Can these inexpensive tool companies really copy Snap On tools?

[@tyler93539]

i like wright tool made in Ohio USA with virgin steel my main impact sockets are wright

[@1pieman]

Absolutely spot on man. I can't get enough of your channel just when I think about maybe joining them and giving in and buying some of that crap. Thank you. I bought Harbor freight stuff before the man had a store front. He was selling out of a car at a swap me and I continued to buy but most of that was Taiwan stuff that was built pretty good back in the early '70s and then I continue to buy it when I wanted to cut something and weld it or heat it and beat on it. I'd never do that to my snap-on. Thank you so much! One thing in your last two videos that you did not mention I've had dealers that would have promos that weren't even in the catalogs. I just went through that not too long ago. Was buying stuff 50% of what it was in the catalog. I Can't thank you enough man. Keep it coming 👍😎👍

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

You're right about the dealers having promos where you can get some really good deals on Snap On tools off the truck. I am glad you find the videos informative and entertaining. Thank you for watching as well.

[@50Quid-d3x]

The head engineer of tool development at HF said he worked on a tool truck for 9 years and refered to himself as an engineer because he was head of tool development engineering for Harbor Frieght? He gave the interview at SEMA in Las Vegas... He also acknowledged the soft metal and said they were working on strengthing the steel. On black Friday I bought a 1/4 drive HF socket set for 16 dollars. (40% off). I bought one 8mm 1/4 drive 6 point Snap-On socket off the truck and it cost a whopping 21 dollars. To get an engineering degree today we have to pass the three calculus classes and pass a differential equations class. So proof that the ICON tool line at Harbor Frieght is a farse is right here on You Tube where somebody who worked on a tool truck is now a tool design engineer for Harbor Frieght.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

I keep hearing the HOBO Freight fan boys saying a Snap On engineer went to work for Hobo Freight for their Icon tools, I had never heard the entire story so it was former driver or a tool truck? That is the Snap On engineer the HOBO Freight crowd keeps crowing about?

[@50Quid-d3x]

@@mustangecoboosthpp3869 I can't say...because I do not know... I was told by employees when ICON first hit the store that: A. The owner of HF was a major stock owner of SO and that a snap on engineer designed the ICON tool boxes. My guess is a factory in Taiwan designed the ICON line of tools from SO tools that they sorta tried to copy. The ICON packaging is first class Madison Avenue mastery. The tool steel is to soft and the Tools are made in the same factory as EP AUTO tool sets which sell for way less. Ali-Express sells the double box end swivel spline wrenches for $140.00 (ADT) or you can get the same exact tool set at HF for $225.00. I bought a JH Williams sockets set on the cheap... thinking I was robbing them blind like we used to do at Lowes with the Gen 1 Kobalt tools... then my new JHW socket set was just all made in Taiwan 🇹🇼 junk. My SK 3/8 socket set purchased at the same time was all genuine USA made quality stuff. The largest stock holders of SO are Vangard and Blackrock... not HF.

[@bluegrassman3040]

@@50Quid-d3xyou can still get USA made Williams brand tools, as only certain ones are made in Taiwan. The USA made ones are likely made in the same factory as the Snap On branded ones, but likely aren’t heat treated as much as they cost less. I’ve only seen them available online through industrial suppliers, but they are available. The Williams ratchet is still 36 tooth and the head is identical to Snap On, but the handle is different. The USA sockets are identical to Snap On other than the name. They also still have the Supertorque or Supercombo wrenches that are USA made and have the screwdrivers with the hard plastic handles made here as well, which is basically the old Snap On design from the 80s. I don’t think Williams is available on the tool trucks, but idk for sure. Not many people likely know this as Williams is marketed for the industrial market.

[@bluegrassman3040]

@@50Quid-d3xAlso, the SK brand was sold by Ideal Industires a few years ago to a Chinese company. Ideal also closed down Western Forge.

[@BellaRocko]

I agree with everything you said. That's why you see a ton of unscientific comparisons between the two tools, but you never see a metallurgical comparison between them. Time will tell. There are still a lot of 50+ year-old Snap-On tools still in use, we'll see if the other brands can withstand the test of time.

[@50Quid-d3x]

@@BellaRocko Somebody on you tube put a 10mm ICON wrench in a vice and bent it over...easy as can be. Then he put a Snap- On 10 mm wrench in the same vice and had to really push on it to get it to bend over.

[@s.kirkpatrick8564]

I've been buying Snap On for a little over 30 years now. Never have i broken on tool. I've broken a lot of Chineseum and Taiwanese stuff a lot. If you've never used them you wouldn't know.

[@shadow7796]

I dont get the point of your video. So those of us who can't afford to pay 400% to 500% markup over Icon should just not buy tools? Rave against it all you want, but Icon tools are great for the price. I own many, and haven't had a problem. I've never broken a socket or a wrench. And, Snap-on is not going to run to any of our houses to replace a tool unless we can afford to drop a ton of money. Some of them will deny the warranty if the tool wasn't bought from their truck. You guys are just mad over something that doesn't even matter. I can't believe you're suggesting to people who probably can't afford it to go into massive debt on a Snap-on truck because MOST regular people can not afford Snap-on prices! Snap-on is marketed toward high turn-around garages and people who can afford high, high-dollar tools. Leave us regular people alone, and quit calling our tool choices garbage. It makes you guys look so pretentious.

[@ihavethedocuments2580]

Matco, Mac, and even Proto have the same OEM as Icon now. Is this fellow telling us the only quality tools are snap on? This man doesn't understand marketing does he?

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

@@ihavethedocuments2580 You don't understand how business works, the company that is forging the tools offers different levels of product, the cheaper you go the softer the steel, the more expensive you go the better the alloy formula. HOBO Freight is a low bid company, that is why the steel is so soft in their tools. Further you don't have a clue who is forging MAC and Proto tools. Further you don't see MAC, Matco and Proto tools getting all dented and gouged after regular use by someone who uses tools every day, you can't say the same for HOBO Freights cheap Icon tools, there are now KZbin videos that show how poorly they preformed when used on a daily basis. Sockets all dented and gouged, wrenches being damaged due to the soft steel they are made from. You can buy a number of other brands that are the same as Icon for half the price of Icon, HOBO Freight is laughing all the way to the bank every time you buy their Icon tools. Just because HOBO Freight put the word professional on the packaging does not make Icon tools professional use tools.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

I don't owe one single dime on all my Snap On tools, they are all free and clear, you HOBO Freight fan boys all think that anyone who owns Span On is deep in debt and that is just not true. It is easy to own Snap On tools and have the best.

[@stefanczechorskidds8435]

I can assure you the "other" tools are well aware of the steel, formulas, heat treating of S.O. tools; a good group of metallurgists and some experimentation and they can figure that out; and they have. The other manufacturers feel it isn't worth the cost for that (MOST) market, IF the tool is properly used, it doesn't make (That) much difference. Lets face it, many purchase S.O. tools for status and abuse. They just go on the truck and get a new replacement ; but soon, that will be coming to a end as well as that abusive use of the tool is built into S.O's pricing. S.O. is well aware of this practice and their pricing shows this very point! S.O.'s prices for many of their tools are coming down and that is because of competition - even if the competitions product is not quite the same.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

Snap On does not reveal their alloy formula to anyone, nor do they share how they heat treat their tools to make them so good. Snap On uses only virgin American steel for their tools. You will never be convinced and will still think HOBO Fright has the formula but hey to each his own.

[@CNKCLAN2]

I was hoping to watch an informative video comparing different tools, not just a rant without any actual real world comparison or testing. Yes you have the freedom to say what you want in your video. It would be more helpful to the community if it wasnt just a bunch of moot points and more of a hands on real world comparison

[@MMAKingRay]

Snap on only goes to the shops he can make money on. I have snap on tools that are a pain to replace. Not worth the hassle. Love the tools. Just that sales model is old and dated. As soon as icon gets their truck routes going not sure how snap on will keep being profitable.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

Just as I thought a HOBO Freight fan boy.

[@MMAKingRay]

Also its not that they cant figure out the heat treat snap on uses. Lol its not a trade secret. Lol. They just dont need to waste the money on it since its a different price point. Nothing new here.

[@MMAKingRay]

What you are saying is what has been talked about for years. Seems you may feel like you are telling ppl new things here. Prob should have watched some other videos befor you wasted your time. We know what heat treating is.

[@beestoe993]

This is hilarious. Do you really think that Snap on has a monopoly on metallurgical engineers and that other tool manufacturers use pot metal? The truth is Snap on has been riding the "flank drive" gravy train for over 50 years and they no longer own the market on it. The other truth is suckers like you have to justify your tool box that equals the average homeowners mortgage. Tsk, tsk. I don't own ANY Icon tools, nor do I care about them, but you are wrong. Snap on is NOT harder, Icon is. In fact Icon is TOO hard according to the US industry standard. But they are not the only competition that is kicking Snap ons butt. Does Snap on make excellent tools? Hell yes they do. Are they grossly overpriced? Yep!! Take a look here and educate yourself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3LSY6Npe8-IrrM

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

What ever skippy.

[@beestoe993]

@mustangecoboosthpp3869 Good answer. 🙄