Is anybody still buying modern SK Tools?
- Thread starter jagandballie
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rooster59
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Even if something is made in USA doesn’t mean it has to be 100% USA. Where did the steel come from? Was it in raw, billets, or blanks? Where was forging done? Grinding, polishing, heat treatment. Chroming (here comes the EPA)? Then there’s packaging. Is the plant in a US foreign trade zone FTZ? Some stuff that says made in USA is kinda not.
Rusted Nut
Well-known member
When I started as an apprentice mechanic in the mid ‘70’s, several of the older mechanics recommended I buy SK. Less expensive the Snap-On or Mac. A lot of the guys in the shop had SK tools back then. SK was well respected and a a solid value back then.
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
So that’s like the thing, right? Where does it end when you go down that path? Do you not buy something if it’s only assembled here? Do you buy if the raw materials are US-sourced but the finished product is made overseas? It’s a real headache.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
Key phrase "back then" so too were Mercedes Benz and BMW both of which are now bottomless money pits. All that counts is today and tomorrow. Yesterday doesn't matter anymore.
Bubba Fett
Well-known member
I don't buy SK tools because now they are mostly just Duratech in Green, with a higher price. It's that simple.
I generally try to avoid China-made products if possible. However that isn't always an option.
That said, I'm certainly not going to spend more on a product that has a cheaper equivalent, often from the exact same factory, but with a different brand name.
I generally try to avoid China-made products if possible. However that isn't always an option.
That said, I'm certainly not going to spend more on a product that has a cheaper equivalent, often from the exact same factory, but with a different brand name.
The FTC has specific legal guidelines for a product to be marked "made in USA." The product must be “all or virtually all” made in the United States. They state that it is deceptive to label a product “Made in the United States” or to use equivalent unqualified claims such as “Manufactured in USA,” “Built in USA,” “American-made,” unless the final assembly or processing of the product occurs in the United States, all significant processing that goes into the product occurs in the United States, and all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced in the United States. The product must contain no, or only very negligible, foreign content. Violations of these guidelines are classified under the FTC Act and civil penalties can result.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I almost did. I was able to find almost no reviews on it. Just a couple people on YouTube who liked them.
I ended up with something else, but they looked ok depending on your use case.
reader2580
Well-known member
I needed some larger metric wrenches to fix my vehicle last year. I spent $41.73 for a Williams made in USA wrench and $29.81 for a second Williams made in USA wrench.
@Fedwrench got some a while back I seem to recall
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Your memories are too good
I have a three-piece set up I use in my home office. I like it. all keyed alike.Torque&Recoil
Well-known member
Sorry, don't have the time to read 132 posts. SK was pretty good, 20 years ago. I have some of their sockets, which I use quite often. Then prices started going up, and up. Then the buyout and now everything from China. I now have zero interest in SK. Really. Zero. Actually, less than zero. Goodbye SK, it was great to know you.
It was an easy recall. You got those at the same time I dipped my foot in the ModBox pool and wanted to check them out before I dove in head first. But now that I’m swimming in a sea of orange, I’ll just admire that purty green from afarYour memories are too good
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
Yep.
Pretty good summary of the 132 posts you missed.
Upstater57
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have hundreds of SK tools from each SK era. Regarding the "modern" SK tools, I have purchased and worked with their X frame ratcheting wrenches which are excellent. Regarding foreign made tools, when I can put an american made Snap-On repair kit in an ICON G2 ratchet made in Taiwan, it does make me wonder. I also have a good selection of Koken, Stahlwille, and Wiha German and Japan made tools. These are as good as any. Some Klein, Channel lock, and Wright tools are still made in the USA. There may be a few others. Regarding SK, their east coast US warehouse is in Williamsport PA. When I need warranty for my old SK ratchets, they send replacement parts at no charge and no postage. Great customer service. Thier modern dual pawl ratchet heads fit in my 1940 beavertail SK 1/2 inch drive ratchet. I will post a pic.
finn
Well-known member
How is that different from TTI, who owns the Milwaukee brand, and makes most of their tools in China?
Does Milwaukee get a pass, or what?
CGarage
Well-known member
This is a really interesting thread from a consumer psychology point of view.
We have group A, who believes:
1) The sun will never set on my empire (while making like an ostrich with their heads in the sand)
2) I used something Chinese made, once, 40 years ago, and it was rubbish, will never try Chinese again! (Traumatized still by tool poisoning, it’s like food poisoning but worse). They probably drive a Toyota or Honda, Japanese, which was once ‘bad’ , but 50 years later is the highest quality and most reliable auto manufacturer on the road— next to the Chinese auto brands!
3) SK cheated me and my fond ‘American Made’ memories by selling out to the ChiComs and killing off U.S. manufacturing (Yet, these are the ones who will not pay $66 US, cost for ONE U.S. produced wrench, but quietly turn fasteners with Asian Gearwrench)
We have group B, who believes:
1) The future of a tool company will increasingly depend on Asia, which is rising
2) The Chinese now have advanced manufacturing capabilities and quality control that is equal to or surpasses that of ANY first world nation
3) I am going to pay attention to what is being developed in the far east, the culture has much to offer, they value education and discipline, and are intelligent and industrious
4) There may be some good cost savings available to me as the Asian manufacturers generally have governments that continue to manipulate their currency to make exports financially attractive, and labor cost is less expensive than in the U.S. and Europe.
5) I can live with the notion that a brand has to survive, and I am pleased to see an established name live on, AND modernize, albeit in a different form from which it was originally conceived. My family, generations hence, will know this name.
We have group A, who believes:
1) The sun will never set on my empire (while making like an ostrich with their heads in the sand)
2) I used something Chinese made, once, 40 years ago, and it was rubbish, will never try Chinese again! (Traumatized still by tool poisoning, it’s like food poisoning but worse). They probably drive a Toyota or Honda, Japanese, which was once ‘bad’ , but 50 years later is the highest quality and most reliable auto manufacturer on the road— next to the Chinese auto brands!
3) SK cheated me and my fond ‘American Made’ memories by selling out to the ChiComs and killing off U.S. manufacturing (Yet, these are the ones who will not pay $66 US, cost for ONE U.S. produced wrench, but quietly turn fasteners with Asian Gearwrench)
We have group B, who believes:
1) The future of a tool company will increasingly depend on Asia, which is rising
2) The Chinese now have advanced manufacturing capabilities and quality control that is equal to or surpasses that of ANY first world nation
3) I am going to pay attention to what is being developed in the far east, the culture has much to offer, they value education and discipline, and are intelligent and industrious
4) There may be some good cost savings available to me as the Asian manufacturers generally have governments that continue to manipulate their currency to make exports financially attractive, and labor cost is less expensive than in the U.S. and Europe.
5) I can live with the notion that a brand has to survive, and I am pleased to see an established name live on, AND modernize, albeit in a different form from which it was originally conceived. My family, generations hence, will know this name.
YesIHaveAHammer
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An idea. How much should a home country made wrench cost, anchored to the cost of Big Macs.
Stahlwille Open Box 13a 15/16" combination wrench, made in Germany, sells for €36.41 ($42.15) after taxes at Hoffmann in Germany.
Big Mac costs €6.30 ($7.31) in Germany. So the wrench is 5.8x Big Macs.
Calculating the reverse for the US, where a Big Mac costs $6.22, a wrench made in country should cost $36 retail after taxes.
Any more than that, especially for a non-premium product or import from low cost/regulation countries, would seem excessive.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Milwaukee does not get a free pass. They earned it.
They could have gone the route of Porter-Cable, where a well known American power tool brand was stripped for parts, the name slapped on the cheapest tools they could make, and attempted to capitalize on the brand's reputation all while pulling the rug out from under the buyer. Porter-Cable used to be industrial grade equipment and very well made tools. My dad has some PC tools from 30-40 years ago that still work amazing. But they are a mere shell of what they once were. SBD decided to make them the "entry level" cordless brand and put all their development money into DeWalt instead. DeWalt, despite having a lot of USA assembly, is just not where Milwaukee is in terms of tool quality or selection. They have no smaller M12 equivalent line, and their specialty tool selection is a joke compared to Milwaukee.
TTI did not do this. They strengthened the brand and made it one of the most well respected and reliable power tool companies on the market. If TTI had gone the same route that SBD did with Porter-Cable, I highly doubt they'd still be a relevant power tool maker.
The new owners of SK are walking dangerously down the same path as SBD with Porter-Cable.
SK held a "middle of the road" spot with a lot of other American made tool brands that have all been slowly but surely being sold off or are closed. A lot of the reason folks bought the brand was to buy USA made goods. Without that, why would we want to buy the brand? I can get "middle of the road" quality tools for a LOT less money if you take away the qualifier that they need to be USA made.
Imported tools have always been a very, very broad spectrum of quality. Chinese tools can be utter trash or they can be incredibly precise, well engineered tools. I have no doubt that SK will make a useable tool from China. It may even be BETTER than the USA ones. But without the USA premium, I see no reason to support SK when there are so many other options available for imported tools. SK is suddenly competing with the entire world for market share, and they need to get their **** together if they're going to take even a small dent out of Harbor Freight, Tekton and the hundreds (thousands?) of middle grade tool makers' sales. SK's pricing is still like they're made in USA. Their selection is laughable, and they have no real retail presence.
I would much prefer Tekton if I'm buying inexpensive imported hand tools. They're half the price of the SK, have a way better selection, and I can get them like, next day from Amazon. If I want a higher quality imported tool, I go with a higher end tool like Koken or Hazet. When I have left the USA COO market, there are FAR better options available than SK. In both quality and selection.
The reason I buy USA tools is BECAUSE they're made here. I make things in the USA and would like to continue to do so. My customers could probably get the parts I make for them in China for less money. But I offer faster service, lower minimum order quantities, and I believe a fair value for the price I charge.
What would it take for me to buy SK again?
- Quality - The tools need to be at or better than the quality of Tekton and Icon, which are their main competition now IMO. I think they're probably close, but lagging a bit on some things. SK's quality has always been "acceptable" in my experience.
- Price - They need to cut prices by at least a third, probably close to half. If they're no longer tied to USA manufacturing costs, there is NO reason their pricing can't be on par with most other China/Taiwan tools like Gearwrench, Tekton, et.al.
- Availability - I need to be able to buy them at B&M stores and have it stocked at Amazon warehouses, or I'll just buy HF or Tekton, as those have the availability. The harder it is to buy your tools, the less willing I am to buy them. Snap-on literally drives a truck of their tools to my shop and provides financing. They make it EASY to buy their stuff.
- Selection - SK needs to make more tools. They have a very limited catalog now, and they're not gonna last if they only have some basic hand tools. They had all kinds of stuff over the years, and it came and went with time. If they're gonna do well, they need to pick a market and then fill out the catalog with tools for that market. Automotive, industrial maintenance, heavy equipment, homeowner, construction, manufacturing, any of these would be a good market to specialize in. Get known for being the "go to" hand tool for SOMETHING. Like Klein is for electricians, Ridgid is for plumbers, Craftsman for home gamers/farmers. Then make a TON of useful and trade specific tools. You don't need to be everything to everyone, but it helps if you have at least someone.
- Innovation - Make something no one else is making. Break open a new market. Make some new tools that haven't seen the shelves yet. This is easily the hardest and most expensive way to do things, but it's worked for other brands.
All that to say, I try to put my money where my mouth is. I own a LOT of USA made tools. I also own a LOT of imported tools, largely because I simply cannot find USA made solutions for all my tool needs, or the USA options **** (looking at you Dasco).
It's 2026, we cannot live in a vacuum. The USA needs to trade with the world, and that means buying as well as selling. But man, if I can buy good quality stuff made here, I will.
YesIHaveAHammer
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Related to the above, a comparison of TTI and SBD's approaches https://www.worseonpurpose.com/p/your-power-tools-got-worse-on-purpose
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Obviously the size of the wrench is a HUGE factor in price, but assuming a simple 3/4" chrome combo wrench, where are you getting wrenches that expensive?
McMaster has a USA 3/4" combo wrench for less than $25, it'll most likely be a Proto or a Williams, I just got a small wrench from them the other day and it was a Williams, and it was $15 I think.
Even Snap-on was less than your $66 (albeit only by a few bucks).
For the sake of this argument, let's assume since I'm looking at SK wrenches, I wasn't going to buy a Snap-on wrench.
I would expect an imported wrench to be roughly 50% of the cost of the USA wrench.
SK is charging $25 for their made in China wrench.
Tekton wants $10, so less than half.
Craftsman wants like $17
Gearwrench wants MORE than USA at $35
I know I could keep looking, and these prices are just quick google numbers.
So, I can buy USA wrenches for LESS money than SK, and import wrenches at HALF or less.
Why should I buy SK if they are no longer made in USA to support the price premium?
CGarage
Well-known member
I think you had a great post and I enjoyed reading it.
I disagree with this.
I think the new SK Chinese tools are nicely made.
I also think their Chinese owner / conglomerate “Great Star” is a highly intelligent company and able to steer this ship into the future.
Tool prices vary widely (and wildly) in the U.S. It seems from one week to the next, prices can fluctuate 20-40 percentage points.
I would not buy SK wrenches if U.S. made Williams were available for less money.
That said, the SK Chinese quality is very nice. Provided it is priced correctly.
CGarage
Well-known member
dr_clyde
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dr_clyde
Well-known member
I have not handled the new Chinese SK personally, but my general impression has always been they are fine quality, but priced wrong.
I even said that the quality of SK's offerings is the one place they are OK with right now.
CGarage
Well-known member
neophyte
Well-known member
TTI bought the hand held electric power tool division from Atlas Copco, whose hand held electric power tool division consisted of Milwaukee and AEG, and Kango, and I forget what else, (now including the licensed Ryobi brand), in 2005.
That was the same year Milwaukee introduced their 28v Lithium battery system.
At the time, Milwaukee cordless tools were mostly made in the USA, or Germany, with the Czech Republic possibly being the other manufacturing location, although I’m not sure what year the switch from Germany to the Czech Republic happened.
The German/Czech made cordless tools had been sold in the USA for a while under the Milwaukee brand name, but only for certain tool models, particularly for the dual speed hand held drill drivers, in 12v, 14v and 18v models, as well as for a few other tools, such as a cordless jigsaw.
The heavier duty Milwaukee cordless tools continued to be made in the USA, usually with motors that were likely actually made in the USA, but made for 18v.
The “German/Czech” tools from my understanding were likely using Chinese made Acme built motors, at least that was what a woodworking magazine that fid a tool teardown claimed, and this was true about most cordless tools included in the teardown, except Dewalt and Makita.
Milwaukee introduced the 28v lithium system because they felt the NiCd and NiMH
neophyte
Well-known member
Continued.
Milwaukee introduced the 28v Lithium battery system, because they felt the NiCd and NiMH battery cells available at the time weren’t up to the performance requirements of most types of cordless tools, particularly reciprocating saws, and circular saws, and rotary hammers, etc.
I don’t know whether Milwaukee, or AEG, or Atlas Copco, was responsible for the observation about the NiCd and NiMH cells, or whether TTI was, or the development of the Lithium battery system, although odds are it was at least one of the brands before TTI got involved.
That 28v line of tools was later canceled, leaving the 28v tool line orphaned, and the users out of luck.
If I recall correctly, the batteries were also huge as f@ck, to a ridiculous degree.
Milwaukee later came out with an 18v line of Lithium cordless tools, with that line of tools having enough issues, that that line of tools was also cancelled, leaving the users with an orphaned line of useless tools.
Maybe this was the line of Milwaukee lithium tools were the batteries were backward compatible with the older NiCD and NiMH tools.
The 18v lithium battery system was then redesigned into the current system, which actually seems to work well.
All it took was two completely different failed lithium battery systems, to get introduced, and discontinued, screwing over customers, to come up with their current “superior” offering.
As far as the actual tools go, the former US and German/Czech tools have all as far as I know been cancelled, with production moved to China, and many of these tool models were arguably some of the best engineered cordless tools of their day.
Most of the tool models wound up getting made shittier.
Milwaukee did introduce brushless motors, improving performance, and/or battery life, but most other cordless tool brands have done similar, so it’s hardly a distinguishing advancement for Milwaukee/TTI.
A bunch of the other corded tools Milwaukee was producing in the USA, had production shifted to China, leading to a decline in quality.
Milwaukee has introduced a bunch of newer cordless tools that were not previously available, bit so has almost every other power tool manufacturer, including Dewalt Stanley Black & Decker.
Sh!tting on Stanley Black & Decker in comparison to TTI is simply unfair, and a number of ways untrue.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
This is also not really connected to my prior posts, but it’s just something I thought of and is worth posting.
Is it not ok to have grief, mourning or sadness over something that you like that has changed?
Say what you like about progress, global trade, the economy, jobs, quality, etc.
Sometimes people just are sad that a thing they liked is changing, and possibly for the worse?
I for one, am sad SK is leaving US manufacturing because I LOVE US manufacturing. I am a maker of things in this USA, and as a result am directly tied to the tools and machines it takes for me to do my job.
All you have to do is look at photos of all the factories and manufacturing shops of days gone by to see what we lost. Kearney and Trecker. American Tool Works. Monarch. Leblond. Cincinnati. Brown and Sharpe. Acme Gridley. Pratt and Whitney. Oliver. Pexto. Atlas. Carlton. Warner and Swasey. And on and on. Rows and rows of machines that are from names that are either gone or just a shell of their former glory.
And that is sad to me.
So it makes me sad when a company that has a long history of US manufacturing move on to their next chapter that isn’t here. Sherman-Klove tools are now in the same list as so many others.
To a lot of people, tools are just things. Means to an end. No different than the rest of the stuff on the shelves of the store.
But some of us who work in manufacturing feel differently.
My shop is filled with machines and tools from all eras, but my favorites to use are the ones from the 40’s through the 60’s. They just have a different energy.
These names made things like the Apollo missions, the SR-71, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Hoover Dam and countless other things that we don’t even think about on a day to day basis.
My grandpa was a welder on the Mackinac Bridge.
We used to make things in this country, dammit!
Alright alright, I’ll get down off my box and go back into the shop and be quiet…
Is it not ok to have grief, mourning or sadness over something that you like that has changed?
Say what you like about progress, global trade, the economy, jobs, quality, etc.
Sometimes people just are sad that a thing they liked is changing, and possibly for the worse?
I for one, am sad SK is leaving US manufacturing because I LOVE US manufacturing. I am a maker of things in this USA, and as a result am directly tied to the tools and machines it takes for me to do my job.
All you have to do is look at photos of all the factories and manufacturing shops of days gone by to see what we lost. Kearney and Trecker. American Tool Works. Monarch. Leblond. Cincinnati. Brown and Sharpe. Acme Gridley. Pratt and Whitney. Oliver. Pexto. Atlas. Carlton. Warner and Swasey. And on and on. Rows and rows of machines that are from names that are either gone or just a shell of their former glory.
And that is sad to me.
So it makes me sad when a company that has a long history of US manufacturing move on to their next chapter that isn’t here. Sherman-Klove tools are now in the same list as so many others.
To a lot of people, tools are just things. Means to an end. No different than the rest of the stuff on the shelves of the store.
But some of us who work in manufacturing feel differently.
My shop is filled with machines and tools from all eras, but my favorites to use are the ones from the 40’s through the 60’s. They just have a different energy.
These names made things like the Apollo missions, the SR-71, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Hoover Dam and countless other things that we don’t even think about on a day to day basis.
My grandpa was a welder on the Mackinac Bridge.
We used to make things in this country, dammit!
Alright alright, I’ll get down off my box and go back into the shop and be quiet…
CGarage
Well-known member
This is also not really connected to my prior posts, but it’s just something I thought of and is worth posting.
Is it not ok to have grief, mourning or sadness over something that you like that has changed?
Say what you like about progress, global trade, the economy, jobs, quality, etc.
Sometimes people just are sad that a thing they liked is changing, and possibly for the worse?
I for one, am sad SK is leaving US manufacturing because I LOVE US manufacturing. I am a maker of things in this USA, and as a result am directly tied to the tools and machines it takes for me to do my job.
All you have to do is look at photos of all the factories and manufacturing shops of days gone by to see what we lost. Kearney and Trecker. American Tool Works. Monarch. Leblond. Cincinnati. Brown and Sharpe. Acme Gridley. Pratt and Whitney. Oliver. Pexto. Atlas. Carlton. Warner and Swasey. And on and on. Rows and rows of machines that are from names that are either gone or just a shell of their former glory.
And that is sad to me.
So it makes me sad when a company that has a long history of US manufacturing move on to their next chapter that isn’t here. Sherman-Klove tools are now in the same list as so many others.
To a lot of people, tools are just things. Means to an end. No different than the rest of the stuff on the shelves of the store.
But some of us who work in manufacturing feel differently.
My shop is filled with machines and tools from all eras, but my favorites to use are the ones from the 40’s through the 60’s. They just have a different energy.
These names made things like the Apollo missions, the SR-71, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Hoover Dam and countless other things that we don’t even think about on a day to day basis.
My grandpa was a welder on the Mackinac Bridge.
We used to make things in this country, dammit!
Alright alright, I’ll get down off my box and go back into the shop and be quiet…
Considering that the United States is closely following the development model, and subsequent decline, of the (former) British Empire, save your tears, for I fear you have much more to be sad about in the future that has yet to come.
All one has to do is look to the U.K., which the U.S. was largely modeled after. Very little is made in U.K. any longer, which is so sad. They have trouble attracting foreign investment compared to past decades, and advanced manufacturing is no longer a strong suit— as an example, they can only field 33 functioning, modern tanks, and I won’t even get into the aircraft carrier debacle. But these were major sources of pride, trade, jobs, foreign partnership, and jewels of the crown mere decades ago.
The economic boom that followed the Second World War was a great wave to ride for some ~ 50+ years.
But, all good things must come to an end, and as I mentioned, the world has changed.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
I mean, yeah. I know this.
My whole point was that for some, it’s just a funeral.
You wouldn’t mock someone for being sad at a funeral, I hope.
My whole point was that for some, it’s just a funeral.
You wouldn’t mock someone for being sad at a funeral, I hope.
CGarage
Well-known member
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finn
Well-known member
PR ********, likely written by TTI’s advertising agency.
finn
Well-known member
As I said, Milwaukee gets a pass here.
YesIHaveAHammer
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The site covers a wide range of topics (e.g. appliances) and is reader funded. It seems far from being a shill.
That site is a shill, promoting populist ideas on how corporations work. The guys claims to being self funded, as well as all his content are not backed up. He has no expertise I can identity and seems to make baseless but popular claims similar to those in this thread.
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dr_clyde
Well-known member
It’s not like there’s an abundance of choices.
Other than a couple niche European brands, almost all cordless tools are made in China now. And even among those European brands available to us in the states, it’s not like you can just go into Home Depot and buy some Hilti or Festool. They’re sold through dealers only.
If you can point us to the USA made cordless tool brand that has the product variety and availability of any of the box store brands, I’m all ears.
Dewalt, Bosch, Makita and Milwaukee are pretty much the only brands with any reliable availability at multiple retailers. Of those, Milwaukee has by far the best product variety so it appeals to the most people.
My dad loved his DeWalt stuff. I don’t have any but what I’ve used of his they’re fine.
I have Bosch at home, no complaints. I have Metabo, Milwaukee and some older Makita at the shop. I’m phasing out the Makita just because they don’t make the tools I use anymore and Milwaukee and Metabo do.
neophyte
Well-known member
Why?
Milwaukee has f@cked over just as many purchasers as B&D/Stanley/Dewalt.
According to various tests, Dewalt and Milwaukee are basically playing musical chairs with their impact drivers, so it doesn’t really matter which one you choose, except possibly for battery compatibility.
Didn’t Dewalt keep their batteries compatible with their older tools for longer, while Milwaukee kept ditching systems?
Milwaukee batteries were used for a number of other professional tool brands, but most have since switched to either Metabo CAS, or to the Bosch AMPshare because TTI Milwaukee’s switching of battery systems was screwing over the other users.
Some of the Milwaukee hand tools and non-power tool items are interesting, but a bunch of the tools seem to have complaints about material quality, or lack of it, like the designers used back materials, or were not knowledgable about the necessary manufacturing procedures to properly use those materials.
People complain about Stanley shutting down the US manufacturing plant, but they spent $90+ million setting it up, and dumped it just before the last election, when they may have wanted to shore up finances, or were uncertain how the election would go, and what the repercussions would be.
Stanley also wasn’t getting the results they wanted, and it has been pointed out repeatedly on this forum that Stanley seems to stand behind their warrantee obligations.
Stanley likely didn’t want to sell potentially faulty **** that they would then need to spend more money mailing out warrantee replacements for.
I suspect the shipping and customer service time actually costs more than the replacement parts.
They were also not trying to make expensive tools in that plant, at least yet, like the premium prices Milwaukee is charging for their hand tools.