High Dollar tool boxes

cyoung

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2005
Location
Gibsonville, NC
I guess I just don't get it but I seem to see lots of talk about people paying thousands and thousands of dollars for snapon, Mac, etc tool boxes. How can a tool box be worth 8 grand or more? Seems like some great marketing plans These companies have. Can anyone add some logic to this for me?
 
Don't ask it's been 3 years and I can't see the total getting any lower but I can't stop buying tools from them. My wife says I have a tool addiction. I owe more in tools then a paid for my truck.:(
 
For all the years that I've been collecting tools, adding to the collection, and filling large boxes, never once have I considered spending all that extra $$$ for some silly sheet metal that has a different brand name on it.

No one will ever be able to justify that to me.

I also will never own a yeti cooler.
 
There was a post on FB,just today,that pretty much said if your didn't have name brand tools you were a unskilled shade tree mechanic.
 
Yellow55 said:
$50 dollars a week
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There's your answer. Kinda like $50k cars and $70k trucks.

Regarding quality, I've got a 35 year old snap on top box ( pre ball bearing) that works fantastic. For 10 years, it sat on a craftsman bottom box that still works fine, but I needed more space. I've replaced it with one of those $8000 Snap on bottom boxes, and it's sooo much nicer. But not worth the price difference if you're paying thousands for it. Its worth the $1500-2000 craigslist price though, because the craftsman/husky/kobalt stuff is almost as much used as new on craigslist.

My dad now has the Craftsman bottom box with his Husky top box, and they meet his needs, but are starting to feel worn out. Neither of us used em 40hrs a week, maybe 3-4hrs a week.
 
I have a Snap On box, Craftsman, Husky, etc.

Snap On is far better of a box. I use it nearly every time I'm in the garage. I'm not sure it (or any if the other $$$ boxes) are really worth retail. But, they are way better than the others
 
Most people buy stuff off a tool truck because of the customer service. You break it...don't worry! He'll be back next week and replace it/fix it.

There are a handful of things I buy name brand. It's hard to beat a nice 80 tooth Snap On ratchet! A large majority of my Snap On tools are older than I am too, so there's something to be said for that.

As for toolboxes..I'd buy a used name brand one, but could never pay full price. It'd hurt my feelings!
 
Yellow55 said:
When you work out of it 60 hours a week you can see the difference. I've worn out 3 cheap boxes. It's a lot of money but I haven't seen any wear on my snap on box and its a lot bigger than a cheaper box
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I will agree the big name brands do make bigger boxes than the cheaper stuff. But I use my cheap harbor freight boxes 40 hrs a week and I still don't see the need for paying big name prices.

Now I probably will pick up a nice big box one day but it will be a barely used one off craigslist for less than half price.
 
I have zero Snap-On, but I'm only a pro mechanic part of the time for a very specialized field so that barely counts. That probably makes me not a pro mechanic.

I have Proto, Armstrong, CDI (well, same group as Snap-On), Bahco (also Snap-On group), Knipex, Wera, Wiha, Facom, Felo, Hazet, Beta, Stahlwille, random other stuff. I'm a believer in getting stuff I like, not getting everything from the same brand just to have the same brand. Snap-On sells some good tools, and some crap ones too (like some shitty screwdrivers with good tips and horrible handles).

I know NASCAR mechanics who use Craftsman, or a mixture of stuff.

The high dollar boxes are very heavy built, but you are laying for the name too. Having a $8k box doesn't make you a better mechanic though, so I don't get it.

What were we talking about again?
 
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I have a VERY large snap-on pit wagon........and some buyers remorse. Could have got my tube bender years ago. That being said both my tool box and bender should never fail to give me excellent service and fail proof operation that I can pass to my son regardless of market price. Seeing as which both are in the same price range my remorse is more for ponying up the cash instead of a disappointment in performance. Spending hard earned coin hurts regardless. REALLY good stuff cost. To me its more justifiable than other habits. However I want be buying any exotic items of any other nature. So I think some of it stems from personal passion for having what you want. And as a side note: I also have a 1976 snap-on sales book and the box that's on the cover because my dad had the same taste...
 
I have a Mac box. The quality of one of the tool truck boxes is unbelievable compared to the other brands. I bought it on a deal off the truck. A dude put a huge down payment on it and then lost his job. I don't do mechanic work for a living any more so I can't justify having it, other than it is full of tools. I also would never sell it for what I can get for it used. FWIW, I have never regretted my $3500 purchase. If I spent the $8000, I would probably regret it for sure.
 
Someone paid 9k for the Snap-on boxes I have in 1991 ...I bought them in 1994 after they were repo'd for $3500 cash. They still looks and performs like new although most of my tools are scattered all over my shop. If you're a professional in whatever field , you should buy professional grade stuff (in your budget), it pays off over time.
 
Not a tool box, but I paid $7k for 1 sander. I could have spent less, but there is a big difference in pro tools. If I were a pro mechanic my tool box would probably cost that much. I'm sure most mechanics can do with a cheap sander, as I can do with a cheap tool box.
 
BIGWOODY said:
Someone paid 9k for the Snap-on boxes I have in 1991 ...I bought them in 1994 after they were repo'd for $3500 cash. They still looks and performs like new although most of my tools are scattered all over my shop. If you're a professional in whatever field , you should buy professional grade stuff (in your budget), it pays off over time.
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learned this a little late, but learned...growing and maturing has its bumps
 
Fabrik8 said:
Unless you buy a Bahco ratchet made with the same 80 tooth guts from the same Snap-On owned factory in Spain and pay less than half of the Snap-On price...!
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Does that rep show up every week and warranty that? I have "go to" tools, if they break/wear out i have back-up stuff but it is nice to have a rapport with a rep and knowing I just toss it up in the top of the box and it will be as new within a week no shipping or going to a store and dealing with that. My box is Mac bought in 1994 still in cardboard boxes from a divorce sale, still works great @ 40+ hours a week since.
 
Buying used high quality stuff is where it's at. But, you usually gotta have cash in hand, and a lot of guys just don't.
Just about every moving part on a snap-on box has a lifetime warranty.

It's that $50 a week that gets many guys hooked. We call it the chrome tax.
 
Infamous1 said:
Does that rep show up every week and warranty that? I have "go to" tools, if they break/wear out i have back-up stuff but it is nice to have a rapport with a rep and knowing I just toss it up in the top of the box and it will be as new within a week no shipping or going to a store and dealing with that. My box is Mac bought in 1994 still in cardboard boxes from a divorce sale, still works great @ 40+ hours a week since.
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I understand your point, but we don't have a Snap-On rep (because we're not a mechanic shop), so that argument doesn't apply to me specifically. That's why I have a mixture of stuff, because a single source is no more or less convenient for me than multiple brands, and I don't have to settle for what a single brand has if I don't like specific tools for whatever reason. If I want Czech screwdrivers, or German torque wrenches, or Spanish ratchets, or American sockets, that's what I get. I'm just playing devil's advocate and giving the other side of the argument.
 
I have two snap on boxes. The one at work was $12000. The one at home was $800 repo box. If you are a good flat rate mechanic the time you save by having a huge organized box and not having to dig through you "metric" drawer or "plier drawer" should easily cover the $50 a week. One other thing to consider is security. Do you want to secure $50k of tools in a $600 box? That is more of a concern in larger shops with multiple shifts but if someone breaks in our shop, there won't be any grab and go.
 
And my snap-on rachet has 100 teeth
 
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