I have a few sk's that are broke and need warranty, after seeing that I cannot get warranty on them I will never purchase another sk product,used or new.. Im a master auto tech and ford certified,been getting on the tool trucks for 38 years now,it's a shame to share your pay check with the tool truck's every week and then be stuck with around $ 10,000 worth of throw away tools.. I will pay the extra dollar for snap on from now on..
SK bankruptcy
- Thread starter jsackin
- Start date
redwrench60
Well-known member
Uhhhhh...SK is back up and running under Ideal. Send in your tools,they will warranty them.
C/S SK Tools
Member
I know, old thread, but have seen on a few other sites that there still a lot of folks who dont realize S•K is up and running. They are currently made in pretty much two locations. They have a very nice building in Sycamore making your sockets, packing sets, and being the warehouse for shipping. Your wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, and other items are made in multi-plant forge shop campus in Colorado Springs. I know Ideal does have product made in China and elsewhere however, the new S•K company is based, and manufactured in the USA.
thetreshon
Well-known member
Awesome. Thanks for clarifying! Do you work for or somehow connected to S•K??
wantedabiggergarage
Member Emeritus
Going by your user name I would guess, customer service for SK? (web based, FB, etc)
Are you going to carry the complete line that SK once did? (been waiting for the 1/4" impact swivel/wobble/flip sockets to come back.)
steelespeed
Well-known member
This is all fine and good, but how long does SK plan on passing off old stock items? I'm still seeing new or recent threads talking mostly about the sockets and their ongoing quality problems.
C/S SK Tools
Member
Our plant is owned by Ideal like SK, but we operate as a seperate company. Ideal bought Western Forge(where I work), then a few months later bought SK. They kept Western Forge intact will all the assets and installed a new GM. When they bought SK, they a did get a lot of assets, just not everything. They built a new plant pretty much right next to Ideal headquarters in Sycamore. They got a lot of new machines to produce sockets and other items. Western Forge accuired amost all of the forge tooling, and some other older prodcution machines for wrenches and ratchets.
C/S SK Tools
Member
I do work for Ideal, but under their Western Forge company. Western Forge doesnt make any sockets for SK. They produce those inhouse in Sycamore. I really cant say for sure what sockets they are selling. You can check out their web site though.
jzt
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum. It is good to see SK involved in forum participation.
Side note: take a look at this thread and tell us who made that extension, please?
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147433
C/S SK Tools
Member
I am thinking I should have chosen another username. I am sorry to say I do not work directly for SK. Our shop does not make any sockets for SK or any of our other customers. As far as SK selling old inventory that came from the company, from what little I know of there operations up there, they should only be selling sockets produced from the new SK. Again this is just tid bits as I do not know there current inverntory up in Sycamore.
C/S SK Tools
Member
Danver
Well-known member
Is my memory faulty or didn't something happen with SK back in the 80s that screwed up their reputation? I was thinking that the manufacturing back then had gone out of country (back then I imagine it would have been maybe Taiwan? ). I can't think of any specifics but I was pretty sure something happened and I know I haven't purchased any SK tools since then. I do still have some SK sockets and ratchets from the early 80s and I certainly don't have any complaints about those.
Reading through this thread makes me think I am wrong but I would have sworn there was some controversy back then.
Reading through this thread makes me think I am wrong but I would have sworn there was some controversy back then.
SMKS
Well-known member
I think you are misremembering. I can't remember reading about any events in the 80s like the one you're mentioning, but I could be wrong.
HandyManny
Well-known member
Great to have you aboard. Can you answer me a question? I know that Western Forge make adjustable wrenches for many brands out there. I belives S-K is one who WF makes adjustables for. What other brands have WF make their adjustable wrenches for them besides Ridgid and Craftsman?
HandyManny
Well-known member
I don't think from what I recall, that S-K ever had a bad reputation or damaged reputation. At least nothing comes to mind. Maybe when their management bought the company and became independent from FACOM they couldn't financially manage the company properly, meaning before Ideal bought them.
Danver
Well-known member
From what I have seen in this thread it would appear that I am indeed wrong. Maybe the problem was just a local availability thing and not manufacturing because I do remember the local auto parts store switched from SK as their main line of hand tools to something else, maybe Blackhawk at the time.
Maybe I am just recalling that it suddenly became a lot less convenient to get warranty replacements.
SMKS
Well-known member
I think the problems before SK filed for bankruptcy did sour the company for a lot of people. There were quite a few angry distributors, from what I've read, because the old SK wasn't handling warranty claims and there were tons of quality control problems.
Ideal seems to have tried to make things right with these dealers. They offered a period where dealers could send in their built-up backlog of warranty items for credit.
C/S SK Tools
Member
I think we have around 30 different company's we can/ do make adjustable wrenches for. Some examples: Wright, Proto, Stanley, Martin, Kipper,......
I could be very wrong, but I would be willing to bet any NEW adjustable wrench that was made in the USA most likley has a WF forged into it(bottom, near the end). Maybe the same thing with pliers as well.
SMKS
Well-known member
There are at least a few companies that make pliers in the US. Wilde, Snap-On, Channellock. I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting.
But, the only companies I know of that make adjustable wrenches in the USA still are WF, Klein and Crescent. While Apex offshored much of the Crescent wrench production recently, someone from the company claimed they would still make some Crescent brand wrenches in the US, most likely for industrial customers.
RangerDaleXp
Well-known member
There was a company called Diamond Tool that was US, but I am not sure they are around anymore....
cbracer
Well-known member
I have a simple pair of pliers made by Diamond. It's beautiful and my favorite pliers. Sad I can't find any other tools by them.
All of my SK orders have been filled with new items. The only old stock I've seen comes from 3rd party vendors.
Diamond Tool remained a family-owned business until 1981, when it was sold to the Triangle Corporation, the parent company of the combined Utica, Herbrand, and Bonney tool companies. Triangle itself was later acquired by Cooper Industries, the corporate parent to numerous other tool companies.
Cooper Tools had also acquired the Crescent Niagara Corporation, the parent of Crescent Tools, and over time the production of Diamond adjustable wrenches was merged with the Crescent production.
There was a lot of in-fighting going on between the Diamond heirs that lead to the sale of the company to Triangle.
SMKS
Well-known member
HandyManny
Well-known member
For USA made adjustable wrenches you may actually be right. I think as of this year WF is the only large scale maker of adjustable wrenches left in the USA. Proud to know they are still made in my home state.
Channellock is likely the most prominent large scale plier maker here in USA, with WF likely second. Wilde is still in business as a plier maker, but I don't know how they stay in business, they still make pliers here in USA.
HandyManny
Well-known member
The family that ran Diamond sold it to Cooper around 1980 and the brand got woven into the Crescent line, eventually liquidated as an adjustable wrench and plier brand. Diamond Calk Horseshoe Co. (later Diamond Horseshoe and Tool Co) was a very high quality professional industrial grade hand tool maker back before it was sold to Cooper. Best part was that back in my day their wrenches and pliers were relatively widely available in many farm & feed stores, local hardware stores, auto parts stores, as well as industrial/construction supply warehouses. The also offered ferriers tools for horseshoe makers too, that's where the business actually started.
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