SK tools **everything** OUT OF STOCK!

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Vern_in_IL

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They are saying it is global supply issues, check back next April!!!! They are not selling any tools until the factory warehouse in PA is fully restocked.

That leaves Proto, Snap-on and Wright as the only American socket tool makers.
 
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wwillson said:
I don't know how you maximize profits when you have much of the usual overhead and have no revenue.
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You dump inventory and outsource all production to third world countries. You fulfill orders on a "as needed" basis and as we've seen, you offer no customer support beyond another off-shore call center. If S-K has no inventory then they're fulfilling zero warranty claims, generating zero cashflow, and relying on the parent company SHOP-VAC to keep the name alive. Shop-Vac is a Chinese owned corporation and a subsidiary of Great Star tools. Do you want to know their history or do you see the trend yet?
 
FowVay said:
You dump inventory and outsource all production to third world countries. You fulfill orders on a "as needed" basis and as we've seen, you offer no customer support beyond another off-shore call center. If S-K has no inventory then they're fulfilling zero warranty claims, generating zero cashflow, and relying on the parent company SHOP-VAC to keep the name alive. Shop-Vac is a Chinese owned corporation and a subsidiary of Great Star tools. Do you want to know their history or do you see the trend yet?
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I see what you are saying, but it sounds more to me like they are in very serious financial trouble and selling nothing for months is a good way to hemorrhage cash.
 
Didn’t realize SK Tools was still in business. First complete tool set I bought as a young tech in 1976 was SK. Augmented by Craftsman, MAC, and rarely Snap On. Only bought Snap On when no one else had what was needed. I recall a set of metric line wrenches around 1980. Are there SK tool trucks around? I have some broken sockets….
 
I'm certainly no tool acquisition expert but I would hazard a guess that the new inventory that does populate the coffers in April will have a high percentage of Chinese/Taiwan/India content. They sell at a high price based on the recognition of the name. This has been seen in numerous formerly famous tool brands. Once the quality is realized to be low the former strong reputation is ruined forever and the brand value is lost. The companies capitalize on the name recognition as long as they can and once the profits drop they sell it off to the highest bidder and it all starts over.
 
Hall said:
No idea how a company can bring in zero revenue for 6+ months and stay open
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They are supposedly filling orders to the wholesale suppliers. And they are filling warranty claims as well. Seems the webstore is the low priority for them.
 
SK is owned by a Chinese company now. Between that and their terrible customer service, they are my last pick in regards to “US made” tools.

I would probably rather have Tekton or Gearwrench at that point.
 
I buy used US made tools at ebay. Lots of the bargain quality tools there. So, I think this used tools I purchased will be around longer in a lifetime than I do :)
 
I pretty much wrote them off after the horrific LP90 ratchets. I wound up just scrapping my 3/8" flex head after two rebuild kits didn't fix it --- rebuild kits that took MONTHS to receive BTW. Simply not worth my time.

I think we all love the idea of SK -- or at least I do -- but the reality is that they just can't get it together. Whether it's design issues or supply chain issues or labor issues, they're destined for failure (again).
 
I used to love SK. Have a set of sockets from about 1980 that are still excellent.

But my most recent purchases have been very disappointing. My 3/8” flex head ratchet is the worst I’ve ever used, with a throw lever that is nearly impossible to operate. I’ve cleaned it, lubricated it, and it still takes a pair of pliers to break free now and then.

The sad part is that the 1/2” isn’t much better, so this isn’t a one-off experience. Their quality has dropped dramatically in the last few years. They’re building junk at a premium price.

I’m done with SK.
 
Astro14 said:
I used to love SK. Have a set of sockets from about 1980 that are still excellent.

But my most recent purchases have been very disappointing. My 3/8” flex head ratchet is the worst I’ve ever used, with a throw lever that is nearly impossible to operate. I’ve cleaned it, lubricated it, and it still takes a pair of pliers to break free now and then.

The sad part is that the 1/2” isn’t much better, so this isn’t a one-off experience. Their quality has dropped dramatically in the last few years. They’re building junk at a premium price.

I’m done with SK.
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Yep. I believe they designed the LP90 stuff from scratch and the frustrating thing is that this is not new technology. As a society we know how to build ratchets and ratcheting mechanisms.

And yet somehow SK managed to screw it up. I'd happily take the run-of-the-mill 72T Taiwanese mechanism and it will likely last for years and even decades of heavy use. Now 90T foreign mechanisms are also becoming common. Yet SK builds a 90T mechanism and somehow it's virtually unusable. It defies explanation
 
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