10 Niche Snap-On Tools (And What They're Used For)

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Many specialized tools serve only a handful of tasks. Some may be single-purpose, designed so they can't be used for, or aren't good at, anything else. There's nothing wrong with those niche tools, as they are usually found in workshops or garages for mechanics, aviation repair, and other trades across multiple industries. Snap-on owns 11 unique brands, and these companies offer a range of tools you can buy online.

Snap-on offers several niche tools, and we dug through to find 10 you may not have heard of. Most people won't need these in their garage, but we're highlighting them as niche tools and explaining how they work for their specific tasks. Here are the 10 niche Snap-on tools and how they work.

Removing pins and studs can be difficult with ordinary pliers, but Snap-on's Locking Pliers Slide Hammer Puller makes it easier. It's a specialized tool with heavy pliers and a pulling lever you can wrench to remove those items from their secure locations.

These aren't conventional garage tools. Traditionally, the tool comes in several sections, and you have to assemble it before you use it. Once all the pieces are together, lock the pliers onto the section you want to remove, extend the handle with the swivel, then pull the tool to yank it out. The pliers lock around what you're removing, letting you use your full body weight to yank it out. Not what you traditionally use around the house.

Some large, heavy bolts and nuts require a wrench you can't use normally. You don't want to use a normal wrench when you want to screw or unscrew a large bolt that requires more torque than you can apply by hand. Instead, this is a good opportunity for you to use a larger tool, such as a Drive Impact Wrench, and we've ranked several major impact wrench brands for those who might use one.

You can choose from multiple models, depending on the size of the nuts and bolts you want to remove. Snap-on, for example, has a 3/8" Drive Impact Wrench that you can get for $420, and you'll be using it on M6 to M16 bolts. It comes with a variable-speed switch to control rotation speed, 225 ft-lb bolt breakaway torque, and 150 ft-lb of torque output.

These are the smaller sizes that you'll be dealing with, but you can get larger ones, like a 3/4" Drive Impact Wrench, to deal with M24 and construction bolts. Regardless of bolt size, not everyone should have, or need, one of these power tools in their garage. A standard wrench is usually fine for removing the nuts and bolts you find throughout a house or when doing DIY projects.

Not every fastener is in the best spot or easy to reach with a standard wrench. Sometimes a nut or bolt is in a tricky spot, and a standard wrench won't do. In that case, use a half-moon wrench, also known as an obstruction wrench. Despite their usefulness, they have limited applications, which is why mechanics say half-moon wrenches aren't an automotive tool everyone should buy.

When you can't reach a fastener, you slot your socket wrench into one side of the half-moon wrench and lock it in place. From there, you use the other end of the half-moon wrench to rotate the socket wrench. The half-moon connects the fastener to the socket wrench, letting you adjust it from there. You can also use it on fasteners you can reach but need more torque to turn. Mechanics commonly use these for car repairs and transmission work. You can get a 5-piece Half-Moon Box Wrench Set in 10-21 mm for $494.25 from Snap-on.

The angle of some bolts or nuts can make them extremely tricky to remove. As a mechanic, you'll run into this often, and you may need specialized tools to reach those parts. One notable tool mechanics use is a crowfoot wrench. You attach it to the end of a socket wrench, giving you a new angle to apply enough torque to remove or tighten a bolt. A crowfoot is a wrench head without a handle, so it's small and easy to lose. A good way to avoid losing these helpful tools is to use a crowfoot wrench holder. 

You don't use the crowfoot wrench holder while you're using the tool. It stores your crowfoot wrenches in one place. Slide the crowfoot head through the holder, and the wrenches rest side by side. Slide them onto the holder by size to quickly find the one you need and keep them all in one place instead of scattered in a toolbox. You can get the Snap-on crowfoot wrench holder for $15.60.

When cutting holes through metal sheets or pipes, you may need to remove raised edges or metal slivers from the sides. This often happens when you cut metal, and you'll need a deburring tool to shave these edges down, keeping the metal smooth so it won't catch on anything or damage the material you've cut. For larger pieces of equipment in metalworking projects, or if you're working in aviation, you'll need a special tool called a swivel-handle deburring speed driver.

This tool works like traditional deburring tools: you rotate it around a metal socket to cut and smooth the edges. However, this model has a slight angle, making it easier to rotate with one hand while the other holds the metal sheet in place. You can turn it like a crank, making it easier to remove burrs or metal shards. The unique angle makes it less common in a standard workshop, especially for someone who only does DIY home projects.

Snap-on offers a swivel-handle deburring speed driver for $59.75. Not this one specifically, but a deburring tool could be worthwhile for your next plumbing project.

Lubricant effectively ensures that when joints, gears, and pivots rotate against other objects, they don't catch, grind, or cause damage. For most lubrication needs, you don't need to apply too much to small gears or metal components. However, for larger gears, vehicles, farm equipment, or massive construction machinery, you need a heavier tool to deliver a specific amount, and that's where a grease gun comes into play.

A grease gun is a pressure tool that lubricates components such as gears, joints, and pins. It delivers a precise amount of lubricant to a fixed point, so you don't put too much in one spot or too little. Although it's a common workshop or garage tool, not every household needs it. Few people at home would need the accurate, heavy-duty precision of a grease gun. You can buy it in various models; some are battery-powered, while others require manual operation. Manual models may include a nozzle, making it easier to reach hard-to-reach places.

You can get an 18V grease gun from Snap-on for $580, but it doesn't include batteries or a charger. If you ever need to use a grease gun, we detail how to load it properly before you start.

As a mechanic, applying the correct torque and rotation to certain vehicle parts is vital to keep everything secure. A mechanic may remove a section to perform maintenance on it or on something behind it, then reassemble everything in better condition. It can be hard to tell whether something is seated perfectly, but a square-drive torque angle gauge can help when applying torque. 

The gauge measures how far a fastener rotates in degrees, allowing mechanics to follow precise tightening specifications. A mechanic wants it ready to ensure they rotate a nut or bolt by the correct number of degrees when reinstalling it. It's a precise way to do it, rather than waiting until they feel a certain amount of torque pressure while they're turning, taking the guesswork away from their job. It's vital to get these degrees as accurate as possible. 

You can get a 1/2" square drive torque angle gauge from Snap-on for $184. We wouldn't recommend adding it to your practical automotive toolkit.

As a car wears down, you need to care for the exterior and metal components like the engine, but the interior may also need maintenance or a checkup. Getting into these interior sections can be tough, as several plastic panels block and protect them. An interior car specialist can access these components, likely using tools for door and trim panels. These tools are designed to pull back a car's interior panels without damaging them, so you can reinstall them when the job is done.

Snap-on offers a 5-piece door and trim panel tool set for $211.50. These tools reach deep into a car's interior, making it easy to move the pins and pull them back without damage. Each of the five different tools is utilized for specific sections of a car. It's an ideal tool set for anyone who regularly removes or takes apart a car's interior, but it's not something everyone needs in their garage, given its specialization.

Maintaining plumbing in any household takes effort and knowledge. Plumbers deal with a wide range of pipes, and some of the tools they use on the job aren't something you'd have lying around the house. A notable tool plumbers frequently use is a pliers wrench.

The front of this tool is a traditional vise-grip wrench, with one padded handle and the other much thinner, plus an adjustable screw that lets you quickly tighten or loosen it. When the wrench is in the right spot, the user pushes the larger handle and rotates the pipe or whatever they're gripping until it's in place.

These large wrenches have inward-facing teeth at the end, designed to grip a smooth pipe so the person can turn it without worrying about the grip slipping. This type of tool can also work on cars, as it's used to adjust a vehicle's steering tie rods. There's a 17" pliers wrench available at Snap-on for $139.50.

Cleaning a vehicle is one thing, but removing rust or paint can be difficult. When rust happens, you can use a tool to help remove it, or even paint, and that's a crud thug. A crud thug is a handheld power tool that automotive repair shops are far more likely to use and have than you might expect in a standard garage.

The front end has bristle tips and a wire wheel that can be used on a car while minimizing heat buildup, which could damage the material. When powered on, these bristles move quickly across the car's surface and remove the desired paint or rust covering. A crud thug typically has variable speed, which the user can adjust while operating it, and they may need higher speeds depending on the job. These tools are highly specialized and not something anyone would own, except a car mechanic or someone who does all that work themselves. Snap-on has a 14.4V cordless crud thug for $1,670.