Sold my soul to the SnapOn man
 

But my "new" roll around box is pimptastic. I casually asked him if he happened to have any used or repo boxes on his truck. Sure enough, he had a small roll cabinet with top box. Nice caster wheels, ball bearing drawers, etc etc etc. Typical SnapOn quality. The bottom and top boxes are now mine. 0 interest & $30/week for the rest of my life. :giggle:
I hate the thought of outstanding debt so to make myself fell better I gave him 1/3 down. At $30/week the payoff is exactly 6 mos. But now I won't have to worry about opening 2 drawers at once anymore (my craftsman box will fall on top of me if I do that).

Stole this pic from ebay, but it looks almost exactly like it
http://i9.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/f1/82/4716_12.JPG

It's also got individual drawer latches so that you have to push a release to open a drawer. Prevents a drawer from opening when rolling, or from gravity pulling it open. My dad's box has a couple of drawers that will self open because the concrete underneath is ever so slightly uneven.

damn, are those chrome rymz?

Looks like a nice box. What are you going to fill it with?

I was there, i vouch for that, lol.

I had to go and look, and thankfully mine does not have the chrome rimz.
Also my top box is a bit smaller in depth and has the flip up locking cover thing.

Ben, I can probably fill this box 75% with my current set of tools. Room to grow is good; there are several things I want to buy still.

I'd hit it.

I want one too :cool:

i have a craptsman. it does have the drawer latches and i put enough shit in the bottom so it wont fall over. plus it's about 1/20th the price.

but I do love my snap-on techwrench dildo.

I've got a Craftsman Pro upper and lower. Love it. If I were making a living with tools I'd probably buy snap on.

Nice score. I don't feel like doing math, what was the total cost of it?

I gotta admit Im seriously jealous. I live in a tiny apartment, so I dont have any room for something like this. I cant wait to have my own garage to fill with tools and not have to work on my car in a parking lot.

$1000 + $70 tax. not a steal, but also considering that "truck credit" is 0%, it ends up being OK.
or 2-3x what my current craftsman boxes cost-or a bit less than new equivalent size bb craftsman. but the ball bearing drawers and overall quality is so much better with Snap On (Mac, Matco, etc). Plus if I ever get a 'real' box, then I can remove the upper and use the lower as a true roll around.

A few pictures of my current box

Note the step in front; it’s the only way I can see in the top :giggle:
Attachment 212974

Yea I know i need to clean my tools better. :fawk:
Attachment 212975

i've got the $300 harbor freight box, it's not bad but when i get my own house i'll be buying something much bigger, i have too many tools

And here I am storing all my tools in an array of small cardboard boxes stacked on a $40 plastic bookcase from Wal-Mart...

That thing is seriously sexy. :D

tools are one of the best investments one can make. My tool box is taller than I am...

having personally seen your prior toolbox/cart, I can understand your enthusiasm :D

The current place I work at damn near everyone used to be a machinist at one time or another and moved up to be a machine builder later in life. So they all have Kennedy toolboxes, big ugly brown bastards with tons and tons of drawers.
http://www.generaltoolworldwide.com/...nnedy52611.jpg

I bet the drawers on that Snap-On feel awesome every time you pull one out. My shitty ass craftmen carry around was over full the day my g/f bought it for me. I need a larger toolbox for realz.

Nice box!

I'm just a tinkerer in my own garage, not a mechanic so I got this last week on sale for $179. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...0B?vName=Tools

It goes right along with this http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...+Tool+Cabinets that I got a couple of years ago on sale for $120.

They aren't Snap-On but they beat the crap out of digging in a tool box and a few shelves to find the tool I want. The little one fit in my apartment closet, icantthink4155, if you can't wait. BTW, Costco has a huge (surprise) roll of padded drawer liner for cheap. Ben, the roll would do your entire cabinet for something like $10.

Ben I think we have the same box, mine is black though.

Apparently the quality of those HF boxes is surprisingly excellent.

Black must look nice.

I decided that instead of filling the new box with my old (mostly craftsman) tools, I'm going to purchase new tools instead. Been watching ebay all weekend and so far have picked up
gearwrench metric set, reversable, offset
gearwrench meteric set, no offset
misc snap on "speciality" type wrenches
crafstman midget metric set (I've never seen midget wrenches in other brands)

This week I plan to also pick up fullsize and stubby metric wrench sets. Deciding between SK, Mac, Matco, and Snap On. I work near the ghetto, so I'm wondering if any of the local pawn shops will have something. I'm also going to see if the Snap On man will do me any better than $100 for the standard 6 piece screwdriver set that he quoted me on a couple weeks ago.

Next month I'll start getting socket sets.

My next door neighbor was a head tech at BMW. He has his huge box which he had at BMW plus his BIL who was also a tech and worked for him. I've got probably $15K worth of tools (mostly Snap-on) at my disposal.

Me, I've got a crappy Craftsmen but a decent set of everything to disassemble a Miata.

Oh yea, and the 4-poster. ;)

Frank

$15k doesn't buy much snap on. A big box itself can be $8-10k. If he was a mechanic for a long time I'd wager he's got no less than $50k worth of tools. If not more.

Friend of mine is a Ford Mechanic and is always in debt to snapon. Toolbox alone was 20k...basically the same box as Nascar, pneumatic wheels and wired for power.

I will probably end up with the semi nice ss box from samsclub for just over $1000.

watch your local craigslist. there's almost always a good sized used Snap On, Mac, or Matco box there for the same price as a new Sams or Sears box.

Hey I'm a Harbor Freight man with an occasional foray into Sears. ;)

Frank

Today I got:

-Snap On standard length metric open/box combo wrench set, 8-18mm (used)
-BlackHawk (Mac) standard length double box reversible ratchet wrench set, 8-19mm (new)

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/objec...9500/19487.JPG
http://i13.ebayimg.com/06/i/000/f2/87/8ef2_1.JPG


Also got another set of these at the end of last week. These tiny little things are phenominal for getting to bolts with limited clearance. $16/set at Sears. One of the best tool investments I've ever made.
http://i5.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/f3/1b/f8d0_1.JPG

That's a great pick-up line. :giggle:

Aghh, I've got a problem that probably requires counseling. Maybe even electric shock treatment.

Just picked up this Snap On 6-20mm deep 6 point 3/8 set (used) from ebay. I had to--It was only $71!! (about $280 new)

http://i5.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/f2/4e/e273_1.JPG

When you don't have enough time to use the tools you own...buy more!

Got a 4 piece snap on plier set and a Mac 1/2 drive socket set, 8-32mm :)
As well as various other sundries...

Still want/"need" to pick up Mac's extra shallow 3/8 metric socket set. Pretty cool set if you ask me.

Got my metric 12 pt 3/8 set. Mac 7-23mm :)
Going to get their extra shallow set for my 6 pt set.

its an addiction :)

Got my blackhawk set today, they really are the most badass wrenches I've ever owned. Thanks again for the heads up.

Those blackhawk wrenches earned their salt yesterday, I love them.

Yeah they are really nice. Their chrome finish isn't up to SnapOn standards, but their ratcheting mechanisms work extremely well. Better than Craftsman/GearWrench.

Added
-13 snap on screwdrivers, including a 12" shank small flat tip that I needed to get to the carb float bowl dump screws in my bike
-snap on metric allen key set in metal selector box
-craftsman metric 1/4 socket set
-snap on 1/4 sae socket set
(below items are paid for but not yet received)
-a gearless, ball bearing 1/2 MAC flex head long handle ratchet
-a 55 year old snap on 1/2 standard handle ratchet with new guts. I thought the old bird was really cool
-3 piece MAC hose pliers set. those things are awesome for getting cranky rubber lines off
-MAC 12" flex head 3/8 ratchet

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/779/snappydb2.jpg
http://i19.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/fa/6a/4771_1.JPG
http://i20.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/fa/66/bf45_1.JPG

Next thing I need to get

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/0...sm=0.9,0.5,0,0

For the adapters and extensions, I've decided to go with this craftsman 21 piece set. It's $70 list, just waiting for a sale. I already have snap on u-joints, but having a second set can't hurt.

Future purchases will be specialty type pliers and a few different hammers. A snap on 2' breaker bar is high on the list. I also have small and large 3/8 ratchets but do not have a standard 7-8" ratchet for my new box (I do have a heavy as shit Husky in my old box). So I'll need to get one of those. Might also get a long handled 1/4 ratchet. IMO, 1/4 stuff is under appreciated, but I like it for doing certain work such as tightening bolts into aluminum.

Then it's time to get to the air tools. I got a compressor from my dad that I need to pick up. :)

you can always join the craptsman club and get access to more sales.

I got my card last week

Bought the following MAC ratchets:
1/4 5", 3/8 8", 3/8 11"
Still looking for a long handle 1/4


Got this snap on ratchet in, and it's nice, works well, and super heavy duty. But I think I'm going to sell it because all my other ratchets are mac, and I even have a mac 1/2 that's the same length.


http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/779/snappydb2.jpg

If anyone wants it, make an offer. The handle is 55 years old, but the guts are new. Works fine, and of course is under warranty forever.

Ben

got some more stuff this weekend:

Mac 3/8 8" flex head gearless ratchet
Mac 1/4 3" gearless ratchet
Mac 1/4 & 3/8 extensions, standard and wobble, several lengths
Mac pick and scraper set
http://www.mactools.com/MacTools/Cat...ZF_Large_1.jpg
http://www.mactools.com/MacTools/Cat...AZ_Large_1.jpg
http://www.mactools.com/MacTools/Cat...8B_Large_1.jpg

Damn Ben you don't play games.
How do you like the gearless ratchets?

Pretty baller. Only complaint is that when there's not much force against the ratchet you must use your other hand on the socket or extension to feel if the clutch releases or not when winding back. With a gear ratchet, you can hear the gears clicking when winding backwards, and you don't get that auditory feedback from the clutch ratchet. However, the clutch ratchet engages immediately, right damn now, when you spin the ratchet in the same direction as indicated by the selector. In a tight area where you can sometimes only move hardware a few degrees per stroke, like around a turbo manifold for instance, they offer much more functionality by not being limited to rotating on gears.

The snap on dual 80 ratchet is almost as nice as far as handle travel to engagement as the Mac gearless is, but the snap on would have auditory feedback.

If anyone is interested, I'll have Mac standard type 8" 3/8, 11" 3/8, 3"(?) 1/4 and a snap on 11" 1/2 ratchets for sale in the next week or so.

How much did you pay for that top ratchet in the pic? The Mac 3/8 8" flex head gearless ratchet one.

Are you still buying up tools and whatnot Ben? Still like the gearless mac ratchets? I've used the dual 80 snap on ratchets and love them but am waiting to find them closer to $50 than the current $80-90 I've seen on ebay. Considering the gearless mac ratchets but i really like the auditory feedback provided by the dual 80s.
Any insight for me?

Necropost!!
I'm pretty thrilled with my collection. I'm about 45/45 SnapOn/Mac with hand tools. About 10% other (gearwrench mostly, a little craftsman). Ended up with very nice sets of shallow and deep in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 metric sockets. I also have 6 and 12 point sets in a few of the ranges, and a few standard sets as well. I ended up with I think 6 different sets of ratcheting wrenches, my favorite being the BlackHawk set. I also have metric and standard craftsman midget wrenches, which are freakin awesome. I think I would probably purchase MAC knucklesaver wrenches instead of the snap on set I got, if I had to do it again. I think they just feel better, but I'm not complaining.

I have slowed down my tool buying because my boxes are all full. I am completely amazed; I thought I would never be able to (afford to) fill them, but alas, it was faster and cheaper than I would have expected. A lot of this had to do with waiting until I found 'the deal' before buying. I've been watching craigslist for 'the deal' on a big ass box to replace my two smaller rollarounds (both have top cabs as well), but since my dad has decided it's time to retire very soon, I'm waiting and hoping I'll get his big box when he closes down his shop. He paid $15k for his box nearly 20 years ago, so you can imagine the size. The drawers roll out something like 42".

The snap on dual 80's are the tits and I own 1, but I've actually fleshed out my collection with lots of MAC ratchets. I use the ball bearing ratchets mostly, have at least one each in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 but also have quite a few of standard geared MAC ratchets. I use the 3/8 and 1/2 ball bearing ratchets like they were breakers, and the 0° swing can be a lifesaver, especially getting the 1/4 into odd little places.

One tip: I bought a lot of broken ratchets for super dirt cheap on ebay and sent them to MAC for warranty. Most were replaced with brand new within a month. A few took longer due to backorders, but it was well worth the wait. I sold a few of the new ratchets I got back from warranty, so I pretty much broke even on them. And now I literally have the perfect ratchet for every occasion. I easily have a dozen different ratchets, if not more (all MAC except 1 snap on dual 80), and have a few duplicates as well, so I don't feel bad about keeping a few common things in the car. And again the awesome thing is since I bought them all used (and some broken), got all the broken ones replaced and sold a few, I have little or nothing in the lot remaining. Come to think of it, I think I sold/traded all the used ones I bought, and just kept the new ones I got back from MAC. I probably made money on the deal. :)

Thanks for the detailed response man.
I'm currently trying to get a good size tool box to store/organize everything i have right now but I know I want some dual 80 ratchets and the little CTS561 cordless driver. Two guys I work with have them and they're an incredible time saver for sure. I also need to buy things like triple square sets, allen sockets, quality torque wrenches, my own 1/2" impact, blah blah blah. I have pretty much all the tools i need to get the job done minus the triple squares.
Hunting a used tool box is the hard part right now. There are quite a few on atlanta craigslist between 1000 and 2000. I'd rather pick up one for around 2k. I'd also prefer one of the table top two bay ones over a doublestack so I can work on it.
Then again, we have like 8 wood top work benches so I think I can live with either style.
I'll be looking for broken ratchets to do the same thing you did as well.

I love my blackhawk ratcheting wrenches you lined me up with, use them constantly.