First nice tool purchase is a disappointment - SK wrenches

[bradley8795]

Just purchased SK wrenches, had problems, Amazon fixed it.

TLDR: Bought SK wrench set from Amazon, wrenches had rust in the open ended portion, contacted Amazon, they refunded me in full, and told me to keep or donate them. The rest of the thread is people bashing one tool brand over another.

So I got my first set of good American wrenches today. After doing a lot of research I decided to go with S-K. I got the standard length metric set from 8-22mm.

I ordered them from Amazon because they were the quickest to get them to me. I got them today, and I was so excited to open them up and put them to work.

After opening them up I pulled out the largest, the 22mm to get a good look at them and see what I got for my money. The first thing I noticed was that they are very dirty, fingerprints and water spots. But dirty is okay. I can fix that easy.

Then when I got a look at the box end I see this.


About 6 of the wrenches seem to have rust deposits in the box end. Is this normal? Can I just clean this of and pretend it never happened? Should I request a replacement from Amazon? What would you do?


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[colin39]

Personally id ask foe a replacement set and send them the pics of the rust.

Oh and welcome, shame ya first post was a negitive s-k post. I only have a set of deep s-k sockets, im very happy with them.
Where ya from buddy?

 

[neophyte]

Those rust spots are were the electrodes for the chrome plating process were attached to the wrench. I'vs seen similar marks on Armstrong wrenches. Some brands paint the inside of the box end silver to cover the lack of plating.

 

[defektes]

Common on many brands, the rust will disappear when you use it.

 

[bradley8795]

So should I just take some steel wool or something and brush it off? I've never seen this before if it's normal then okay. But I just thought anything like this would have been handled by S-K before they shipped them.


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[bradley8795]

Common on many brands, the rust will disappear when you use it.

Okay thanks for letting me know. Makes me feel much better to know its normal. Thanks again.


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[defektes]

So should I just take some steel wool or something and brush it off? I've never seen this before if it's normal then okay. But I just thought anything like this would have been handled by S-K before they shipped them.


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They used to paint them silver, issue is if they chrome it it'll chip away with use taking the other chrome with it. Im sure SK will swap them for you, but it will go away when you use it. I've seen it on Wright, proto, CM, and now SK wrenches.

They are great wrenches none the less I abuse mine heavily at work, I do not baby them I double wrench and all.

 

[PelicanPines]

Clean and lube them. Seen it more with sockets.

 

[jrobb316]

I agree, clean and lube. I have a set of SK flare nut wrenches and am very happy with their fit, comfort, and chrome. If I was in the market for more wrenches, and believe me i'm not, I would be looking at that same set.

 

[bradley8795]

I agree, clean and lube. I have a set of SK flare nut wrenches and am very happy with their fit, comfort, and chrome. If I was in the market for more wrenches, and believe me i'm not, I would be looking at that same set.

Thanks for the info. Most of my tools previously came from Walmart. So I was definitely in need of some good stuff. Other than the small amounts of rust I really like these. Up next will be a good socket set. I'll stick with S-K and see how it goes.


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[Skin]

Hanger marks from when the wrenches are dipped into cleaning and plating baths. They're on every brand. Some hide it better than others. The only way to plate over it would be to move the hanger and dip again which is $$$.

 

[blackwire]

I don't know, the Chinese Duralast, Husky, Craftsman, etc. don't have rust spots like that. Nor have I seen it on any Wright or Snap-on. I would expect wrenches that cost extra to have better quality control.



The finger prints, dirt and rust suggest that you may have gotten a used set.

 

[66354dream]

Send them to me if you don"t want them I'll take one for the team,,,,,,,,, just kidding, you're OK that's normal.

 

[bradley8795]

I don't know, the Chinese Duralast, Husky, Craftsman, etc. don't have rust spots like that. Nor have I seen it on any Wright or Snap-on. I would expect wrenches that cost extra to have better quality control.



The finger prints, dirt and rust suggest that you may have gotten a used set.

Maybe they are used. But they were packaged and wrapped looking like they were new. I just put them to use for the first time and they felt great, and now they have even more finger prints on them lol. I'm going to take one of those little Christmas tree wire brushes and remove the rust and then give them a good cleaning. But so far I'm happy. We will see if that stays the same after a month, good 30 day return policy at Amazon.


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[espyking83]

SK wrenches are terrible when you consider that you can get Wrightgrips for the same price, hell, I think Carlyle and Toptul makes a better wrench.

Im sorry , I love Sk and they they have been a family favorite for over 3 generations, but their wrenches have ALWAYS been 'meh'. Barely a notch over Craftsman. Their 1/4" ratchets and sockets are some of the best in the world, but IMO, other than the chrome--SK has absolutely nothing to offer over anything you can buy at AutoZone. Hopefully this will change with the X-Beam or whatever, looks like they're finally getting into the anti slip designs.

 

[bradley8795]

SK wrenches are terrible when you consider that you can get Wrightgrips for the same price, hell, I think Carlyle and Toptul makes a better wrench.

Im sorry , I love Sk and they they have been a family favorite for over 3 generations, but their wrenches have ALWAYS been 'meh'. 1/4" ratchet and their sockets are some of the best in tho world, but IMO, other than the chrome, SK has absolutely nothing to offer over anything you cant buy at AutoZone. Hopefully this will change with the X-Beam or whatever, looks like they're finally getting into the anti slip designs.

The wrightgrip set on Amazon that was basically the same as this one was $230. The SK set I paid $159 for. So basically the wrightgrips were about 4 bucks more per wrench. They were my second choice but I'm kinda OCD about things and I plan to stick with one company for everything. And overall I seem to see more love for SK, and I've seen SK trucks around in case I have a problem. I've never seen a Wright Tool truck.


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[espyking83]

So should I just take some steel wool or something and brush it off? I've never seen this before if it's normal then okay. But I just thought anything like this would have been handled by S-K before they shipped them.


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No. Contact Amazon via chat and send them back. They should give you a $20 credit if you ***** about being sent an open-box tool when it wasnt listed as one. Trust me, I ***** at Amazon all the time, LOL. They always make it better though, every time. Thats why I love Amazon and why they will continue to get virtually every penny of my play money.

 

[espyking83]

The wrightgrip set on Amazon that was basically the same as this one was $230. The SK set I paid $159 for. So basically the wrightgrips were about 4 bucks more per wrench. They were my second choice but I'm kinda OCD about things and I plan to stick with one company for everything. And overall I seem to see more love for SK, and I've seen SK trucks around in case I have a problem. I've never seen a Wright Tool truck.


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Did you check Ebay? Damn dude, I paid ~$150 for my SAE set. Not to bash on SK man, but I think you'd be waaayyyy happier with a Williams Superwrench set (World class wrenches, IMO). Even their Taiwan wrench sets blow SK wrenches out of the water.

 

[Hiball]

It never gets old watching people trying to impose there opinion as the gospel....

 

[espyking83]

It never gets old watching people trying to impose there opinion as the gospel....

Says the guy with an American flag avatar.....






Name a single thing that SK offers with their wrench that another brand does not offer in the same price range.... ANd..... GO!

 

[OutsideMachinist]

Never had any issues with sk wrenches. The thicker beams by the box end can be an issue on a few rare occasions. I have a few wrenches from various manufacturers that are also usa made and have the hanger marks as well. Try contacting them and see what they say.

 

[Hiball]

Says the guy with an American flag avatar.....






Name a single thing that SK offers with their wrench that another brand does not offer in the same price range.... ANd..... GO!

Guilty conscious? I didn't mention any names..

I don't wish to play the "Spend other people's money game", I'll leave that up to you guys, the OP didn't come in here asking for buying advice.

Silly inter-webs..


Btw .. You would really look silly if you seen my tool boxes, I don't discriminate.

 

[hangfirew8]

I just bought several sets of SK wrenches over the past year and none had rust like that.

I would send them back.

-HF

 

[bradley8795]

SK wrenches are terrible when you consider that you can get Wrightgrips for the same price, hell, I think Carlyle and Toptul makes a better wrench.

Im sorry , I love Sk and they they have been a family favorite for over 3 generations, but their wrenches have ALWAYS been 'meh'. Barely a notch over Craftsman. Their 1/4" ratchets and sockets are some of the best in the world, but IMO, other than the chrome--SK has absolutely nothing to offer over anything you can buy at AutoZone. Hopefully this will change with the X-Beam or whatever, looks like they're finally getting into the anti slip designs.

Ok, so I am going to give you a chance to prove me wrong. I am going to purchase the set of wrightgrips thisone to be exact. I am going to try both of them out and if I like the wrightgrips better then so be it. Plus I didn't notice before but as an added bonus the wrightgrips come as a 18 peice set vs the 15 of SK.

 

[defektes]

Says the guy with an American flag avatar.....






Name a single thing that SK offers with their wrench that another brand does not offer in the same price range.... ANd..... GO!

You compared SK wrenches to a notch above CM and Duralast, serious?

Most important thing they have over them is COO, SK wrenches are beefy and can def take a major beating. I'd wager your CM and Duralast wrenches will spread bad on the open end when the SK can go further. Some also like the heft of a SK wrench, this is why I use them, i'll reach for my SK before my Snappy because the SK is thicker, more comfortable. In the larger sizes over 1'' the wright does have a nice set that have rounded handles, but that really does not apply here.

The OP got a very nice set of wrenches that will serve him very well.

You can not really compare the wrights with the SK unless they were the same price.

 

[espyking83]

Guilty conscious? I didn't mention any names..

I don't wish to play the "Spend other people's money game", I'll leave that up to you guys, the OP didn't come in here asking for buying advice.

Silly inter-webs..


Btw .. You would really look silly if you seen my tool boxes, I don't discriminate.

So you just came in here to criticize me without offering another suggestion??

 

[Hiball]

Ok, so I am going to give you a chance to prove me wrong. I am going to purchase the set of wrightgrips thisone to be exact. I am going to try both of them out and if I like the wrightgrips better then so be it. Plus I didn't notice before but as an added bonus the wrightgrips come as a 18 peice set vs the 15 of SK.

My Advice... Let's your tools work for you, don't worry about trying to please people here at GJ, You will lose that battle. You might want to check with Harry epsteins, Jori is a member here and I find them to be very competitive.

 

[espyking83]

You compared SK wrenches to a notch above CM and Duralast, serious?

Most important thing they have over them is COO, SK wrenches are beefy and can def take a major beating. I'd wager your CM and Duralast wrenches will spread bad on the open end when the SK can go further. Some also like the heft of a SK wrench, this is why I use them, i'll reach for my SK before my Snappy because the SK is thicker, more comfortable. In the larger sizes over 1'' the wright does have a nice set that have rounded handles, but that really does not apply here.

The OP got a very nice set of wrenches that will serve him very well.

You can not really compare the wrights with the SK unless they were the same price.

I own WG's and Proto's....

Heft they might have, but SK's will cut a hole in your hand if you try using them all day. Worst thing I ever did was sell my first wrench set (Taiwan Williams) to get an SK set. Lesson learned. Carlyle smashes SK, same with Toptul.

BTW, the OP said this was his first quality tool purchase, so I offered suggestions to where he might be able to better spend his money. All the SK fanboys can fold up their flags, because their wrenches are average at best.

 

[Sanny81]

Don't buy a $230 wrench set just to compare them to another set. Besides the rust issue if no one had said anything on here you would have been perfectly happy with your SKs.

 

[espyking83]

Ok, so I am going to give you a chance to prove me wrong. I am going to purchase the set of wrightgrips thisone to be exact. I am going to try both of them out and if I like the wrightgrips better then so be it. Plus I didn't notice before but as an added bonus the wrightgrips come as a 18 peice set vs the 15 of SK.

You will like the Wrightgrips better, or I will buy you an ice cream cone. Wright makes a better wrench in every way. Not trying to prove you wrong pal, not my intention at all. Just trying to point you in a better direction.

 

[Hiball]

So you just came in here to criticize me without offering another suggestion??

It's your story... I guess maybe you haven't figured out that most of today's "quality" tools are so close in regards to durability that most of the time it comes down to ergonomics. It's OK man.. Don't let me stop you, keep on spewing your opinions as the gospel.

(Me go finds Picture so I can be interweb cool)

Nah forget it..

 

[espyking83]

Don't buy a $230 wrench set just to compare them to another set. Besides the rust issue if no one had said anything on here you would have been perfectly happy with your SKs.

Until he picked up a WG or a Williams SW he could have had for the same price....

Not trying to piss anyone off, Im just being honest. Not sure what aesthetic pleasure your SK's give you guys, but they didnt impress me at all when using them at work.

 

[PFSard]

Don't we have an SK representative that frequents GJ? He might like to hear about this incident. And may be able to provide some feedback.

 

[espyking83]

It's your story... I guess maybe you haven't figured out that most of today's "quality" tools are so close in regards to durability that most of the time it comes down to ergonomics. It's OK man.. Don't let me stop you, keep on spewing your opinions as the gospel.

(Me go finds Picture so I can be interweb cool)

Nah forget it..

Both of your statements couldnt be more wrong.

 

[espyking83]

Don't we have an SK representative that frequents GJ? He might like to hear about this incident. And may be able to provide some feedback.

Its probably not on SK, Im assuming that either Amazon or a 3rd party vendor attempts to throw together open box wrench sets hoping that the buyer wont notice nor care.

 

[Sanny81]

Until he picked up a WG or a Williams SW he could have had for the same price....

Not trying to piss anyone off, Im just being honest. Not sure what aesthetic pleasure your SK's give you guys, but they didnt impress me at all when using them at work.

I haven't priced WG but where are they similar in price to SK? Im honestly interested because all my wrenches are pieced together used sets and I'd like to eventually have brand new matching sets.

 

[mmack66]

I don't know, the Chinese Duralast, Husky, Craftsman, etc. don't have rust spots like that. Nor have I seen it on any Wright or Snap-on. I would expect wrenches that cost extra to have better quality control.



The finger prints, dirt and rust suggest that you may have gotten a used set.

I've never seen it either, and to dismiss it as business as usual is a bit strange.

They aren't SuperKrome* wrenches. *Except for that spot.

 

[thegroundpounder99]

Its probably not on SK, Im assuming that either Amazon or a 3rd party vendor attempts to throw together open box wrench sets hoping that the buyer wont notice nor care.

That was my initial thoughts when I read the OP's post.

 

[espyking83]

I haven't priced WG but where are they similar in price to SK? Im honestly interested because all my wrenches are pieced together used sets and I'd like to eventually have brand new matching sets.

I can understand that, I wanted the exact same thing when I started as a mechanic and noticed the benefits of quality tools. I will look around on EBAY/ Amazon here in a bit. Do some reading on Williams Superwrenches also, they are absolutely fantastic. Also, make sure you contact Amazon, you worked hard for your money, you deserve better than getting rusty tools.

 

[Hiball]

Both of your statements couldnt be more wrong.

. Exactly the response I would have expected.. But so we are clear, there isn't many brands out there that I haven't put to the test, Im not gonna go out on a limb and call you Wrong, but my opinion differs.

Enjoy your night..