OT: Who makes which Hand Tools, Little know facts from an insider Options

[URY914]

The following is a cut/paste from another forum I belong to (please don't call me a trader, this place is home). It tells us who makes the hand tools we all use; Sears, Mac. Snap-on, Stanley, Lowes, HD, etc. I found it a good read and though I'd share it with my Brothers here...


"I'm not the final word on tools by any means, but since I work in the business, I've learned a little bit about it. Okay, here's more than you ever wanted to know.

Lowes now (as of earlier this year) is selling a line of Mechanics Tools called Kobalt which is made by Snap-On. They are good tools.

Home Depot's Husky brand is made by Stanley Mechanics Tools, a division of the Stanley Works. Husky are also good tools and have a good lifetime warranty (they'll even replace your broken Craftsman with an equivalent Husky).

Until 1994 or so, Stanley also made Sears Craftsman tools. Sears Craftsman is now made by Danaher Tools. They beat out Stanley on the contract over price. Danaher also manufactures MatCo Tools, the third largest player in the Mobile Automotive industry (behind MAC and Snap-On). Odds are, if you own any Craftsman tools that are older than about five years ago, they were made by Stanley in plants in Dallas, Texas, Witchita Falls, Texas, and Sabina, Ohio.

Stanley also owns MAC Tools and manufactures MAC tools in the same plants. Now here's the kicker: MAC Tools, Proto Tools (a very expensive industrial brand), Husky Tools, and, (prior to five or so years ago) Craftsman Tools are all made from the same forgings in the same plants. Proto is unique because it goes through addtional testing and certification because it is used by NASA, the military, and industrial customers (including General Motors).

There are three MAJOR players in the USA mechanics tool business: Stanley, Danaher, and Snap-On. Stanley and Danaher (almost identical in sales revenue at about $28 billion each) are the biggest followed by Snap-On. Each of these three manufacture and sell tools under a variety of brands (there are many other brands that Stanley makes that I haven't even named). The quality between these three manufacturers is roughly the same. I know its a bit of a let-down to hear that, but its a simple fact.

There are a hand full of other minor players (Vermont American, etc) and an endless list of Taiwanese import tool companies (some of which Stanley own as well as Danaher to serve the lower end consumer import brands at WalMart, etc). How do I know all of this? I work for Stanley Mechanics Tools, specifically with the Proto Industrial brand. I personally do not think that MAC, MatCo, or Snap-On branded tools are worth the extra markup since they use the same forgings and manufacturing processes that make Husky and Kobalt and pre-1994 Craftsman. Where you need to pay attention are things like ratchets and torque wrenches. There are different specifications of ratchets and you do pay for the difference. Some mechanics require a finer, more precise ratcheting mechanism than guys like me who just bang around in the garage on the weekends.

By the way, Metwrench is basically considered a "gimick" infomercial tool brand that is not considered as a serious competitor to Danaher, Snap-On, or Stanley. Then again, IBM once didn't see Microsoft as a serious force in the personal computer business. Hmmmm....

[cha914]

HMMM...I have noticed that Home Depot and Lowes have started carrying some decent looking tools...will have to take a closer look at those kobalt and huskys again...thanks for the post!

Tony

[tat2dphreak]

kick ass!! thanks for the info!!

I have a big Stanley branded socket set, I can't afford the outrageous snap-on prices... this is good info! I have to confess I DO have a snap-on cabinet... somone here in my apt. complex parked it by a dumpster, that dumpster was close to my garage... I cleaned it up and it's very nice, and you can't beat the price... even if it needs a paint job like no one's business!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

I too have taken notice of the kobalt stuff at Lowes... it looks very well made... and a reasonable price!

[Cap'n Krusty]

I don't see the forgings as being the same, as the essay claims, and the metallurgy is gonna be a BIG factor, same forgings or not. One would think if the forgings were the same, the tools would look the same, and they don't. MAC/Stanley Works, BTW, is getting it's a** handed to it by the courts in both the US and Canada, where their treatment of the franchisees is under the microscope of the judges and juries. So far (after a large number of cases) the score is Dealers, a whole bunch, MAC "0". In fact, our local MAC dealer is part of the litigation. See www.macsucks.com, it's a hoot! The Cap'n

[Verruckt]

QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Apr 26 2005, 08:01 PM)

See www.macsucks.com, it's a hoot! The Cap'n

What part of macsucks.com is a hoot? The "Jewish singles", or the "free credit report" part? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/confused24.gif)

[Brett W]

I heard the same on another forum. Yes I can say without a doubt Craftsman ratchets have gotten really shitty lately. I am going to start looking for another brand of rachets.

[Cap'n Krusty]

QUOTE (Verruckt @ Apr 26 2005, 06:17 PM)

QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Apr 26 2005, 08:01 PM) See www.macsucks.com, it's a hoot!  The Cap'n What part of macsucks.com is a hoot? The "Jewish singles", or the "free credit report" part? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/confused24.gif)

OOPS!!!!!

http://www.mactoolssuck.com/

Sorry, I screwed up. That's mine for the day, though! The Cap'n

[URY914]

Here is the master lis of who makes what...

http://ww3.hti.org/0410HTIDirectory.htm

Paul

[john rogers]

For my race set of tools, Harbor Freight is just about right and if I loose one it's not so bad. So far I have never broke one!!

[jd74914]

I dislike harbor frieght stuff. My dad and I were working on our backhoe with our 3/4inch ratchet set, and we pretty much stripped a 1 1/2inch socket, as well as screwing up the mechanism on the ratchet. On the other hand though, they were so cheap you can just throw them away.

All my tools are really old craftman stuff (late 70s, early 80s), and they still work great. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif) Lately though, I keep killing screwdrivers, must be the new company, of course, sears just replaces them so all is good.

[jonwatts]

Paul, I'm not sure how old that information is but I don't think we (Snap-on) make Kobalt tools for lowes anymore, I believe that account went to Danaher. However I couldn't find Kobalt on the master list you linked so I could be wrong.

[LukeD]

I received a set of Metwrenches for my 18th birthday (i'm 27 now) I use them every day and for some of the biggest jobs. The only thing that failed on me was the ratchet and they replaced it. I now have 2 sets and carry one in my bronco. If anyone was considering buying some it's a great deal IMO, after 9 years of abuse they still clean up like new and havn't failed me once. My dad bought them for me and still borrows them on occasion (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif)

my 2 cents

Luke D

ADD... looks like their website is gone, maybe e-bay?

For those of you who never heard of them, Metwrenches is a socket and wrench set that each size tool worked for SAE or metric equivelent.

[Jake Raby]

All new tools are like everything else new- Pure fucking junk compared to those from 10_+ years ago...

I bought my first Snap on wrench when I was 12, it was a 13mm (imagine that) and it lasted until last year when it finally started slipping on nuts because it was worn on the open end..

The one that I got when I replaced it ended up having the chrome flake off after 6 weeks o wrenching...

Another instamce was a snap on hammer that Brent had from 1980.. It finally fell apart and the tool man "did him a favor" by replacing the whole hammer instead of the handle...

Well, in one month of banging on things(we don't use hammers that much either here) the face of the hammer was starting to mushroom and chip! The old one that was 25 years old NEVER did this!

Its all the same junk... I have pretty much quit buying anything that actually has to be worked with or abused that is new after this... I'd rather look for my snap on tools in Pawn shops and flea markets as buy the new junk thats priced 4 times higher than it should be...

I like the late 70s-early 80s craftsman tools really well but their new ones are better known here as "crapsman" because they are also junk.....

New cars, new tools and everything else is really crappy these days, just like a lot of new engine parts made in 3rd world countries.... The entire world is being filled with pure junk thats too damn expensive, doesn't last and is basically recycled Oldsmobiles, beer cans and 2 liter coke bottles and it's getting worse..

Support the local pawn shop and buy your tools there!

[Lou W]

I've owned alot of tools since the early 70's, started off with JC Pennys (Penncraft) and Sears Craftsman, and Proto. Had a friend who sold Snap-On, so I tried them. Now all I have is Snap-On, there was a big difference, from the feel of the wrenches, to the quality of the castings and finish. The ratchets were excellant too, you could change out the heads for tighter ratcheting. I bought my first Snap-On upper box in 1982, bought the lower box in 1984, I traded both boxes in to Snap-On for a larger box in 1997, he gave me full price that I had paid when I bought them new. I can't ever imagine replacing them without anything else but Snap-On. I really do think you get what you pay for.

All because one tool company owns another tool company doesn't mean that all their products meet the same standards.

[jonwatts]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/agree.gif) with Jake

It seems like the newer it is the gooder it ain't. Everyone's too focused on the bottom line to make anything of quality anymore. I'm talking about corporate America, not all the small business owners who are carrying this country.

[airsix]

I agree with the Cap'n. Those wrenches listed can't be from the same forgings. I can close my eyes and you can hand me a Matco and a Craftsman and I can instantly tell you which is which. I also agree with Jake about the correlation between age and quality. And you know what really burns me? My very best ratchet was made in France! The horor!! There is something wrong with that! What happened to "made in the USA" quality? I think it died somtime in the 1960's. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

-Ben M.

[URY914]

QUOTE (jonwatts @ Apr 26 2005, 08:01 PM)

Paul, I'm not sure how old that information is but I don't think we (Snap-on) make Kobalt tools for lowes anymore, I believe that account went to Danaher. However I couldn't find Kobalt on the master list you linked so I could be wrong.

John, that was written up in January of this year.

BTW, I agree with Jake. There is a reason that the old tools at a pawn shop cost as much as the new tools at the mall. It's called VALUE!

Paul