SK Wrenches...opinions?

[bmwpower]

About ready to pull the trigger on the 19 piece set...any thoughts on SK wrenches? I've used to using Craftsman stuff. How do they compare? How do they feel in your hand?

http://www.atoolcrib.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=SKT86037

 

[eschoendorff]

You will like them. Go for it!

 

[kartracer55]

Nobody listens to me

Sk wrenches are pretty nice. The handle is pretty beefy on them, it tends to be squared off, but even so its nice. If youd like, I'll see if I can get a side by side side view of an SK and a craftsman later on for you. The SK stuff is thicker than craftsman and craftsman pro.

Jim

 

[Wolverine]

I have a set of stubies (metric & SAE). The handles are nice and thick!! The rest of my wrenches will be SK!

 

[bmwpower]

Nobody listens to me

Sk wrenches are pretty nice. The handle is pretty beefy on them, it tends to be squared off, but even so its nice. If youd like, I'll see if I can get a side by side side view of an SK and a craftsman later on for you. The SK stuff is thicker than craftsman and craftsman pro.

Jim

Yea, yea, I know. I've never seen one up close.

 

[kartracer55]

Ok, well I cant get a picture up tonight, sorry about that, this is takign longer than i was expecting. I *SHOULD* be able to get one tommorow for you, but I dont think youll be dissapoointed if you want to just order them now. If you really want to see, Ill try to get oen up for you.

Jim

 

[bmwpower]

Ok, well I cant get a picture up tonight, sorry about that, this is takign longer than i was expecting. I *SHOULD* be able to get one tommorow for you, but I dont think youll be dissapoointed if you want to just order them now. If you really want to see, Ill try to get oen up for you.

Jim

Don't worry about it Jim, I'm probably going to buy them tonight anyway. Thanks for offering though. If I really don't like them (which I doubt I will), I'm sure I could get some takers on here anyway.

 

[optikal]

can't go wrong with the SK wrenches. I love all of mine.

 

[bmwpower]

Just ordered them. Thanks guys!

 

[comp]

Just ordered them. Thanks guys!

let us know how you like them

 

[l_bilyk]

You will like them.

 

[bmwpower]

Not happy...

Just got my wrenches. I'm not happy. Here's the problems:

(1) I'm missing the 18mm wrench, probably due to...
(2) I have 2 - 14mm wrenches
(3) Various scratches on the wrenches. Normally this would not bother me, but the scratches are deep enough where I can see rusting/corrosion being a problem in the future.
(4) 2 wrenches are grossly bent. The 7 mm is bent enough that I can play see-saw with it on my desk. The 11mm is bent the opposite way.
(5) The 20mm wrench is also bent, but not as bad as the other 2.
(6) The 6mm is also bent (distorted), but not as bad as the other 2.
(7) The open end on some of the smaller wrenches does not have equal length "sides". I can potentially see this being a problem wrenching smaller fasteners.
(8) The wrenches are supposed to come with a rack. I got a roll...I have no use for a roll and was hoping for a rack.

These are more cosmetic issues, but something I wouldn't expect on nice wrenches:

(1) The 6mm wrench has a chunk out of the open end.
(2) The middle of the smaller wrenches is distorted. Looks like when they punched the SK logo, it pushed out the metal on the sides of the wrench.
(3) The 19mm has a chunk our of the closed end.

Some of these issues can be seen in the pictures below...

 

[REFLEXX]

And we wonder how china is kicking our ***. Look at this American "quality control"

 

[Uncle Buck]

Damn, That do ****, yes indeed it do! Hope they will take care of you, Who sold the POS to you?

 

[eschoendorff]

SEND 'EM BACK!!!! I feel so stupid... I told you you'd like them. Well, I've liked all tthe SK wrenches I've ever used. But for what you paid for them, those are unacceptable. SK makes nice stuff, you just got a bad set.

 

[bmwpower]

Damn, That do ****, yes indeed it do! Hope they will take care of you, Who sold the POS to you?

I bought them from A Tool Crib:

http://www.garagejunkies.net/showthread.php?t=2870

 

[l_bilyk]

I feel stupid too. I have NEVER seen an SK tool with a finish that bad. Someone really dropped the ball on this once. Thats unacceptable.

 

[kartracer55]

******** they are awful!(but how is the feel? was I right?) Something is seriously wrong there! The autoshop just got a set of wrenches about 2 weeks ago and they are totaly flawless. If I were you Id contact the guy who runs Atoolcrib and speak with him directly! Theres something wrong!


Jim

 

[kartracer55]

Well if anybody is interested, I gave SK my .02 on the subject of quality control (once again). I almost enjoy writing that sort of thing... I wrote about 5 when our fine congressmen were looking to close raceway park, Ive written a few to proto, a few to SK, a couple to a local buisness. Idk, I almost enjoy being a pain in the ***.

Of course, I had to add and chnage some stuff, so BMW, you are now "a dear friend of mine"

I have brought this issue up before, but a good friend of mine recently purchased a set of your wrenches, and All I can say is that I, and he even more, am I apauled at the quality control, or lack there of. I have always known SK to be a very high quality tool, but He could have bought offshore junk from harbor Frieght that looked better than this set. The set is a 6- 24 mm set, and to give you an Idea of what is wrong...

1. the 18mm wrench is missing, probably because...
2. there are 2 14 mm wrenches
3. there are deep scratches and gouges in the chrome
4. two of the wrenches are bent badly enough to rock back and forth when layed on a flat table, and each in opposite directions
5. there are 2 more wrenches that are slightly less bent
6.The jaws on a few of the wrenches do not have equal length sides
7. one wrench has a chunk missing from the top of one of the jaws
8. the middle of another wrench is badly distored, we figure because of too much pressure when stamping the SK logo.
9. My favorite is the chunk missing from one of the points on the 19mm box end.

The wrenches he recieved were absolutly atrocious. It is no understatement that cheap no name imported wrenches look like night and day when compared to these.

I wrote a similar letter concerning some sockets I bought a while back. Your quality control is slipping BADLY! and it will hurt you rather quickly if you do not do something about it. I am loosing confidence in a tool company I have trusted and bought so much from. I know I, as well as many others, am beginning to seek alternatives to SK because the quality of the tools is falling so rapidly. I cannot emphasize how important it is that this matter be addressed, please do not overlook this message!!

Regards
Jim"


Maybe it will get stuff done. I cant afford to buy only proto now because its like 2x as much as the Sk from www.thetoolwarehouse.net lol

Jim

 

[Luckydevil]

Hell Jim, send them a link to this thread so they can see the pics.

 

[kartracer55]

good idea... Ill either send them the link or the pictures themselves when they get back to me and ask to see (which I know they will)

Jim

 

[bmwpower]

Wait...so SK has quality control problems? You knew about this before and you let me buy the biggest SK set I could find (I think)?....haha

I even took back my 9 piece Craftsman Pro set I got for my birthday so I could afford the $180 SK set....

This kind of **** always happens to me...it's the story of my life.

 

[kartracer55]

Wait...so SK has quality control problems? You knew about this before and you let me buy the biggest SK set I could find (I think)?....haha

I even took back my 9 piece Craftsman Pro set I got for my birthday so I could afford the $180 SK set....

This kind of **** always happens to me...it's the story of my life.

Join the club


I have seen some of the knurling on newer tools and a few of them have looked like you know what. My 1/4 ratchet doesnt look all that great, the long 3/8 one is fine, both I have had for less than 3 months. 2 out of 7 ratchets in a few kits that the shop just got have crappy knurling on them


Jim

 

[GT350RC]

Just got my wrenches. I'm not happy. Here's the problems:

Totally unacceptable without question, and obviously I'll work with you until you're satisfied or refund your purchase price, whichever you prefer.

Unfortunately, I can't inspect every package that goes out the door, otherwise this would have never happened.

Give me a call or PM me and I'll arrange to have FedEx come stop by to pick up the package on my dime.

John

 

[l_bilyk]

Totally unacceptable without question, and obviously I'll work with you until you're satisfied or refund your purchase price, whichever you prefer.

Unfortunately, I can't inspect every package that goes out the door, otherwise this would have never happened.

Give me a call or PM me and I'll arrange to have FedEx come stop by to pick up the package on my dime.

John

for taking care of this

seriously though i have never seen SK tools with a finish this bad

 

[eschoendorff]

for taking care of this

seriously though i have never seen SK tools with a finish this bad

Eh, weird things happen. Probably just a fluke. John's sounding like he's gonna take care of it, life's good.

Hang in there, BMW. ***** that this happened to you this way, but I'm pretty confident that you'll dig the wrenches when all of this gets sorted out.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Traditionally SK quality has always been top shelf, I am sure this is a simple screw up. It also sounds like John is gonna take good care of you on this thing, in the end I am sure you will end up with the quality product you expected.

 

[bmwpower]

Yes, John has agreed to have the set sent back on his dime. I'm going with everyone's recommendation and I've requested another set. I'm still in shock over what I saw as I've never quite seen something this bad with ANY tool at any price. Even my kid thought the "see-saw" wrench was kinda funny.

I did like the feel of the wrenches, too. The squared edge I'm not crazy about, but I think I can get used to it.

I'm being optomistic. We'll see what happens.

 

[W-Cummins]

Eh, weird things happen. Probably just a fluke. John's sounding like he's gonna take care of it, life's good.

Nope one bad wrench in the set would be a "fluke" 5-6 is WAY beyond that. Just looking at the design of them I wouldn't want them even if the finish was good.

William...

 

[GT350RC]

The replacement set has gone out today, so the new set should arrive at your place tomorrow. I'm anxious to hear about the quality of the replacement set.

I had a customer order over $700 of SK tools last week, and I'm following up with him to see what he thought of the quality, but I would have thought if there was an issue, he would have let me know about it by now.

John

 

[kartracer55]

The rep from SK requested a photo, So I borrowed some from the site, and sent them to her. She said she wanted pictures to show "the appropriate management" Well see.

Jim

 

[pl_silverado]

This is why Snap-on is king

 

[milly]

You get what you pay for when it comes to tools. Give me Snap-On/Blue Point or Mac or Matco anyday. The other guys, SK, Craftsman, Husky, and other are ok, but the quality is not there every time.

 

[dink]

When I got my SK wrenches a few weeks ago.....the quality was perfect....I was very happy with them

 

[Uncle Buck]

Snap-On, Great tools, S--T warranty, nuff said

 

[GT350RC]

[ KartRacer: Tried responding to your PM, however your inbox is full and the system would not allow me to send you a reply]

Bottom line, is that Jim has contacted SK, and now they're REALLY interested in getting this straightened out - which is good for all of us in the end run. Jim: you can have SK give me a call if you'd like (888) 374-9274.

John

 

[cudacharlie]

Man, that sound really atypical. That set of wrenches has got to be a floor model or B-stock that somehow got mixed up with A-stock, or else was severely damaged in shipping somehow (?).

No way would that stuff slip by SK's q.c. department, right? Good to hear SK is freaking out and downloading pics and all.

BTW: I knew John would fix it up for you once he read this! Nice one aToolCrib! Good C.S.!

 

[kartracer55]

Sorry about the PM... I always forget to clear it out. I believe it will be Maria Gomez that is going to give you a call and ask that you send her the wrenches. At least they are looking into the matter.

Jim

 

[bmwpower]

Wrench saga, part deux

Well..I got the 2nd set of wrenches. So here we go:

(1) First thing I noticed was the 1 inch wrench. This is supposed to be a metric set.
(2) I'm missing the 23mm wrench.

More bent wrenches:

(3) The 20mm and the 21mm are bent in opposite directions. The 21mm is bent down (see-saw) and the 20mm is bent up. See obvious pict below.
(4) The 1 inch wrench above in (1) is bent SIDEWAYS (like a boomerang). I have no idea how this is possible. This wrench is big, but it's bent. I checked with a straightedge, but it's visible with the naked eye.
(5) The 22mm is bent slightly up.
(6) If you look at the side profile of some of the smaller wrenches, you can see how distorted and bent they are in the up/down direction. Bends appear to be a result of the logo/size stamping process.

Other stuff of note:

(7) The 9mm box end has what looks like either corrosion or a crack. See picture below. It's almost looks like it's all the way through the metal.
(8) The "pushed out metal near SK logo" is still apparent on the smaller wrenches. I've started to notice it on the some of the smaller wrenches size mark, ie. 9mm in particular. If you run 2 fingers down the sides of the wrench, you feel three distinct "humps".
(9) Open end jaws on a bunch of the smaller wrenches and some of the larger wrenches appear to be different lengths and or cut in irregular shapes....see picts.
(10) The tips of the open end on some of the wrenches are not straight...see picts.
(11) Some minor pitting here an there.
(12) Still have scratches here and there, not too deep, but very noticeable. These wrenches do NOT come with a rack (as stated on SK site and others), but they come with a roll. However, they are not shipped in the roll, but in a plastic bag all bunched together. Hey SK, putting the wrenches in the roll at the factory may help keep the wrenches in better condition.

Ok, now what? This just made my weekend....

 

[milly]

You just can't win, can you?? Didn't someone say that they would personally inspect the wrenchs before they were shipped?? Maybe some of the damage is shipping related?? Some may just be from stamping like you said, every wrench may look like that.