Snap-On Warranty Denied

[bmwpowere36m3]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: SEMI_287
Sounds like a cop out to me.


+1

Really easy to change product numbers every so often and make slight changes to a tool to consider it a new model. The fact that they didn't offer you any kind of discount on a new comparable tool really shows their true colors.

I always thought of Snap-On as over-priced junk and this confirms that theory.


I wouldn't take his single experience as gospel... SO replaced a set of electronics pliers for me that were no longer made as well. I called, told them the problem and they found a close pair and asked if I was okay with that.

They are expensive, but some of their hardline tools are great in my opinion. Worth the premium... well that's up to the individual. Personally I haven't have any issues with warranties as a DIY'er. Even got replacement drawers for my dad's old KRA box... he's since retired as a mechanic/owner.

Same with SK, bought a bunch of new sockets... some of them were [censored] and they warrantied them. It did take a while though.

 

[clinebarger]

The J1618 is a short 1/4"-9/32" open end tune-up wrench, If one did break it....It was probably being used for something it wasn't designed for.

Snap-on no longer makes a comparable tool, I.E....A 1/4" & 9/32" open end on the same wrench. What exactly do you want them to do on a tool that cost $10 when it was new? This is NOT a expensive wrench!

A good franchise owner would have given you a wrench like a VO810B (1/4"-5/16") open end or a XID1618A (1/4"-9/32") box end.

I'm not a Snap-on fanboy, Their hand tools are very good.....EVERYTHING else they sell is way overpriced & I've seen too many tech's have debt up to their eyeballs buying [censored] they don't need.

 

[bchannell]

I work with tools every day of my life, and have for years, this just reinforces my rule of never buying SO tools. I've worked in several different jobs that required me to use hand tools every day, and I've found that medium priced, decent quality tools will get the job done. I don't have to wait for a truck or be treated as if they're doing me a favor to use their tools. I'm not going to say they're junk, cause they clearly are not, but they are waaaaay over priced, and waaaay over hyped. There's quite a lot of decent tools out there that don't cost an arm and a leg. I totally agree with one of the previous posters about SO tool boxes, what a croc of [censored], for that price! I like Klein tools, older Craftsman, Wright, some SK, and similar. I even have some HF screwdrivers that are holding up extremely well, but they're at home, not with me every day. I do hvac work and mostly Klein goes with me when I go out. They're reasonably priced, (you do have to pay for quality), but they don't rape you like some of the boutique tools do. Buy what you like, and believe what you will, but there's a lot of work being done with fairly priced tools.

 

[Trav]

I wont say I don't ever buy SO but not often and never did. I do own a couple of their ratchets and they are good.
For the last 30 or so years I buy Mostly Hazet and Stahlwille but not at USA prices, I have had good tools from Craftsman years ago, SK, Wright, Armstrong, Stanley/Proto, Blackhawk and a few others.
When I was starting out I had a Craftsman box and mostly their tools and took a ribbing for it but when Friday came I wasn't giving half my check to the pimp in the red and white truck either.

Once they figured out the guy with the garbage box in their opinion was doing the same work as well as they were and keeping his money they stopped the comments and sort of regretted being in so deep to the pimp.
HF hand tool still don't impress, they generally don't fit well and the steel is not up to par on a lot of their stuff. Their ratchets and some of their sockets are not bad at all.

 

[bchannell]

I must say, some things have surprised me. I must be the only one who bought a HF 1/2" cordless impact wrench that got one that is a real beast. It will remove lug nuts, suspension parts, you name it, with ease. I even removed the bed from my pal's 2010 Tacoma, that had never been touched since new and the bolts had rusted greatly, and it didn't even flinch, .. zip, zip, zip and the bed was off. I also have a 1/2" PP socket set from HF and it is one of the best I've used, no kidding. Their screwdrivers are normally nothing to get excited about, but the PP set, for like $9 is pretty darn good. I just removed the front wheel bearings from my truck and beat the (&_)^ out of a couple of the screwdrivers using them to wedge out the bearing hub, and the blades don't even look like they've ever been abused at all! Now, I wouldn't want a full box of their tools, but I can say that about Proto, Craftsman, etc, so I guess that's not all bad. I'm not saying they'll replace my Kleins, or whatever, but some of the tools are not as bad as we've been programmed to believe.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Faith restored in Snap-on. I was offered a replacement that isn’t exactly the same sizes but is a useable replacement. Is a good discussion though and I thought it was case closed. I enjoy nice tools and if it is often used size I will spend the $$. No longer working in a shop makes you think twice though before spending the cash. HF tools I have very limited experience with. Sounds like they are good beater tools or tool bag set up. The kind that get no respect.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Trav
I wont say I don't ever buy SO but not often and never did. I do own a couple of their ratchets and they are good.
For the last 30 or so years I buy Mostly Hazet and Stahlwille but not at USA prices, I have had good tools from Craftsman years ago, SK, Wright, Armstrong, Stanley/Proto, Blackhawk and a few others.
When I was starting out I had a Craftsman box and mostly their tools and took a ribbing for it but when Friday came I wasn't giving half my check to the pimp in the red and white truck either.

Once they figured out the guy with the garbage box in their opinion was doing the same work as well as they were and keeping his money they stopped the comments and sort of regretted being in so deep to the pimp.
HF hand tool still don't impress, they generally don't fit well and the steel is not up to par on a lot of their stuff. Their ratchets and some of their sockets are not bad at all.


The whole notion that you have to have Snap-on to be a good technician is total [censored], It's especially unfair to young apprentice technicians that are not even sure their "cut-out" for the profession.

I'll be the first to admit that I love Snap-on wrenches & ratchets, Their impact wobble sockets are top tier, I break their shallow chrome 3/8" drive sockets quite often!
My Vantage Pro & a few sets of Torx & Allen sockets are the only things I've bought off the truck brand new. All my other Snap-on stuff was bought used from techs exiting the trade/pawn shops/garage sales/classified ads for pennies on the dollar. E-Bay & other web based sources have inflated the prices 2-fold in my opinion!

A 1963 Snap-on 1/2"-9/16" flare nut wrench, Says "NOT GUAR" right on it......

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: 2strokeNorthstar
Faith restored in Snap-on. I was offered a replacement that isn’t exactly the same sizes but is a useable replacement. Is a good discussion though and I thought it was case closed. I enjoy nice tools and if it is often used size I will spend the $$. No longer working in a shop makes you think twice though before spending the cash. HF tools I have very limited experience with. Sounds like they are good beater tools or tool bag set up. The kind that get no respect.


Be thankful. If indeed you broke a tiny 2 sided open end, you were abusing it.

Also, what are they to do if they no longer make it. Not like it was a different style of a 5/16 wrench.

SO went above and beyond for you in this situation considering the above.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I am thankful. I was not offended that the warranty was denied just surprised at the explanation. I'm not going to stop buying or using Snap-On either way. Like I said I don't want to have to use a warranty. I want a tool I can buy and use it with confidence. Not drive across town every few months replacing. Using quality tools makes the sometimes not so happy times working on a broke down car a little better.

 

[Trav]

Yep I remember that style. Snap On starts early, when I went to trade school more than 45 years ago they gave you a small carry box with a few SO tools in it when you graduated.
One guy I worked with had over 10K into SO, that was a ton of wood for 1975 when you figure a brand new 75 Eldorado was 10K, all on the never never. I think I may have had $500 into mine box and all from Sears, they worked fine for years.

 

[tig1]

I have a few Snap On tools and I can't see where they are any better than my other tools. However my 1/4 in. drive Snap On ratchet set is certainly cute.

 

[NYEngineer]

I'm no Snap On fan boy, no hats, t shirts or jackets, but I do have an obscene amount of their tools. I will say this... And I think I've told this story before, Many years ago, I had to swap out precombustion chamber seals on four eight cylinder Cat generator sets. These parts get torqued in at 250 lb ft and then after the engines run and have years of thermal cycles, they get good and stuck. It takes a lot of torque to get em out. Two guys went in with me that day. One was the guy I mentioned earlier with Craftsman tools.
We got in, drained the coolant from the first machine, removed the injector and dropped in the splined removal tool. The tool then required a 1 3/8 inch socket to turn the chamber out. First try on the first one, we broke his 3/4" drive Craftsman socket. Guy number two said I have my S-K here. I'll get it out. I think it got two out and it broke. I walked out to my truck, got my Snap On socket and did the remaining thirty. Out and in. Still have that socket today.
All the way home, both of them kept reminding me that their tools also had lifetime warranties and would be replaced. I said yeah, but my tools didn't break and the job got done. If I didn't bring my set, the day for three guys would have been wasted. So, in my opinion, Snap On is worth the cost. I can't remember ever not getting a job done because my tools failed.
Even though I really don't use them professionally any more, (my job doesn't call for it) I still maintain my vehicles, sometimes help out my brother with generators, build an occasional engine and if nothing else, my son will inherit an insane set of tools someday.

 

[klt1986]

Originally Posted By: NYEngineer
I'm no Snap On fan boy, no hats, t shirts or jackets, but I do have an obscene amount of their tools. I will say this... And I think I've told this story before, Many years ago, I had to swap out precombustion chamber seals on four eight cylinder Cat generator sets. These parts get torqued in at 250 lb ft and then after the engines run and have years of thermal cycles, they get good and stuck. It takes a lot of torque to get em out. Two guys went in with me that day. One was the guy I mentioned earlier with Craftsman tools.
We got in, drained the coolant from the first machine, removed the injector and dropped in the splined removal tool. The tool then required a 1 3/8 inch socket to turn the chamber out. First try on the first one, we broke his 3/4" drive Craftsman socket. Guy number two said I have my S-K here. I'll get it out. I think it got two out and it broke. I walked out to my truck, got my Snap On socket and did the remaining thirty. Out and in. Still have that socket today.
All the way home, both of them kept reminding me that their tools also had lifetime warranties and would be replaced. I said yeah, but my tools didn't break and the job got done. If I didn't bring my set, the day for three guys would have been wasted. So, in my opinion, Snap On is worth the cost. I can't remember ever not getting a job done because my tools failed.
Even though I really don't use them professionally any more, (my job doesn't call for it) I still maintain my vehicles, sometimes help out my brother with generators, build an occasional engine and if nothing else, my son will inherit an insane set of tools someday.


That is an excellent example of a quality tool but here is my question. Are the Snap On tools purchased today the same quality as the Snap On tools you have? If I made a living turning wrenches, I'd certainly invest in good tools. I have broken a couple of Craftsman ratchets and they were replaced for free. I have some old Blackhawk ratchets and sockets that I purchased in the mid 1980's. Those things have held up much better than comparable Craftsman models.

As for the original post, I'm really surprised Snap On did not offer a credit towards a similar replacement.

 

[NYEngineer]

I still occasionally buy a tool from Snap On. Driver with a good sized truck stops at my brother's shop on Tuesdays. Whenever something new or cool is on sale, my brother textx me a picture of it and if it's something I don't have or just need it because of "the sickness", I'll purchase it. So far, I haven't seen any drop in quality.

It does turn me off that Snap On has a Chinese line now. I won't buy em.

 

[Trav]

They do make a nice tool but the prices are way over the top. Its the tool truck business model that bothers me, it encourages the obscenely high prices, they are not a good value for the money.
Its hard to justify the price when like quality tools are available for half the price or even less.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted By: Trav
...For the last 30 or so years I buy mostly Hazet and Stahlwille but not at USA prices...


How do you avoid paying USA prices?

 

[Trav]

Buy them in Germany.

 

[bchannell]

Originally Posted By: Pike51
When I was a younger lad in high school, I used to check pawn shops for Craftsman tools and buy them there. Several times I'd find something that was broken and take it back to Sears who would replace it with a new one no questions asked.

Now, in my case, I was abusing the system but they always stood by their products. Fast forward to today. The Craftsman name has been sold (to ACE I believe) and it appears they are moving away from the lifetime warranty, partly because of warranty abuse.

I understand why Snap On would reply the way they did... but I would have expected them to offer a comparable replacement. With that said, my tools mostly come from Harbor Freight as I'm not a full blown mechanic. They work for my hobbyist needs and I've only had to swap a broken item out once.

That said, if you want a high quality tool AND someone who will always honor the warranty, might I suggest buying from Grainger. When I used to work for them, we replaced everything no questions asked. Even Dewalt power tools that were obviously NOT purchased from us but were the cheaper versions from Home Depot. We also replaced obviously abused tools and one time, we replaced a lost tool the customer claimed we never gave him and he came back 4 months after his purchase to get it.



I don't think you abused the Craftsman warranty at all. Craftsman touted their warranty, that they didn't care where the tool came from and that it did not have to be the original owner. Now, was it a good business model?...No, it was not, at least not in the modern world. But, at the time, it sold a boatload of tools and kept the value of used Craftsman tools up. I can remember when guys at flea markets and pawn shops would try to get almost as much as the new price for Craftsman tools, simply because they knew you could get them replaced. Obviously, that contributed to folks just buying them new on sale. So, it was their own advertising that they got caught in....that and the change in the times. I've always liked Craftsman tools, except the newer ones, and have used them all my life. Sure, you can find some extreme cases of super heavy duty work requiring tools that are tougher than Craftsman, but for the rest of the 90%+ of users, they work very well for a reasonable price.
I noticed in the '80s Sears started to go down in quality with sloppy grinding on plier jaws, and other issues, and things just continued to get worse. Hard to keep up with emerging markets.

 

[Errtt]

I've broken the few snap-on tools I had. Never did try to replace them with snap-on.

Years ago I was with someone and we spent the afternoon at a large outdoor auction/swap market. He found a vendor who had loads of tools, new, working used, & boxes and boxes of broken & rusty tools too. My friend struck up a deal for these wooden boxes full of broken Craftsman tools. It took us a few trips hauling them between the vendor and his van via a large wheel wagon. He later took them to a good size Sears tool center and I couldn't believe all the new Craftsman tools he got for the boxes of broken junk. I still think he knew the fella that worked at the Sears tool center back then.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
I'll bet the terms of the original purchase agreement and warranty still apply. I'll also bet they owe you a wrench.

They cannot change the terms after the fact.


Agreed, Airtex mechanical Fuel Pumps way back had UNCONDITIONAL warranties... To this day they have a few sitting on the shelves collecting dust should someone claim the warranty on a 50+ year pump...