Snap-On tools don’t come cheap, but users say they’re worth it because of their power, durability, and the fact that many of the brand’s products are made in the USA. Still, a $1,250 price tag for a Snap-On impact wrench is enough to make anyone question if the brand can really justify its price premium. To test its power, the Torque Test Channel pitted Snap-On’s MG1250 3/4 inch impact wrench against a $250 Harbor Freight Earthquake 3/4 inch impact wrench, and surprisingly, the Harbor Freight tool came out slightly ahead of its big-name rival.
In a five-second torque test, the Snap-On delivered 739 ft-lb of torque, while the Earthquake hit a peak of 767 ft-lb of torque. A fifteen-second “best-case scenario” test also handed the Earthquake another win, with the Harbor Freight tool hitting a maximum of 1,046 ft-lb of torque compared to the Snap-On tool’s 1,016 ft-lb. In that test, both the Snap-On and Earthquake tools were beaten by a DeWalt impact wrench, which hit a peak of 1,167 ft-lb of torque.
In other tests, the Earthquake performed similarly to the Snap-On tool. The Earthquake’s power and affordable price tag saw the channel rank it as their highest-scoring impact wrench to date, with the Snap-On taking third place in the channel’s rankings behind the DeWalt DCF964.
The Earthquake impact wrench isn’t without downsides
While the Harbor Freight tool’s power is undoubtedly impressive, there were a couple of drawbacks that the channel highlighted when comparing it to its Snap-On rival. The first was the lack of a significant warranty.
The Earthquake tool only ships with a 90 day warranty, so anyone looking for the kind of protection to rival big-name brands will have to purchase an extended warranty at an additional cost. Whether or not the extended warranty is worth the money will vary based on how frequently you’re expecting to use the tool, but either way, the fact that a longer warranty isn’t offered as standard will understandably concern buyers who are looking for maximum longevity.
Another key difference is that the Earthquake impact wrench is made in Taiwan, while the Snap-On impact wrench is made in the USA. Snap-On is one of only a handful of major brands that still makes its tools in America, and for some buyers, that alone makes its hefty price premium palatable. Still, in terms of pure performance, the Torque Test Channel’s comparison is evidence that paying significantly more for a tool doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be getting a significantly superior product.
