MAC tools

[Greenfrog]

Saw MAC tool truck at gas station. Visited with the driver a bit. Looked inside, wow!
Not commonly found around here...midwest Illinois.
Who sells them?
Appear to be of good quality.
Similar to Knipex, and price$. And SnapOn
Website shows them and prices. I ask him about a small pliers for carrying in my pocket. He had one, about 4-5 in long, slip joint. But, it was 34.95$. Wow🙃
Anyone out there know much about them??

 

[Billy Shafer]

To me MAC is up there with Snap-On. We have a Snap-On truck that stops in town. But they are the only one. I think Mac stays in the larger towns.

 

[Janicholson]

15% of my tools are Mac. they are as good as any, including SnapOn. They are a bit more angular, but great tools. Jim

 

[glennster]

i have mac, matco and snap on all good quality. have a few vulcan and cornwell too. good stuff.

 

[jimg.allentown]

MAC Tools is owned by Stanley corporation from New Britain, Connecticut. They are excellent tools. Professional quality.

 

[gab]

Nothing wrong with Mac although I like Snap On a little better.

 

[JK-NY]

MAC tools are top quality professional tools like Snap-on and Matco. I have some of all three along with Craftsman and alot of misc. tools . A lot of what people buy depends on if you have good service from the tool truck guy . Snap-on probably has the best coverage around my area but we do have a good MAC dealer too.

 

[Gambles]

I started tech school about 40 years ago with Matco tools. Snap-On and Proto were also offered by the school and a few of the students had Blackhawk and Craftsman.
I'm pretty good friends with a John Deere Ag instructor and he now says there are all kinds of tools being used by his students, from Horror Freight to SnapOn.
BTW, to anybody looking for a web site that sells (mostly) American-made tools besides SnapOn, Matco, Mac or some of the other big names, check out:

https://www.harryepstein.com/

The site has hours of good viewing.

 

[rustred]

to me they are right under snap-on. i remember one time i needed a longer 3/4 " wrench for doing wheel alignments. bought one from snap-0n it was 75.00 about 40 years ago. still have the wrench too. snap-on and mac used to stop by the shop regularly, that was the only handy thing as the price sure wasnt. think we were paying for their gas with those prices.

 

[ChampagneNBeer]

Can't really comment on the MAC tools.

But can say that my garage full of tools from the 1920's thru 1970's crushes most tools I see being sold at our local stores nowadays.

Was working on a rusty vehicle, taking the brakes, hubs and front suspension apart at a friends and didn't have have my tools with me.

Ran to the local auto store, picked up what I needed, returned to the car, broke 2 of the tools I just purchased and the other wrench was soo crappy it rounded one of the bolts by flexing/opening.

When they snapped, by far the worst steel I have ever seen, complete crap.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Any time you buy off one of the trucks, they have rolled in the convenience mark up, along with finance charges even when you pay cash.

Most of their sales are on the pay out plan, letting mechanics buy now and run an on going tab.

 

[derwen1959]

I enquired a while ago with Mac tools but there was no
local rep and it was not possible to buy from rep covering
another area but I could buy direct at full price!
What is possibility that snap on and mac tools come out of the same factory in China
There is a fairly local guy selling tools so I now buy from
Him
I am in uk

 

[M-MAN]

Mac is right there with snap on. As good as it gets.

Their German equivalent is Stahwille and Hazet in price and quality.

 

[Sprint 6]

I haven't had a MAC dealer in years. Once they were bought by Stanely, more and more of their stuff became rebranded Stanley. I have slowly gotten rid of my MAC tools, replaced with Snap On because I was tired of having to mail them when they break. I still have a full set of MAC cobalt grade drill bits because of the life time warranty, down to 1/16 inch, Snap On doesn't have as good a warranty on their bits.

 

[Harold Hubbard]

I don't have many MAC tools, but the ones I have are excellent quality.

I just bought a used MAC tool chest, one of the big ones at a very good price. It needed a few drawer slides, so I called MAC to find out about availability and pricing. I gave them the model number and asked it the slides were available. They were, and I asked how much. "Oh that's a lifetime warranty, how many do you need?"

 

[Hobo,NC]

MAC was the first tool truck to come around in my area so MAC it was. In the late 70's Snap-on showed up SO has been steady always around MAC is hit and miss they go years without a local dealer. Mac will always be my first tool...

I like MAC wrenches and prefer their tool box's over SO You guys are lucky off shore tools have became much better and affordable for the DIY guy. There are some good offshore tools out there with great prices.

I don't expect for DIY to understand why pro's buy the best you would just have to understand its what we make our living with everyday its what performs every day, day in and day out... I have Mac tools I brought 46 years ago I have just flat out worn some out how many have worn a good socket are wrench out I hold no grudge again them they have been performers. At the 30 year mark is where I ran into this at that time no Mac dealer so replaced the worn sockets with SO saved the mac to the rare time a new dealer showed up : )... I went to SO only and sometimes offshore I have worn the Offshore tools out I would have been better off to have brought SO by the time I buy it twice I paid SO price...

The good about offshore you only ware out the most common in the set, 12,13,14,15 MM 3/8,7/17,1/2, 9,16 and the rare 5/8"... Lets say I have a hard to get to bolt I can come up with 10 combinations to go get it time is money life is hard as it is why make it harder : )

Then add in the doodads and gadgets its an addiction : ) I buy them forget I have them just encase I need them.... My new tax gal was shocked at the tools I buy and write off she calls them throw away tools just write it into operating cost she said its something you will lose she does not understand its a rare event I lose a tool... I do understand what she means tho the tax man gets more than his fair share why keep him up year after year...

 

[dr sportster]

I bought a set of wrenches from Mac ,he gave me all different lengths from mixed sets NG .After that I only went to the Snap-On truck . Mac convinced me to use Snap-On .

 

[Keith Molden]

I agree both Snap-on and Mac are darn good tools. Like a Snap-on driver said to me one time after looking at my knuckles and me telling him that a wrench had slipped. Good tools aren't cheap and cheap tools aren't good. He was right

 

[gab]

Before I retired the Snap On guy pulled my black handle screwdrivers out of the drawer, gave them a sniff and said some of them were recalled because they had formaldehyde in them. He gave me about ten new ones and replaced the black handles on the rest. Then he replaced any sockets with peeling chrome and a dead blow hammer that was looking tuff.

I wasn't even complaining about any of them, he said they'd look better at my estate sale.

 

[504]

They are good tools. I have Snap-on,Mac and Matco. I really liked the Matco dealer till he quit and moved to Oregon. Mac came to town with a salaried driver and after a year switched him to commission,that was the end of Mac here. I bought my first top box from Snap-On when I was 15,it is in the shop now and is worth more than I paid for it new(it has not had an easy life either). Now there are Craftsman and HF tools in the boxes, The all have good tools and some are just way over priced. One hammer was $100.00 off of the truck,and $50.00 at the tool store in town. Stanley. Every day use I want Snap/On, hobby work, the best I can afford.

 

[Hobo,NC]

My first tool man a Mac tool man drove a early 60's chevy Suburban he would back up to the shop and open the rear split doors the tools were in a wood cabinet/tool box... My uncle brought me a set of 1/2" chrome and impact sockets (to make him money) I think they were less than $100 in 1973. I still have them and use them...

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I've picked up quite a few Mac tools over the years at auctions and yard sales good tools.Mac,Snapon and Williams are my favorites.