Craftsman vs. Snap-on vs. Mac. vs. ac delco vs. rubbermaid

I just wondered what people here on the board use and what are there favorite brands of tools.

Mine have to be craftsmen. Snap-on is just a fancier tool that is unnessasary. Mac i woundn't even look at and never really heard of, ac delco is a lower grade but still guarenteed for life, and rubbermaid....well let's no go there. I dont really know of any other brands of tools at the moment seeing how its 11 at night.

So post what you think.

 

at the moment i use my dads.. loads upon loads of craftsman.. haven't had a problem with them.. and now that i've heard about how sears treats its employees.. i'll be buying my own craftsman tools

i have however heard lots of people think they're "cheap" and that you "get what you pay for" with mac and snap-on... people saying they're better made etc.. whether this is true or not i can't really tell never used anything but craftsman

 

A/C Delco:TU: Craftsmen is a good brandname too, but the only ones I ever seen used and used a little bit myself is A/C delco that my Great uncle uses on his 1993 Pontiac Sunbird, and we have a few here in the garage that we sometimes use for "do-it-yourself'er" kind of maitenence.

-Cody

 

I remember a convo I had with a Snap-On rep once.... he said the Snap-On tools were more precise than Craftsman, meaning that it fits more snug on the bolt. Well I've had lots of bolts that a craftsman wrench barely slipped over so a Snap-On wouldnt even come close. I've used crafstman for years and can fill a toolbox for what one wrench set in Snap-On costs.

 

I like Matco, so I voted "other". I am/was a mechanic so tools like Snap On, Matco, Mac and Cornwell are the only way to go for day in and day out durability.

 

I agree Mike,

My box and most of the tools in it are Mac. I inherited a bunch of Snap-On stuff from my grandfather when he passed. And my old man is a Snap-On guy too. They are higher price, but I have used alot of cheaper tools and had to replace them. I have a set of Mac screwdrivers that is prolly 12 years old now and not a single chip, or anything that resembles a loose handle on them. Bought a home set of Sears for the the wife at the house and she twisted a handle off one of them inside the first week. Free replacement, yes. Pain in the backside, for sure. You get what you pay for.

later...................

 

Howdy
I have all of the above in my box. It realy depends on what I need the tool to do. Some of my air tools are no name and work fine for light work but some are snap on and have worked great for many years(12). One drawer of my box is full of no name wrenches to make trick tool out of, usually with the torch or the grinder.
Mark Sheppard

 

I have to say that the best tools I have/had are the snap on.
I had a nice set given to me by my grandfather, used them for years until some miscreant stole them from a garage I was renting (apartment years).
I was reunited with Snap on tools when I married Beth, and a nice dowry with a full set of them from when she worked in the dyno labs at Fel Pro:Brow:

Beside's, Shirl works for Snap On and I wouldnt want to get her mad at me:spank:

D.

 

I am still turning wrenches for a living at this point,albeit I know I am not the ace Master Tech yet.

I use about 90% Craftsman tools to do my job,and have not a single complaint with them.I have been a Craftsman man my whole life,and always will be.

I do have Snap On, Matco, Cornwell, and Mac, along with generic tools. If I could afford to go with any of the tool trucks on a regular basis, I would choose Cornwell. There products are excellent, and a little bit less expensive than Snap On.

Matco is a good brand,but just never been too hot on them for some reason.

As for Mac,they can kiss my @SS!!!!!!!
Them lousy rotten S.O.B.'s screwed sooooo many Technicians when they dropped the MSRD program.They hired hundreds of drivers,and then trained them,gave them trucks,equipment worth 250,000 and said go sell tools.A couple years later they yanked the programs and told the drivers they have 2 choices.Buy the tools and trucks with financing through Mac only,or return everything.Then they turned all the techs into collections and said pay now."If you have tools that need repair,Mail them to us and we will send them back .It should only take 6 to 8 weeks.Oh yeah,you pay all shipping cost.":jd:

Anyway,they can rot.:blast:

 

From the old man. I started using Craftsman tools 50 years ago as I could go to town and get one replaced that I broke on Sunday afternoon. I have some of the others and they are just as good and have the same guarantee, but try and exchange one Saturday night or any other nonbusiness hour.
J.T.

 

Wow, and I thought I was the only one that "made" his own "special" tools! hehe :laugh:
While I won't kill any of the few Craftsmen wrenches to make a one time tool, anything other than Snap-On is probably in the "one time use drawer"
Snap-On sockets are second to none...... and believe me, I put my sockets to the test every day. I should say I abuse them every day, with maybe 2 or 3 cracking a year. The wrenches is another matter; I see little difference between craftsmen and Snap-On...... other than you can buy 3 sets at Sears to one Snap-On.

Mike

 

There are plenty of great tools, but since none of the trucks stop at my house I only buy Craftsman.

I didn't hear that story about the Mac guys, that kinda sucks.

 

Snap-on and Mac tools are the best. Just ask any professional mechanic and they will tell you.

 

If I was to buy a set of tools right now. I would have to say Husky (at Home Depot). I am not saying they are the best, But I only have to drive a couple of miles to return a broken tool. Craftsman are good, but Sears sucks in my area. They had a store close to me and closed it and had a chance to build a new store but did not. Now Home Depot and Lowes have taken over. As far as the expensive tools like snap on and mac. I can buy a whole set for the price of a couple of tools and what happens when they break (Your screwed). You have to wait forevero No:

I have worked with alot of tools and the only tools I hate to work with are the tools made in China and Taiwan.

Jerseysky66

 

What's the difference? If the Craftsman wears or breaks they replace it free anyway. :TU:

I'm sure the others have lifetime warranties too, but why pay more? Unless you are a full time hard core mechanic where money is no object or the feel of a Snap-On is like no other, Craftsman are just fine.

 

If I had the money it would be Snap-On or Matco... I rember talking with a rep a while ago and it's something with the way the wrenches are designed that will have fewer stripped bolts, plus you can get a better variety of "Specialty" tools from them.

I have had bolts that my Craftsman set stripped that came right off once I put on the Snap-On Socket.

But since I'm a poor man, Its craftsman. I still have some Snap-on tools tho.

On a side note... Their screwdrivers don't seem any different... I can break 'em all:eek2:

 

've heard HUSKY (Home Depot) are made for them by the same OEM source that makes Craftsman ?? o No:

I seem to be buying more and more Husky......Home Depot is only 2 miles from my house and usually has something else I need at the same time

Plus, you fit right in @ 8pm looking all greasy and crusty while I feel like a low-life walking into Sears all greased out in my "Work on the Car" clothes ou:

 

I am a bus mechanic for NJTransit. I have Craftsman,Mac,and some Snap-on.Can't complain about any of them. The Mac dealer is a great guy,and since I am considered a "state" employee,I get 27% discount. :Brow: Snap-on dealer is a different story. A fellow employee of mine paid half of his bill with a debit card. A few weeks later my buddy gets his bank statement in the mail.Mr.Snap-on decided to use his card number and pay the balance,the SAME DAY!. So, I stay away from him. Not to mention a ball joint press from Snap-on $600. Same tool from Mac $150.Go figure.

 

Wow. Alot of people responded. Great to hear everyone's opinion.

 

The difference is, if it screws a $250,000.00 fan case when it lets go, it doesn't look very good for me, does it??

I have all kinds of tools. Another interesting point too is that Craftsman in the States is much better than Craftsman in Canada (I won't use it, but the States stuff is good for sure!). Canadian tire has their professional series, and like mentioned many times, I can buy a whole set of those for the price of one snap-on wrench..they look the same, feel the same, have the same size but if you really load up the open end they will spread, the snap on will not.

I just got warranty on my Dad's Snap On toolbox sliders. I use the box at home, he bought it in 1964!

You can use Snap On tools as collateral for a bank loan, try that with someone else.

Snap-On also makes many tools that others simply don't have. They also drive to my workplace, which is worth a few bucks all on its own....

They all have their good and bad sides. I have all kinds of different tools, and they (for the most part) work well, but Snap On is still the best.

Old cars don't really test the range or quality of a manufacturers products either.

later
Tim
(M1, M2, 737-200 and 737-700 endorsed)