SK vs Proto heritage and future direction

[HanShotFirst]

Yeah, I am sure you guys are right. I think I will. Someone mentioned chrome on the SK was pretty good. Do you guys all agree or do you feel like they’re all pretty good chrome?

My chrome Craftsman from the '90s do not seem particularly durable...do you guys concur or are 90's Craftsman similar to all these other players?

Of late there have been some reported issues with SK's chrome plating, some looked like they hit the inside of certain sockets with gray paint. Other than that, I've found their chrome plating to be first rate and tough as nails. The last set of SK sockets I looked at were 1/2" SAE's something I need like I need a hole in my head. But the chrome on those was flawless and just how I like it, bright polish on the inside, blasted matte on the inside.

As for older Craftsman chrome, I've had no complaints on their sockets; mine have all held up pretty darned well. Not as well as my 1/2" SK, but pretty good.

 

[Adam.C]

You can get used truck tools for the price of some of these tools new. And I think any talk of heritage here is misinformed and misguided.

 

[mx_599]

Availability is an issue at the moment - A little background -

SK X-Frame ratcheting wrenches
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=294323

SK is unveiling new ratcheting wrenches
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266466&page=15

LOL, ohhh. I will need to investigate! well...they look top notch!

 

[mx_599]

I just looked up a Williams wrench and it said Taiwan

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I just looked up a Williams wrench and it said Taiwan

They have a taiwan line and a us line.

 

[supertooljunkie]

Check pawn shops for good US made tools for cheap. Sometimes you have to dig through buckets of **** to find the gems, but it can be very rewarding. I have purchased working Snap on ratchets for as little as $1.50 each.

Most shops with large quantities of loose tools will give you better pricing the more you purchase.

A very good US made brand I didn't see mentioned is Cornwell. This is a family owned company. Their core wrenches, ratchets, and sockets are excellent quality. As they are a truck brand, they can be hard to find, but they do turn up on used market quite often. Bought a Cornwell 1/4" ratchet in a pawn shop couple months ago for 75 cents. Just like new.

I have never had a problem with Proto warranty. I have packed up broken stuff and mailed it with a letter to their warranty office in Conyers, Georgia. I have always received new stuff from the Concord, NC stocking warehouse within days.

 

[Brownsfan]

I just looked up a Williams wrench and it said Taiwan

Like I said before. It's a mix. If a part number for Williams has all numbers it's Taiwan. If it's a mix of numbers and letters it's USA made.

 

[Yankee]

Might want to look at Craftsman Industrial. Sears sells some, but Summit Racing seems to have pretty much their full line. Real nice wrenches at a fraction what Armstrong's would cost (almost the same thing) they are priced below Wright and SK I believe..

I wouldn't look at their ratchets though

 

[cbracer]

I would highly recommend proto tools ! They aren't ever going away, essentially a sister company to Snap-On but considered now to be an industrial tool company like Armstrong. You can get great pricing and deals with Zoro tools coupons, and they stock almost everything Proto makes. I don't understand why people have had troubles with Proto warranty, I warrantied to sockets that weren't made perfectly enough for me and they were very quick at turn around and I dealt directly with Proto. So I'm a huge fan. They also have the best chrome of any of them. I went through and bought Armstrong and SK socket sets before determining that both aren't up to my standard of finishing. I found one or two Armstrong sockets with rust. And the SK ones had terrible broaching inside, many are painted instead of chrome inside to hide the visual defects. In terms of strength you can't go wrong with any of them, but for price and quality of finish Proto has them all beat. Everyone has their opinion so pick what you like.

 

[vssjim]

Proto is owned by Stanley and are not in any way a sister to snapon. Proto is the top of the Stanley tool pile Blackhawk is the cheaper line and MAC tools hard line tools that are made in US are made at the same factory in Farmers Branch, Texas as are the US made Blackhawk. That being said I have many SK and Proto tools and they are both very good quality. Zoro tools are the internet Grainger as look at the bags the tools come in and they have Grainger stock numbers on the stickers.

 

[Loscaldazar]

a sister company to Snap-On

And the SK ones had terrible broaching inside, many are painted instead of chrome inside to hide the visual defects

Both not true.

They (SK) are all chromed inside too, but many (newer ones) have been painted on the inside as an additional layer of protection. With a few uses, the paint comes off and shows the nice chrome beneath. The paint isn't used in place of chrome or to hide defects.

It's okay to be a Proto fanboy, they are an excellent company and I've never been anything less than satisfied with anything I've bought from them, but please, let's stick to real facts and stop bashing other brands on things that aren't even true.

 

[Autoguy]

Proto ممتازه هنا في السعوديه وتشتريها شركات النفط

تحياتي

 

[dnschmidt]

I don't see S-K as having a future. Hope I'm wrong but I don't think so. Of the American companies Wright is the best value for dollar.

 

[PJNJ]

I don't see S-K as having a future. Hope I'm wrong but I don't think so. Of the American companies Wright is the best value for dollar.

Thanks for the insightful analysis. Your factual and data heavy presentation is quite convincing and I am going to run out and sell any SK I have before it becomes worthless.

 

[OutsideMachinist]

You can get used truck tools for the price of some of these tools new. And I think any talk of heritage here is misinformed and misguided.

Not trying to argue just to argue. I am genuinely curious. Where are these so called deals? The most I would pay for anything used is 50%. That is for good to great condition. Ebay is hit or miss at best. I am not going to spend 5-10 hours a week just hoping i can find some used snapon stuff at 50% for good condition and still pay a couple hundred bucks. That is insane. Most of the stuff is nearly list price and beat to hell.

 

[SK Eric]

Thanks for the insightful analysis. Your factual and data heavy presentation is quite convincing and I am going to run out and sell any SK I have before it becomes worthless.

Yep, I enjoyed that, too. S·K is now owned by a 100 year-old, family-owned business. Our strategy is to take the long view and develop our factory deliberately to support new and innovative products. If you're looking at S·K and wondering why we haven't rushed to market with the requisite me-too products, its because that's not how we operate.

I have done a lot of digging around about the heritage of S·K (we bought the brand out of bankruptcy in 2010) and the early history is really cool. More recently, not so much, with overseas private equity firms gutting the company of value. That chapter was pretty sad. The next chapter is pretty exciting. You can take it to the bank: S·K is here to stay.

 

[cbracer]

Both not true.
They (SK) are all chromed inside too, but many (newer ones) have been painted on the inside as an additional layer of protection. With a few uses, the paint comes off and shows the nice chrome beneath. The paint isn't used in place of chrome or to hide defects.

It's okay to be a Proto fanboy, they are an excellent company and I've never been anything less than satisfied with anything I've bought from them, but please, let's stick to real facts and stop bashing other brands on things that aren't even true.

Thanks for the correction on the "automotive tool line" of Stanley being MAC. My fault. I like to refer to this handy list of who owns what:
http://toolguyd.com/tool-brands-corporate-affiliations/

As for the SK stuff, yes they attempt to chrome the inside of all their sockets. But when the chrome doesn't give enough coverage they paint them for protection. Most large sockets are painted, but with SK you'll find random numbers of less than 1" sockets painted inside. And I do mean random! As such I personally don't feel their up to par on an appearance level. Especially looking at the inside of the sockets where they cut and broach, I've purchased two sets from them and wasn't impressed. As for as quality with strength, no doubt in my mind. And I'm happy SK exists because they have some nice tools and Ideal will put some money behind them to keep them going.

Between SK and Proto my personal choice is Proto.

Attached are pictures from a 3/8" SK deep set I purchased.

 

[Mikerodrig27]

I hate to say it but I have a set of three Proto ratchets 1/4" 3/8" and 1/2" and I don't think the warranty is all that great. I dropped the 3/8" (the one that I use the most) from about waist height. The circlip came out and along with it all of the other guts. The paw went off somewhere deep into the dark depths of the shop never to be found again. I called them and explained to them what happened and they said that since I dropped it is isn't under warranty... He said if I want to I can send it into them and they can look at it but under the circumstances it won't be covered. I can order a repair kit for it for $15 which isn't too bad. We'll see.

Wrenches get dropped on a daily basis in a professional shop. They should be designed for it. For anyone interested in it this the 5249XL. A nice wrench to use but you just can't drop it...

 

[1950mercury]

Alot of experts posting here......

 

[mikebaker1129]

I have had good experiences with SK, proto and Klein on warranties.
Klein is sourcing a lot of stuff overseas now also,they did just build a factory here in TX.
I recently checked out the new ideal line at a electrical supply we do business with and it looked like most of the pliers ,cutters that Sears sells made by Western Forge,seemed like the grips were blue instead of black.
I purchase stuff of all brands and some do better at some than others.

 

[KZ1000J]

How about the Cornwell folks. I'm always coming across vintage Cornwell tools at estate sales. Their old stuff seems pretty well made.

 

[1950mercury]

How about the Cornwell folks. I'm always coming across vintage Cornwell tools at estate sales. Their old stuff seems pretty well made.

There ratchets and wrenches are nice. There sockets have no detents and ate a pain in the *** in my opinion

 

[KZ1000J]

Detents????

I had to look that one up. What I read (Wikipedia) referred to something inside a ratchet...nothing about a socket.....I'm sure you meant ratchet.

I like their old stuff.

KZ

 

[Brownsfan]

Cornwell sockets have just one hole on one side to lock onto the ratchets. Most other sockets have detents on all 4 sides so you don't have to line anything up. Just throw it on there. He did in fact mean sockets not ratchets.

 

[KZ1000J]

Your kidding. That would drive me crazy, I'll definitely keep away from their sockets...that's crazy.

Thanks for helping me with detents.

KZ

 

[jetdawg]

If you like black oxide then wright or proto as they are industrial brands. Sk or armstrong for others. Nobody knows what the future will hold my friend.

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

I would go with S-K as they are now owned by Ideal Industries and they have invested a lot of money in the product. They are building a new factory and innovating new products.. Their sockets are amazing.. They probably have the best warranty in the industry hands down..
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