While we're on the subject of quality tools, I'm submitting this note that
Lawrence Buja (southern@sol.cgd.ucar.edu) wrote some time ago. Lots of
good information and ideas here. Take it away, Lawrence:
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I can't afford to pay retail for Snap-on stuff, so I generally
look for like-new Snap-On tools in the many used tool shops around
Denver. Here's the guide I wrote up a few years about about it.
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Guide to buying used Snap-On tools.
Lawrence Buja
southern@ncar.ucar.edu
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There are some old sayings regarding buying expensive tools:
"When you pay for quality, you only cry once."
"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the
sweetness of low price is forgotten."
and specifically regarding Snap-On tools:
"The average home mechanic is a fool if he buys them,
the professional mechanic is a fool if he doesn't"
The first cheque I ever wrote was for a set of Craftsman wrenches.
Eighteen years later, I still have that set. They have seen me thru
Fords, Chevys, VWs, SAABs, Volvos, Subarus, Hondas, Fiats, Moto-Guzzis,
Triumphs and Jaguars. I thought about this last year after I had done
some serious engine work on my Daimler and began crewing with a Jaguar
vintage racing team. I came to the conclusion that I had moved beyond
the level of an average home mechanic, that working on Jaguars was a
serious interest for me and that I could justify buying high quality
tools since I would use them for decades to come. Up to that time I had
a scattered collection of tools, some good and some bad. It was time to
get serious about building a real set of quality tools. The cheaper
tools went into the emergency tool kits for the cars and I started
filling out my tool box.
Although my Craftsman wrenches never let me down, Snap-On was my only
choice. I had acquired a few Snap-On tools thru the years and I was
always impressed with their fit and finish, much superior to the
Craftsman tools which I had been using. They were the tool of choice
for all of the professional mechanics that I knew and I had heard
nothing but good stories about their quality and ability to do the job
without wrecking the piece. They felt wonderful in my hands and I
discovered that I did better, more careful, work when I was using
quality tools. Something about living up to the standard of the tool.
I also found that I took much better care of my quality tools, while my
cheaper tools would just get tossed in a tool bin after a job, my
quality tools would get carefully cleaned and organized.
I looked up the local Snap-On dealer, got a catalog and started filling
out some of my partial Snap-On socket sets. I was too frugal to pay the
exorbitant price of new Snap-On tools for long. On a whim, I looked up
the used tool shops in the area and suddenly a new world opened up.
Many of the tools that I had put off buying were there at bargain
prices. I could finally get the kind of tools that I couldn't afford to
buy before. Since that time I have been doing the rounds of the
used-tool shops in the area, slowly and patiently building a
professional tool set for myself. It's sure nice to finally have the
right tools for the job.
Below is what I have distilled from my experiences.
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Lawrence's guide to buying used Snap-On tools:
- Never pay more than 50% of the new retail price.
New tools will immediately depreciate to 50% of their value after they
are used once. Used tools kept in good condition don't depreciate.
- Never pay more than 20% of the new price if the tool is damaged and
only buy it if you know you can exchange it for a new one under
guarantee. The Snap-On dealers probably won't exchange a non-impact
socket which has been shattered with an impact gun and they know how
to diagnose use verses abuse.
- Keep a list of what tools you want and their retail price.
If you don't know the new price, then you are shopping blind. You
will pay too much and have less money left to buy more tools.
- Don't be afraid to offer a lower price and cash talks.
Most places will take less than the advertised price. Pawn shops
often take much less. Remember the sayings: "If the seller isn't
insulted by your offer then you probably paid too much." and "There's
always other places, I don't need to buy this right here and now."
- Always buy complete sets if possible. Buying singles or partial sets
means you will spend either a lot of time looking for the missing
pieces used or a bunch of money buying the missing pieces new.
- Avoid buying used tools with someone elses initials written or stamped
on them. They will never feel like they really belong to you.
Some shops will stick a price-tag over the markings to hide them.
- Older tools have "Snap-On" written in a cursive script, newer ones
have the logo in a more modern, NASAlike, font. Newer Snap-On rachets
are sealed in the back, but this makes them slightly thicker.
- Socket racks and wrench organizers are good things.
You can immediately see which sockets/wrenches you are missing/need.
- Some of the best bargains, percentagewise, are in the little things
like odd screwdrivers or scrapers.
- Selection gets limited just before Christmas, when laborers receive
their year-end bonuses and buy used tools as presents for themselves.
- Keep a list of the tools you own for insurance purposes. Immediately
engrave your initials in all your tools to aid recovery in case of
theft or to avoid misunderstandings when you are wrenching with
friends.
- Used tool shops can be found either thru the yellow pages or in the
"Tools" section of the classified ads in big city papers.
- Unless you live in a very large city, you won't be able to find every
used tool that you are looking for. Sometimes you just need to buy
the tool new.
- Finally, never buy stolen tools.
They are tainted and legend has it that their bad karma will
eventually transfer to you via injuries, broken parts and further
theft of your tools. Around here, the Used-Tool and Pawn shops have
to submit lists of the tools they buy to the police to be compared
against theft reports. When buying tools from individuals, ask for
receipts. I've heard of cases where police mounted sting operations
at flea markets and charged buyers with theft by receiving.
- Snap-On verses Craftsman:
Craftsman tools are perfect for the average home mechanic, but I
wanted something better. I developed some metrics along the way:
- The cost of a new Snap-On tool will be about five times the cost of
the equivalent new Craftsman tool.
- A used Snap-On tool will still be about double the price of a new
Craftsman tool.
Craftsman has recently blurred this distinction with the introduction
of it's "Professional" line. The rachet mechanisms still feel a bit
cheesy, but the wrenches are nice.
- Snap-On verses Mac, Proto or other labels:
They're nice too. It a religious thing.
/\ Lawrence "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" Buja
\_][ southern@ncar.ucar.edu National Center for Atmospheric Research
\_________________________Boulder,_Colorado___80307-3000__________
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Lee M. Daniels Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding
daniels@cryogen.com Texas A&M University
'74 TR6 '77 MGB http://acs.tamu.edu/~lmd1191
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