Snap-on bits no longer made by Zephyr?

[vintagefan]

A few months back, I purchased a new Snap-on master bit set to replace the one that I lost when all my tools were stolen years ago.

I've always liked the Snap-on bits since they were made by Zephyr, and I have used Zephyr bits for many years. SO was a great supplier for them, as they can be a bit hard to get through normal channels.

I haven't really had the bit set out since I bought it, as I was waiting to burn through my older bits before using it. Tonight I got to looking, and it appears that Snap-on is phasing out Zephyr made bits, in favor of some mystery bit brand.

Some of the bits are marked with Zephyr's trademark "Circle-Z" logo that comes stamped on the bit, and these bits are also marked "USA".

The Snap-on branded bits have no Circle-Z marking, and are instead marked with the Snap-on S inside of a paralellogram, and the USA has been removed on most.

Here's a picture with examples, the newer style Snap-on marked bits on the left, and the Zephyr stamped bits on the right:

0807122017 (1024x504).jpg

It didn't show up well in the picture because of the flash, but the two styles are definitely different manufacture. The Zephyr bits are a very dark grey with deep stamping, while the Snap-on marked are more of a standard silver color with light stamping (and look suspiciously like bits that come out of taiwan/china).



The only non-Zepyhr marked bits that still show USA are the Phillips, Slotted, and Pozidrive bits, which concerns me a little... none of the hex or torx bits are marked USA, unless they're the older Zephyr bits.

I'm thinking that Snap-on may have gone to imported for bits other than the popular ones. The reason this concerns me is that I purchased the rather expensive Zephyr bits for my torx and hex, so that I wouldn't have to worry about them constantly twisting and breaking.

If I'm getting the same old Taiwan stuff I can get anywhere else, I don't see much point in buying the SO bits any more.

They do still show USA as the COO on the site for those bits, but I'm a bit concerned by the removal of the USA stamp on only those varieties. They may have just not updated the website yet.



Does anyone have any experience with these newer non-Zephyr bits as far as durability?

Unfortunatey I haven't used them yet, so I can't say anything regarding that... but I've used Zephyr bits long enough that I'll know instantly if the newer Snap-on marked bits aren't up to par.

[mvptrukin]

www.mrotools.com carries zephyr bits ??

[OEXL16B]

Is it possible Snap-on acquired the machinery to make their own bits now?

[vintagefan]

Originally Posted by mvptrukin

www.mrotools.com carries zephyr bits ??

I meant hard to get, as in I can't just go pick up a few phillips bits when I'm out. Most of those places have minimums, and shipping costs that require you to buy a really large amount of bits to make it cost effective.

Originally Posted by OEXL16B

Is it possible Snap-on acquired the machinery to make their own bits now?

It is quite possible... in fact I hope that is the case, and this isn't solely a cost cutting thing.

Once I've used these a "bit", I'll have a better idea of where they lie in relation to Zephyr.

[Biomed]

Some (not all) of the bits I get from McMaster are Zephyr. Unfortunately you don't know what you will get when you order.

[OEXL16B]

I like the low profile #2 Philips Zephyr bits; they're my favorite.

[vintagefan]

Originally Posted by Biomed

Some (not all) of the bits I get from McMaster are Zephyr. Unfortunately you don't know what you will get when you order.

Yeah, it's a pretty mixed bag with them. If you call, they will at least tell you the COO though over the phone, and if it's USA, chances are you'll get either Apex or Zephyr, and I'm pretty happy with either.

[Toolhorder]

I have one of those air hammer shake and roll impact driver setup's from Blue Point I think (has the YA bluepoint number) and had it a long time. Broke the #2 bit and had no Snappy dealer at the time. Called up Snappy and sent it with some other stuff. Got back 4 #2 bits (thanks for the extra 3!) and they were marked WERA which I found odd but Wera is a good german brand so I'm not complaining. Haven't broke any yet and it's been a year or more.

[Biomed]

Originally Posted by mvptrukin

www.mrotools.com carries zephyr bits ??

I was wondering about mrotools.com. They carry Zephyr and Apex. There is a $35.00 minimum order. Anyone done business with them?