SK tools

[1950mercury]

Good for them not covering abuse!

Agreed

 

[Roberts210]

Even South-of-the-border guys like 'em. We had some Senore plumbers on the jobsite for a week. I'm set up in the garage and I'm the only guy working in the garage--got my welding table and assembly table and jigs set up. So the plumbers had to come through the garage to access the basement. I've got lots of tools lying around, most but not all in 2 toolboxes, and lots of Milwaukee stuff in the older metal carrying cases. So the day after the plumbers leave I try to find my S-K wrench set and it's gone. So is a screwdriver case (not S-K, but nice nonetheless.)

 

[gdocktor3]

You literally can't believe everything you read on the internet..... His statement is not true. They clearly state abuse is not covered... and there has been a few posts on here where people are bitching about it.
.

I'm speaking from experience. I don't know about abused tools, but I've warrantied a few items through Sk with no problem. Abused tools shouldn't be replaced, of course, but everyone has their own definition of abuse.

 

[gungatim]

Good. Hope everybody hates SK. That leaves more for me.

How about someone show me another ratchet that was built in 1934 that i can get a fresh new rebuild kit for from the manufacturer for free.

how does that work, when everyone says wear is not covered, nor is abuse. do they consider it a manufacturing defect after 80 years?

btw, I'm not bitching about the warranty, it is what it is, just saying that for the price, I generally buy tools I never have to worry about replacing if they wear or break. so I don't generally seek them out for that reason.

S-K are great tools, but the history of tool warranty's evolved to ensure people the tools they buy are not junk and will last their lifetime. when that goes away, there isn't as much value proposition. there are many other tool brands out there with equal quality for much less money.

 

[gdocktor3]

The bottom line is 9 times out of 10 they will replace it no matter what the reason may be. Unless you have a problem, don't worry about it. If and when the time comes you do need to warranty something, be professional and nice about it and you'll get your tool. People on here have bragged about finding tools completely rusted and corroded in their great grandfather's barn, yet Sk replaced them. Chrome sockets used on impact guns, bent ratchets or breaker bars, bent screwdrivers probably wouldn't be replaced, but other common issues will be.

 

[cliftonbros89]

As I stated earlier (post #10) SK replaced an obviously abused broken ratchet for me. I knew their warranty policy and I was almost afraid to send it in. But as I said, they sent me a new one no problem. This was just earlier last year. So I don't think it's as bad as some people think. I've had excellent experience with their customer service. Zero complaints.


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[mudflap]

I have found that the SK warranty situation varies by vendor.. Most will do or say whatever they have to..to avoid honoring the warranty.. There is a tool store about 15miles North of me..that will replace with no hassle.. I don't buy SK any more...who needs the drama..?

 

[6PTsocket]

I am a fan of SK because they are high quality, American made, and affordable. I have no problem recommending SK or Wright to other techs looking to get started in the trade. I do wish they had a larger distribution network including more trucks to compete with the big 3. They do seem to be picking up the pace with more innovative tools as well so I am glad to see that. I know plenty of older techs who have made a lifelong career using SK and swear by them. Hopefully this next generation helps them (as well as other American manufacturers) pick up the pace and keep producing high quality tools.

Buting from a truck may be convenient for those with businesse, with easy exchanges, finance, etc. But that is the primary reason that those tools are so expensive. I am not saying Snap On is not a great tool but, somebody has to pay for that means of distribution. If SK was primaraly distributed that way it would be equally expensive. Just look at the prices of the other truck brand tools



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[camd64]

Buting from a truck may be convenient for those with businesse, with easy exchanges, finance, etc. But that is the primary reason that those tools are so expensive. I am not saying Snap On is not a great tool but, somebody has to pay for that means of distribution. If SK was primaraly distributed that way it would be equally expensive. Just look at the prices of the other truck brand tools



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You do realize SK does have trucks just like Snap On, Mac, Matco, etc. right? Just not as many as I would like to see. Not to mention other brands like Gearwrench do as well. Also if that was one of the main reasons the cost would be less on say the snap on website vs. buying from an individual run truck.... but it isn't. In fact it often is just the opposite. I have bought off the truck and online over the years depending on what shop I was located at. Besides the fact that we are often looking at 3 times the cost in many cases as well as the sheer volume of tools being sold by a company like Snap On it doesn't make the argument for it.

 

[dr of mechanical wizardry]

I just took back a fifty year old older probably since it was in a set I got from my dad when he died and I'm 67, 9/16 deep socket than one of the new kids I work with figured to use as an impact socket. Cracked it. I wanted to crack his head. Called SK in Chicago told them what I had and they sent me a new one. All I had to do was take the old one to one of their warrantee reps and he sends it back probably when he gets enough stuff to warrant the use of the courier. Hope i'm around to see if the new one lasts half that long. Same with Gray Canada.
Wish I had kept my S-K Ratchets.

 

[openwheelracing88]

Just emailed SK about my 3/8 ratchet not working well. They are sending me a repair kit. I am very happy with their prompt response. Long live my SK ratchet!!! Love the handle.

 

[ttpete]

When you consider that the round head has two pawls rotating inside a toothed handle, vs the pear design that needs an extra bulge between the round part and the handle to accomodate a single pawl acting on a rotating gear, you will understand why the design is still popular. The lever ratchets have only recently gone to a double pawl by stacking one on top of the other, at the cost of extra height. The lever is quicker to reverse Ya pays yer money and makes yer choice. My old Williams ratchets have a really compact round head. I also have a lot of old SK and none of it is peeling or rusty. The finish is decent. It has not always been a requirement to look like SnapOn. Full polish wrenches were not always the norm. Williams was distributed as an industrial brand and never seen in an auto parts store. Pretty was not a requirement. Now it is SnapOn's Taiwan made, non- truck brand an prettier than the old stuff but probably no better. I have never busted a piece of Williamd either. SK went from just SK to SK Wayne to SK Dresser to SK Facom to just SK again to bankrupt to SK Ideal. The quality has been variable but today is as good as any with new designs being introduced.We could use a decent USA made brand in every hardware store at a moderate price but sadly there is none. SK today is anything but inexpensive.

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Back in the early 1960's when I began working for a living, I preferred SK ratchets. The Snap-Ons were still the old pattern with a very coarse ratchet action, and I found that they could be prone to disengaging at times. I couldn't trust them not to hurt me. Around 1965, the first SK roto ratchet appeared, and I bought one. It became my go-to ratchet for almost everything. I then acquired a long 1/2" drive SK, and they served me for many years. I had one air tool, an IR impact, because there wasn't really anything else invented yet. We did a lot of manual operations, and used speeder handles a great deal.

Back then, I used tools that worked for me. I didn't care about what the brand was as long as it did the job efficiently. I had a hard time affording Snap-On stuff, and only bought it when they were the only source for an item. Times were tough. The shop hourly rate was $6.50, and we got half of that for flat rate.

 

[raiderhillbilly]

how does that work, when everyone says wear is not covered, nor is abuse. do they consider it a manufacturing defect after 80 years?

btw, I'm not bitching about the warranty, it is what it is, just saying that for the price, I generally buy tools I never have to worry about replacing if they wear or break. so I don't generally seek them out for that reason.

S-K are great tools, but the history of tool warranty's evolved to ensure people the tools they buy are not junk and will last their lifetime. when that goes away, there isn't as much value proposition. there are many other tool brands out there with equal quality for much less money.

I don't buy tools for the warranty anyway. I have bought many SK ratchets at flea markets and pawn shops for less than 5 dollars each. I buy the rebuild kits at Autotoolworld.com for around 50 cents each. (I got 30 to make it worth the shipping)

http://www.autotoolworld.com/SK-Hand-Tools-42470-9-Rpr-Kit-Ratch-Prof-12Dr-NC_p_173725.html

 

[Derek420]

If you don't like S-K don't freagin buy it save it for someone like us who loves them to buy it and be happy with it. I've got a lot of older S-K and love every single piece never had a problem with any. IMO they are as good as any truck brand even a 40 yr old set. Looks don't get the job done or get you home when your stuck on the side of the road and it breaks. I bet the op don't even know what S-K stands for even.

 

[gdocktor3]

While we're on the topic, does anyone have a slim flex ratchet? What exactly is "slim" on it compared to the regular ratchet?

 

[gdocktor3]

I don't buy tools for the warranty anyway. I have bought many SK ratchets at flea markets and pawn shops for less than 5 dollars each. I buy the rebuild kits at Autotoolworld.com for around 50 cents each. (I got 30 to make it worth the shipping)[/url]

What do you do with all these ratchets? Fix them and sell them or do you keep them in your box and use a different one every day?

 

[Hiball]

While we're on the topic, does anyone have a slim flex ratchet? What exactly is "slim" on it compared to the regular ratchet?

3/8" in a 1/4" body.

 

[raiderhillbilly]

What do you do with all these ratchets? Fix them and sell them or do you keep them in your box and use a different one every day?

I have a problem. I use them but I have about 50 SK ratchets. About half are collectors types (Artisan, Western Giant, Mac, Chrome Alloy, JC Penney, Klein) SK made ratchets for many companies over the years.

 

[B_Bimmer]

I have a problem. I use them but I have about 50 SK ratchets. About half are collectors types (Artisan, Western Giant, Mac, Chrome Alloy, JC Penney, Klein) SK made ratchets for many companies over the years.

I would love to see a good picture of all those together. Have you ever done a thread on the variations you've got?

 

[raiderhillbilly]

I would love to see a good picture of all those together. Have you ever done a thread on the variations you've got?

I have not posted my collection. I need to do that. I will try to do that soon.

 

[TheGrooveking]

I started buying tools when I was 10 with my paper route money, and I bought S-K at my local Chicago western suburb Ace Hardware. I bought a 1/2" drive Metric set that only had shallow sockets, ratchet and 1 extension in a green metal box. From there until I was 16 all my birthday and Christmas presents from my parents were S-K tools, including a 6 drawer S-K chest (Remline).

And the 44 years since them I've bought a lot of tools, and have probably more than 90% of the S-K tools made. To me they were always the working class tools, and when Ideal rescued the S-K brand from obscurity they became hero's to me. They bought the remnants of a great company that was mismanaged and brought it back to what I think is its best yet.

TheGrooveking

 

[lbhsbz]

Been away from the thread for a bit. I finally got a couple SK extensions warrantied today through grainger (absolute PITA) ...here's old vs new



Look at the knurling and meat under the wobble end. (That's not from wear, they were like that when I bought them). New is much nicer. Old knurling is coarser, but is crappy and almost has less grip than the smooth surface. This set was bought only 10 years ago or so.

Here's an older socket from the set...lots are like this. This was Grampa's "@ home" tool set, so rarely saw use.



I don't often see lathe tool marks on even the cheapest sockets. Others look like they sandblasted before chrome plating instead of polished. These were likely purchased in the '70s.

If the rest of their current line is anything like the new extensions, I might give it a shot. Quality seems inconsistent thought

 

[Roberts210]

Here's my latest S-K score, from Harry Epstein.

Buttermilk says, "Stoopid Hooman. He can't eat it and he can't take a nap on it. What good is it?"

 

[Roberts210]

And the knurling is well done to my sense of touch. Not too sharp but easy to get a grip on it.

.

 

[Roberts210]

No tooling or lathe marks here:

Or on the flip side:

None here either:

 

[FlushingDIYer]

my god, look at her curves... what a piece of... steel!

 

[montanafordman]

It seems to me the complaints about inconsistency or blemishes directed toward SK are a little unfair. The same QC issues happen even at Snap-on although maybe its much more rare, and when it happens with cheaper brands and imports nobody cares because its almost expected. Look at the facts, SK is an american made brand and usually about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Snap-on. If you paid that much more than you might be less likely to have those issues.

If you see better quality on cheaper imports its often because they don't have healthcare, labor laws, labor unions, etc for their workers, EPA regulations for their factories, or as many middle men and distributors between the manufacturer and the retail store. (think of this when Lowe's or Harbor Freight can put in orders for 5,000 3/8 ratchets and economy of scale). They can pass savings on to you AND pass that savings onto more stringent quality control, more refined and automated production etc. That said I don't think Quality and Utility are lacking in SK one bit.

Bottom line is that even if there is a lathe mark, or a nick in that beautiful chrome, or if the bottom of my 1/4 inch ratchet handle isn't perfectly dome shaped it doesn't affect the tools usefulness or utility in one bit. I get joy out of USING my tools and they do their job well, and better than most. I support American industry buying them too. FWIW SK also stands behind their products and WILL replace nearly ANYTHING cosmetic about their tools also.

My SK tools are pretty dang nice and the stuff I inherited from my grandfathers on both sides of the family isn't as nicely finished as SK and other modern equivalents but they've been used on tractors, combines, farm trucks, and now I"m using them to restore my grandfathers 31 Model A so that's a pretty good testament to their usefulness after 50+ years! I've also bought new full 1/4 and 3/8 SK sets in metric and SAE, some extension sets and screwdrivers and I'm completely happy with all of it. The only unfortunate comparison I can draw with Snap-on is it doesn't say Snap-on. With that said I'm not making tool payments either.

 

[Roberts210]

my god, look at her curves... what a piece of... steel!

You are hilarious!!

 

[gungatim]

for all you S-K lovers/collectors, I just got 4 original tool boards at an auction. what do you think they are worth? would they be best left original or blasted and painted/powdercoated? i'll probably toss them on the for sale section when I pick them up...

 

[6PTsocket]

Regulations are all well and good but when they are issued by the pound and various agencies are tripping over each other to harrass you and you pay the highest corporate taxes in the entire world, I blame nobody for going off ahore. It is not so much greed as survival. The founder of Home Depot just said he could never do it today in the current environment. I also respect Ideal for what they did and I hope SK thrives but if we don't give American business a brake, it will only get worse.

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[Roberts210]

Ditto that 6pt. We are approaching a government by the government, for the government to screw the people.

One very large reason why I paid $135 for my S-K 3/4 breaker bar in the above picture, and not $50 for a Taiwan breaker bar from Home Depot is to support American jobs and American production.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

It seems to me the complaints about inconsistency or blemishes directed toward SK are a little unfair. The same QC issues happen even at Snap-on although maybe its much more rare, and when it happens with cheaper brands and imports nobody cares because its almost expected. Look at the facts, SK is an american made brand and usually about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of Snap-on. If you paid that much more than you might be less likely to have those issues.

If you see better quality on cheaper imports its often because they don't have healthcare, labor laws, labor unions, etc for their workers, EPA regulations for their factories, or as many middle men and distributors between the manufacturer and the retail store. (think of this when Lowe's or Harbor Freight can put in orders for 5,000 3/8 ratchets and economy of scale). They can pass savings on to you AND pass that savings onto more stringent quality control, more refined and automated production etc. That said I don't think Quality and Utility are lacking in SK one bit.

Bottom line is that even if there is a lathe mark, or a nick in that beautiful chrome, or if the bottom of my 1/4 inch ratchet handle isn't perfectly dome shaped it doesn't affect the tools usefulness or utility in one bit. I get joy out of USING my tools and they do their job well, and better than most. I support American industry buying them too. FWIW SK also stands behind their products and WILL replace nearly ANYTHING cosmetic about their tools also.

My SK tools are pretty dang nice and the stuff I inherited from my grandfathers on both sides of the family isn't as nicely finished as SK and other modern equivalents but they've been used on tractors, combines, farm trucks, and now I"m using them to restore my grandfathers 31 Model A so that's a pretty good testament to their usefulness after 50+ years! I've also bought new full 1/4 and 3/8 SK sets in metric and SAE, some extension sets and screwdrivers and I'm completely happy with all of it. The only unfortunate comparison I can draw with Snap-on is it doesn't say Snap-on. With that said I'm not making tool payments either.

Its hard to say whether its "fair" or not... most of my sockets at home are SK and Snap-On at work. I can attest to the same "flaws" that have been posted here. The "paint issue" is silly, but it truly is applied by a blind person I think. I can't say I've had the same experience with SO.

I also don't think SK is directly comparable to certain "tool-truck" brands. With SO I truly believe some of the additional cost goes to QC and finishes. Nothing wrong with SK and most of the flaws are cosmetic, but they also don't cost ANY near SO.

Problem is, people expect SO quality and not the price. Not everything SO-made is gold and whether its worth the $$ can be debated... Its not just SK, even the Wright wrenches I got have inconsistencies with box-end offset... One literally had no offset, which they replaced. The rest are varied and some beams are slightly curved, either they deem it acceptable (wide tolerance) or poorer QC. They work well, so I keep them.

 

[firworks]

Thought I'd drop this in here too. Neat old SK tool box I got off a guy on CL:
View media item 64912View media item 64913
I want to say I paid... 75$ for it? I can't quite re'nember.

 

[B_Bimmer]

Cool box, all my SK boxes are that textured green finish.

 

[Davefr]

Who said it was a manufacturing defect? I never did. high end tools carry lifetime warranty's for a reason, not jut limited to "manufacturing defects". half the reason people buy high end tools is so they can be warranted when they wear out...

For 99% of the tool manufacturers, the lifetime warranty is "defects in manufacturing and workmanship".

Sears is the exception since they cover "customer satisfaction".

Many of the tool manufacturers accept worn out tools simply to promote consumer goodwill. An example is ratchet rebuild kits.

However they have every right to enforce their warranty IMHO. (and should to keep cost down).

 

[openwheelracing88]

Yeah I was pleasantly surprised SK sent me a ratchet rebuild kit. My 3/8 Tuff 1 has been used to death (literally) and now I can bring it back to life. Amazing warranty coverage.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I have my share of SK tools... main reason is that it is "Good Stuff"

 

[Empty Pockets]

for all you S-K lovers/collectors, I just got 4 original tool boards at an auction. what do you think they are worth? would they be best left original or blasted and painted/powdercoated? i'll probably toss them on the for sale section when I pick them up...

Really nice, I've been looking for something along those lines. The fun would be filling them