posted August 06, 2005 02:57 PM
Backyard to Pro mechanics.... Thinking about topics related to motorcycles that we can talk about, so
Anyone into tools here? I am a big time Snap-on fan and have been collecting them for over 30 years. Anyone else take pride in their collection?
____________
Ted
2000 Green ZX12 sold
The fast color!!
Green 2005 ZX10R
2009 Concours Black ABS
posted August 06, 2005 05:39 PM
me me....I do....I've got a mix of tools......Snap-On is my #1.....got Mac, Matco...and unfortunately I have craftsmen....They are used as my loaners.
I have a snap-On KR1000B roll cab......I got the last one they had available before they were replaced.
my latest buys..... Tech digital torque wrenches in 3/8 " and 1/2 "
posted August 06, 2005 07:18 PM
Edited By: TedG on 9 Aug 2005 13:05
I knew you would chime in on this one. I have some Macs that you would have to pry out of my cold dead fingers, Especially the six point swivel end / open end wrenches, the only thing that would really work well on the Z1 oil filter bolt. Snap on only made/makes 12 point. I think my boxes are the KR537/KR557 (I will go look behind them to make sure) with the 7 drawer side cabinet. I bought them in 76 which was the biggest they made at the time. Remember the ones with the 7 drawers behind the door on the right? The thing is just packed full of mostly Snap-ons. I sure could use a bigger box. Hard to justify 10k on something I don't use to make my living. I am jealous of your KR1000 that is an awesome box. Did that come in Kawasaki Green? I buy Craftsmans, but I end up mostly giving them away. Once you get used to quality tools it is hard to use inferiors. Kinda like once you ride a Kwak, you can never go back.
____________
Ted
2000 Green ZX12 sold
The fast color!!
Green 2005 ZX10R
2009 Concours Black ABS
posted August 07, 2005 10:09 AM
only problem with the digi torque wrenches.....they eat batteries, there is a parasitic draw...I hate having to remove and install the batteries every time I use it.
I have the snap-on 12 point swivel socket/open end LOVE em.
Also LOVE my extra long 0 degree pro-swing ratcheting/box end wrenches from Matco...10-14 mm.
also got Snap-On 18 volt 1/2" impact and 12 volt 3/8" impact, cordless of course....couldnt live without em
anybody get Snap-On's NEW ratcheting screwdrivers...they come in lime green and work bitchen...with removeable shanks in various sizes.
How bout the lime green dead blow hammers.....got those too....nice
posted August 07, 2005 04:39 PM
Do you mean the soft handle version? I have a long shank and the regular, but not the soft handle. I like the click type torque wrenchs, I have 3 Snap-ons 1/2 and two 3/8s, One of the 3/8 is the super small 1/4 in head with the 3/8 drive. perfect tight places.
____________
Ted
2000 Green ZX12 sold
The fast color!!
Green 2005 ZX10R
2009 Concours Black ABS
posted August 07, 2005 08:58 PM
I love tools. I make them. I'm a tool and die maker. It's like being MacGyver with a milling machine.
____________
Blank
posted August 07, 2005 09:02 PM
sadly Sagot's telling the truth... but dont give him too much credit... he USED to be "super accurate" but now he's got himself some artsy-fartsy job making fakes and knock offs... all of his skkills and accuracy have gone out the window...
now he's all about the bling and da shizzle.. nuttin more.
____________ What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
posted August 08, 2005 10:56 AM
Edited By: kz2zx on 8 Aug 2005 11:58
XL, Ted - I'm with frEEk. Stop it, I'm jealous.
I have Craftsman for the garage. I have Craftsman and no-name (SW, Husky, Stanley, etc) for the racetrack toolbox.
I think I'll get a better toolkit someday, but I have all the right tools for every job I've run into, and I get onesey-twosey tools for special jobs as I run into them.
posted August 08, 2005 02:00 PM
I don't have that many tools of my own......but hubby just loves it when I help my self to his snap on's and max tools.....
especially when I don't return them to the "proper" place in the tool box.......
it's true he told me so....his exact words were "you know, I just LOVE it when you use things and don't put them back".....
what, do you think I took that comment to literally? ____________
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.....
posted August 08, 2005 02:55 PM
Edited By: dougmeyer on 8 Aug 2005 16:04
I'm a Snap-On guy myself. ever since the car days in the 70's. I've pretty much got all the usuable stuff. Everytime I go into the truck anymore I can't seem to see anything that I don't have or that I have needed and didn't have. Two roll-aways-one large, one medium, a 3 drawer "center" box and an 8 drawer top box.........
I started with Craftsman in the 60's but then I got serious.
My name is Doug and I'm a tool-aholic......... Please help me
As I think about it, some of the more unique ones in the box come to mind, like.....
A dummy input shaft from a Hewland LG 600 transaxel to line up multi disk AP clutches....
A set of feeler gauges with blades 3/16" wide to set the idle mixture on Lucas Mechanical fuel injection ( the one with those big honkin' trumpets on the Mclarens).....
An offset ("Z" shaped) box end wrench for tightening the lower cylinder bolts a Continental W-670 radial.....
A "Buzz Box" for setting the mag timing on a Vertex mag ( The tall round aluminum one with the brown cap where all the wires come out in one direction).....
A long aluminum dowel rod with a dummy rod bolt thread on one end for guiding Carillo rods into a 500 inch big block......
A set of Cleco pliers (first guy to know what that is wins..... well, nothing)
Ok enough for now.
posted August 08, 2005 03:57 PM
ok, someone please tell me, what is it that makes snap-on & mac superior to craftsman? i've always wondered whether there was something clearly superior about those brands or if it is just a name-brand ego thing?
posted August 08, 2005 03:59 PM
You just have to hold a Snap -On wrench in your hand. The difference is obvious. If it isn't, (to you) then it doesn't matter and nothing I could say will change that.......
posted August 08, 2005 04:16 PM
The problem isn't when you hold it in "your hands"; yes, it's obvious. Jonathan, it's kinda like comparing a Geo to a Mercedes. They both get you to where you are going, one just does it to a higher standard of quality. The problem is when someone else holds it in their hands; and never returns it. That's why I stopped investing anymore into my Snap-On collection years ago. I went Craftsman just because the Snap-On's seem to grow legs and wander off on their own; never to return....
posted August 08, 2005 04:21 PM
i know what u mean about them just feeling better, but i dont know WHY that is, and whether it is just feeling or there are practical benefits to the premium brands. what exactly (other than a better polish) is better about premium brands?
posted August 08, 2005 04:30 PM
Edited By: Just Joy on 8 Aug 2005 17:31
quote:i know what u mean about them just feeling better, but i dont know WHY that is, and whether it is just feeling or there are practical benefits to the premium brands. what exactly (other than a better polish) is better about premium brands?
....Balance, Grip, and Strength........at least that's the reasons hubby gives me....and I guess if your going to be wrench'n all day, those factor in....
____________
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.....
quote: Balance, Grip, and Strength........at least that's the reasons hubby gives me....and I guess if your going to be wrench'n all day, those factor in....
Yep. I'd agree with all that. Tolerances just seem better on bolt/nut heads. If you have a decent rep, they come to you at your place of biz weekly. They are there when you need service. Open accounts and pay as you go makes it easy to get roped into them.... A dizzing array of choices. When you feel better about the tools you are using, you do better work. I know when I see a mechanic with a box full of Snap-Ons, the initial impression is that this person is serious about their job. For me, I'd say it's more of a feeling than anything. But at the end of the day, Craftsman or Harbor Freight tools can for the most part get the job done too.
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posted August 08, 2005 06:42 PM
quote:i know what u mean about them just feeling better, but i dont know WHY that is, and whether it is just feeling or there are practical benefits to the premium brands. what exactly (other than a better polish) is better about premium brands?
Just get a Craftsman 3/8" drive ratchet and a similar Snap On. Attach any socket and use both to remove a bolt or nut in a tight spot that allows for little movement of the handle. That alone will answer ALL your questions about what the differences are.
Snap On's action will be much smoother and will "click" about five times for every one "click" of the Craftsman. Maybe even more than five times, depending on which Snap On ratchet it is.
For both racing and garage use, I'd love to have their lil' ole black tool wagon (Stock#: KRLP7022APC). Kinda like it's dual cam twin disk brake system designed to activate if the handle is lowered or raised. I'm just wondering what hell I'm gonna fill it with after spending almost $12,000.00 ($11,915.00 actually) for just the wagon!
It's not like I'm gonna transfer my Craftsman/Husky/Wal-Mart/Harbor Freight tools into it. I'd likely be burned on a hydraulic lift (electric over hydraulic, actually... Stock# EELR319A - $2,995.00)! Having said that, I'm just about too poor to even make the payments on a Snap On magnetic parts dish.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
posted August 08, 2005 07:12 PM
ah, some light is shed onto my wonderings. thx guys! balence, tolerances, smooth action, all make plenty of sense. not sure that they justify the huge price increase tho... well, maybe if you're a pro and use them constantly. certainly not for an occasional backyard mechanic like most of us tho. of course, if i win the lottery i'll prolly be singing a different tune
posted August 08, 2005 07:38 PM
Also anyone who has made their living out of a tool box and has tried Snap-ons knows the difference, They don't round bolts, they don't strip phillips heads. The socket walls are thinner but stronger, The wrenches aren't as bulky, And most of all they seldom break. Even the chrome holds up better.
My name is Ted and I too am a Snap on addict. but like Doug I can look in the truck or the web site and see little that I don't have and that I need.
Lets see, unique tools
Yamaha, Point Checker, The light green one.
Yamaha Dial indicator.(Yamaha branded)
Kawasaki CDI tester for the 69-71 H1 and A7
Triumph Timing wheel that screwed into the point cam.
Spoke threader.
Kawasaki inner clutch hub holder (has a vice grip like handle).
Sockets to hold the damping rods on Kawasaki front forks.
And of course every flywheel puller for Nippon Denso, Motoplat, and every other brand of ignition.
____________
Ted
2000 Green ZX12 sold
The fast color!!
Green 2005 ZX10R
2009 Concours Black ABS
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posted August 06, 2005 02:57 PM
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posted August 07, 2005 10:17 AM
