Broken Mac ratchet. PIC

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I've had good luck with Homedepot and Husky tools too . Had a Husky Johnson 1/2" bar snap that I had probebly owned for 20+ years and just walked in and had it replaced . No questions .

I've heard Sears is great too and actually here in Canada our Canadian Tire stores are really good replacing tools .

The price you pay for Snap-On or Mac tools is many times more than the cost of Sears and other brands , Sure , the guy comes to your shop in a truck and it's handy but all the same they should look after you when you have a tool failure .
 
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The beauty of Sears is that if you go into a store for a warranty replacement and don't get the answer you want, go to another store. Example: I had a Craftsman ratchet that stripped out. Took it to the store, they said it was abused (it wasn't, if you can't take out a spark plug with a 3/8' ratchet, what good is it?) Went down to Sears Hardware and walked out with a brand new ratchet. Unfortunately, warranty redemption is only as good as the person behind the counter. [/quote]

This can be true at times . Some seem to think they have the power to make that descision and it's up to you to push the issue a bit or ask for the store manager .
 
Have you tried to call Mac corporate offices? The Mac guy is pretty stupid to not eat the cost as there are only so many commercial tool buyers.
 
I know for a fact that my buddy Jon has broken his Snap-On flex handle in a similar manner and it was replaced no questions asked.

Considering the price difference (is there one?) between Mac and Snap-On.....
 
I had a bad Vortex 1/4 ratchet. I called Gearwrench and they shipped me a new one with no conditions. One would think truck brands would do at least that much for their customers.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I had a bad Vortex 1/4 ratchet. I called Gearwrench and they shipped me a new one with no conditions. One would think truck brands would do at least that much for their customers.


Same. My 3/8" and 1/4" ratchets were both bad, and both arrived in the same shipment.

IMO, they should replace it. You spent enough money on it.
 
Just a tip on the broken Vortex ratchet:- I applied liberal amount of MMO after prying off the black plastic triangular piece. I did not disassemble anything. When I tried it next day, it no longer did the "auto-reversal" on me! I have tested it often and so far it has been behaving. You should try that if you still have the broken Vortex ratchets.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I know for a fact that my buddy Jon has broken his Snap-On flex handle in a similar manner and it was replaced no questions asked.

Considering the price difference (is there one?) between Mac and Snap-On.....
Snapon tools are IMO better than Mac tools . I have tried both.
 
When you buy a tool of that caliber(price) the assumption is ; "you are a professional" could a professional afford to be without a tool while 'they' debate weather is should be replaced???
 
Originally Posted By: expat
When you buy a tool of that caliber(price) the assumption is ; "you are a professional" could a professional afford to be without a tool while 'they' debate weather is should be replaced???


Yup. I would never/have never tolerated a dealer that gave me grief over a legit replacement. If Mac doesn't want my money, Snap-on will take it, if Snap-on doesn't want my money, Matco will take it.

I don't know the reason, but I always had the most problems with Mac dealers. I went through 5 of them in 3 different locations, and 4 of them were about worthless. Snap-on, Matco, and Cornwell always treated me right.
 
The premium you pay for "tool truck" tools is threefold; one is convenience, two is higher quality, three is warranty. You pay a little extra for a warranty "insurance policy". It sounds like your MAC salesman is letting you down on 2/3 of the only reasons to buy off his truck.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
You forgot the fourth one; bragging rights!


While that may be true, most of my Snap-On stuff is from the 40's and 50's. Quality tools do last a long time! How old is the oldest tool you've bought from Harbour Freight? Do you plan on passing those tools on to your kids?
 
My kids did not inherit my genes; they are of the type "dad, can you change the light bulb in the kitchen" type :-(

With the Harbor Freight tools, if you can see them, you can decide if they are worth picking up. I started HF recently as we did not have store in our area until last year.

But I do have older "junk" which goes back 30 years. Some of it purchased from VIP auto store. I still have their 1/2 torque wrench which I use regularly. I suspect it is at least 20 years old. Most my older junk is either Made in Taiwan or worse, Made in India (Gedore). I have some Craftsman sockets and wrenches. I had to warranty 10mm socket as the chrome started peeling off. Given my Japanese vehicles, that was the most used socket.

I certainly like good shiny and expensive tool justs like any other red blooded American but I also understand that an adequate tool gets the job done. Now if you are making living with the tools, it is a whole different ball game. For recreational wrenching, I don't NEED Snap-On but I WANT one :)

- Vikas
 
I have broken a lot of tools working on old cars. Not as many tools as a full time mechanic would break, that's for sure! But it is a huge hassle to replace them when they do break. I never did receive my replacement ratchets from Stanley; broke both the 3/8ths and 1/4 ratchets (well, a friend broke the 1/4, but it shouldn't have broken) working on cars. 3/8ths broke tightening a sway-bar bolt on a Mustang, 1/4th broke removing a starter wire. I was not impressed! Neither ratchet had ever had a bar on them. My 3/8ths Snap-On fine-tooth that replaced the Stanley has had a 2ft bar on it already. Needed it when I was doing the shocks in the Expedition. Took it like a champ
thumbsup2.gif
LOL!

Now, I did break my Snap-On 3/8ths cheater (which is sad, because that puppy is older than time itself) but it had a 4ft bar on it. Trying to get the rear LCA bolts out of a 30 year old Fox body is a fun job. And not many tools fit in the area at an angle that affords any sort of leverage. This bar did... so I used it.

I appreciate the value of good tools. Which is why all my core tools are of good quality. I have a huge variety of sockets: Craftsman, Husky, Snap-On, S-K, Williams, Mastercraft, KD and Gray. They cover probably 80 years? LOL! But I don't find myself breaking sockets often, so I don't feel the need to have only Snap-On sockets. Which differs greatly from my experience with ratchets. Though I have no problem with Craftsman ones, I have a few and they have been good. Not as smooth as the Snap-On, but they've never broken.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I have broken a lot of tools working on old cars.
Wow... now let me ask you this: are you pre-soaking those stuck bolts with anything or just applying a healthy dose of testosterone? I'm curious if you're wrenchin' harder instead of smarter (as an old coot is inclined to do).

Really hate to see the retro tools disappear like that.
49.gif
 
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