Bahco or Snap-On? A SURPRISING history! 

Eyy I actually work at Bahco in Lidköping Sweden, old Sandvik. Great tools and other products, to bad we are owned by Snap On. We actually produce a lot of their tools as well and I'ts basically just a change in colour and brand

Great video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Agree, nothing been the same in Sweden 🇸🇪 since.... Bacho, Ericsson, Sandvik, Atlas Copco, Electrolux, SAAB, Husqvarna motorcycles and so on.... When Bacho-Sandvik closed nearby, it was about 4500 people without work.... RiP Bacho. Today, Sweden is nothing but violence in the streets. Companies today like Spotify run to the U.S.... Glad to see you bought Bacho and made this lovely video. Thanks ❤️ //Regards, a 🏍️💨 🇸🇪

I own a lot of Bahco tools, of course a good few modern ones, but many inherited from my grandfathers. The modern stuff is on par with most modern tools (not with WERA, Knipex and the like), but the old stuff is super. I actually live in Enköping, so a bit patriotic here, and sad about the fact that SNA was allowed to take the company over…

Here in S. America the Bahco tools are the best you can buy. They are made in Brazil and you can feel the superior quality of the metals and the greater precision.

I bought a big Bahco set in 2008 the big set with 1/2 inch & 1/4 drive with spanners got at a good deal from a BOC gases shop £130.00 it's been brilliant, the sockets have had some pain. what I like is you pick it up & you have most thing to do a job. I'm thinking of buying a S138 set roughly £170 delivered when on offer. I not sure if the quality will be as good. I have 3/8 snap on ratchet & sockets, but just like the idea you pick up 1x box & it's all there tidy.

I changed the entire exhaust system of my 2011 F-150 using my Bahco S240, S330 and S160 socket sets and they seem to be very good quality. I have used this brand before and they have an excellent reputation. For me, this brand has been with me for about 7 years and not even They show signs of rust or anything similar. very good video and perspective

Very good video. The Swedish brand Bahco also absorbed the best Spanish tool brands (Irazola, Palmera, Acesa and Irimo). Irimo continues to be sold as Bahco's second brand and its catalog, although smaller, has very good quality tools. Both Bahco and Irimo manufacture in different places around the world (Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Argentina, China, Taiwan...). Greetings from Spain

Bacho i well known in Norway and i own several tools from the company, recently im looking to get the S530T set.

I worked for a Builders Merchant in the early 80's in Bury St. Edmunds,and part of the deal was Tools at 'Cost' ! I bought a useful Toolkit over time all Bahco. They were excellent, So much so when my Ford Cortina was stolen, the Car turned up,but the Tool Kit was gone! I was heartbroken and I've never had a Tool Kit to match it, just couldn't afford it! Re 'China' while the C.C.P. has effectively changed its attitude to the outside World,it is I think fair to say that they have revolutionised their Technology and Industrial ability, They can make excellent quality products,however the standards and quality reflect the Orders from the Buyers,and most want their Kit to primarily be as good as will be acceptable,but made as cheaply as possible! Which is why most of them moved their production to the other side of the World. Anything but a "Fair days Work for a Fair days Pay " that Western Workers seem to want!

I think many Swedish people have the opinion (and experience) that the Swedish made Bacho tools from 30-40 years ago had the best quality, better than today and on par with the very best tool brands. Primarily adjustable wrenches, pipe wrenches, socket sets and spanners. Then they moved the manufacturing to Spain and Argentina, and the quality and design suffered. Still some very good tools today, but also some low quality tools. Apparently, there were real high quality adjustable wrenches made in Spain since the early 20th century, but the quality of the Bacho wrenches still suffered.

I think you might find that Belzer is in the mix. Belzer was German and got taken over by Sandvik. Belzer socket sets are cracking quality. I wonder if the Bacho socket set production originated from Belzer?

You keep saying no one had heard of them, I'm 52 and have worked in industry all my life, Bacho and Sandvic have always been recognized as top of the line tools. Mainly Sandvic renowned for making the best hacksaws and Bacho the best adjustable spanners.

Great video. It is a sad story for a great brand. I always look after good old Bahco tools here in Sweden. But some new have also get in to my shop, just have to know what is quality and not.

I'm surprised that you think no-one had heard of Bahco until recently - I've been using Bahco tools since the 1990s, in particular the adjustable spanners, which were the best you could get. I still have plenty of the made in Sweden spanners, though I think they're made in Spain by Acesa now. Sandvik and Bahco merged at some point, but they're both part of the same conglomerate as Snap-On now, as is Acesa. Tool companies and brands are always merging and taking each other over, it's hard to keep on top of who really makes what.

Sort of the same sad story as Britool, i cannot beleive governments allow their local heritage industry to be stolen like that by greedy owners. The entire Sheffield industry slipped away like that.

I like Bahco tools just not very keen on the actual finish they seem more towards the industrial side with what seems to be a spray painted type of finish. I definitely prefer the polished finish easy clean automotive stuff

Anything produced in china is a sad state of affairs for any business that had a good reputation. I have genuine bahco made in Sweden over 50 years old and still as good as new. ❤️

I have an old school “ made in Sweden “ Bahco 8” adjustable and a new one . Neither have had the abuse to determine quality difference.

It is sad that Bahco are almost completely gone from Sweden. All we have are the saws as you say, made in my town Lidköping. We'll see how long they will stay there.

I've used and abused the S106 kit for ~4-5yrs, especially the 1/2" ratchet before I purchased a breaker bar. They're good kits, many of the cheap kits sold in Australia are all 12 point which is rubbish. Just need to be careful which kit you buy as there are several variants that are very similar

There is a SNA Europe factory in norther Portugal. Its common knowledge in the area that they make files. So it seems that Bahco production its well spread around the world.

Bahco made the original Swedish pattern pipe wrench. Incredible gripping power. Still use a “Swedish” often. When I need to use a shifting spanner Bahco are the best of the best. If I see a used one up for sale I buy it 😂 Problem is they tend to disappear 😡

In the 80's Bahco adjustables were the ones to have. Hence I have them in 4", 6", two 7" wides, 12" and an 18". They have served me well. I also have the SL25, S160 and the S240 socket sets, a bit set and many other tools. No complaints from me from a pro working in heavy industry. You mentioned Draper too, I still have some of their stuff I bought in the 80's, not used now but they lasted the distance. My kit is now predominantly Klein. Nice stuff but difficult/expensive to get parts for, postage makes them a throw away item because its cheaper to buy a new replacement. So Klein in being replaced by Knipex, Wera and Milwaukee. Tools are an expensive hobby.

Bahco saws still made in Sweden.

I am going to try them out,

I've had a Bahco S106 for 2 years now, no complaints. I think the fact it was made in China isn't the whole story. The quality is still excellent, and everything is a tight fit, even after all this time. I've yet to break anything, despite the abuse I've given it, so not much else to say really. The price was right, it does the job, and if you're in the market for a socket set, you could definitely do worse than this.

Mate... back in the 70s & 80s I used My dad's Britool 1/2" socket set. I used to put scaffold bars on the ratchet & jump on it to shift driveshaft nuts: Didn't flinch mate. Loads better than snap-on but like everything else that was once great about British engineering got swallowed up & cheapened. I'm sure if Britool still exists its a load of crap now?

i wish you didn't put that background music, i was really struggling to hear what you were saying

Weird, never knew it is Bahco, a brand. In the Netherlands we just say 'baco' , and its a specific tool that has a rolling adjustment part to adjust the size of the wrench

Very interesting. Thanks

Theres a new bahco plant in Argentina that some wrenches are made in and pwz pliers.

The more expensive the tools the less likely you are going to use and abuse them ;)

I bought bahco 8072 made in spain, the quality is not good, the upper and lower jaws are not parallel, when I hold the jaw it is also loose, let the upper and lower jaws align then I sand it, it turns out the material is soft not hard

There is a lineup of bahco ratchets that has the snap on design

most of snap-on tools are made in Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA.

Spanners, wrenches, pliers, saws and pneumatic tools are still top tier. Some other products are a mix of genuine Bacho and rebranded China-crap. Speed-Clamps are a good example. Even the adjustable wrenches can be really bad now, i bought a set of three and they were far from the quality of my old ones given by parents and grandparents. So if you find a Bacho tool that is inexpensive, watch out! As a Swede I am both sad and proud of Bacho and Sandvik.

Sounded like you were saying SNA owns Snap On. SNA is just the stock market symbol for Snap On Incorporated itself. And Snap On owns SNA Europe / Bahco.

Hola cómo estás soy de argentina pregunta la comparación la calidad de las herramientas bahco vs snap-on porque la mayoría de las herramientas son toda echa en argentina no hay una comparación con snap-on no hay muchas herramientas acá en argentina pensamos esas herramientas snap-on son mejores por su diseño pero son muy difícil de conseguir snap-on. Yo que usado herramienta bahco la calidad que tiene es muy difícil de romper por ejemplo un mango de fuerza aplicando mucha carga de fuerza esas el trabajo que realizamos, acá en argentina la mayoría de herramientas bahco vikingo después cambio su diseño pero la comparación que tenemos o que hacemos bahco vs irimo vs biassoni vs Stanley cómo última opción

Even if the quality is very good, tools from china, no matter the brand, are not assets which will appreciate. They are liabilities. You don't want to ever spend money on liabilities. It won't even be sellable for the amount you paid. Not even half usually. (and that's if you don't use it even once.) People who have Hazet, Snap On etc. can sell their tools and buy a new house with the money, even after using them for decades. Because the tools appreciate over the years. The Hazet tools I got two years ago are worth double now because I got good deals. I have sold some because I like doubling my money for buying stuff I love to use. I know a mechanic who retired recently. He sold his Snap On tools for $120,000 which cost him $6,000 new when he bought them 35 years prior. Those tools are assets. If he had bought high quality stuff from the east, sure it would have been cheaper but it would have been scrap long before he retired. You are reluctant to believe this because you are trained by the establishment to desire liabilities. That's how they get your money and keep you from retiring from the labour pool from which they derive all your labour.

5.30 Taiwanese set next to him..

Bahco manufactures tools in the Argentinian factory since 1963. They still make some tools there but most models are now made in other factories (mostly in Asia). They also make some tools and parts for Snap-on, I think. Anyway, all that, made in Sweden, Germany, Spain, USA or China is really 80% perception base on the racism WE all have, whether we want to admit it or not. If a tool made made in China it's not good it's because the company chose to manufacture there to save money, so, they probably used lower quality materials. Great tools are made in Asia and crappy tools are made in the USA. Same for all countries. So, please stop with the "chinesium" rhetoric. (I know you didn't said it, but i speak in general). If the factories are no longer in your country, it is because of the greed of the owners of the companies, not because of the labor of the Chinese workers. (and, I'm from Argentina, where many factories closed to manufacture cheap in china, so, I'm not please of the situation either)

I have a bahco adjustable wrench. It was made in Spain. It is truly a great tool. But to hear they are making Bahco in China breaks my heart. Snap On tools usually are expensive but ultimately are heritage tools that your grandkids will use. My experience with China is variable. Disappointing to hear.

these are made in Taiwan right?

Snapon owns bahco

I don't buy Bahco or Snap on pliers. Knipex are a much better quality for that.

You say priced right mate, but whats the price you paid? Lol

Bachos are harder to get in the US than snap on

It is a shame

I've got a Bahco Sweden 8072 and I'd never sell it.

Snap on is laughable, America has to make it bigger and better which is nonsense.

Bahco is made in Spain now and the quality sucks. Wobbly yaw, gap between yaws, very sharp and rough edges, soft metal. 3 times in a row with all the same failures is no more Bahco for me.