New SK Teardrop Ratchets?
- Thread starter HFlashman
- Start date
Forddrivinman
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- Aug 3, 2017
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- 16
If it's my guess (and that's all we really have to go on right now) they're either ******* with other products or they are trying to solidify the design. I remember some folks having trouble with the new pear head 3/8 ratchet where the selector would get stuck in between LH/RH and freeze up the mechanism. I have one and never had that happen, but I think I got lucky. SK makes very good products but can take forever to bring them to market.
Bob P1
Well-known member
Who even sells S-K anymore haven't seen them around lately?
Forddrivinman
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The last I heard from SK about the selector was that by changing the selector switch from green to silver they were able to shave some time and cost off the manufacturing process. I do love that green selector though!
Alot of online dealers. Amazon, Tooltopia, CircleC Supply, Zoro, Harry J Epsteins, Grainger etc... Advance Auto can order them for you also
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American Locomotive
Well-known member
They were teased a couple of months ago. The 3/8" ratchet hasn't even been on the market 9 months, let alone two years...
Toothaker
Well-known member
I believe that SK has changed to a silver (natural) color selector. The early LP90's came with the painted/powder coated green selector. I have one of the green selector ratchets.
Interestingly, the images from the official website shows both.
https://sktools.com/shop/3-8-dr-lp90-teardrop-ratchet.html
mmason7764
Well-known member
I have come to be very patient with Ideal - SK, I like the direction they are headed.
Manufacturing is not easy, especially if you are a small family owned business and dedicated to Made in USA. I would imagine (do not have any way of knowing for sure) that SK has a small team of people that both develop new products, test them, set up the manufacturing, and must do double duty when there is a manufacturing or quality control problem, personnel shortages, etc.
A big company can run new products like a project with a fixed timeline, big budget, contract technical services, etc. They can borrow all the money it takes to make this happen.
Ideal more likely was able to borrow the money to buy SK, Western Forge, and Pratt Read and set up manufacturing. Past this the revenue stream from sales has to pay for operating costs, service the debt, and has a little left to pay a few employees to do extra things, including develop new products. In this situation cash flow is fixed and the development time floats as problems come up and need to be addressed.
Modern consumers are not used to these kinds of delays, as most of our purchases are products of big corporations who are carefully managing a portfolio of brands.
Personally, waiting is well worth having a small family run business still clicking along. I appreciate the additional choice, and what a choice it is, been buying 1/4 and 3/8" SK ratchets and every one is a winner and a pleasure to use.
Variety is good. Today we have Wright, SK, SBD Proto, and Williams/Snap-on for domestically produced hard line tools (that are obtainable without truck service). Each one brings a different mix of products to the market place and gives us more to choose from!
I'm happy with all of them. Very happy with SK.
Mark
Manufacturing is not easy, especially if you are a small family owned business and dedicated to Made in USA. I would imagine (do not have any way of knowing for sure) that SK has a small team of people that both develop new products, test them, set up the manufacturing, and must do double duty when there is a manufacturing or quality control problem, personnel shortages, etc.
A big company can run new products like a project with a fixed timeline, big budget, contract technical services, etc. They can borrow all the money it takes to make this happen.
Ideal more likely was able to borrow the money to buy SK, Western Forge, and Pratt Read and set up manufacturing. Past this the revenue stream from sales has to pay for operating costs, service the debt, and has a little left to pay a few employees to do extra things, including develop new products. In this situation cash flow is fixed and the development time floats as problems come up and need to be addressed.
Modern consumers are not used to these kinds of delays, as most of our purchases are products of big corporations who are carefully managing a portfolio of brands.
Personally, waiting is well worth having a small family run business still clicking along. I appreciate the additional choice, and what a choice it is, been buying 1/4 and 3/8" SK ratchets and every one is a winner and a pleasure to use.
Variety is good. Today we have Wright, SK, SBD Proto, and Williams/Snap-on for domestically produced hard line tools (that are obtainable without truck service). Each one brings a different mix of products to the market place and gives us more to choose from!
I'm happy with all of them. Very happy with SK.
Mark
Empty Pockets
Well-known member
I got my 90 tooth SK from HJE, good folks, fair prices.
Mine has the green selector, and I have had no issues with it.
Mine has the green selector, and I have had no issues with it.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Who knows?
SK is rediculously slow in releasing new products.
SK is good at teasing about new products but, really ***** at delivering the tools. SK has released press releases touting new tools being released in the first quarter but, no other specifics.
There are numerous threads here listing the new SK tools journal members would like to see but, no one seems to notice.
SK is rediculously slow in releasing new products.
SK is good at teasing about new products but, really ***** at delivering the tools. SK has released press releases touting new tools being released in the first quarter but, no other specifics.
There are numerous threads here listing the new SK tools journal members would like to see but, no one seems to notice.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
They should put the green selector back on.
Musicinabottle
Banned
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- 3,371
Brown Bearing in Spokane Washington does. Co op used to.
jalind
Well-known member
Tippy-tap your fingers using Google on the computer keyboard. They're available from many sources, including ePrey. Many have already been mentioned. They're also available from a variety of B&M stores that cater to industrial and commercial clientele. The S-K web site has a dealer locator. I've had no trouble finding exactly the S-K tools I wanted from a variety of sellers and was able to compare prices. They still have some Tool Truck Dudes but they're not as ubiquitous as the ones from Snap-On. Their business model isn't the same.
John
Last edited:
My local AutoValue has some sockets in stock and I was told that they can get most stuff overnight.
American Locomotive
Well-known member
I got a set of X-Frames at work, and they have to be hands down the nicest wrenches (ratcheting or otherwise) I've ever seen or held. Seriously nice piece of kit.
I read an SK statement somewhere that the green is gone. They claim their polling showed people preferred silver and it also simplified production to not do it. That is probably the real reason, cheaper to make for little or no extra sales for green
The green ones will probably become a collectable, now.
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lincwelder225
Well-known member
Yes they can... I worked at the one in Kalamazoo, the one in Portage, and once in a while at the one in Galesburg ( i think that one is closed now). If you ordered before 9am or so you could have it by noon M-F.
lincwelder225
Well-known member
I'm with you on this... I'd get one with it, it stands out. Without the green selector, its just another 3/8 ratchet that I don't need
Who knows?
SK is rediculously slow in releasing new products.
SK is good at teasing about new products but, really ***** at delivering the tools. SK has released press releases touting new tools being released in the first quarter but, no other specifics.
There are numerous threads here listing the new SK tools journal members would like to see but, no one seems to notice.
That's it. I like that Ideal has helped them recover from the bad years and who doesn't want to see more US based manufacturers. But it is often mentioned but always ignored by the fanboys that they are not particularly responsive to the market. Just like Wright won't pull their heads out of the posterior and produce a long pattern wrench.
I won't buy something I don't want just because it is manufacturered in my home country.
yjWrangler
Well-known member
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I don't know who SK talks to but, the green direction switch seems pretty popular at least around here. While we're at it, I think a knurled handle would be more popular on their new 90 tooth ratchets than the smooth one they went with.