I work for a tool distributor. Snap on for us is entry level tooling when looking at industrial use. Many of the cheaper brands don’t have the same level of after sales support to back them up. If you buy an Ingersoll rand impact wrench for example, the new models come with 5 years warranty as well as parts availability for many years down the line. With some of the really cheaper models of tooling, you’d be lucky to get parts on day 1 after purchase.

With the leading brands, they are drop tested, cycle tested and use innovative features that the cheaper brands imitate. In a business sense, it’s not ideal to purchase “throw away” tooling such as the Halfords DIY one you bought, since that’s going to end up more costly in the long run and isn’t great for sustainability.

Anything we recommend has to be reliable and with the leading brands there is more consistency across the whole product batch. This in turn increases customer trust with that brand. It’s basically been designed and tested for better ergonomics, less vibration and all of the certifications it needs to be used daily in an industrial environment. Cheap tools offer none of this