Snap On Box

Hey man,

I went to MMI 3 years ago and now work at a Malibu, Axis, Bayliner, Bently Pontoon dealership.

I can't stress enough how true what Erik Lavine was saying about buying a super expensive box. I have friends who purchased a snap on box at MMI with the 50% discount and regret every part of it when they see my craftsman box that does the same thing. If you want to buy any form of a snap on box buy one of the small snap on roll around boxes that you will spend 98% of your day working out of. I primarily use a huskey tool bag with the different stuff I need for a certain boat. Having a big freaking box is cool and I love the size of my box buy I only have 1500 dollars wrapped up in the box and I guarantee I have more overall space than that snap-on box.

My biggest suggestion of what to buy from snap on is ratchets, extentions, SWIVEL SOCKETS especially quarter inch. I have craftsman and snap on swivel sockets, my craftsman ones only get used when im working over the water on the back of an outboard. Otherwise i use the snap on ones.

Skip on the snap on air tools for the most part. Many of them from snap on are the same as IR (we have removed the cases from a few of our snap on ones and they have IR right on them). I would highly suggest buying the SMALLEST 1/4 air ratchet you can find. Blue point has a tiny one.

Personally for my regular sockets, theyre all craftsman. I haven't had any issues. They fit equally well and tight over a bolt or nut as snap ons do.

Spend the money on the tools, not the box! My instructors at MMI told me that and me and my credit are really glad I listened.

Heres a picture of my box. 5'10' tall 40" wide plus the 15" wide side box. Its all ball-bearing with grip latch. I LOVE this box and I beat the piss out of it

yesterday the gate said "All sub-contractors must check in" i told the guy who's boat im working on that if anyone comes over that you tell them that im your good friend or your paying the 200.00, if i pay it, its going on your bill....funny how things work, i have liabilty insurance in case anything should ever happen, but the marina's really frown upon outside people coming in.
Ive had signs thrown against my service truck, Ive had the prick yardmaster make me walk a half a mile with my tools instead of parking next to the boat, all kinds of sht.

Search gearwrench, it's the brand, they are sold at Sears as well as other stores. I've had mine for several years and don't leave the shop without them.

7/16 & 1/2 plus a 5/16 nut driver for the hose clamps....

if you got pawn shops around you, they are filled with Snap on stuff...every mechanic needs a crack fix once in a while, watch e-bay, craigslist

Around these parts the outboards that have specialty tools are owned by the marina. That is not to say a mechanic can't buy his own but in the few I've worked at they were supplied by the establishment.

a wise old man told me long ago, if you surround yourself with successful people, you too will be successful, there are guys in shops that will avoid giving you information for the sole fact that you will learn more than them...find a guy in the shop that will take you under his wing and pass the knowledge on to you, listen to his everyword and if it doesnt seem right to you just clam up and do what he says because chances are he was in the identical predicament. dont try to be a know it all (unless you do know it all) lol, like some of us.... truly im just speaking from with in and experience, i got know it alls working for me and i just shake my head, but i also have go to guys that get the job done without creating headaches, and 100.00 tool sets

If it must be Snap-on have a look on Ebay too, Uk ebay Tool chest around $1400 less must be the same in the US.

sorry for the babble but if i dont write it down it will bug me all day, which reminds me of a Mick, fresh off the boat from Ireland, I was the shop foreman, he said to me, I would make a better foreman than you, needless to say he was in charge of keeping the bathrooms clean from that day on....you always need to know who's in charge, even if you dont like him, someone of authority put him or me in this case in that position.....we had an understanding after that

I'm trying to say look on US Ebay if there on over here must be the same in the US [/QUOTE]

I'm sayin if you can't go pick it up locally the shipping will surely take away most of the savings. Even in the US.

05 210 wrote: I have been a motorcycle tech for 20 years. I have a 10,000 dollar box overflowing with tools. It took all 20 years to get that far. Listen to Eric & the Boat Dr, they know of what they speak. Its not the tools that make the tech, its the knowledge. Good luck in your new endeavor. In two years you'll wish you went to law school Mike

Now that's funny. I did go to law school. Three years as a lawyer and left to do something else. Grass is always greener I guess.

I've told the story before. My Dad was a mechanic. Spent hours and hours working with him, but he never really let me learn the important stuff. Do all the major motorwork, and he'd tell me "get out of the way" when it was time to adjust the valves, tune the carb, whatever. He wanted to make sure I would not follow in his footsteps. Again, I guess the grass is always greener.


BKH
BKH

The Boat Doctor and i just attempted an alignment on my CC. husky sockets and craftsman screw drivers did the job so far. really wish i had a 10.00 set of pry bars from harbor freight would have mad the job easier., like i said i would have taken a 4 dollar pry bar over a 400.00 socket set today I would take the right tools for the job over the most expensive generic tools.

still love the babling eric .ive been wrenching for 16+years,my yearly income has been the same for the last ten years even though my hourly rate has increased by $10.the industry is driving the real talent out,dealership techs are not what they used to be.good luck to all newbies in the service world,hopefully your not flat rate like me.not sure where i was going with this,i just needed to vent

i can't believe how much attention this thread got.i think its because we can all remember being in similar scenario.just remember debt/interest SUCKS

im moving to louisiana and the docs giving me a job no more hvac for this fat boy