Advice Required: Snapon for Pro Use

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: cb_13
The bluepoint wrenches are made in taiwan. It says so right on the snap on website. They are not flank drive like the snap on either. Our snap on guy tried to sell me a set of the blue point wrenches. I just laughed at him and said if I wanted Taiwan tools I would go to Harbor Freight.


I bet that got a rise out of him!! LOL!

 

[Merkava_4]

If I was just starting a tool collection for professional use, I'd buy the tools from Snap-on
that count the most; i.e., their wrenches, ratchets, flex sockets, and extensions. I could
make do with some other brand of sockets, pliers, and screwdrivers for awhile until I
started getting the money rolling in.

 

[Falken]

I have my list almost complete.

I went the direction Merkava stated... Can I truly avoid their sockets for a while?

For the Metric Socket Shallow Deep Set, it is over 400$...

I have wrenches, line wrenches, tool box, and mainly ratchets that I plan to order. I already have a ton of Mastercraft Maximum sockets.

I just want to be sure that their sockets aren't critical to get right away...

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Falken

I went the direction Merkava stated... Can I truly avoid their sockets for a while?


Yes you can. A good less expensive substitute would be GearWrench sockets. I have a 1/2'' drive set that are real clean with no forging slag inside the sockets whatsoever. Another alternative would be Kobalt sockets; although I would not recommend any of their other tools. The only slight problem that I've found with GearWrench or Kobalt sockets is that when you go to put an extension on them, the extension goes past the detent before backing itself out and settling in the detent. None of my Snap-on or Proto sockets do that.

 

[sciphi]

I'd leap on those boxes, especially knowing they can be serviced so easily. For the same price as a lesser-grade box, it's a no-brainer.

Also agreed with the other sentiments.

 

[Falken]

Here is my list so far, all prices are from the Canadian site, please note 40% comes off the listed prices except the 1000$ box combo, as that is the sale price.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Tool box deal 1000$ KRA2055 AND KRA2007
Snapon Metric Wrench combination 7 pcs. Order: OEXM707B 222$
Snapon Quick Release 3/8" Ratchet: 94.95 order #FR80
Snapon 3/8" Ratchet, Compact Flex Head, Dual 80™ Technology, 6 1/4" Stock#: FCF72 90.85$
*Snapon 3/8" Regular Ratchet: 92.85 order #F80
*Snapon 1/4" Ratchet, Sealed Head (High Strength), Long Flex-Handle, 6 1/4" 89.85$ order Stock#: TF72
*Snapon 1/4" Ratchet, Sealed Head (High Strength), Standard Handle, 4 7/16" 72.20$ Stock#: T72
*Snapon Ratchet, Dual 80, Locking Flex Head, Standard Handle, 1/2" drive, 17 5/8" Stock#: SX80B 194$
*Snapon Set, Extension, Friction Ball (6 pcs.) (1 1/2" to 11") Stock#: 206AFX $155
Snapon Flare Nut Wrenches Metric Stock#: RXFMS606B 292$

Edit: Was thinking of adding a 3/8" drive Comfort Handle ratchet on the longer side to be able to work faster and have more leverage and comfort to work. I'd just be more gentle when tightening stuff up to not over torque, rather than struggling all the time with a shorter ratchet with the chrome handle, when the length of the ratchet isn't critical...

 

[yonyon]

Comfort Handle is garbage. Go with standard handle. Comfort Handle mwill rip rubber and skin apart. This means no rubber gloves at all and in warmer weather no bare skin, just cloth, leather, or composite gloves. It's a gimmick to sell you a tool at a premium that only does one good thing: make it obvious should you break one using a "cheater" pipe.

 

[Merkava_4]

I find my bent handle flex head ratchet to be a necessity in some situations. I use it whenever I gotta bolt/unbolt
my front disc brake calipers. That would be one of the first ratchets I'd buy if I was starting a ratchet collection.

 

[yonyon]

Comfort handle isn't bent, it's rubber over plastic instead of metal. It has a very high friction surface and very low strength.

A bent handle can be a very nice thing for specific applications. For the wrong application it can be afwul such as the MAC "tune-up ratchet" I was given once. It was nice for spark plugs on low mounted DOHC inline 4's, but every time I tried using it for anything else I got sick to my stomach and had to use something else. This may not be a good tool for the beginner.

 

[Falken]

Thanks Yonyon for the comfort handle info, I will not bother with it.

Just want to double check with you guys about the Snapon flare nut wrenches... Are they really that great as to be a necessity?

My teachers at school swear by the Snapon flare nut wrenches, as well as other people... But they are PRICEY!

 

[yonyon]

They are worth it.

A flare nut wrench must never ever spread.

Any detectable wear to a flare nut wrench means it must be replaced. Snap On brand means you get it replaced under warranty without anyone giving you a hard time about it.

That said, if you have to live with a lesser flare nut wrench, buy a can of Aerokroil. It will save you scores of hours each of which cost more than one can.

 

[Merkava_4]

This is my good friend the F852.

 

[Falken]

Thanks Yonyon, that is what I feared. The line wrenches stay on the list I guess.

Merkava, I am going to add an angled ratchet to my list, as now I have the spot free by not bothering with the comfort grip.

Looks like it can come in handy with today's crowded engine bays.

At school, for a penetrating fluid, we use ZEP .45, and it seems to work really well. Me and a buddy had to bleed his brakes as they were a bit spongy, and we wanted to anyway (we are in the brake and road handling module and his fluid was black).

So, I had a bit of prior knowledge of how tough a bleeder could be to crack from a 2006 Cobalt I had. So the day before we sprayed them with ZEP, tapped them a bit with a brass punch, and around them on the calipers and the wheel cylinders.

The following day, they had a nice positive feel breaking loose, and these bleeders had never moved in 10 years or longer, and we are in the salty Rust Belt up here in Montreal.

Another time a few weeks ago, I had rusted lug nuts on a donated car, and the hub was jammed with rust. I squirted a ZEP bath all over them after unsuccessfully trying to break them loose with the gun.

After break and letting the lugs and hub soak, the gun got the nuts off without any problem at all. So this stuff definately works, it isn't a myth.

Another time I was pulling plugs out of an aluminum head on the same buddy's car, and I used shop air to clean around the plugs well and tried to break them loose. They felt a little uncomfortably tight, so in went the ZEP for our break.

After our break, the plugs seemed a little more agreeable.

I owned a can of PB Blaster once and didn't get a chance to try it out, forgot about it in the basement of a house we were selling. I got it from Canadian Tire, is that stuff any good? What about Liquid Wrench?

AeorKroil isn't something I'd find easily, though I have read on this site that Kroil anything is great stuff.

 

[cb_13]

Freeze Off is my favorite. That stuff works great. PB Blaster works too, I have just had better results from the Freeze Off. I use WD40 for sticky door locks and hood latches.

 

[Jakegday]

so that 40% is a student discount? reason i ask is the student discount i get on snap on is 50-60%, depending on the item. Most hand tools like wrenches, ratchets, sockets, pliers, that kind of stuff is mostly 60% off while other specialty tools are 50% off.
With all of that in mind, you can bet your sweet [censored] im buying as much as humanly possible. Ive taken as much as i can for loans (about 10 grand, but ill have it paid off in 2 years since i have 2 kids and get HUGE income tax returns)
Like im sure you've heard before, you're gonna be using these tools for you income, to pay your bills and feed your family, so you will want the absolute best. And you will NEVER get discounts like this again in your life. The snap on truck guys only get their stuff at around 30% off.. So buy as much as you can!!

 

[Falken]

Ok Jake, going to look at my list again... Still have a tough time with the socket prices though, maybe I'll add them back. Glad we are heading to Metric across the board, having to own both systems back a few years ago must have been brutal!

I am pretty sure my Snapon guy is giving us 40% off, maybe it is 50% off for US stuff and 40$ off for Bluepoint. I'll have to double check. But the rules are: Only allowed 2 orders, max 7000$ TOTAL while a student. So I have to make each order count. Also, I graduate next May. So this is important homework, grad is coming up fast.

I LOVE WD-40 for locks (cleans AND lubes mildly so no crud build up, especially if you get freezing rain), anti-theft clubs, cleaning up door hinge dirt of old lithium grease that yellows to re-apply new lith grease, lubing ignition cylinder key holes, cleaning road grime off of metal hood latches to re-apply grease.

Also, WD-40 is great to mildly clean up something you are going to fuss with. It is cheap, and nothing fancy about it. But as a penetrant I don't think it does too well. Also, I don't mind the smell or getting some on clothes or hands.

WD-40 is underrated and I'll have to stand by the stuff for it's application.

 

[Jakegday]

oh man. 2 orders total? that sucks! We are allowed unlimited orders, but with a $6000 max throughout the entire program.

 

[mattd]

snap on is well worth the investment. They dont break often, and when they do there are no questions asked warranty (at least from my rep). Quality on snap on branded stuff is top notch. Buy as much as you can with that discount because it is expensive!!

I have tens of thousands of dollars worth of snap on stuff between my diagnostic equipment, hand/power tools and my box and i do not regret spending it. Dont be afraid to buy if you plan on being in this field for the long haul!

And another big +1 for CRC freeze off! That stuff works better than anything i've ever used.

 

[Charlie1935]

Ok Jake, going to look at my list again... Still have a tough time with the socket prices though, maybe I'll add them back. Glad we are heading to Metric across the board, having to own both systems back a few years ago must have been brutal!

Back in the 1960's we needed three sets.
Whitworth for English cars, metric for other imports and our standard.

 

[ramechanic4]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Do it! Just dont do it with debt. How long do you have access to that deal?


THIS^^ CANNOT be stressed enough. I saw that you said you had the money set aside for this, I hope that means you saved it from income and not a chunk of some student loans or something. Anyway, that's none of my business, point is that it's easy to get carried away when your standing there with a handful of cash for buying tools, in a tool truck or store either one. Set your budget and stick to it down to the penny. Snap-On at 40% off is an awesome deal, but not if you have to go in debt to do it.