I recently came across a deal on some SK tools SAE flare nut wrenches and decided to jump on it since they are USA made and seems like the brand gets some love on here. To preface, I had already bought a metric set of Carlyle flare nut wrenches (another good deal) and thought this would round up my arsenal.
Full disclosure, the SK’s were a warehouse deal and I was able to tell why when I opened them.
Some of the chrome plating is chipped and/or fading, paired with some manufacturing defects like somewhat distorted beams. I decided to leave that out of this particular discussion since I got the deal knowing they would have some sort of issue but would still be functional. I got them slightly under $60 when retail is around $80-$100 depending where you shop.
Since I had a birthday coupon from Napa that happened to stack on top of the “sale” price of the Carlyle SAE flare nut wrenches, I decided to grab a pair and compare them to the SK’s. They came out to $60.
Here are some of the pictures:
Right away you can tell that the Carlyle’s are longer than the SK’s.
The SK’s have the “Suregrip” recessed edges, similar to impact sockets while the Carlyle’s don’t.
Finally, the beam on the SK’s is thicker. They are also heavier than the Carlyle’s.
Just wanted to share this if anybody was considering these two flare nut wrench options. Personally, I like supporting US manufacturing but I’m kinda leaning towards the Carlyle’s. It might be a while before I try these out (since my current fleet is all metric) but what probably really matters is putting them to work. Anybody have any ideas for a test?
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app
Full disclosure, the SK’s were a warehouse deal and I was able to tell why when I opened them.
Some of the chrome plating is chipped and/or fading, paired with some manufacturing defects like somewhat distorted beams. I decided to leave that out of this particular discussion since I got the deal knowing they would have some sort of issue but would still be functional. I got them slightly under $60 when retail is around $80-$100 depending where you shop.
Since I had a birthday coupon from Napa that happened to stack on top of the “sale” price of the Carlyle SAE flare nut wrenches, I decided to grab a pair and compare them to the SK’s. They came out to $60.
Here are some of the pictures:
Right away you can tell that the Carlyle’s are longer than the SK’s.
The SK’s have the “Suregrip” recessed edges, similar to impact sockets while the Carlyle’s don’t.
Finally, the beam on the SK’s is thicker. They are also heavier than the Carlyle’s.
Just wanted to share this if anybody was considering these two flare nut wrench options. Personally, I like supporting US manufacturing but I’m kinda leaning towards the Carlyle’s. It might be a while before I try these out (since my current fleet is all metric) but what probably really matters is putting them to work. Anybody have any ideas for a test?
Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app