Who makes hand tools for Ideal now?

[Dzmax77]

Since they killed off Western Forge, Pratt-Reed and sold off SK, did they keep any machinery to continue to make them in Sycamore, IL or have they begun outsourcing to the CCP as well?

At Lowes I noticed there’s a mix of USA and Chinese made drivers and pliers of the same kind and I wonder if there’s any USA made products, it’s probably just old stock but I’m not sure. Just guessing.

Whatever happened to the machines and tooling at WF, PR and SK? Is it for sale?

 

[NFH2740]

SK was purchased by Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial and moved to Pennsylvania. A number of tools are going to be produced in PA; the combination wrenches will be Hecho en Chyna.

Western Forge assets were auctioned in 2020.

 

[Dzmax77]

SK was purchased by Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial and moved to Pennsylvania. A number of tools are going to be produced in PA; the combination wrenches will be Hecho en Chyna.

Western Forge assets were auctioned in 2020.

Any idea on who may have bought the machines and tooling?

 

[NFH2740]

Various bidders. Much of the equipment was likely scrapped as it was too antiquated to use in a modern production environment. Ideal moved select items to the Sycamore, IL facility.

 

[Dzmax77]

Various bidders. Much of the equipment was likely scrapped as it was too antiquated to use in a modern production environment. Ideal moved select items to the Sycamore, IL facility.

Idk, it’s seems like Ideal, like Greenlee, is moving to full offshore production.

Ideal single-handedly killed off a big chunk of US domestic production of medium grade hand tools for the non-pro consumers. WF and PR didn’t just make tools for Sears/Craftsman, they made stuff for other box stores and auto parts stores. Let’s throw Apex into the mix too. Apex and Ideal, did a lot of damage.

 

[neophyte]

Hasn’t Ideal always manufactured their tools overseas, at least before the purchase of Pratt-Reed and SK ?
I remember looking at their tools years ago at Home Depot, and I think most or all of the tools were Asian imports.
I think the same may have been true of a lot of their electrical connectors as well, or at least it was of a bunch of the ones I used.
SK was basically purchased by Ideal after SK’s closure and bankruptcy, and I’m not really sure what they got, although it seems like the technical packages for the tools, and maybe the dies, etc.
SK looks to have been purchased by Ideal Industries in late August of 2010, with Ideal earlier having purchased Pratt-Reed in late March of 2010.
Ideal’s ownership of the US tool manufacturing facilities was only just over a decade.

 

[bonneyman]

Various bidders. Much of the equipment was likely scrapped as it was too antiquated to use in a modern production environment. Ideal moved select items to the Sycamore, IL facility.

Sounds like what happened to Bonney in the 90's. Tooling was eventually acquired by Granco, who remade some tools using the Bonney dies and had plans to start bringing back the various tools. But I heard that they ran into financial trouble and closed down.

 

[dnschmidt]

The correct answer: THE LOWEST BIDDER.

 

[finn]

The machines and tooling were likely antiquated and of little value. Even less than when Ideal got the IP and assets from the original SK bankruptcy a dozen or more years ago.

I had an interesting conversation with the folks at Matco a number of years ago while pursuing a warranty claim on a long handle Matco 1/4” ratchet. I think Apex or someone like that was the actual vendor., but there was a merger /consolidation / relocation from Texas to Kentucky at the time and there was no stock anywhere for my relatively common ratchet. It ended up all the tooling that was pulled from Texas was garbage, and not worth installing in the Kentucky plant. It took something like eight months to finally get that ratchet.

I suspect that was the scenario with a lot of the legacy US based tool manufacturers. The tooling and machinery was likely circa WWII vintage, and plumb worn out. Profit margins on common hand tools simply aren’t high enough to invest in all new machining and forging lines, and the old stuff just keeps getting older, until it’s unprofitable to stay in business. The name gets bought by a larger company, and production moves offshore. That’s the only way the name survives.

If someone does try to invest in a new plant here, there are an unlimited number of armchair keyboard cowboys waiting (and rooting) for them to fail. SBD comes to mind with their Texas plant.

 

[Hytekrednek]

I have an older pair of Ideal Lineman pliers that are by far my favorite to use. I am saddened to learn that they cant be replaced if needed. I have a few other usa Ideal tools and they too are excellent. I guess ebay is the only option now for usa made Ideal hand tools. Damnit! This is getting old! All these USA tool makers selling out, closing, or moving to china. N.A.F.T.A. working as intended it seems.

 

[dnschmidt]

If someone does try to invest in a new plant here, there are an unlimited number of armchair keyboard cowboys waiting (and rooting) for them to fail. SBD comes to mind with their Texas plant.

I don't think that's entirely the case but sooner or later, like the old lady in the Wendy's commercial, one has to ask: "Where's the Beef." SDB hasn't been very good at delivering the beef.

 

[finn]

I have an older pair of Ideal Lineman pliers that are by far my favorite to use. I am saddened to learn that they cant be replaced if needed. I have a few other usa Ideal tools and they too are excellent. I guess ebay is the only option now for usa made Ideal hand tools. Damnit! This is getting old! All these USA tool makers selling out, closing, or moving to china. N.A.F.T.A. working as intended it seems.

China isn’t in North America, last time I checked.