Snap On vs Icon Socket…..There is a difference

Thanks for watching. This is just a quick visual assessment of the difference between a professional Snap On Socket and a DIY Icon socket

For those that know, a quick visual look shows the difference even before using them in a real world application

[FinallyMe]

The real comparison is between Williams, Wright, Proto, Hazet, Koken, etc. Snap On has great quality. But so does a lot of other companies selling the same thing at much cheaper prices. But, as long as people buy Snap On no matter how expensive, they will also be the most expensive.

[memeseller]

Wow as a tech I didn’t think you were gonna say u went back 😂we love honest customers like you sometimes we will even reward you . I left my new AirPods in a car last week and the customer brought them back .

[zack-gm]

Any time I think I lost a tool, usually a socket, I can spend up to an hour trying to find it because the time spent looking for it is still cheaper than buying another. Generally its stuck to the bottom of a magnet tray. Time well spent because now my cart and bench are finally clean.

[upsidedowndog]

For tools I use daily, SO has been well worth the money. I bought most of mine in the 90s and they were less expensive. I also bought a KRL1001 in 1999 and then a side box. That has tripled in price but mine still looks and operates as new, no regrets. Today I am not sure I would but back then SO was so far ahead in toolbox technology that it was a no brainer.

[jeffclark]

As a career mechanic I’ve never regretted buying any of their hand tools. I’ve proven them to be superior many times over. My snap on rep is also the only rep that’s reliable. Everything is paid off and he still comes every week and warranties anything no questions asked. The guys I work with are always asking to borrow my tools when their cheap stuff won’t cut it.

[madmaxx]

I have a mixed bag of tools. That said, Snap On is the best. Period. It really is that simple. Technician for 27yrs.

[cindyeva]

I have snap on sockets and they were great when I worked on newer cars at the dealership, when I moved to an independent shop where vehicles are older and rust is a bigger issue, the tightness of their tolerance makes them a pain as all the bolts stick in the sockets when removed, meaning at each fastener removal you have the pull and yank to get the fastener out of the socket…, looser is sometimes just right dependent on what you work on

[robertomilanecky]

I have the 3/8 Icon shallow, semi and deep sae/mm chrome, work in heavy equipment had the shallow and deep since late 2018 never ever had a problem, lost the shallow 18mm and ordered a new one. Absolutely well worth the money. I got all those sockets for half the price of snap ons 3/8 shallow metric.

[asmautollc]

The best way to buy Snap On sockets is with the BOGO deals. Still expensive, but cuts the price in half. If you don’t have access to a dealer, they will sell you the BOGO’s if you call customer service directly.

That being said, I’m a big fan of Icon as well. I don’t own their sockets, but all of my Icon tools have been great.

[terryeffinp]

I have been slowly replacing my cheap sockets with Snap-on sockets at the shop when I get a good deal and bringing home the cheap sockets for home use. Snap-on sockets are amazing in a professional setting. I would never buy them for at home unless it was a sore dick deal at a yard sale or something. As a professional diesel technician I started off with craftsman, matco silver eagle, sunex, some SK etc. You don't need the best stuff to make a good living, but I want the best stuff.

[John-yfie]

I turned wrenches for 26 years and only purchased Snap-on. Now retired I'm glad I bought Snap on. I just bought a new Jeep and decided to add some additional items, glad I had all the required sockets that fit pefect every time. I bought some Kobalt sockets and ratchets to use when I work on my older lawn mower

[bulshavix]

I realized I had barely any standard sockets so I found that I could get every deep, shallow, semi deep and low profile 6 and 12 point for $400. That was the route I went. I used to only use metric other than at work so I collected all those in metric sizes over the years. I felt comfortable with the gear wrench. I found them to be as good as the snap on and better than craftsman at work for the last decade as a technician

[kboak]

Snap On is probably better. That said, Icon are a fraction of the cost and HF will replace any failed socket/ratchet right at the store. Try flagging down a snap on truck for a warranty claim. I chased one through town once and will never buy from them again.

[TrackstarBR]

I only have two sets of snap on sockets but they are my most used sockets. I got 3/8 metric semi deep chrome and impact as a buy one get one deal a while back. I absolutely love them both and they do fit the ratchet and bolts much better than cheaper brands. For all my other sockets I have a mix of icon, kobalt, gearwrench, sunex, and craftsman. I can’t justify snap on price for all my sockets even as a professional.

[gregblau]

Using icon as a reference ratchets, pliers and wrench sets are maybe 4 times the cost, which is reasonable. 10 times as much for sockets is insane though. I'd say 75% of the techs I've worked with use mostly craftsman sockets.

[ДмитрийУфимский-хк]

A week ago I bought a new snap-on f80 ratchet and blue point tool box now I have ordered a set of new 12 snap-on sockets from a Russian dealer, yes, these are not cheap things, but from a conversation with the dealer, he said that they buy very quickly. The main advantage of Snap-on is a huge range of products available, the same range can only be found from Russian or Chinese manufacturers

[PcGamer-mdsz]

Something my coworkers that love snap-on like to bring up is the warranty. What i've noticed though is a lot of them are waiting on the snap-on truck to return a ratchet (usually a few weeks long turn around) while my 25 year old ratchets (different brands) are still going strong. So after 25 years at a qauter of the cost, i think ill pass on snap=on.

[davidfischer]

I started out with a large, US made craftsman set. As stuff breaks and gets lost over the years, I've been replacing them with Snap-On and Mac. If i were to start out today, I'd probably do the same with icon. Get everything you need right off the bat, then get the good shit as you progress.

[gtcam]

I have several of their 6pt industrial 3/8 drive SAE sockets I bought after using a couple at work. I mistook them for impact sockets while testing some stuff at work and didn’t realize they weren’t impact sockets (black oxide finish) until I started really looking at them and realized they were marked non-impact and actually really nice sockets and very well made. I also bought a 11” ish 3/8 quick release ratchet as it’s my favorite length but no one else made a version that inspired much confidence in their strength. Plenty of non QR version like the 90t Gearwrench, just damn few QR versions. And the craftsman overdrive is absolutely awful. Seems like it’s styling was mildly inspired by capt caveman’s club.

[scottmingersoll]

While the thinner profile of the Snap On undeniably works in places other sockets will not, my70 year old who is a lifelong mechanic who owned his own shop and has a complete snap on socket set has told me he has cracked more snap on sockets than any other brand.