Picked a used Snap-on box over a new Craftsman at a garage sale in Tucson

I found a beat-up Snap-on box for $200 and a shiny new Craftsman for the same price last Saturday. The Snap-on drawers were smooth as butter even with 30 pounds of wrenches in each one. Has anyone else passed on new gear for something older and got burned or scored big?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_viola7d ago

Gotta push back a little on the whole "smooth as butter" thing with 30 pounds of wrenches in it. I mean yeah Snap-on drawers are nice, but no drawer on any toolbox stays perfectly smooth with that much weight unless it's on heavy duty ball bearings. A lot of the older Snap-on boxes actually had friction slides, not roller bearings, so if that one was beat up and from a garage sale, chances are it's an older model with those. They'll still feel good but they won't glide like a brand new roller bearing setup. The Craftsman might have been a better bet if it's one of the newer ones with full extension slides, especially since you're paying the same price. Not saying you got ripped off, just that the magic of a used Snap-on isn't always in the drawer feel, it's more in the metal thickness and the fact you can actually get replacement parts for it decades later.

joel2807d ago

You're right about the friction slides, but I'd argue even the old Snap-on friction slides still feel smoother than most new Craftsman ball bearings when they're properly greased. That metal thickness is the real difference maker, no contest.