KnurledNut
Well-known member
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Tekton Price Increase Notification
- Thread starter KnurledNut
- Start date
JoeMcGov
Well-known member
Expect another one of these notices, oh, around August/September. We got a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go.
bigredcornhead
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2011
- Messages
- 433
we are seeing this already i paid 39 bucks for 6point half inch metric and standard deep wells, now both sets are over $100!!! It was nice while it lasted!
toddmorr
Well-known member
Lots of alternatives to tekton, at better pricing too.
Yup, they used to be good value for money...now they're sometimes even more pricey than Gearwrench and other mid tier tools for instance.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Doesn't make sense to pay more for them than GW when you know GW will be around in 15 years to back up their warranty.
A couple of years ago I was getting ready to buy their 84 piece 1/2 drive 6 points socket set. It was 184. Then suddenly they raised the price to $21x. I was pretty sad. But suddenly one day a guy was selling it for $150 on CL. So I just paid up without bargaining. Seeing the same thing is now $260 and will increase again soon seems unreal
Just priced out 1/2 socket sets, checked all the usual suspects
Tekton definitely has a appealing set and good website, but end of the day I went with a GW set I found at a much better price.
also, havent most indicators shown that things are stabilizing? Tekton is no Festool, annual increases will not be embraced
Tekton definitely has a appealing set and good website, but end of the day I went with a GW set I found at a much better price.
also, havent most indicators shown that things are stabilizing? Tekton is no Festool, annual increases will not be embraced
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
It seems that as Tekton has become more popular they have been having more supply and pricing issues. ***** for sure and as has been noted there are plenty of other brands to find Taiwan-sourced sockets and ratchets. To be fair though, every freaking place has jacked their prices up so it has been a rough time for people needing tools.
captain14
Well-known member
Maybe it’s time to cash out the saved rewards money before the price increases again. I don’t have much there but hate to lose the value.
LWB
Well-known member
Until that particular contract with HD is fulfilled and then you will likely see an increase. Then again, the world just might return to normal (lol)
BarrelRoll
Well-known member
Thanks for the update, guess it's time to figure out if I'm going to pull the trigger on a couple things before the 1st. None of the hikes are crazy, less than $20 on a $600 angle wrench set though it's still a price increase.
Draftpick1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2018
- Messages
- 326
In your opinion what 3 brands would you say are equal in quality that are cheaper?
Lt CHEG
Well-known member
In my opinion GearWrench is not comparable to the quality of Tekton, and I no longer own much of anything from either company. Tekton also has at least some USA made tools which makes them worthy of a higher price. I have never thought GearWrench was anything special and since they’ve gone almost completely to Chinese manufacture instead of Taiwan, I wouldn’t buy any of their products if they were 95% off. Tekton is a step above. They might be overpricing themselves still but in my opinion GearWrench is not a real competitor.
uncwstudent
Well-known member
Check out Icon. I know that people like to complain about HF but the Icon stuff is really good. The bit ratchet, extensions, dead blow hammers, and pliers that I've bought have been fantastic. With the coupons, you usually get really good deals and the warranty is obviously fantastic.
I used to really like Tekton but the price increases have totally turned me off to their tools. I also used to hate Harbor Freight, but the introduction of the Icon line and my experience with them has changed that. Good mid-tier stuff for reasonable prices and a lifetime walk-in warranty.
GW has a lot of USA made tools. People just don't pay a lot of attention to them. I hope someone can have a compilation. I can think of hose pliers, feeling gauge, brass hammers, brass punches, spark plug gauge etc.
Also quality wise, the GW-made Husky ratchets are every bit as good as brands that sounds more professional. lol.
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toddmorr
Well-known member
Start with Capri. Check their website and it's apparent they are pursuing a tekton strategy, and for good reason, it worked well for tekton.
Then move on to the other Taiwan guys in Amazon or wherever. Very few are differentiated, like say Astro.
Btw, if I were tekton I'd push the pricing as hard as I could also, try to capitalize on my brand investments over the last couple years. But doesn't mean we gotta buy it either..
Except Icon isn't a bargain either. I'm not going to compare the entire catalogs, but just comparing 12-14" 3/8 flex head ratchets, Tekton is $44, Icon is $54. Yeah, I know, occasional coupons, ease of warranty.....
We've been spoiled with cheap tools and now that prices are increasing, people are complaining. Fine, don't buy Tekton, buy something else. And then complain when those prices increase and repeat.
I bought a couple of Gearwrench ratchets before Christmas. I looked at some additional ratchets about a month later, same website, and prices had increased ~20% on what I'd bought, and also priced out for a future purchase. Yes, about a 20% increase. But since GW never sent out a notice to GJ members, I didn't see anyone complaining here.
I agree with Lt. Cheg about Gearwrench going to poop. I picked up some Chinese made Gearwrench wrenches to fill in the gaps in my metric set. They were very poor quality compared to my older made in Taiwan Gearwrench tools. Here is an example of one from before I returned them.
Which one is which?I agree with Lt. Cheg about Gearwrench going to poop. I picked up some Chinese made Gearwrench wrenches to fill in the gaps in my metric set. They were very poor quality compared to my older made in Taiwan Gearwrench tools. Here is an example of one from before I returned them.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Luckily I don't need any Tekton stuff unless they come out with something new that I can't live without. 
The price increase might be understandable but, I worry that it's a ploy to increase sales 
I'm still disappointed in Tekton not being able to offer ratcheting wrenches while VIM is coming out with new ones 
One thing I like about Capri and Icon is that you get some items made by great Taiwan tool companies that you don't often see here. Capri long zero offset box end wrench sets come to mind and those really long combination reversible ratcheting wrench sets from Icon. The Icon pliers with the 30% off sale recently was pretty nice.
I don't know what to think about Gearwrench these days. They're making more tools in Vietnam lately and finishing them in the PRC. quality seems to be hit or miss. SATA seems to expanding their offerings here. I think Powerbuilt Pro has priced themselves out of the flex head ratchet market. Genius tools doesn't seem to be doing much lately. Tekton has to be careful though. They can price themselves right out of the midgrade tool market.
The price increase might be understandable but, I worry that it's a ploy to increase sales I'm still disappointed in Tekton not being able to offer ratcheting wrenches while VIM is coming out with new ones One thing I like about Capri and Icon is that you get some items made by great Taiwan tool companies that you don't often see here. Capri long zero offset box end wrench sets come to mind and those really long combination reversible ratcheting wrench sets from Icon. The Icon pliers with the 30% off sale recently was pretty nice.
I don't know what to think about Gearwrench these days. They're making more tools in Vietnam lately and finishing them in the PRC. quality seems to be hit or miss. SATA seems to expanding their offerings here. I think Powerbuilt Pro has priced themselves out of the flex head ratchet market. Genius tools doesn't seem to be doing much lately. Tekton has to be careful though. They can price themselves right out of the midgrade tool market.
OP
KnurledNut
Well-known member
The flex joint on that 9mm doesnt inspire a lot of confidence...Which one is which?
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
What about Harbor Freight?
Farmall450
Well-known member
Elaborate
Farmall450
Well-known member
Fortunately Sears is not the sole proprietor of Craftsman. Store /= brand.
Which clarifies my point. None of us know who is going to be here in 15 years to warrant their tools. I have no dog in the fight. I have quite a few Tekton tools but really don't need anything they offer at the moment. To each their own but I really don't expect any company to warrant a 15 year old tool.
Farmall450
Well-known member
I don't think you're picking up what I'm putting down. If Tekton itself is struggling, then regardless of store(s) sold at, warranty = nil.
Craftsman is a huge brand that is not the OEM mfger. I fully expect to be able to warranty cman in 15 years. Same with Gearwrench, Crescent (via Apex), Performance Tools, Carlyle, Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwell...even if the former have "name changes" or "brand consolidation" they're backed by large parent companies that would give you the next best thing.
VolvoRyan
Well-known member
I'd still rather pay a bit more for a known-commodity like Tekton, than deal with brands that play a bit fast and loose with their suppliers. Look at GearWrench.... well, don't look at GearWrench..... everything I've bought from GearWrench in the last few years has been a frustration.
I just looked, and Tekton is still pretty cheap for what you get.
-Ryan
I just looked, and Tekton is still pretty cheap for what you get.
-Ryan
Ton ton
Well-known member
When it comes to breaking cheap ratcheting wrenches. I break them right on the beam not on the flex joint. Your mileage may vary. I too like gear wrench because of easy brick and mortar store availability.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
Meaning Harbor Freight will likely be around for a number of years. They are another option as well.
Some have complained about the Gearwrench warranty. I had a ratcheting wrench break and it wasn't an issue though.
I think he picked it up better then you understood his
First, nobody has said or proved Tekton is struggling.
Also, banking on the idea Craftsman or any of these brands will be around indefinitely is a gamble for sure. Look at the numerous big brands that have gone down in the past decade.
It wouldnt be a stretch for Craftsman to change the Warranty policy to exclude lifetime, that is a very real possibility. Look at how Home Depot has changed their returns policy, same with REI, Eddie Bauer, etc...
Nothing is certain, take your chances where you want. Buying quality first is usually better then banking on warranties later
Harbor Freight isn't that elaborate. I've seen people in coveralls there.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Hey, just to see what all of the knashing of teeth was about, I visited Tekton's website today. Prices aren't going up on everything but, prices are increasing on most things from a couple bucks a ratchet and a pair of pliers, to like $5 a wrench set, more on the larger sets like the 42-50 mm combination wrench set is increasing $21 but, if you work on nuts that big, the set is probably still a bargain. I hopped over to Capri's website to a little price comparing. if you take the 6-24 mm wrench set as an example, Capri wants $149.99 for the set whether it's in a nice roll or a foam cut tray. Tekton wants $110 for the same size wrench set in the wrong colored plastic wrench rack. Tekton's set price will jump to $115 on 2/1/23 but it's still cheaper that Capri's set. If anyone has purchased Capri's and Tekton's combination wrenches, they could be twins aside from the name stamped on the wrench. 
It ***** that prices are going up but, it could always be worse. I'm watching to see if Tekton continues to release new products. I don't see any indication that Tekton is struggling. Time will tell 
It ***** that prices are going up but, it could always be worse. I'm watching to see if Tekton continues to release new products. I don't see any indication that Tekton is struggling. Time will tell Farmall450
Well-known member
I'm sure they will be. The brands might change, but the only risk there is they're only house-brand tools (same risk a Tekton store, for example, might have).