Ratchet Breaker Bars and Snap On tools

[Old Junk Man]

Ive got a hodge podge of tools. and the SK are hard to beat. The snap on open end wrenches are springy and will round off the corners of bolts & nuts. ive bought at farm auctions and found lots of tools in cars & trucks ive towed in. stay away from the china and jap imported tools. The only new tools I bought where SK. Snap on are way overpriced.

 

[mikebramel]

You need to try the newer Snap on wrenches that are Flank Drive plus. You can place the open end on the head of a grade 8 bolt and shear it off. Now, of course, other manufacturers like Wright, and soon SK with their new X beam wrenches have this too. I personally don't like the Snap On wrenches as they are too thin. Would rather keep my set of beefy handles Wrights

I do have to say for breakers I have not found a one as good as Snap On. 3/4" drive breaker + 8ft pipe and two guys on the end, didn't even bend....... Not that I saw that !!!

 

[JD955SC]

Would rather keep my set of beefy handles Wrights

Wright makes a hell of a wrench. My 1 3/8 to 2 1/2 are the thick handle Wrights, using one of those will make a man out of ya quick.

 

[nowing75]

I have mostly craftsman. Used them on lawn mowers up to 747. Like the fact I can get another easy if I brake one.

 

[JD955SC]

I have mostly craftsman. Used them on lawn mowers up to 747. Like the fact I can get another easy if I brake one.

About two, three years ago Craftsman went mostly Chinese.

When I began buying tools on a professional basis that really pissed me off to find that out...

 

[FSERVICE]

I have mostly craftsman. Used them on lawn mowers up to 747. Like the fact I can get another easy if I brake one.

the professional series combo wrenches are nice, I have a set that was a xmas gift & I have them at the lake house garage not on the truck!!

 

[lantraxco]

Back in the eighties I ordered a puller set from a Proto dealer, there was a delay and when the set came in they were not the same as what I ordered... the Made in USA was no longer available, what I got was made somewhere in Asia and was nowhere near as durable as what it replaced. Some of the NAPA tools I bought were great quality with a lifetime warranty... except when I eventually needed warranty they had changed manufacturers and the ratchet I loved was replaced by a clunky lump. And so it goes....

 

[nowing75]

The snap on man loves you guys.

 

[mikebramel]

My only experience with Craftsman is the products made in the last 5 years or so. Open ends that don't fit, ratchets that skip teeth with little more than hand pressure, screw driver tips that are made of butter, sockets that crack way before they should, or those forsaken wrenches that dig into your hands. I don't want to knock on others items, especially if it earns them a living. But, there is most certainly a difference. On the other hand, most Snap On items at full retail are borderline rip off. I think there is a good balance with the industrial brands like Wright, Proto, and SK. 1/2 the price of Snap On and typically with just as much function.

 

[mikebramel]

I don't want to take the OP's thread off topic, but I have a 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive air driven ratchet wrenches and they are extremely handy tools to have and use.
They have a lot of ft. lbs of torque to.

Don't look up the Ingersoll Rand Hammerhead

 

[Mike L]

those hammerheads are awesome! as far as snap on goes, yes they are overpriced but on a lot of tools the quality can't be beat. I haven't had good luck with their air tools but ratchets, flank drive wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and sockets are great. It can make all the difference in the world to have a good dealer. my last dealer would warranty wire strippers and dikes if they got dull and would laugh when I told him how long the cheater pipe was when the ratchet broke!

 

[RobVG]

I lost my favorite craftsman 1/2 ratchet this week. I had it for 25 years. Bought another one- different style- because they don't make the other anymore. What a piece of manure. Thinking about Proto.

PS Since finding the torque specs for Hitachi final drive plugs, life has become easier. 160's- about 55 ft lbs.

 

[chevota84]

I use near all Snap on tooling including the 3/4 drive breaker bar with a swap out ratchet head that is sealed, the ratchet set up has been a super bit of kit although I chose the industrial finish bar as it makes it less interesting for the tool collector, I also have ring open end spanner set from about a 1/8th to 1"1/2 A.F. including about 7no 9/16" 5no 3/4" etc, so lots of double ups of the same spanners although the length might be different, I have the same stuff in metric as well, but the spanners that have saved me times are the straight long thin ring spanners they are costly but work so well. tctractors

the professional series combo wrenches are nice, I have a set that was a xmas gift & I have them at the lake house garage not on the truck!!

The craftsman professional series used to be SK, not sure any more. I have a pretty good mix leaning heavy towards snap on, he was the best guy to deal with when I started. One of the little things I really like about snap on sockets is the shelf they put in the deep wells so you can still push on a nut in a hard to reach place, just one of those simple things that make my life a little easier. Also, ratchets that don't give up and smash my knuckles or just switch directions for no reason.

 

[JD955SC]

PS Since finding the torque specs for Hitachi final drive plugs, life has become easier. 160's- about 55 ft lbs.

Yep they don't need gorilla torque.

Now of course my problem is the previous guy who tightened the final drive plugs. I swear some of these guys must break out the long breaker bar and a cheater pipe to get them tight. It is not unusual at all for me to have to use the impact gun (with an extension to get seated in the plug fully and not strip it out) to get them loose.

 

[kshansen]

Yep they don't need gorilla torque.

Now of course my problem is the previous guy who tightened the final drive plugs. I swear some of these guys must break out the long breaker bar and a cheater pipe to get them tight. It is not unusual at all for me to have to use the impact gun (with an extension to get seated in the plug fully and not strip it out) to get them loose.

Very true the worse ones are the 500 pound gorillas the factories hire to install drain plugs and filters!

 

[GregsHD]

For whatever reason I couldn't get a tool truck to stop by at a former job I had. I started to buy Napa tools from a local store and was pleasantly surprised at the price and no hassle warrantee. The sockets and wrenches are good stuff.

I've had good luck with some Napa ultra pro tools, cant beat the warranty, they have an decent tool catalog worth looking at. Have to be careful as most of the tools are cheap off shore but you will be happy to find Made in USA on a bunch, I believe S.K. produces them for Napa???

 

[lantraxco]

Years ago I bought a fair bit of NAPA tools, back then they were New Britain which were always good quality. I like SK , Allen, Wright, I've got some Kobalt socket sets in the trucks for emergencies and they seem to be very nice for a medium priced brand. Matco is what I started with back in the Eighties, never had a complaint with them except when the economy went South it was hard to find a tool truck.

 

[Mike L]

I just bought a set of offset wrenches from napa called Carlyle. Haven't used them yet but they look nice.

 

[chevota84]

Years ago I bought a fair bit of NAPA tools, back then they were New Britain which were always good quality. I like SK , Allen, Wright, I've got some Kobalt socket sets in the trucks for emergencies and they seem to be very nice for a medium priced brand. Matco is what I started with back in the Eighties, never had a complaint with them except when the economy went South it was hard to find a tool truck.

I've been really surprised with the quality of kobalt and husky tools. A buddy of mine has a husky toolbox that he's used every day for years and it's been great.

 

[jjimbo]

Yes mt name is Jim and I to have an addiction my vice just bolts onto my truck. As far as tools go it has to be the right one for the job at hand be it quality or throw away some of the best wobble sockets I have are made by apex tools end wrenches proto or bonety they have meat on them. As stated angle wrenches snappy. But no matter the cost when you leave them for someone else it still hurts.