[WillAdams]

The only Snap-on tools I have, I picked up off the side of the road, except for a ratchet which my father somehow brought home from Vietnam --- his comment on the brand?

>It's pretty easy to get the about the same quality, but it's hard to pay more.

Just figure out their OEM and buy a Williams brand screwdriver for example.

That said, for a professional mechanic, there's a lot of value in buying a tool which one can get warrantied the next time the tool truck makes its rounds.

[infecto]

With how well Chinese manufacturing has improved in the last 10-20 years the snap-on edge is largely eroded. You can buy a similar quality tool at Harbor Freight for a quarter of the price that will most likely last just as long. For most of the tools in a mechanics box there is rarely a specific tool that will put you out of work for the day.

There is some value having a truck that delivers the items to do and does infield warranty but I don’t think it warrants a 4x cost.

I would imagine most mechanics would do well these days buying the premium cheap option, like Icon, and buy better when they know what they need and identify longevity issues. I could absolutely see certain air tools or power tools where you may buy brand but even then the Harbor Freights of the world have come a long way.