This might make the perfect gift for a brand-conscious tool friend this holiday season. This flashlight and knife kit (on sale at Costco this weekend) includes all the necessities: an aluminum barreled, xenon-bulbed two-AA light, a miniature AAA model, and an aluminum-bodied folding knife — and, of course, the Snap-on brand prominently on display.

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In some cases, it’s easier to remove the alternator to release serpentine belt tension than to get a wrench or ratchet on the belt tensioner. Ignoring the lamentable decision-making process that spawns such folly, there is a workaround. I first saw very low-profile bars like these at a Tuffy where I worked, and everyone in the shop borrowed it almost every time they had to release a serpentine belt on a transverse-mounted engine. The owner probably wasn’t too happy with us, but the photo above shows why the pseudo-thefts were necessary.

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OK, so the title is a lie. You could easily under-price this jewel of an ass-rest by picking up a Snap-On keychain, or even a single socket (or two if you chose carefully). But then you’d be stuck standing, wouldn’t you? Seriously, though: everyone needs a shop stool — or a couple if you plan on inviting your friends over for shop fun. And unless you plan on building your own, $100 flat isn’t really that bad for a fancy seat like this one.

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“Christmas tree” plastic rivets are the bane of a mechanic’s sanity. They grip like mad, their edges are nearly flush with the part they retain, and the heads tend to pop off when you pull on them. Fortunately, Snap-On’s A161B is the bane of Christmas tree rivets. It’s pretty versatile for removing any kind of plastic fastener, and does general interior work pretty well — much gentler than a big flat-head screwdriver.

Snap-On makes a bunch of different versions for specific applications. A161B is designed for GM cars and most imports, making it the most widely-applicable model. Unfortunately, this is Snap-On, so the price of this convenience is about $29.

A161B Trim Remover [Snap-On]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

We came across the sad story of a Snap-On distributor — they’re independent, remember? — and one likely disappointed child in an upstate New York newspaper recently:

Snap-On Tools valued at about $25,000 were stolen in a burglary discovered Tuesday morning on the property of a Snap-On distributor in the town of Pamelia, according to state police. [...] Intruders entered a garage at the residence as well as a truck containing the tools, parked outside the garage.

But here’s the sad part:

Stolen hand tools include wrench sets, drill bit sets, four 18-volt cordless impact wrench sets with cases and batteries, a tool bag, and a child-size Red Rider wagon having the Snap-On logo.

Doh! While those wrenches — and even impact wrenches — are infinitely pawnable, what kind of bastard-coated bastard steals a child’s wagon?

[Thanks, taomancer, for the great CC-licensed photo.]

$25k In Snap-On Tools Stolen in Pamelia [Watertown Daily Times]

Snap-on is preparing for Father’s Day by offering a Gift Buying Guide on their website. The 8-page guide includes a wide array of hand tools, from wrenches to sockets to hammers, and it lists the promotional Father’s Day sale prices.

Don’t get me wrong, Snap-on is still pricey — but you’re paying for quality, and these tools aren’t for just your weekend warrior dad anyway.  The prices shown will last through Father’s Day both online and through your local Snap-on franchise.

Caution: The guide is a large .pdf file — if you’ve got a slow connection, click at your own risk.

Snap-on [Corporate Site]

If you’re working under the hood or looking for something in a tight space in the house, a mirror’ll come in handy, but if you’re looking in a dark place, all you’ll see is dark.  If you’re both talented and lucky you can hit the old mirror with a flashlight to illuminate your target — I was never any good at that trick, so I’ll take Snap-on’s Lighted Inspection Mirror.

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If you own a Harley, the service manual suggests you check the neck bearing at least once a year to make sure the steering tension is set properly — and Snap-on makes this specialty tool to help you adjust the tension if you need to.

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Snap-on’s new specialty funnel, for certain Honda, Acura, Nissan, Dodge Cummins, and Ford Diesel vehicles, features threads so you can screw it into the oil filler inlet.   They advertise the funnel as one you “fill with oil and walk away from” — if you’re willing to pay through the nose for it.

The Snap-on funnel sells for $30, so you’d need to perform quite a few oil changes to make this one pay for itself.  As a shadetree mechanic I can just wait the 30 seconds.

Threaded Oil Filler (PDF) [Snap-on]

If you’ve ever tried grabbing a shaft lengthwise with a normal set of locking pliers, you’ll notice they don’t hold it very well — the shaft can slip from side to side in the jaws.  With this in mind, Snap-on designed their new locking pliers with grooved jaws designed especially for holding such objects.

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Beer and tools come together once again, in the form of these NOS (new old stock) polished aluminum beer stein/coffee mugs being sold by eBay member 2speedyshippers. The seller claims these steins were distributed exclusively by Snap-on dealers in the mid 1980s and are extremely rare. The 5″-tall steins weigh two pounds each, with handles shaped like curved wrenches, and cups shaped like a double-hex drive sockets.

2speedyshippers is auctioning off several of these mugs — the last auction ends May 27, 2008.  I couldn’t find any info about these on the Internet, so if you’ve ever seen one, let us know in comments.

Vintage Snap-on Beer Mug [eBay]

Wouldn’t your rolling toolbox look bitchin’ with ground-effects lighting?  Snap-on seem to think so — they recently introduced a few colored light kits to pimp your toolbox.

The 23″ tubes attach to any ferrous surface with magnetic clamps.  UL-Listed in the US and Canada, each two-piece set is wired in series to use a single cord. Snap-on is a little sketchy on exactly how you power these lights, but from the specs it appears they come with an AC adapter of some sort.

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Recently, one of the mechanics at my local shop got himself a brand new Snap-on box with a top hutch, and I got a little jealous — ok, a lot jealous. It’s big, blue, shiny, and completely lust-worthy.

The five thousand dollar buy-in is steep for most, but you’re really buying the Snap-on name and quality. A box like this will last through many moves from house to house, from shop to shop — and all the while it’ll hold a ton of tools without sagging or faltering like a few department store toolboxes might. Plus, you can always expand or adapt this versatile box to suit your circumstances.

Only the buyer can say whether the Snap-on box is worth the uber price difference. But most of us can agree, this box is mighty good looking — even with all the drool stains on it.

Rolling Toolbox And Top Hutch [Snap-on]

Snap-on recently introduced the magnetic Lock-A-Wrench 12-piece wrench organizer under their Blue Point label. Apparently it isn’t just for wrenches — it appears to work with most shafted tools. Attach this organizer to your workbench for easy storage, or stick it to your metal toolbox or cart to keep tools within reach.

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Tighten or loosen hose clamps in hard-to-reach places without worrying about the driver slipping off the nut. SMC Corporation designed their locking nut driver to lock onto a nut with the flip of a lever.

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Head over to Snap-on’s website for a killer deal. Buy a 71-piece 3/8″ general service set for $300, and get your choice of a 51-piece 1/4″ socket set; 10-piece mini-pliers and 7-piece screwdriver set; or the Lock-a-Socket tray and LED pocket flip light. Each of the three options normally retails for around $130.  The offer ends June 30.

Snap-on [Corporate Site]
Buy One, Pick One Deal [Snap-on]

Cars and tools are so closely connected, some people have trouble separating the two. You can’t really have one without the other. In the case of Snap-On’s ’57 “Glomad” Chevy, we have to say we had no idea tools could look so damn good on a car.

The Glomad sports actual wrenches that make up the two-tone on the sides and the rails at the rear of the trunk — and the lug nuts on the bad-ass rims are sockets. It also comes complete with a huge, fold-out Snap-On tool system in the cave-like rear area.

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