Is the hype/price over tool-truck brands justified?

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Whilst I totally get the commercial utility of being able to just ring up a guy, have the exact thing you need appear shortly, then pay on account...

As someone who isn't in that tool ecosystem at all, I can't help thinking that's actually a lot of what you're actually paying for with the likes of MAC, Snap-On, and Teng.

Most of my "good" tools are the more "industrial" brands, like King Dick, Gedore, Elora
& IR but even then I've slowly drifted towards Kennedy (Cromwell's own brand) and Sealey, whilst for less frequently used stuff direct imports like US-Pro and Duratec doesn't seem to be meaningfully lower quality despite a steep price difference.

 

[hotponyshoes]

If you are buying tools for your own (infrequent?) use then probably not.

I am sure far higher quality tools are available (at a price)
Or, comparable quality (at a lower price)
Or budget versions that do the same job (at a far lower price)

For some specific specialised jobs a tool you make yourself will probably work better, be better quality and cost less as well.

But, as you mentioned, having the van pull up outside the door makes a big difference.
Especially if the boss is paying you by the hour to look around the van.

Plus, Especially with hand tools, it's nice to actually hold them before paying the over-inflated prices for them...

 

[Bullet2012]

yes definitely worth it, especially when special offers are available and most rolling accounts are interest free. This makes buying high quality tools extremely easy, also working with tools daily you want reliability and security in the knowledge that if used correctly the tool is unlikely to break and thereby causing further work or injury.

 

[julianf]

All I did was ask what a part number meant, and Pandora's box was opened.

You're intentionally kicking the hornets nest!

 

[Bullet2012]

All I did was ask what a part number meant, and Pandora's box was opened.

You're intentionally kicking the hornets nest!

Not on this thread though.

 

[tigdlo]

Depends on too many things to give a definitive answer, there are specific tools that are best from the likes of snap on and others you will get better tool for less money if you go elsewhere, especially when you start to look at blue-point.

 

[skotl]

This does feel like a bit of a re-run of the snapon part number thread…

 

[Blobber]

For me I wouldnt pay snap on prices, most of the jobs I need special tool for tend to be a once only thing so cheap is good
For spanners and things you have to hold a lot then feel also comes into it, its good to have something nice to feel!

 

[MetalMonkey]

It is worth keeping in mind that the tool truck brands are primarily a finance company first, tool retailer second.
They make their most profit on the payment schemes.

Most of the truck tools are decent quality, some are very good, some are rebranded, some are rubbish. Some tools are quite unique.

The convenience of having a large selection of decent tools come to you on "easy payment" terms is the main benefit.
The drawback is in almost every case you are overpaying.

If you are prepared to put the time and effort into hunting around you can often buy the same tool from the OEM or under another brand for far less.
Or you can buy an equivalent quality tool for substantially less.

However, you won't necessarily have the same sort of convenience and warranty - and of course it takes time and effort to do this, which if you are making a living from it, has to be offset against actually using them to make money.
Opinions tend to get polarised on this topic, but the reality is they do serve a useful purpose, but not necessarily the best option for everybody.

I personally go for more leftfield choices and put a lot of effort into searching around, comparing products and looking for bargains, because it both something that I enjoy and also enables me to get a far greater selection of quality tools for the same budget.
If I can get 90% of the tool for 20% of the price, then that's right up my street, but then I don't wrench on vehicles professionally so I wouldn't benefit from any of the advantages of tool trucks anyway.

The only other thing worth keeping in mind is the resale value of things like snap-on is generally very good, which is not always the case with less well known brands, so that might be of value too.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

If you are buying tools for your own (infrequent?) use then probably not.

I would say I am a pretty frequent user at this point, most days I am at home I will be doing something in the workshop or yard... Like how "normal" people might watch TV.

If I have a project that I've really got stuck into that can easily tot up to close to a standard working week.

Crucially though, I'm not time-bound by needing to make a profit, nor am I making a margin or hourly rate on that would finance "investing" in tools.

But, as you mentioned, having the van pull up outside the door makes a big difference.
Especially if the boss is paying you by the hour to look around the van.

See whenever I've needed tools at work, it's been a case of ordering what is needed on the company account, but they also remain company property (even if they were normally kept in my office/lab-space/car or are kept with a particular tech/fitter).

That tends to result in getting whatever brand is available under the current purchasing framework (this can be for good or for ill), but also frees you up to buy more specialised gear that's simply not realistic for an individual to "just" buy, as long as it's justifiably needed or going to save on labour costs... Also lots of sparkly (but not sparky) bronze stuff that I'd never want to purchase as personal tools unless absolutely necessary.

It's a good long while since I've been on an hourly rate too.

Plus, Especially with hand tools, it's nice to actually hold them before paying the over-inflated prices for them...

Fair, I have definitely fallen victim to that occasionally where a tool is just so very nice, it's suddenly convincing that it's worth the price.

yes definitely worth it, especially when special offers are available and most rolling accounts are interest free. This makes buying high quality tools extremely easy,

Is that actually appreciably different to setting up decent account terms with any of the "industrial supplies" vendors, or non-truck tool companies though?

Once the convenience factor of the truck itself is taken out that is?

also working with tools daily you want reliability and security in the knowledge that if used correctly the tool is unlikely to break and thereby causing further work or injury.

I suppose the (mostly) lifetime (mostly) guarantee aspect does give you a sense of confidence the company fully intends to stand behind their gear.

But I also can't say I've ever had any of the King Dick or Gedore stuff break on me even in extreme use cases... And only very infrequently (and usually when it's definitely crossing over to "git-er-done"/abuse territory) with some of the cheaper import brands.

I don't feel there's anywhere near the quality differential with hand tools that there used to be even a decade ago, and the gap is narrowing with power-tools too.

 

[Memmeddu]

The only tool truck operating in my location is the Hilti courier.
They're Not so popular over here.
We call Würth or Hilti when we need overpriced tools...
Welding supplies as well we contact Lastek same thing overpriced stuff, not bad stuff either but I'd never pay 50 euro for a 5kg pack of 6013 that doesn't perform better than normal readily available stuff.
Hilti ok you're not paying for the tool itself you're paying the service chain.
But Würth IMHO is a real waste of money.

 

[hotponyshoes]

But I also can't say I've ever had any of the King Dick or Gedore stuff break on me even in extreme use cases...

Nor me.
But I purchased all my King dick and Gedore stuff used, from private sales.

I'd have no idea if it even has any warranty let alone where I would get a warranty repair done.

Opposed to snap-on. I recently purchased a 1/2" S-O ratchet, privately. The swivle head pin was worn floppy and the ratchet was only running in one direction. I was still happy enough paying a relatively large amount of money for it in that condition as I know its easy to get it fixed.
There is no way I would have been prepared to pay actual money for a broken tool for most other brands!

I think a lot of mechanics etc also see snap-on as a savings plan.
They know they can offset all the costs against tax and buy in small amounts but have a £10k fund tied up in the tool box to have back as a lump sum when they leave the trade

 

[roofman]

I often buy snap-on or MAC tools that are used but been looked after, that way you get quality but at reduced prices. What i don't buy is rebadged welders or machinery, example being Snap-on welders used to be rebadged Cebora but you paid twice the price for Snap-On tax.

 

[Barking Mat]

But Würth IMHO is a real waste of money.

I thoroughly rate Wurth, but we negotiated a good trade discount price, there socket sets are excellent, and a set of Unwin sockets are top quality.

 

[fizzy]

I tend to acquire more tools than I buy these days. Usually when I buy something they throw in a load of other stuff to clear out. Got loads of nice old Britool, Gedore, King Dick, Facom and many others. Only ever bought 2 socket sets - Halfords Pro years ago on offer.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I suppose the (mostly) lifetime (mostly) guarantee aspect does give you a sense of confidence the company fully intends to stand behind their gear.

But I also can't say I've ever had any of the King Dick or Gedore stuff break on me even in extreme use cases... And only very infrequently (and usually when it's definitely crossing over to "git-er-done"/abuse territory) with some of the cheaper import brands.

I don't feel there's anywhere near the quality differential with hand tools that there used to be even a decade ago, and the gap is narrowing with power-tools too.

I think the lifetime warranty aspect is probably less useful in this country than it is in, for example the U.S.
Over there, especially for flat rate, it is almost expected that you will abuse tools, and break them, and the advantage is the no-quibble guarantee of replacement even if you have put a three foot pipe on a 1/4 ratchet.
I'm sure it does happen over here, but anywhere I've worked people tend to be less brutal with their own tools and the I think the warranties are less generous, so perhaps it is not the same driver for sales.

When comparing tool brands, one has to be careful - for example I would imagine the Gedore and King Dick tools you have are probably older vintage.
King Dick is now a Silverline brand, and while some of their stuff is still made in the UK a lot of it isn't.
Gedore have different ranges, their "blue" are closest their traditional line up, with "red" being rebranded cheaper imported "Carolus" tools , and they had a brief foray into manufacturing in India.

So apples are not always apples.

I would agree that quality gap has closed considerably in the last couple of decades, in many cases the tools coming out of Taiwan, for instance, equal the quality of Europe.
Chinese can be a mixed bag, and much less consistent but they are capable of producing quality stuff too.
I've bought plenty of European, British, or US made gear that has been very disappointing.
COO, or brand for that matter is not an automatic guarantee of quality it perhaps once was.

 

[Ian X]

I know people who bought Snap-On for thirty years and they saw out various van roundsmen. They all knew they were paying top rate and could have ordered from a supplier like Cromwell Stahlwille or Facom for less and enjoyed a quality warranty service when needed. The convenience of someone calling just where you use the tools is a big draw. People love racks of shiny chrome or tool steel things that go click-click and especially love boxes full of puller legs, beams, claws. I buy a lot of gear by internet but there is nothing to compare with having an emporium of goodness right in front of you. If you use them for to make a living then the price premium of Snap-On makes little difference.
One thing about Snap-On, I think their ratchets are primitive, Facom every time.

 

[Memmeddu]

I thoroughly rate Wurth, but we negotiated a good trade discount price, there socket sets are excellent, and a set of Unwin sockets are top quality.

Norbar, GEDORE and stahlwille their manufacturers

 

[Barking Mat]

I know people who bought Snap-On for thirty years and they saw out various van roundsmen. They all knew they were paying top rate and could have ordered from a supplier like Cromwell Stahlwille or Facom for less and enjoyed a quality warranty service when needed. The convenience of someone calling just where you use the tools is a big draw. People love racks of shiny chrome or tool steel things that go click-click and especially love boxes full of puller legs, beams, claws. I buy a lot of gear by internet but there is nothing to compare with having an emporium of goodness right in front of you. If you use them for to make a living then the price premium of Snap-On makes little difference.
One thing about Snap-On, I think their ratchets are primitive, Facom every time.

Facom tools and Halfords Industrial tool cabinets, are all I need.

Facom guarantee, take any tool which hasn't been obviously damaged through idiocy, they will replace, no receipts needed, no questions.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

It is worth keeping in mind that the tool truck brands are primarily a finance company first, tool retailer second.
They make their most profit on the payment schemes.

...

The convenience of having a large selection of decent tools come to you on "easy payment" terms is the main benefit.
The drawback is in almost every case you are overpaying.

This was where I was coming at it from.

For personal use it would be an unwarranted luxury.

For my professional use-cases that doesn't add a lot of value either (if you want to get a spanner in Hassi Messoud, Shushufindi, or Ash Shwaryif, then the "local" snap-on agent is several thousand km, several sketchy borders, and a lot of customs forms away).

That doesn't take away from the utility those services offer to for people and businesses working in a time critical business like vehicle repair, which often comes with challenging short term cashflow conditions.

Opinions tend to get polarised on this topic, but the reality is they do serve a useful purpose, but not necessarily the best option for everybody.

I think this is it.

There's a lot of brand loyalty, but ultimately the true value proposition of the companies is not in quality (where they have plenty of worthy competitors), but in offering convenience and practicality tailored to specific industries.