Odd socket set?

[goodfellow]

I have a 1970's 3/4" drive Taiwanese set that was purchased through a local independent truck jobber at the time for $45, and it is a very good quality product. The imports at that time were quite well made. I later replaced it with a Craftsman Industrial set bought on closeout, but it doesn't perform any better than the old Taiwanese import.

I think government and industrial contracts are what keeps the Snap-On sets flowing off the line -- but those order are usually heavily discounted. I recall a friend at Boeing telling me that they usually paid less than 1/3 of the retail price on certain high volume tools.

[DeadNutz]

I doubt that I will ever break these. I haven't nailed down the year these Plombs were made but couldn't be any later than the 40's. They just cost me some time and labor along with a ton of other stuff.

[gtermini]

That is just an obscene price for that set. Will it perform better than my cobbled together set that cost a small fraction of that price?

Sold to the US Govt and others of that kind. No sane person would do that if you ask me. Proto and Williams for example at much less I bet.

My snappy man sells about 3 of those sets a year (I asked one day). His route is 75% farm and heavy equipment guys. They just put them on the easy payment plan like everything else. He said he has sold several 1" drive sets in the last 10 years. Those are even more ridiculous as I believe you have to buy them by the piece. I wouldn't call many of those mechanics insane personally. Just another tool in the box, and cheap compared to a $15k scanner or $30K CAT laptop and dongles.

Greyson

[fatfillup]

Pro mechanics, especially heavy equipment mechanics like Snap on better then any other brand and some will pay for the big tools.   I have a few customers that will rarely buy anything but Snappy

[Uncle Buck]

Pro mechanics, especially heavy equipment mechanics like Snap on better then any other brand and some will pay for the big tools.   I have a few customers that will rarely buy anything but Snappy

Probably the same kind of guy that thinks when he quits wrenching someone is going to buy out 40 years of his Snappy tool collection for $80K

Through the years I have had some conversations with a few guys that were "all in" for Snap-on and their dedication to the single brand always just floors me. I suppose I would have to be a pro wrench to get their logic.

[goodfellow]

Pro mechanics, especially heavy equipment mechanics like Snap on better then any other brand and some will pay for the big tools.   I have a few customers that will rarely buy anything but Snappy

LOL =--  Fess up Phil, you "love" those guys. You make a good profit on the original sale , and then when they retire you buy it all back at a steep discount.

[fatfillup]

GF, you got me pegged

UB, some of the guys are like that at retirement age, but they get a wake up call pretty quick.

As to Snap on loyalty, I understand it for the real pros who have 40 year careers, especially the guys who work on big stuff.  I have known a lot of them over the years who I respect and they have convinced me.  They need something that will work every time, especially in the field.  Snap on does it better then everyone else.  They also tell me they have always had a Snap on man where as the other trucks come an go with large gaps in between.  A lot of these guys work 60+ hours a week and really don't have time nor desire to shop other choices.

All that said, I have also seen guys who buy Snap on who don't really need it and some who buy stuff just because its cool, not because they will use it.  I also buy lots of Snap on that is never opened. 

One thing I have noticed the past few years is, its getting harder to buy Snap on at a price where i can still make my margin.  More end users showing up at sales.