Tools. Love/Hate relationship

[highdesertranger]

that saw is pure art. they don't build them like that anymore. you scored on that genny. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

that saw is pure art.  highdesertranger

OSHA would have a fit with that one. Don't wear anything loose. Maybe don't wear anything at all except a jock strap.

 

[GotSmart]

OSHA would have a fit with that one. Don't wear anything loose. Maybe don't wear anything at all except a jock strap.

Not the best piece of advice I have seen.   :s

 

[ArtW]

ooooooh vintage tools! *drooling*
One thing i miss about working as a 'porter' in a sales lot, all the cool stuff I found in the trunks of some of the repos

 

[gojo]

Would you snap-on tool owners do this with your wrenches?

 

[ArtW]

NO
A snap on wrench is art as delivered
You can feel the difference when you hold / use it superior balance)
you can hear the diference when you drop it (clear, bell like ring instead of a clank)
doing that to it is like making a planter out of a deuce coupe

 

[WrenchLife]

that saw is pure art.  they don't build them like that anymore.  you scored on that genny.  highdesertranger

Thanks, that's exactly how I see them, as art. I love the old heavy cast iron stuff. Plus you can't beat the quality. If its lasted 100 years I think it  will make it as long as I need to use it. The heavier it is the more I like it. My limit used to be 2000 lbs because that's all my skid steer could handle but I did some horse trading a couple months ago and ended up with a 10,000 lb capacity forklift so it's a whole new world for me.

OSHA would have a heart attack if they spent the day with me.

ArtW I agree Snap-on tools can not be beat. People who don't use them everyday think you are nuts for paying $40 for one wrench when husky sells a full set for that price but once you use them side by side and realize the areas that a cheap wrench just won't get to or have a cheap wrench slip off and bust the top of your knuckles you really appreciate that $40 wrench.

 

[highdesertranger]

most people who say Snap-On is to expensive have never used a Snap-On wrench. highdesertranger

 

[Milk Hauler]

most people who say Snap-On is to expensive have never used a Snap-On wrench. highdesertranger

I've used snapon, and wasnt impressed. A tool that runs 50% more that Wright or 75% more than Wera should perform 50-75% better. Wright is still 100% USA. They have the Wright grip, Snapon has the Flank drive.Worked the same for me. Wera is German designed, made in the CK Republic, with very strict oversight on metals used and QC. I'm not trashing Snapon, but think those prices are hard to swallow, given there are tool brands just as good as snapon, for 50% less. Sure snapon resell value is more, and they will hand deliver you a new tool if yours breaks, but most people here are not pro wrenchers, who work in heavy equip. If I made my living turning wrenches, Id go with Wright or SK. I just cant drink the Snapon cool aid.

If you break either SK or Wright, simply email them a pic of said broken tool, and they will mail you a new one, free of charge. I heard rumors Snapon is testing the offshore manufacturing of thier 3/8 ratches.You think they would give loyal SO buyers a huge break in cost, being the 3/8 are not stamped USA anymore? Last time I checked, nope! Someone is making a killing, and it aint the guys using the tools.


EDIT...

One up and coming brand of impact sockets is Sunex. After reading the glowing reviews, I ordered the 3/8 master impact set off Amazon for $180. These Taiwanese made sockets are very underated. I have and Aircat 1/2 gun that has 1300 lbs of torque in reverse. None of my Sunex sockets have exploded, leaving blind and paralyzed. They have held up fine, without the Snapon label of holiness.

This same set is on par with SO quality for 90% less money. If a tool works just as good as a truck brand, for hundreds less, then why not keep the extra $800 in your pocket? Again, Im not a pro mechanic, but buy my tools based off of pro mechanic reviews. Buy based off of reviews, not brand name. [emoji41]

 

[highdesertranger]

Snap On 3/8 ratchets are still made here. https://store.snapon.com/Quick-Rele...ard-Handle-Quick-Release-Ratchet-P650723.aspx . I am not saying everyone needs to go out and buy Snap On. they are like an investment. I buy very few Snap On now. but if Snap On is close in price you know which way I will go. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

The steel used in most modern store brand tools is good enough to take a lot of abuse.  Unless you are doing extreme work consistently, save your money.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I always love when people get offended at the way others spend their money. They automatically assume because they don't use a certain product then anyone who does is crazy and spent too much. It gets even better when non professionals tell professionals what they should be using. Any pan can fry an egg but a good one does it better.

 

[GotSmart]

I always love when people get offended at the way others spend their money.   They automatically assume because they don't use a certain product then anyone who does is crazy and spent too much.  It gets even better when non professionals tell professionals what they should be using.  Any pan can fry an egg but a good one does it better.

Who is offended, and who is assuming?     Keep the economy going.  

I know plenty of shade tree mechanics that have great tools in the pawn shop because their skill is not up to their tool wants.     They do not need the snap on roll away to change spark plugs. Now if they were consistently working a full service shop, perhaps. 

I would set aside 5% 0f any job to upgrade my tools.  Many times that was not needed.  I do not need one shot gadgets or useless decorations. I recently sold a Skill Saw that was more than 30 years old. I never needed to upgrade that.  

With enough bacon grease, you can fry an egg in anything.    Even a tin can.  :idea:

 

[WrenchLife]

I have always compared tools to tires, my tools are snap-on and my tires are Michelin. I wipe my tools off before they go back in my box and they don't get left out in the rain. My tires get rotated every oil change, air pressure checked monthly and my vehicles are properly aligned.
My friend on the other hand buys his tools at harbor freight and his no name tires 1 or 2 at the time and never rotates them. When he needs a tool he usually has to go find it in the pile where he last worked on something.
I view tools as an investment he views them as an expense.
I will not spend thousands on a toolbox though, all of my boxes came from yard sales, pawn shops and the money saved is spent to buy more tools that make me money.

 

[GotSmart]

I have always compared tools to tires, my tools are snap-on and my tires are Michelin. I wipe my tools off before they go back in my box and they don't get left out in the rain. My tires get rotated every oil change, air pressure checked monthly and my vehicles are properly aligned.
My friend on the other hand buys his tools at harbor freight and his no name tires 1 or 2 at the time and never rotates them. When he needs a tool he usually has to go find it in the pile where he last worked on something.
I view tools as an investment he views them as an expense.
I will not spend thousands on a toolbox though, all of my boxes came from yard sales, pawn shops and the money saved is spent to buy more tools that make me money.

The difference is your tools are your livelihood.  You protect your investment. 

The tools I made my living with were all quality items.  I did not buy the extreme top of the line because I worked out in public, where tools vanished.  The better the neighborhood, the more things were taken. It sucks when a hand box with $1,000 worth of specialty tools grows legs.   

I once did a job in gangland Oakland CA.  I asked who was in charge, and told him what I was doing there.  I politely asked where to park my truck so I could get the job done quicker. He assigned me three men as helpers.  His mother lived in that building, and wanted her hot water.     They carried a 100 gallon commercial unit a block, and down a flight of stairs, and the old one back along the same route.  I showed the men how to read the pipes, use the tools, and solder the fittings.  

All my tools were polished, even the pipe wrenches!  

The only thing I get at HF are blades, flashlights, and tape measures.  Things that get destroyed regularly. 

Tools, tires, and shoes.  Get the best you can, and take care of them.

 

[DannyB1954]

You can get way carried away with tool appearance. When I was working, Snap-On was putting out gold plated tools. A foreman where I worked had a tool box full of them. They could never be used, because they might get scratched. A gold plated 1/2 inch impact gun? Yep he had one. I actually liked the cheaper hand wrenches to some of the high dollar jobs. They were thicker and not as hard on the hands when you pulled on them.