I'm sure this will ruffle some feather or maybe bring some truth to the surface.
This stems from another thread about if all of snap on products are made in America or not.
For this American made snap on / china stuff. I bust my dealers balls all the time about American man anymore. Next time you on the truck compare a new snap on ratchet to a older one. The new snap on ratchets DO NOT say "made in America" anymore. My older ones do. Pretty sure snap on is making some products over sea's now. He won't admit it but why would they change all their tooling not to say that anymore? If anyone has more info please enlighten me.
What do you guys think on this? Do any of your dealers have anything to say about this?
As for Matco it seems their tools are getting cheaper and cheaper made from my experience over the past 6-7 years.
Our Mac dealer has been having awesome sales with some descent prices on the tools as well. But he doesn't have much on the truck since he's so far behind.
I was always told the Blue Point and Silver Eagle lines were imports, but that the big name ones were still USA. The packaging usually jived with that. But I havent been on a tool truck since I left the field in 2010 and I am sure things have changed.
Blue point is a completely different company. Many people think its a snaps on's cheaper line but that's false. They just sell it like many other brands as well.
I'll take a pic of te ratchets later in if I remember to
Mac is still owned by Stanley. It's almost like a treasure hunt to find USA made stuff on the MAC truck. Still good tools, I just don't feel like I should be paying USA tool truck prices for Taiwan and China made tools. The newest model snap on ratchets don't say USA on them anymore. I'm sure more stuff is to follow.
the tools are stamped out of country and assembled here, thats why they can get the american name branded if they have it, and for blue point, most of there tools are the same as snap on, i have a blue point snap ring plier that is exactly the same as the snap on, i got it because its cheaper, most of the tools are made by one company then the other buys it and slaps there name on it, its like the streamlight flash lights, ive seen they say snap on, corwnwell, mac and macto but they are all streamlight, just another way they screw you over, tool trucks are rip offs, if you can wait for the tool then shop around, i know sometimes you need the tool and thats the only thing tool trucks are good for
the tools are stamped out of country and assembled here, thats why they can get the american name branded if they have it, and for blue point, most of there tools are the same as snap on, i have a blue point snap ring plier that is exactly the same as the snap on, i got it because its cheaper.
Bullshit, most blue point tools are just rebranded from other companies, but don't try and tell me that blue point tools are the same as snap on. Work with snap on sockets and ratchets for a week and then work with blue point sockets and ratchets for a week. Report back and tell me that they are the same.
I have a very good friend that's a Matco dealer. He used to be a dealer rep for Mac also and started off as a warehouse stock guy for snap on. He said that the same company that makes craftsman also makes Matco tools. He also said the a large part of Mac tools are made by Stanley. He said snap on outsources some stuff also to various companies.
All of this I agree with. Blue point stuff is outsourced and now some snap on stuff is too. Is there any tool maker that still makes their "vise grips" in the usa? I see that snap on makes theirs in Spain.
Yes. The goofy thing about the cman professional stuff is that some is Matco, and some is SK. The screwdrivers and wrenches are identical to SK. I like SK more than craftsman. All of my odds and ends in sockets are SK. Since ideal bought them, the quality seems to be a little better.
Eh, they are all owned mostly by china anyway. Matco outsources its manufacturing to China. Even if what little is still made here, the profits are going to foreign investors.
I'm going to start buying some Tekton tools. I like their off set wrenches and stubby wrenches. Their prices are good. I hate snap on or Mac wrenches. Craftsmen are pretty good but speciality wrenches are a little expensive.
I have a small amound of Tekton that I got through my dads friend that is a northern tool salesman. I have no complaints for the things I use them for. Get whatever feels the best in your hand.
I look for old USA made tools at garage sales, pawn shops, swap meets, etc. Most air tools are rebuildable.
I have never worked at a shop that had a 'tool truck' stop by.
If I need a specialty tool that's not going to get used much, I go to HF. I've been surprised that some of the stuff is pretty decent, although the electric tools are woefully underpowered.
I don't have any Matco tools but a good chunk of Mac and a lot of snap on. I picked up a set of precision torque combination wrenches from the Mac man. Just like a lot of tools in that truck, they are rebadged from another company. Taiwan made Facom wrenches. I really like these wrenches! Reasonably priced for a tool truck set and don't dick up fasteners like some other cheaper wrenches. They even say MAC on them!
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