My recent experience with S-K and there foreign made tools!!!

[jc4635]

6 weeks ago I bought a Vtg USA made SK 47170 3/4” drive round head ratchet and when I got the head out to clean it I noticed it was cracked. It still works but might not do well under a big load. I say this to say I contacted SK customer service to try for a repair kit and found out they no longer carry them. I also found out they only carry up to 1/2” drive on their website. They gave me a nice gift card amount and I bought a few items. 3 of the 5 items I bought were foreign made. I returned one of the foreign ratchets that retailed for $101.26. It looked and felt like a $10 ratchet. The 2 items I received that were USA made and stamped USA were ratcheting combination wrenches. I decided to order the entire ratcheting set thinking they would be the same. I got them today and NONE of them are stamped USA and the box says made with USA and global components. I say all this to let everyone that reads this know that SK seems to be fully transitioning to foreign made like most other companies!!! I decided to keep the USA 15 mm ratcheting X frame wrench for collectible reasons. It’s still new in its original packaging.

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

I returned one of the foreign ratchets that retailed for $101.26. It looked and felt like a $10 ratchet.

Wow! Talk about padding the bottom line.

 

[bonneyman]

Once S-K got acquired by a Chinese company I knew the quality would drop and new tools marked "SK" would be bottom tier. That's why I made a diligent effort for two years to put together a spare set of the old ratchets and sockets. These are now going to one of my nephews. Gonna keep it in the family!

 

[Etchase]

Guess I should keep an eye out for broken discontinued SK stuff.

 

[Schurkey]

SK offered me a "gift certificate" when I told them I was done buying SK tools due to the ownership change.

I told them to keep it.

 

[Rinspeed]

Even their newer USA made ratchets were a massive disappointment to me.

 

[Wamsutta]

The best stuff SK makes is the stuff they don't make. Wilde pry bars for example. At one time, Facom made their long nose pliers.

 

[four.cycle]

6 weeks ago I bought a Vtg USA made SK 47170 3/4” drive round head ratchet and when I got the head out to clean it I noticed it was cracked.

I have to assume from "Vtg" that what you purchased was a used unit.
How does that have anything to do with anything else? And how is THAT S-K's fault?

I wasn't aware that anyone made those goofy racheting box end wrenches in country other than Armstrong and Proto. Armstrong is gone, and I don't believe Proto makes them in country any longer.

S-K has been owned by Great Star since 2021. We are now in the tenth month of 2024.
You're still expecting U.S. made product?

 

[cherrybomb]

Sad story to see what SK tools has become.Back in the day,SK was considered to be on par with the tool trucks.The quality was great,but one of the clear advantages was you could easily find the tools hanging on the board at most auto parts store.I still have my Dads SK's,some of my own,and use them with pride and confidence they will get the job done

 

[Ricky Joe]

I like SK ratchets, have broken too many sockets, their extensions and wrenches and screwdrivers, pliers, etc. are adequate. I think that in general their reputation is better than their product.

 

[neophyte]

The best stuff SK makes is the stuff they don't make. Wilde pry bars for example. At one time, Facom made their long nose pliers.

Facom Owned SK for a number of years.

 

[ecotec]

Facom Owned SK for a number of years.

The vast majority of my SK is from the Facom era. A local store bought tonnage of SK when they were selling it off very cheap. Over the years, I bought a lot of it… and I wish that I had bought more of it. It is almost gone now. They still have a few things, but nothing that I need.

 

[egdede]

I'm trying to figure out if OP was the original owner and whether that made the warranty claim valid, or whether this was akin to a 'I bought a bucket of rusty craftsman wrenches at a yard sale'.....

 

[maplewood]

I have a bunch of SK from a 2-3 year period before the buyout. They hit the sweet spot for me - easy to purchase, USA made, high quality, spendy but not tool truck outrageous. Still unsure where I'll go now, it was really nice just being able to go to the SK site and pick things up quickly. There's Proto, Wright, etc, but its a pain finding what you need, at least for a home gamer.

 

[neophyte]

I have a bunch of SK from a 2-3 year period before the buyout. They hit the sweet spot for me - easy to purchase, USA made, high quality, spendy but not tool truck outrageous. Still unsure where I'll go now, it was really nice just being able to go to the SK site and pick things up quickly. There's Proto, Wright, etc, but its a pain finding what you need, at least for a home gamer.

Both are standard industrial supply brands.
Zoro for better prices if they have the item.
Grainger, MSC, McMaster-Carr, and a number of other industrial suppliers as well.

 

[shoggoth80]

SK carries a lifetime warranty. I've broken my share of them. The pieces I've received have been nice enough replacements... But that's was also off their website. I wasn't the original purchaser, but my employer was. I've gotten gift card balances for the cost of items when they were NLA, which were then used to buy other items our shop needed. Haven't gotten anything foreign yet, but I was replacing sockets, breakers, extensions, combo wrenches, and round heads.

 

[zendriver]

Offering gift certificates for broken garage sale tools seems pretty stand-up imo

was never a big user of SK, but I have picked up some of their partial older sets and pieces from estate auctions

Not seeing where the quality and feel was that much better than anything else

Chinese likely purchased the company because no one else was interested. Yeah we blame them.

 

[Andres26tnt]

Offering gift certificates for broken garage sale tools seems pretty stand-up imo

was never a big user of SK, but I have picked up some of their partial older sets and pieces from estate auctions

Not seeing where the quality and feel was that much better than anything else

Chinese likely purchased the company because no one else was interested. Yeah we blame them.

This right here, no one cared for SK, so only option was a Chinese company. I will extend that sentiment to its previous owners, sk has been in trouble for most it's entire life.

 

[Buckgnarly]

To add to this, I tried to warranty a 9/16 x frame, they said out of stock so said I get a gift card. Cannot find the gift card anywhere in the email, my account, or anything else. Then I go to Amazon and see they are selling the 9/16 on their store.
SK now *****. Too bad, I liked some of their tools.

 

[N8sToolz]

Sad story to see what SK tools has become.Back in the day,SK was considered to be on par with the tool trucks.The quality was great,but one of the clear advantages was you could easily find the tools hanging on the board at most auto parts store.I still have my Dads SK's,some of my own,and use them with pride and confidence they will get the job done

I was lucky enough to have an sk tool truck!

 

[dnschmidt]

The only S-K stuff I ever liked was the Facom stuff.

 

[finn]

To add to this, I tried to warranty a 9/16 x frame, they said out of stock so said I get a gift card. Cannot find the gift card anywhere in the email, my account, or anything else. Then I go to Amazon and see they are selling the 9/16 on their store.
SK now *****. Too bad, I liked some of their tools.

SK Isn’t Amazon and Amazon isn’t SK.

I don’t understand the hate.

 

[Buckgnarly]

SK Isn’t Amazon and Amazon isn’t SK.

I don’t understand the hate.

The wrench is available through SK's store on Amazon. Pretty simple.

 

[four.cycle]

"Great Star Industrial Co., Ltd. acquired SK Professional Tools on June 30, 2021. The acquisition was announced by Ideal Industries, Inc., the previous owner of SK Professional Tools."

TODAY is October 21, 2024

How many years did you expect "Great Star" to keep "S-K" inventory in stock and available for purchase?

ffs.....................

 

[Ohio Andy]

I find the Chinese made SK ratchets to be the most difficult to change direction. I have used them the least since I only recently acquired them just to give them a try, but so far they are my least favorite to changed direction.

I assume it's related to how the pawls are arranged but that's just a wild guess

 

[Buckgnarly]

For anyone who got the gift card, where was it? I don't see it on the emails, on my account, spam, etc.....nothing. They were pretty awful when they rolled out a student/school program too. I could not find anything and they did not answer my questions about how my students could sign up. To be fair I have not looked lately, but the roll out was useless.......

 

[Rinspeed]

I find the Chinese made SK ratchets to be the most difficult to change direction. I have used them the least since I only recently acquired them just to give them a try, but so far they are my least favorite to changed direction.

I assume it's related to how the pawls are arranged but that's just a wild guess

Last I knew the pear head ratchets were still made in the USA.

 

[Etchase]

"Great Star Industrial Co., Ltd. acquired SK Professional Tools on June 30, 2021. The acquisition was announced by Ideal Industries, Inc., the previous owner of SK Professional Tools."

TODAY is October 21, 2024

How many years did you expect "Great Star" to keep "S-K" inventory in stock and available for purchase?

ffs.....................

I’m guessing they will be able to warranty speed wrenches for a long time to come. They had them on sale for $20 for a while and yet they are still available. I’m guessing they haven’t made any in quite a while. Kind of like the Malco locking pliers, they kept those lines running hoping for something.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Last I knew the pear head ratchets were still made in the USA.

I don't have a set of those, I'd like to try one...

 

[jc4635]

I have to assume from "Vtg" that what you purchased was a used unit.
How does that have anything to do with anything else? And how is THAT S-K's fault?

I wasn't aware that anyone made those goofy racheting box end wrenches in country other than Armstrong and Proto. Armstrong is gone, and I don't believe Proto makes them in country any longer.

S-K has been owned by Great Star since 2021. We are now in the tenth month of 2024.
You're still expecting U.S. made product?

Not expecting anything much these days! I am not an SK fan in the first place, but I do collect older USA made ratchets and a few socket sets. Most people don’t know anything about who owns what in the U.S. and most companies, including S-K are very sketchy with there advertising and wording on the packaging.

Also, “goofy ratcheting box end wrenches” is definitely a matter of opinion. I happen to like them very much if they work well.

 

[jc4635]

Wow! Talk about padding the bottom line.

Got this email from S-K.

 

[squirrel17]

I got my fancy swivel impacts that i wont ever use do to this exact reason.

https://imgur.com/wzYOoJ4

 

[lwnemesis]

I own Craftsman Pro wrenches in SAE and Metric sizes that my dad bought back in 1994-1995. These were made by SK back in the day. We used them for a bit and still have the original packages they came in. Never had a problem with them but I would not buy any SK product since they have "issues". I'd rather get CAT branded Snap-On stuff since I have an account with CAT. If any break I'll just sell off the rest and get Cat replacements.

 

[shoggoth80]

For anyone who got the gift card, where was it? I don't see it on the emails, on my account, spam, etc.....nothing. They were pretty awful when they rolled out a student/school program too. I could not find anything and they did not answer my questions about how my students could sign up. To be fair I have not looked lately, but the roll out was useless.......

I got mine through a link provided in email. I then printed the page to retain the card code.

I have to take back what I said about getting all American replacements. I looked them over at work out of curiosity. One of the 1/4 drives didn't have USA stamped on it, the other did, and one flare nut wrench didn't have USA on it. The sockets and extensions I received were still American. So it's been a mix of old and new stock.

 

[IMStuner]

I’m not bitter about the transition if the pricing reflects where the unit was made and quality. Company changes hands all the time and it will depend on the new owner if they want to ruin the name. I purchased this set from Amazon and the pricing of the pliers do reflect where it was made and quality. It’s made in China.

 

[dogdog]

This right here, no one cared for SK, so only option was a Chinese company. I will extend that sentiment to its previous owners, sk has been in trouble for most it's entire life.

lol no one cares if SK is run to the ground by greed or in adequate management cause they are hoohaa. But as soon as it was sold to the Chinese cause no body wanted to touch that turd with a 10’ pole. every one is up in arms with hate.

 

[Fedwrench]

Last I knew the pear head ratchets were still made in the USA.

SK released a new series of 90 tooth Pear head ratchets with a tapered handle that are made in the PRC.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D97F492R/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[zendriver]

lol no one cares if SK is run to the ground by greed or in adequate management cause they are hoohaa. But as soon as it was sold to the Chinese cause no body wanted to touch that turd with a 10’ pole. every one is up in arms with hate.

The biggest irony IMO, is that for tools, they are probably just fine for everyone except the "tool connoisseur"

Missing the thrill anyway. I have some older S-K ratchets, it's "okay" not actually getting a Woodie using it.

 

[Ohio Andy]

SK released a new series of 90 tooth Pear head ratchets with a tapered handle that are made in the PRC.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D97F492R/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I wonder how they are... I didn't like how the ones I own reverse.

SK Mechanics Tool Set, 1/4" & 3/8" & 1/2" Drive Socket with 216-P Ratchet, 149-Piece, SAE & Metric, SuperKrome Finish, with Storage Suitcase

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZKT3SXQ?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Fedwrench]

I wonder how they are... I didn't like how the ones I own reverse.

SK Mechanics Tool Set, 1/4" & 3/8" & 1/2" Drive Socket with 216-P Ratchet, 149-Piece, SAE & Metric, SuperKrome Finish, with Storage Suitcase

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZKT3SXQ?tag=atomicindus08-20

I only have the 1/4 drive one. It seems heavy for a 1/4 ratchet. High back drag, coarse ratcheting action. It may smooth out over time. It reminds me of a Gearwrench ratchet but, not as nice.
I still find it odd that there are two SKs now. On their website and in tradeshow You Tube videos, they show old style made in the USA type tools while on Amazon, it's mostly new PRC made SK items. It seems like they're struggling to find an identity here despite their future seems to green & black versions of Duratec tools.