My new SK Tools

[AustinRob]

Posted this in my garage tread but wanted to dedicate a tread to these new tools in order to help fill in the blanks for folks looking at SK.

The great post's on this site is mainly what I used for research in regards to selecting core hand tools for my box. I wanted to give back and apologize if any of this is redundant.

I made up a road box with my old set of craftsman tools and went on a quest to get the best bang for buck USA made hand tools out there and ended up with a lot of SK and some channellock.

I searched around on here for weeks reading post and felt SK was the best for my core hand tools. I’m not a pro but a long time ago I worked in a shop refurbishing sea land chassis’ and I broke at least one each of 1/2 3/8 and 1/4 drive craftsman ratchets plus a few sockets. I broke so many 1/2 drive craftsman ratchets my boss got a company owned snap on for me to use and yes I did try and break it but couldn't. It was nice but those tools are out of my price range.

Breaking the craftsman stuff was not a big deal then because I could warranty them and get a USA made tool back. Looks like those good old days are coming to a close.

In the end these SK Tools are far superior to any craftsman hand tools I have ever used and wish SK good days ahead. Having a US company making tools as nice as they are in that price range is a win for us.

You can see I left my 12 point stuff in my box. The SK sets are all six point.
3/8 and 1/4 sets

1/2 set

Stubby's

Bitset (these are nice with the thumbwheels)

These photos are to show stampings and to get a good look at them.

I will report back if anything breaks and if there are questions.

 

[DEMAYO]

Nice stuff.

Dumb question: can you take the lid off of the plastic socket/ratchet trays without destroying the lid/case? I have the 3/8th set and I'd like to do that if it's temporary.

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

Jealous of those stubbies, I'm going to pick up a set of metric ones and I think I want to get a deep set of metric sockets. Nice tools!

 

[wornoutoldman]

Very nice! Where did you source them from?

 

[pipsters]

Those are nice, where did you buy them? I ask because my 3/8" set like you have had some really bad stampings on the sockets. Almost unreadable they were so light on some of them. Yours look perfect, as does the chrome, if this is the stuff SK is putting out now, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[mattygee]

The real question is what kind of bike is that in the background?

 

[Tim Cowan]

Dollar for dollar I think S-K Tools are a great choice. DEMAYO,On my last 1/4 & 3/8 sets I was able to pop the lids off with a screwdriver and use the bottoms in the tool box dividers for storage....TIM

 

[DEMAYO]

DEMAYO,On my last 1/4 & 3/8 sets I was able to pop the lids off with a screwdriver and use the bottoms in the tool box dividers for storage....TIM

Thanks I'll try that.

 

[cbracer]

It appears that your sockets aren't all the same. Some have chrome in the inside, some don't. Are they random throughout the sizes? Wonder if some are old stock and some new stock SK stuff? I thought it was just on the larger sockets, but it appears in your pictures throughout the sizes. How are all the detents? Some people complain the detents aren't all the same?

 

[woody 73]

Very nice tools!

Just out of curiosity what part broke on aLL three of your craftsman ratchets? Did you use any cheater bars when that happened?

1/2 inch drive ratchets should be able to take abuse and when you say that you went through several I am curious as to find out just what part went bad.

 

[thesilverone]

beautiful!

 

[Jawn]

Very nice.

I have the same 3/8" set, the 3/8" 40pc impact set, piecemealed my 1/4" set and bit sockets, and some add-ons (spark plug sockets, breaker bars, flex ratchets, etc). Don't yet have a 1/2" set, that's kind of low on the priority list right now. I have one of the big (18"?) 1/2" flex ratchets from the Grainger deal a while back, and some Wright shallow impact sockets, so that'll do for now. I don't often work on stuff that big.

I keep eyeballing those stubby wrenches, not sure if I'd use 'em enough to be worthwhile. I have the long pattern fractional stuff and plan to get the 6mm-24mm set too.

 

[el tanque prohibido]

Nice stuff.

Dumb question: can you take the lid off of the plastic socket/ratchet trays without destroying the lid/case? I have the 3/8th set and I'd like to do that if it's temporary.

I've done that before with a blow molded Makita drill case. The plastic hinges have plastic hinge pins that are pressed in. All you do is tap the each hinge pin out on both sides with a 1/4" pin punch to separate the lid from the lower case half. The hinge pins are undamaged and reusable if you know what you're doing. The hinge pins look like little suppositories.

 

[Jawn]

I've done that before with a blow molded Makita drill case. The plastic hinges have plastic hinge pins that are pressed in. All you do is tap the each hinge pin out on both sides with a 1/4" pin punch to separate the lid from the lower case half. The hinge pins are undamaged and reusable if you know what you're doing. The hinge pins look like little suppositories.

The SK cases are made differently, the lid is molded in one piece. It has little protrusions that fit the holes on the lower half. Careful prying at this joint will flex it enough to pop the lid loose without destroying it. I did that for my 3/8" drive impact sockets.

 

[ChrisF250]

I'm with you Ive had second hand sk for a while but just recently bought some new sk. Very impressed with the quality and it may cost a bit more than craftsman but for me it's worth it to support an American made product.

 

[AustinRob]

Nice stuff.

Dumb question: can you take the lid off of the plastic socket/ratchet trays without destroying the lid/case? I have the 3/8th set and I'd like to do that if it's temporary.

Yes mine looks good and is intact. I plan to use them when I move.

Very nice! Where did you source them from?

Tooltopia

The real question is what kind of bike is that in the background?

It appears that your sockets aren't all the same. Some have chrome in the inside, some don't. Are they random throughout the sizes? Wonder if some are old stock and some new stock SK stuff? I thought it was just on the larger sockets, but it appears in your pictures throughout the sizes. How are all the detents? Some people complain the detents aren't all the same?

Yes some are better on the inside than others. I have not noticed anything wrong with the detents.

Very nice tools!

Just out of curiosity what part broke on aLL three of your craftsman ratchets? Did you use any cheater bars when that happened?

1/2 inch drive ratchets should be able to take abuse and when you say that you went through several I am curious as to find out just what part went bad.

Had more than one selector break, it seemed they were very fragile. I did break one 3/8 with a cheater.

I used my ½ ratchets to loosen up bolts on the back of the air brake systems on 18 wheeler axles. Most of our trailers were stacked out in the yard and were not moved until they were pulled into the shop. Most trailers air brakes didn’t work so we had to loosen those rusted up bolt’s and hammer the rusted brakes free from the drums. I did hammer on the brakes with the ratchets sometimes when my hammer was in the yard mule

I know what you’re thinking but hey I was young.

For the record I liked my craftsman tools and still do; but not as much as that snap on 1/2 my boss got me or these new SK Tools.

In the end I just don’t want china ratchets or support a company that is moving production overseas.

My motivation for buying SK is to support American workers.

Thanks for all the kind comments.

 

[mattygee]

Nice bike! Always liked litespeed's offerings. I currently have a Specialized Tarmac w/ Ultegra SL. Happy Riding!

M

 

[GSMotorrad]

It's only a cosmetic variance between the sockets. Many companies don't have chrome on the inside of the socket or have chrome that only goes partway down.

That wouldn't bother me and it's not a manufacturing defect nor will it affect function.

Yes, but I'm also curious if it is because of a mix of New Old Stock and the newer "Ideal" SK Tools.

 

[W650Mike]

Nice looking tools. The roll stamping and finish are impressive.

After using the ratchets awhile, get back to us with a review.

 

[AustinRob]

I noticed that with the craftsman ratchets when using them that I would bump the selector and it would change directions. This did happen a lot and always seemed to when I snaked my ratchet in a tight spot.

If you take a craftsman ratchet (the cheaper ones) and turn it look at how much the selector moves and then bump the selector. It doesn’t take much for it to change direction.

The design of the old craftsman polished ratchets were better. You can see I have one in my box. I love that craftsman ratchet but it’s worn and needs to be rebuilt.

The SK ratchets so far with a little use have not switched directions on me. I have tried to make them while using by putting firm pressure on the selector with my palm but it hasn’t happened yet.

More to follow

 

[jetmech89]

Where can you buy SK tools, I've only seen them on Amazon and Ebay, I'd like to check out the quality before I buy anything.

 

[Smitherines]

Where can you buy SK tools, I've only seen them on Amazon and Ebay, I'd like to check out the quality before I buy anything.

http://www.tooltopia.com

You're welcome!

 

[jetmech89]

http://www.tooltopia.com

You're welcome!

Thanks.

 

[hifi_hokie]

Bumping this thread, because I'm thinking about placing an order at ToolTopia...

Has anyone who's recently purchased new S-K noticed variations in the finish? Any abnormal issues with rusting, breakage, etc?

Those complete 6pt sets have me interested

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

Bumping this thread, because I'm thinking about placing an order at ToolTopia...

Has anyone who's recently purchased new S-K noticed variations in the finish? Any abnormal issues with rusting, breakage, etc?

Those complete 6pt sets have me interested

I just got a new 1/4" drive deepwell set, and the finish is the same on all of them. The only flaw to speak of with the set is the rail they came with has a huge razor wire looking burr on one side.

 

[fourtythree]

I've only bought 2 new SK tools, a ratchet and a breaker bar. The finish is perfect on both.

 

[vssjim]

I am happy that Ideal industries have decided to fix SK Tools along with Western Forge and Pratt and Read. Ithink it's great that are investing in America

 

[fourtythree]

Ithink it's great that are investing in America

According to their catalog, if it has SK on it, it's made in America and made from US steel. I can't think of any other brand that is 100% US made.

 

[brianpgriset]

I did similar to the op to select SK as my core hand tools and retire all my craftsman rp stuff to road tool use. I've had a few things early on (during the bankruptcy) that had some issues but recently everything has been really nice including the 6-32mm LP wrench set. I'm planning to start my 1/2" drive collection this Xmas.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

what is the number on those igniton wrenches? I would like to pick up some of those.

Thanks chad

 

[smothers33]

i bought a s/k 1/4 socket set about a year ago and some of the detents were shallower than others and the chrome and stamping was ok but nut what i was expecting. but other than that they work fine. recently just bought some metric combo wrenches to see if maybe the sockets i bought were just got some pre ideal stuff that they had overstock of. when i got the wrenches i was very impressed. ever wrench was flawless chrome and stamping and the fit of the wrenches was much tighter than the cman rp wrenches they replaced. im gonna replace all my cman handtools with sk after getting those wrenches

 

[SK Eric]

According to their catalog, if it has SK on it, it's made in America and made from US steel. I can't think of any other brand that is 100% US made.

This is true. All S·K tools are made in Sycamore, IL or Western Forge in Colorado Springs. As you can imagine, pulling the pieces of S·K out of bankruptcy has been a huge project, from moving the machinery and existing inventory 60 miles west to Sycamore, to re-establishing relationships with retailers. We're really happy with the quality and consistency of the tools coming out of IL and the forgings in CO. We're adding tool trucks at a good clip, but as you can tell, we don't have enough coverage yet. We're working on it! Grainger also carries the complete S·K catalog, so they're a resource as well. There is also a where to buy feature on our website.

 

[sonvolt]

Love the pics SK tool ****

 

[PeterT]

Nice collection of SK stuff. I have some SK wrenches and sockets, but it would be nice to have those complete sets. Tooltopia has good prices and I haven't had any issues with service or delivery.

 

[redbarron57]

Nice looking tools. The roll stamping and finish are impressive.

After using the ratchets awhile, get back to us with a review.

I used the **** out of my 1/2 drive today and loved it. That thing is unstoppable.

Price wise I wish SK was just a bit more costly than craftsman.
The big craftsman maechanics tool kit was all US made when I got mine and it cost around 300 for 343 pieces.

I just dropped around 1500 for my 238 pieces of SK tools. Forget about your daddys SK tools prices. Most of my stuff came through the mail yesterday and I love it.

 

[mikebaker1129]

I recently picked up a few SK ratchets from HJE and I was impressed with the quality.
I really like the old green metal boxes that SK use to come in.
A lot of my craftsman stuff will be phased out and or sold ,like the ratchets. I do still buy and use Craftsman stuff ,mostly WF stuff,but I am in HVAC,so my needs are a little different.

 

[66354dream]

I remember my local sears had a big selection of SK tools years ago. They got rid of it, and now you can't find them anywhere locally

 

[the gypsy]

Hi guys I just wanted to saythat I saw a S-K tool-truck in Montreal for the first time in my lifetime. So to all you Montrealers that like S-K keep your eyes open.

 

[bob15]

According to their catalog, if it has SK on it, it's made in America and made from US steel. I can't think of any other brand that is 100% US made.

Wright Tools

From the Wright catalog: Made Entirely in the U.S.A.
From the design and engineering to the forging and finishing, all work on Wright tools is performed in the United States by skilled American workers. We do not use foreign blanks or forgings. Even the steel we use is American-made.

 

[WJD]

Love the pics SK tool ****

+1

Earlier S-k erik says that S-K is adding more tool trucks. I love the idea, but how could that be profitable for an independent fella trying to sell tools that can be had on-line, different auto parts stores or at places like grainger I like S-K tools, but they are more commonly found, say more so than snap-on that are truck-sold or directly bought on-line.

The only real benefit I could see is the truck will come to your place of work on a regular basis to occasionally fix or replace tools..... Who would pay more for the same tool off of a truck when tooltopia or a auto parts store has the same tools for less.....

OR maybe S-K tools will be cheaper off a truck, and the fella drive'n the truck and peddling high quality S-K just makes an hourly wage or salary