@@trevorclausen6945 yeah, leaving them on uses up the batteries for the electronic ratchet mechanism, don't want to have to send them in to get the batteries replaced. On a different note though, on and off is such an idiotic way to label them. Normal and reverse threads exist.
I just bought Icon impact wobble sockets, and I could've got them much cheaper online, but I figured it'd be easier to warranty them out at harbor freight.
That's really the 1 major upside. Pretty much all of their tools have a lifetime warranty. Even If it's only a 1 year, you just keep going back once a year to renew the warranty and get a brand new tool. I do that with all my jacks and impact wrenches.
@@DreamTheoryify The only thing I'll ever buy from Snap-On are their ratchets and universal impact joints. I've never had to warranty any of those either. Everything else I have from Snap-On was something I honestly regret buying or was in need but didn't have the money and needed to finance. The justification used to be that everything was made in the US. It's all made in China now. Once you give China your blueprints, they WILL remake and resell your products. They don't have copyright laws over there. So it's safe to say there are Snap-On tools literally everywhere for a fraction of the price, you just have to find them.
When I was a tech back in the 80's, I bought Snap On tools, and the old Craftsman tools...nowadays, I buy at HF...I have a good collection of the "quality" tools, but as I have found out over the years, though there are times and situations where you do need a "quality" tool - now, the tools I buy just have to be "good enough." You don't need a Cadillac to go stump jumping, but on a long road trip a Cadillac is surely preferable. Many get caught up in the "have to have the best" mindset. I can appreciate that. It's nice to have the feel of a robust tool in your hand. But most people and DIYer's, they just need a tool that will be used for a day, and then never see the light of day for a decade. We have all been programmed to "spend that money." And we have been taught to believe that if it costs more, it must be much better. And sometimes it is. But, sometimes it's not. Bottom line...be smart with your hard earned dollars and get what works :)
I'm doing work for a Habitat for Humanity store right now. You wouldn't believe the quality tools you can get for pennies on the dollar. I'm sure it varies by region, and you're not guaranteed to find what you are looking for, but it's definitely worth looking. You could score a well-maintained Skil circular saw from back when they were all cast magnesium, or a Leigh dovetail jig. A few weeks ago we got a year old Nikon theodolite. And stuff turns over fast, so it's worth looking on a regular basis. Granted I have a slight discount, but I just got a $400 impact wrench for $10, and a $300 floor jack for $5. Replaced all my cheese-grade wrenches with top of the line Crescent brand, all my sockets and screwdrivers with 70's and 80's Craftsman. Even picked up an original Son of Hibachi grill.
It's like buying anything else for a bit more locally and supporting businesses than ordering from Amazon, Bought a Romeo 5 red dot from a mom and pops gun shop local for like 190 bucks with tax and Amazon has it for 125 bucks! Big difference but idk Amazon just drop ships a lot and it might be a hit or miss with some things.
@@edwinmedina4338 Yeah i know. The price discrepancy can make it difficult, especially in this economy. One thing i try to do is buy direct when it's an option. Duke Cannon, RavPower, Nalgene, and many other sellers have their own sites and often the price difference isn't much if you get free shipping or catch sales.
That's one of my favorite things about tools is hunting down OEM's whenever I see the "Made in Taiwan" on the box. A lot of your forged beam ratcheting wrenches are made in Taiwan and rebranded. Reversible ones are easier to spot, the brass set screw under the box end is indicative of Kabo being the OEM, for example. I like it, because I get to save money on tools, and I get to play junior detective while doing it!
Just so you know oem isn't always identical to the brand selling them. Sure, same factory line, but they can change materials, for better or worse. Just cause a factory makes the same tool doesn't mean it's the same quality.
I seem to have no issue pasting links. Limit on characters though an some links are 1000 characters long these days. BTW thats just a random link. Only did it to prove a point
It’s hilarious because a huge argument of tool truck buyers is “but the truck comes to me to warranty” yet they refuse to acknowledge the value in the in store swap vs online bs arguments with no name companies that probably will leave you on read.
Bros talking like it's a tool truck lmfao If that's your deal go for it but makes me laugh every time. I can get so many other brands with life time warranty for 40 bucks the same way
That's not at all that the video was saying... 🤦♂️ He was saying it's a rip-off. Not that they don't make their own tools. But sure go for that strawman argument.
Icon has been great to me. Plus, you can go warranty an item in a store instead of waiting to ship something back. But in the time I’ve used icon I’ve not had to warranty anything. That’s worth the extra money for me.
People keep comparing online vs in store, well BIG DIFFERENCE. Stores have to pay for wages, insurance, power, the list goes on. Online sellers have minimal expenses.
Or buy new and return the old which most people here would do. Also in most cases the difference in cost comes from the extra cost from the supplier to have quality standards. Most if the stuff comes from the same manufacture. I am also not a user if harbor freight tools personally.
@@ponyboy481 my local will sell you them one at a time...$2 if I remember right.....and one other size 5/8th I think.....course it sould be 1/2 And 9/16s!
HF does not “manufacture” anything. I do not work for them, nor have I ever. But for some reason they lie to their employees about this. The actual number of tool “manufacturers” are very, very small. Most every brand is a generic knock-off of another. It’s just dependent on what the company agrees to pay for their initial merchandise and what extra tooling or whatever the product needs to perform better than others. But most hand tools come from less than 5 actual true manufacturers across the globe. The tooling and machinery needed to produce wrenches, sockets, rackets, etc are extremely expensive let alone the building size it requires to mass produce these products. Long story short, Harbor Freight is full of shit
That's why when I buy a tool from Harbor Freight, I wait until they have a clearance sale and then use coupons. I bought a sawzall from them over 5 years ago and it still works great.
HarborFreight is starting to feel like one of those places that got bought out by a investment equity firm, and now they’re trying to do all this weird stuff to squeeze as much out of it as they possibly can.
@@dvanomaly420hope that’s a joke,no questions as in, “wow how’d you do this” “what where you using it on?” To try and say it’s your fault for abusing it, the phone number is so they can track you have that tool, for your lifetime warranty.
@@byanymeansnecessary9329 same I had a OLD craftsmen ratchet that I took into Lowe’s just to see and they said they can either give me a new similar one or I could contact craftsman and get refunded if I had proof of purchase (yea sure a 30 year old ratchet) I took the new one
Very valid point..im all about getting the tools I need and want cheaper..but it is hard to beat being able to walk right into the store to get a replacement for as long as they sell the too..where as with this tool only has a 30 day warranty
A lot of tools are made from the same molds in the same factor, but use completely different materials. So putting them side by side doesn’t prove that they are “identical”. The cheaper one may be using cheaper steel, including on the internal parts. It isn’t just tools that this happens with, there are several high end bicycle frames that are made in the same factories as much cheaper ones. They have the same geometry and look identical, but they use cheaper carbon fiber to make them.
This is a common practice in firearm optics as well. Multiple brands selling the same base design, but different lens quality, coatings, internal parts etc. Basically save money on the Engineering, Tooling, and Economy of Scale while picking out the individual spec level of your specific product. It’s both a benefit to the consumer reducing product costs, and also an extreme annoyance at times trying to figure out what’s actually different about the similar products. The worst part about it is manufacturers aren’t forthcoming about it and leave it up to you to figure out, often without any published specs to actually compare.
Thanks to you Mr Subaru, I searched out and bought this set just because of this video. It's a really nice set, but missing the 5/8" socket is my only complaint. WTH. Although it's 16mm socket is close enough to substitute, but still. Are they really saving enough by skipping the 5/8" socket to justify the one skip? Grrr.
@562skillz the warranty is nice. I've warrantied my snapon ratchet multiple times. They don't break but the teeth wear out on ratchets. I shouldn't need car insurance I don't crash but thats not really the point is it?
Harbor freight: has stores all over the country that all honor the lifetime warranty. Amazon seller: logs off tomorrow so you can never return/exchange anything, and never offered a warranty to begin with. You're not only paying for the tool, you're also paying for the warranty and the ability to use that warranty when needed.
Except you get a warranty with the HF tools. Not Amazon tools. Harbor Freight tool users still come out ahead of Snap On tool users. I’ve stripped out ratchets before, but still have yet to strip out my cheap Harbor Freight ones, and I’ve given them a few hot suppers
Warranty is the kicker. I hate inflated prices and predatory marketing practices, too. To the point that I didn't use my marketing degree out of principle.
Same I have yet to break anything icon that I have bought and I’ve been using all of them for 2 years in the auto industry. I bought them and said this will be a good starter set of things to get me by and I’ll upgrade later we’ll they are all still going without a single warranty.
I like Icon for stuff I don’t want to spend a ton on. They have a nice feel and have a warranty and I think the logo looks neat. Their impact sockets and ratchets live in my truck toolbox and my Snappy stuff stays in my toolbox.
I did what a lot of mechanics do and put a cheater pipe on my Icon flex head 1/2” when all I had to do is walk to my box and grab my Matco 30” locking flex head. I broke the Icon, took it to the store and got a new one, no questions asked. Didn’t need to go through a middle man either.
i never said you did. i said the guy in the video owns snap on and classifies as really good because of the lifetime warranty. but harbor freight is a cheaper tool with the same lifetime warranty. and the tool he put in the video maybe it’s good but when it breaks it doesn’t have that same warranty that you get with harbor freight. I’m not a harbor freight fan boy i own a multitude of different brands but i was implying to you that it’s better to own the harbor freight with the lifetime warranty then the cheap set. I mentioned snap on because people love to mention the quality of the tool that’s 5 times the price of harbor freight.
I get your point, but I do lawncare, not mechanics, so I’m only wrenching a few days out of the week briefly unless something crazy happens. Harbor Freight is directly across the road from the shop lol so if it breaks, it’s a five minute ordeal to replace it
I’m a “tree shade” mechanic and my main ratchet set is an epauto set with a full spread of 3/8 + 1/4 inch sockets (normal and deep socket) + two spark plug sockets a 1/4 ratchet with 3 inch ext + 3/8 ratchet with 6 inch ext Great tools, so far have lasted 5 years of maintenance and repairs on two beaters with no sign of wear, $60. I even used the 3/8 ratchet and a hammer to break a rusty caliper bracket bolt and it’s still going strong
I am thinking you can make up the justification by the warranty HF offers, and the coupons they frequently do. I’m all about saving money however customer service and being able to walk in and out if you have an issue is a time and money saver long term.
@@Xixu.co.6 it is😂 very very very little differences, it’s made by the same manufacturer, that’s why for wrenches and shit I just get icon. Now for actual mechanics a lot buy snap on solely because the truck comes to them
As someone who does diy jobs at home, I'll take the HF one. If it breaks, HF is two miles away, and their warranty process is one of the easiest. Walk in with a broken one, and walk out with a new one. Good luck getting a replacement from Amazon in less than half an hour.
I've killed a couple Pittsburgh ratchets, but they've mostly done well. My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ratchet in the toolbox is a three-segmented Pittsburgh with an angling head and a angle segment in the middle of the handle so you can worm your way into tight spaces with it. My box will NEVER be without one of those for as long as they make them.
That model is no longer available people. They seemed to be pulled out of stock for some reason lol But hopefully we can catch the next OEM reveal before they pull it 😎
The set now costs $50 or $40 if you don't want the 1/4 ratchet and sockets. Mist people also probably wait for a 20% off to buy the HF ratchet so it's more like $32.
@@DuckyHunter812 Yea. On Amazon, the link for the 90 tooth set referenced by the video is still there, but when you click it you get a 72 tooth set with fewer pieces. A couple of the 90 tooth sets have sold on ebay but not recently.
.... and sometimes better, they do just as well in Project Farms tests. And unlike some so-called American brands when you purchase them your money stays in the USA, Harbor Freight is an American company, that employs a lot of Americans. You can't say that about TTI
actually the Icon ratchets are decent for Harbor Freight tools. The difference is, you can bring the Icon back and swap it every time it breaks and all ratchets break.
I use these icon ratchets at work. I also use their ratcheting box wrenches and their sockets. In reality, they're a decent price for a good tool with a lifetime warranty. You should talk about snap on, the company that actually rips people off with average tools at outrageous prices.
The problem is that rather than making Icon a slightly higher quality budget alternative, they gave it a premium price that's 50-100% the cost of actual premium brands, but without being high enough quality. Edit: Also hilarious to see everyone in the comments saying you pay for the warranty. Wasn't that always the argument with Snap-on? How much do people break their tools? Plus the sprinkle of hypocrisy. The cheap stuff at HF has the same warranty!
In 19 years of wrenching. I’ve broken, literally had break from normal usage, 2 Snap-on sockets, and one extension retention ball fell out. All in all I’ve broken a handful, less than 10 Snap-on tools, but they were broken because I was doing something stupid or outside their working ranges.
@@MrSubaru1387 Exactly. Similar story here. Only tools I have broken were cheap garbage I had to use off site as a last resort and like one or two sockets that split in difficult scenarios. 😂 I use a lot of the cheap HF stuff too, and they replaced my broken impact socket and 3/8 to 1/2 adaptors for free. No Icon name necessary.
@@TheSnatchbuckler You're ignoring that there generally IS a quality difference and also that buying from a tool truck tends to support multiple American businesses on the supply chain rather than one American business transferring some wealth overseas. I truly don't have a big issue with the global economy and buying international, but it is a consideration and supporting local including a Snap-On driver for example is good for our economy. So there are more considerations than just does tool have lifetime warranty and is it cheaper. I generally can't afford big brand tools and only spend big bucks on cordless like my Milwaukee M12 and DeWalt 20V. Most of my tools are cheap and don't have lifetime warranties unless they are Harbor Freight hand tools. I also extremely rarely break tools. Another tool I'll spend on is locking pliers. I buy Malco Eagle Grips while I can. Even what tool trucks sell unless it's a Malco rebrand is not USA made and not as good. But Malco was only $40 vs whatever the Harbor Freight price is and was well worth it. I just think Icon is charging more than they should in some cases simply because they can due to marketing success. All things in balance.
If you look carefully you'll notice all companies rip you off anymore. I don't think they shouldn't make a profit but do they have to make so much profit?
@@RustywrenchGarage. It doesn't exist on Amazon. The EP Auto set he has there no longer offers that specific ratchet it has another one and it is over $70 for the set he said was $35
@@LaVivaRevolucion yes, I left comments replying I was incorrect and that the set I originally th po ught was the same was indeed different but my replies for whatever reason are gone
@@MelancholicSaiko What set is that in the video though? Even at a higher price that is a pretty good ratchet I have the ICON and I wouldn't mind a set for my truck.
The funny thing is the $35 set of tools the manufacturer has a higher markup and it's making more profit percentage wise then Snap-on makes. Let me say the same thing a different way you are getting more for your money with Snap-On then those cheap tools. Think about that they're definitely is a difference
Do consider theres a solid chance those sockets are garbage, and the other ratchet may not be in the icon line and just be kinda crap as well, so you could wind up with 1 pretty nice ratchet at a discount but without the harbor freight warranty and a bunch of extra, crappy, tools
@@kiyosenl.3889 Those are the type of chrome sockets I wouldn’t use an impact on. Not that I should be using it on mine anyways but at least I’m pretty positive they won’t explode under light load.
This isnt the dunk you fap on queens seem to think it is. $5 difference and no warranty. I think asking an extra $5 to stock it at a brick and mortar store plus get a warranty is worth it imo. We know the insane markups fap on and matco do and trust me it’s far more than a few bucks. Side note Taiwanese tools are far better than Chinese tools.
Or better yet guys, just check out estate sales, garage sales, auctions, etc. I hate to be grim about it, but the guys who are dying off now are the guys who bought old school (good) Craftsman, Westward, Proto, etc etc. Lots of good tools out there. Don't go into debt with SnapOn. I once bought a whole tool chest that was so overloaded with hundreds and hundreds of tools that the sides were slightly caved in and it wouldn't roll. In it were a couple of large mm SnapOn wrenches worth more than what I paid for the whole shebang. 🤷🏻♂️
I never bought into it. I only use cheap tools for junkyard trips just incase i lose one. I lost a snap on socket and matco locking extention once that hurt.
What I’ve started doing is buying broken husky tools for dirt cheap, walking into a Home Depot, and having a brand new tool for a fraction of the price. Works great!
Yeah but I can walk in and hand them my ratchet and get a new replacement. Just like the snappy guys like to say. 🙄 at the end of the day get what works for you and that’s that.
