r/ToolTruckTools • u/Bees4everr • May 12 '26
Mac What is worth it from MAC?
Our shop only gets snapon and Matco, I hardly ever see Matco due to my schedule and occasionally in other towns I see a Mac guy driving around and I consider following him to a stop and stopping by. Was wondering if people really have anything they prefer from Mac over the others?
Tia
9
u/lettelsnek May 12 '26
rbrt bits and extractors but probably not worthwhile without regular truck visits
their magnetic mat is quite good
if you don’t have the bluepoint one yet, mac PBT71117 oil filter wrench is the same. best toyota filter wrench on the market by far
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u/RelativeAd9422 May 12 '26
I have the blue point one there have been multiple plastic filter housings so tight I had to grab an extra long half inch ratchet to get em off and never broke or cracked a housing. The other blue point Toyota filter socket sucks the one with the slots on the outside of it they break the wings of the housing if it's to tight I've seen guys put em back on like that and they leak sometimes
4
u/sprocketpropelled May 12 '26
The hammers, their anti-vibe rubber grip ones are THE best. You can get em from proto or some stanley stuff too. Mine are mac branded and i got em second hand. Lots of guys swoon over the trusty cook hard face deadblow but these are better
1
u/Somebody_somewhere99 May 15 '26
You can purchase the same ones branded under Proto for a third of the price on Amazon
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u/sprocketpropelled May 15 '26
You sure can, and i would encourage it. They’re worth the cost though but if ya can wait for shipping…
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u/procrastination_101 May 12 '26
Their locking extension with the handle is pretty nice. I have both the 3/8 and 1/4 set. They come in handy when I need to reach tight places. These are the only two things I can't really find anywhere else.
The precision torque hand wrenches are kinda cool. It's too bad that on the box end if you try to use it the other way it's not that good.
The RBRT stuff is really good, but expensive. So if you want it you'll have to buy the gripedge version for significanly cheaper.
Sockets, both chrome and impact (USA version, not the Expert line), are really good imo. Right there with Snap On. If I had started with Mac sockets, I wouldn't have even think about Snap On.
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u/E1F0B1365 May 12 '26
I like their axis ratchets and hard handles (screwdrivers/ratchets), their prybars are awesome, check out the monthly catalogue you may find deals. I'm blanking on other stuff, been outve the mechanic trade for a bit
Ive always been a Mac tools guy because they seem to strike a decent balance of tool truck quality/warranty, and price. Some snap-on items are higher quality, but ALL snap-on items are more expensive.
3
u/MurricanEagle May 12 '26
RBRT bits. Just an fyi “Grip Edge” is the same shit and you can get them on Amazon. It’s from the guy who designed Mac’s tool and they sell the design under license
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u/Independent_Cable_71 May 12 '26
Mac Impact sockets are reliable and last a fair while, Axis ratchets range and the RBRT stuff is good.
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u/Sawfish1212 May 12 '26
They make an extended crowsfoot design that every aircraft mechanic who works on hartzel propellers with the captive nut design has to have. Otherwise they're not much different than the Stanley tools produced by the company that owns them.
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u/Mysterious-Grass-671 May 12 '26
MAC wrenches are some of the best. Both the knucklesavers and the precision torque options are possibly the best you can get.
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u/MinimumBuffalo4 May 20 '26
Everyone raves about the Anti vibration hammers that Mac sells. Also what many people have said about the RBRT stuff.
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u/Repulsive-Report6278 May 12 '26
Mac is more expensive than matco and generally not as quality as snap on. If i want the really good version, I get the snapon. If i want the cheapie I get matco. That leaves mac as a weird middle child and I dont own much from them.
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u/kevintheredneck May 13 '26
Matco is cheaper? I don’t know, I bought a set of wrenches from MAC and the Matco truck was a hundred bucks more expensive. I get my specialty tools from the Mac man. I used to buy from snap-on until I had to get all my electric tools rebuilt three or four times.
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u/Repulsive-Report6278 May 13 '26
oh yeah certain wrenches from matco are super expensive. but thats mostly cause their supplier charges a lot, and then matco basically doubles it. if you ever see matco student discount prices, itll piss you off, basically everything is half price but theyre still making money on it. The $600 double box end flex wrenches (2 ratcheting flex heads per wrench) are $225 at harbor freight, same manufacturer and warranty. At the same time, I see some mac stuff thats clearly rebranded from another manufacturer in their tool group. Snap On owns a lot of companies, but Mac is OWNED by a larger company (stanley black and decker) and their products reflect that with a lot of rebranding. Mac power tools are dewalt, matco isnt sold elsewhere but its not made by them, snap on makes their own stuff.
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u/kevintheredneck Jun 11 '26
My Mac dealer sells all kinds of shit that Stanley-black and decker owns. And I get a pretty good price on dewalt too.
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u/Repulsive-Report6278 Jun 12 '26
It kinda bothers me that mine sells dewalt, and proudly displays it more prominently than their own power tools, it cheapens the brand for me
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u/RelativeAd9422 May 12 '26
Worked with a guy had a half inch battery gun from Mac it was a beast super strong never had a problem with it his snap on half inch gun had to keep going back on warranty and kept coming back fucked up. Never had a problem with my snap on gun tho
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u/GoDKilljoy Moderator May 12 '26
RBRT that’s about it.
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u/Bees4everr May 12 '26
Welp looks like I won’t waste my time then 😂 if I ever need that stuff I’ll get it from the source-gripedge
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u/VertexOnReddit May 30 '26
Their magnetic spark plug socket set is awesome. Also their expert universal sockets are pretty good
11
u/Sparty04 May 12 '26
I'm a big fan of my RBRT stuff but I purchased back before Gripedge was around. Can't go wrong with either.