll, snap on and airkat because they will last way longer and keep their power way longer before wearing out over cheaper/knock off brands. So many people hit this right on the head and I "couldn't agree more".. You become a product of your environment- my situation for example was pretty similar to a lot of you guys.. You deal with the tool guys that come by your shop and that's how most tools get purchased. I only own one matco tool, because the first vendor for them to actually come around.. we called him "the vulture" because he would literally hang over you while you were working, trying to "preach" how his stuff was soooo much better than the tool you were using at the time and then he'd never have much stock on his truck and quite simply he just rubbed me the wrong way.. I've only stepped foot onto one other matco truck since. We had an SK/short line/cheap tool dealer come around pretty regular (Bob the tool sheeny we called him) he was a really good guy, would joke around with everybody, always had a "deal of the week" and worked with you and even though he wanted to sell you tools, he was fair and honest and I, like the guys I worked with at the time, always felt comfortable dealing with him, bought quite a few things from him actually. He came like clockwork and you could call him just about any time of day or night. Now, Don't even get me started on Mac tools, I feel like they were the biggest waste of MY money over nearly 20 years of wrenching. From one peddler to the next, when they actually showed up, it was run around city! At first I thought "boy, I'm gonna buy a LOT on these trucks over the years" and let me tell you, I along with numerous other techs got an education on them! if you could even find a Mac dealer "round these parts anymore, I'd take the dozen or so broken Mac tools in my junk drawer of my toolbox and stick them where the sun don't shine on the unlucky fella! We lost our Mac dealer in our territory for them at one point so we sent some broken tools over on the shuttle to another one of our stores to get fixed/replaced and that Mac dealer over there sent them back without repairing them and his response was "you didn't buy those tools off of MY truck!" I even called the 800 number and bitched about the whole situation! Now, the reason I have a large selection of Snap on stuff.. I have dealt with 3 different Snap On dealers in my "day" and every one of them was like the SK guy, can set your clock to them, always willing to deal, and the very first one back where I first started is the guy I bought 75% of my stuff from.. literally was there at 1pm sharp every. single. Wednesday afternoon! felt like he had 3 of everything on the truck (no, literally!) to the point you had to crawl over stuff in the aisle to even look around, and he ALWAYS made deals with you. He was/is such a big vendor that he throws a huge customer appreciation party at his house every year, where he throws up to 25% off of his stuff and snap on matches it for the day. I'm talking bags tourney, bands, food, the whole shebang. Snap on reps mingling in the crowd.. now you see how I've managed to score my newer/larger snap on tool boxes so cheap.. waiting for the right time and the right deal!
And since I've left that dealer, the next two snap on guys I've dealt with have been pretty much the same, show up at the same time and place every week, are fair and if you give them a little bit (a lot) they give back and make deals as well. I don't think i'll ever buy another box as this one I said would take me to retirement, but my overall experience in 20 years has been worth a little extra money to save on the headaches. And I figure one day when I'm not turning wrenches for a living anymore, my tools and the box they are in will make a nice addition to my home garage when I tinker on squarebodies and hopefully an old Camaro or two all day long...
