SK already being clearanced at Lowes?

[KnurledNut]

Guys, are these things really worth getting?

If I needed them, I would buy these over a comparable chinese GearWrench set, especially at this reduced pricing.
Dimensionally and cosmetically, there is not much difference from the USA version.
The mechanism feels tight and crisp with little axial play. The modified open end looks very well machined.
I have to wonder if they arent using the same tooling just overseas.
This is just a fly-by on-the-spot assessment.
But I do have some of the USA wrenches so I know what im comparing to.

 

[KnurledNut]

The S-K tools at Lowes are in cardboard display units. They’re not on the shelves in the tool department.

I know a guy that is high up in the corrugated fiberboard merchandising display industry and he gets terribly upset when people call it cardboard. Like legit angry and mad. He knows all the technical terminology and made sure I did too.

 

[neophyte]

Lowes caters to Jonny homeowner...so it's quite curious that they would latch on to professional brands like SK.

Klein Tools......good luck to you, I look forward to buying your tools on clearance in a year or two as the average Lowes consumer gravitates towards Blue Hawk

My local Lowes went all out with the Klein Tools.
I think they have 4+ times as much Klein as I ever saw at Home Depot.
The Lowes even has multiple areas with Klein tools, instead of just shoving all the tools from the same brand in one spot like has been done with some other brands.
The selection is actually “professional” in scope, and I could see contractors going to Lowes just to buy their Klein tools, and buying other supplies while the contractor is at Lowes.

 

[Mgdoug3]

When I bought my set, Lowe's hadn't even opened up the shipping box and was sitting on the very top shelf. I'm not sure Lowe's even tried to sell any SK products.

 

[neophyte]

Lowe's is like the mortuary for tool brands.

Way better Klein selection than Home Depot ever had, at least at my local Lowes.

Better selection of Woodworking equipment than I’ve ever seen at a Home Depot.

Hitachi Nailers, and other tools (Now Metabo HPT)

Lenox, and other decent saw and drill bit brands.

Some of the Kobalt tools are really nice.

Craftsman (yeah, not Craftsman from a decent sears back in the 1990s, but still)

Wiha, Bessey, Spyder (actually decent quality rebranded stuff)



Meanwhile, Home depot sort of still has Ridgid hand tools, in a very limited selection, if the dozen items haven’t been stolen.
Milwaukee cordless, if you buy into the system.
Diablo blades.
Ridgid shop vacs.
Marshalltown

I don’t want to say that HD *****, but the selection for most items has gotten sh!ttier each decade since the 1990s, as have the stores.

 

[neophyte]

When I bought my set, Lowe's hadn't even opened up the shipping box and was sitting on the very top shelf. I'm not sure Lowe's even tried to sell any SK products.

Did it look like there was any place to put the SK stuff ?
I wouldn’t be surprised if displays get shipped to the store, and the employees can’t figure out how to display the stuff during the holidays, so they just leave it in a box on an upper shelf.

 

[Mgdoug3]

Did it look like there was any place to put the SK stuff ?
I wouldn’t be surprised if displays get shipped to the store, and the employees can’t figure out how to display the stuff during the holidays, so they just leave it in a box on an upper shelf.

When I went to go buy them, Lowe's website showed where the display should have been but nothing there. The display for the tools was never unboxed. The designated spot was mostly empty but there wasn't any attempt by the employees to set out the tools.

 

[JeepYJ]

Here’s a picture from one of my nearby stores. It was set up in the area with all the Christmas gift sets and stuff. They aren’t in the hand tools section of the store.

 

[neophyte]

When I went to go buy them, Lowe's website showed where the display should have been but nothing there. The display for the tools was never unboxed. The designated spot was mostly empty but there wasn't any attempt by the employees to set out the tools.

Maybe Holiday overwork, or seasonal employees?
Individual stores can vary, but the employees at the local Lowes seem to care way more than the local HD.

 

[four.cycle]

^ There was also a 6-foot wide x 4-foot high end cap display of "Metabo" power tools, a brand I'm not familiar with.
Not sure where this "mortuary" comment comes from, but that's a far cry from what I saw yesterday in that store location.
Maybe the Orchard Street location in Tacoma, Washington carries a broader selection than other Lowes' locations?
Shelves were well stocked, considering it's three days before Christmas. There certainly was no shortage of inventory - they had a line of large Craftsman drawered, rolling tool cabinets inside the front door about 30 feet long, and another row about 40 feet long in between the tools and the lighting section.
The Klein product selection occupied a floor space of about 20 feet x 40 feet, plus an aisle about 30 feet x 6 feet high.

I do my best to avoid going to Home Depot - it's just across the street from Lowes, but it's 45 minutes round trip from my driveway for one item. Ace is right up the street (1.5 mi.) and they have what I'm looking for 90% of the time. The other 10% is lumber, which I can get from McLendon's (2.8 mi.) or Gray Lumber (not much farther.)

 

[Mgdoug3]

Maybe Holiday overwork, or seasonal employees?
Individual stores can vary, but the employees at the local Lowes seem to care way more than the local HD.

This was probably close to two months ago. I might be wrong but I think I remember the website showing 5 were in stock. Currently it's showing 4 in stock. Either I'm the only person who has bought the sets or they received more shipments.

 

[N_Jay]

Can anyone comment on the profile of the wrenches?

It seems most of mine Newer Craftsman and Gearwrench seem thicker than my old Craftsman.
Often, I find I need a slightly thinner wrench, but not as thin a specialty wrenches (bicycle wrenches).

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

I know a guy that is high up in the corrugated fiberboard merchandising display industry and he gets terribly upset when people call it cardboard. Like legit angry and mad. He knows all the technical terminology and made sure I did too.

I was taught to use the term "engineered fiberboard" when such material was used in the electrical manufacturing industry. Used as insulators and dust covers. FRAM oil filters used to catch a lot of flack over their "cardboard end caps". It's ENGINEERED FIBERBOARD!

 

[RAYJAY]

must be regjonal because they don't carry S-K at their stores here.

on there web site also
\

 

[RAS61]

If they were made in the USA I think having SK as their premium line would be a great idea, especially since I think of Craftsman as a mid tier offering and not premium. Would give the homeowner who appreciates better quality but doesn't have access to tool trucks an option, but made in China makes no sense.

Also, I like Lowes much better than HD - cleaner, better organised, much better lighting, and I find the employees generally more helpful. I really like the one in Brick NJ when I'm up there for the summer, they hire retirees from the local retirement communities, people that were hard working professionals in their earlier lives and now looking for some extra income or just to get out of the house; they have too much pride to be lazy or indifferent.

 

[ybnormal]

There are so many SK threads it would take all day to find one more pertinent but I'm lazy and commenting in this thread that Advance Auto is offering USA made SK wrenches on their website. I mention this because there has been so much in question as to whether domestic SK is or ever will be available again. The site says "factory direct shipping" so maybe there is still some hope for domestic SK again.

Advance Auto Parts - Down for Maintenance

really? I work for Advance part-time and they are certainly not in the stores, just DieHard and PT tools. I wonder if Advance is doing what Walmart does on their website, that is, being a dropship for stuff like SK?

 

[ybnormal]

I'm not even a veteran, but I know what a "Blue Falcon" is. Why would ANYONE name ANYTHING, let alone a line of crappy tools, " Blue Hawk"? Never figured that one out.

Or maybe it was deliberate somewhere along the line...?

probably because they'll introduce Dog Blunder at some point in time?

 

[Wamsutta]

I don’t want to say that HD *****, but the selection for most items has gotten sh!ttier each decade since the 1990s, as have the stores.

You can go ahead and say HD ***** if you want to. I used to work there. I hate that place.

 

[ybnormal]

To be fair you usually get the same response if you ask where to find a 2x4.

that's because you're asking another 2x4

 

[JeepYJ]

Would give the homeowner who appreciates better quality but doesn't have access to tool trucks an option,

A homeowner with internet access has access to tool truck brands. Just order it online and have it dropped on your doorstep in a few days.
Most homeowners aren’t looking to drop a few hundos on rack of sockets.

 

[ybnormal]

You can go ahead and say HD ***** if you want to. I used to work there. I hate that place.

I used to work at the Data Center in Austin supporting the stores. bunch of cheapass bastards who use EOL out-of-warranty tech as their NEW corporate IT standard

 

[four.cycle]

really? I work for Advance part-time and they are certainly not in the stores, just DieHard and PT tools. I wonder if Advance is doing what Walmart does on their website, that is, being a dropship for stuff like SK?

S-K will garner little to no overall market share if they are unable to get the product in front of the retail consumer at point of sale.
They will not bring the line back with online drop-ship sales.
If they haven't ramped up their production capacity to fill shelves at a Lowes or a Home Depot or a Menards or an ACE, they're out of the running. S-K isn't going to sell at Walmart unless they can drop the price point to compete with "Performance" at O'Reilly's or "Duralast" at Autozone.
The misinformation in this thread alone tells me their marketing people simply don't have their act together.

 

[M_George]

All the SK is yellow tagged at my Lowes.
The X-Frame sets are down to $50 from $80.
The 3/8 dr. socket set is down to $30 from $50.
The 3 pc. adjustable wrench set is $20.
The metric wrench set was tempting at that price, but it skips sizes, so I passed.
Holiday sale, overstock, local special buy or is the adventure over?

I saw that sale; they are all made in China.

 

[ybnormal]

I know a guy that is high up in the corrugated fiberboard merchandising display industry and he gets terribly upset when people call it cardboard. Like legit angry and mad. He knows all the technical terminology and made sure I did too.

ahhhh, he grew up watching Monty Python and is a fan of the Crunchy Frog skit

"...if we called it cardboard our sales would plummet!"

 

[ybnormal]

at my local Lowe's

 

[ybnormal]

Did it look like there was any place to put the SK stuff ?
I wouldn’t be surprised if displays get shipped to the store, and the employees can’t figure out how to display the stuff during the holidays, so they just leave it in a box on an upper shelf.

they should have received a notice in their systems from corporate saying where and how to set it up with a visual planogram. most likely they're short-staffed or don't give-a-sht

 

[finn]

My local Lowes in Marana Az has the cardboard (it will always be cardboard to me) display in front of the entrance, to the right, with the Kobalt, Craftsman, and several other Seasonal tool displays. Only one set of metric wrenches was gone, otherwise the cardboard display was still full.

I need both sets, but I can wait a week or two to see if there are further discounts.

I did pick up a set of three Kobalt locking pliers on sale for less than $14, though.

 

[jayemm]

Checking online, my local Lowe's only has in stock the SAE and metric combination wrench sets and the adjustable wrench set at those sale prices. Pathetic really.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

Way better Klein selection than Home Depot ever had, at least at my local Lowes.

Better selection of Woodworking equipment than I’ve ever seen at a Home Depot.

Hitachi Nailers, and other tools (Now Metabo HPT)

Lenox, and other decent saw and drill bit brands.

Some of the Kobalt tools are really nice.

Craftsman (yeah, not Craftsman from a decent sears back in the 1990s, but still)

Wiha, Bessey, Spyder (actually decent quality rebranded stuff)



Meanwhile, Home depot sort of still has Ridgid hand tools, in a very limited selection, if the dozen items haven’t been stolen.
Milwaukee cordless, if you buy into the system.
Diablo blades.
Ridgid shop vacs.
Marshalltown

I don’t want to say that HD *****, but the selection for most items has gotten sh!ttier each decade since the 1990s, as have the stores.

My HD is literally all Ryobi and Milwaukee power tools and Milwaukee and Husky hand tools with some Diablo cutting stuff mixed in. It’s depressing to be in there but HD seems to think it’s smart to go all in on a few brands.

 

[finn]

Checking online, my local Lowe's only has in stock the SAE and metric combination wrench sets and the adjustable wrench set at those sale prices. Pathetic really.

They have a socket set on the display, along with the SAE and Metric ratcheting combinations, and a set of three adjustable wrenches.

The display really looks like a seasonal promotion, not a permanent full line deal.

 

[Bubba Fett]

At my nearby Lowe's, Klein has replaced Ideal in the electrical tools section. All the Ideal tools are on the back wall as reduces prices. I bought some fish tape, some RJ crimpers, some CAT/Coax Wire strippers, and outlet test cables less than half price. A while back I got a full set up Ideal screwdrivers, because I like the handles more than Klein.

I never saw SK, though.

 

[KnurledNut]

I think some got the impression it was going to be something more, judging by the video SK released on Oct 27 announcing their tools being available at Lowes.
Lowes is heavily involved with GreatStar's other brands like Shop-Vac, Arrow, Pony.
This could be them dipping their toes in the SK water to see if its cold or hot.

 

[zendriver]

Those tools look all right (from the images) and not really high priced.

Do they disintegrate the first time someone uses them? Or, will the the user find them adequate, provided they are not obsessed with going over them with an SEM, looking for flaws to be disappointed over?

They are, after all, tools to take stuff apart and put back together.

 

[89MustangGX]

It took asking during a couple trips and constantly being pointed to Klein, before I finally wandered around enough to stumble on the SK display shown in this thread. I think if the employees who are supposed to be at least familiar with what they sell, aren't -- then the average consumer also doesn't know who SK is and SK has basically lost all brand recognition. We know the average consumer doesn't care about US made or offshore and buys on brand recognition and recommendations from the drones in the stores and what they see on TV. They are not going to be successful unless they can get some advertising in front of people and actually have some selection to purchase.

 

[Johnny_opm]

My local Lowes has had the sk on on sale price since they started carrying them. BTW my Lowes didn't have any sk stuff out and the employees were clueless about it. I had to do an online pickup order to get my x-frames. Had to do the same thing with that Texas craftsman run socket set.

***** that they're Chinese made now but comparing them to my USA made single wrenches I bought, the only difference I can tell is the USA stamping is deeper and the beam cutout is finished a little better on the USA wrench. Been using my Chinese SAE set at work in an industrial plant and I'm intentionally being hard on them to see if they hold up.

Wanted to buy full sets of the usa made but they're going for $400 last I checked and reviews are full of pissed off people that they got a few Chinese wrenches mixed in.

 

[ybnormal]

It took asking during a couple trips and constantly being pointed to Klein, before I finally wandered around enough to stumble on the SK display shown in this thread. I think if the employees who are supposed to be at least familiar with what they sell, aren't -- then the average consumer also doesn't know who SK is and SK has basically lost all brand recognition. We know the average consumer doesn't care about US made or offshore and buys on brand recognition and recommendations from the drones in the stores and what they see on TV. They are not going to be successful unless they can get some advertising in front of people and actually have some selection to purchase.

to be fair, my life doesn't revolve around tools and their various manufacturers (yes yes , I know, heresy on GJ....). while I can recognize decent quality and generally know who sells good stuff, w/o GJ and Torque Test Channel I would have no clue as to which brand to buy sometimes.
as for the drone employees, most of them won't probably know either as they are just warm bodies in the store. that's all HD, Lowe's, and the rest want. I work part-time at auto parts store (cuz I know cars) and that's all retail ops really wants (a warm body to work, auto experience not needed) and I generally know which brands to recommend so the customer doesn't have to do the job twice. Moog, National, Victor Reinle, etc. I'll even tell customers to go to HF for certain tools like metal brushes to keep their battery terminals clean. They have a better selection and they're cheaper than my store.

 

[Ton ton]

.

 

[mrjaw14]

Seeing the sk x frames stamped china hurt my soul.

 

[demarpaint]

Seeing the sk x frames stamped china hurt my soul.

I hear ya. I took a shot and ordered a set. Worst case is I sell them.

 

[neophyte]

S-K will garner little to no overall market share if they are unable to get the product in front of the retail consumer at point of sale.
They will not bring the line back with online drop-ship sales.
If they haven't ramped up their production capacity to fill shelves at a Lowes or a Home Depot or a Menards or an ACE, they're out of the running. S-K isn't going to sell at Walmart unless they can drop the price point to compete with "Performance" at O'Reilly's or "Duralast" at Autozone.
The misinformation in this thread alone tells me their marketing people simply don't have their act together.

Lowes sells Pony/Jorgensen, which is owned by the same Chinese conglomerate, GreatStar.
Pony/Jorgensen was one of the better known US clamp and Vise manufacturers before going bankrupt, and getting bought by GreatStar.
Presumably, this is the reason the SK tools showed up at Lowes, since GreatStar already was supplying Lowes with other product.