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Yes, it IS sad to see well respected brands decline in quality!
=20
Re: =E2=80=9CAlthough the core Backyard Buddy lift is still made in the =
US of US steel, many of the ancillary components now are imported and it =
only says "assembled in USA" instead of "made in USA." The substituted =
imported parts are not up to the quality of the Backyard sold by Steel =
City. =E2=80=9C
=20
I have to assume the domestic companies ARE getting what they are =
ordering from the foreign suppliers, raising the question of why are =
they either [1] specifying lower quality, or [2] specifying higher =
quality but accepting lesser goods?
=20
-----------------------------------
All the best,
=20
Al Fuller
=20
From: Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces@autox.team.net> On Behalf Of old =
dirtbeard
Sent: Thursday, January 4, 2024 4:27 PM
To: eric@megageek.com
Cc: Shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] SK breaker bar Saga (the final update)
=20
I am very sorry to hear this, Moose. I too have been a loyal SK customer =
for over 50 years. I have a very larage collection of tools from them.
=20
I know that they were purchased in 2021 by Hangzhou GreatStar =
Industrial, a Chinese conglomerate. I believe that some/most of the =
manufacturing is still done here, but it is no longer an American =
company.
=20
For new purchases I believe Proto and Wright still are US-made and =
owned, but things changs.
=20
I bought a Backyard Buddy 4-post automotive lift in 2019 that was =
wonderful. It was made by Steel Valley Lifts. I ordered another one last =
month, but now it is owned by Advantage Lifts which sells imported lifts =
as well.=20
=20
Although the core Backyard Buddy lift is still made in the US of US =
steel, many of the ancillary components now are imported and it only =
says "assembled in USA" instead of "made in USA." The substituted =
imported parts are not up to the quality of the Backyard sold by Steel =
City.=20
=20
I truly hate to see this degradation of quality happen to really good =
American tool companies. I guess I am just glad that I have most of the =
tools now that I will ever need.
=20
best,
=20
doug
=20
On Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 2:16=E2=80=AFPM <eric@megageek.com =
Well, in Oct, my SK breaker bar broke. =20
I couldn't find any phone numbers or anything, just a website to fill =
out some info.=20
After putting in a claim for the "breaker bar repair kit", I waited =
almost a month, nothing. Then I posted here and others expressed their =
dissatisfaction with SK as well.=20
I finally found an email and sent them one asking if they received my =
claim. They stated that they did not have it.=20
I resubmitted it, waited 2 days and emailed again. Again, they said =
they didn't have it.=20
Then about a day later, they sent me an email stated they DID have it, =
but they didn't see it because the email address (I have no idea what =
that meant.)=20
But they also said that I would have to send them the broken tool in for =
a replacement, since the kit wasn't available.=20
So I spend about $12 sending it in (with all the postal tracking and =
such.)=20
About 2 weeks AFTER I confirmed they received it, I sent another email. =
Nothing.=20
Then, I get an invoice for the shipping of the new tool to me for $8 =
about 4 days later. I pay it within an hour of getting it.=20
About a week later, I get a message saying they received my payment and =
will be shipping out the replacement. Now, this was about mid Dec. So =
I hoped they would get it in the mail sooner before the holidays.=20
Nope, they waited until the new year to ship it. Since the place is =
only about 4 hours away from me in PA, it only took 2 days to get it. =
So I now have my new SK breaker bar.=20
Note, in all my emails to them I expressed how much I loved SK tools, =
and how I relied on my breaker bar and how I would have to buy a cheap =
one to use in the meantime if it was going to take a while to replace.=20
In the end, I am not at all happy. American tool companies used to be =
worth the extra price. However, I know that if I had a cheap Home Depot =
Rigid one and walked into a store with it broken, I would walk out with =
a new one.=20
The other thing is that I had to pay the shipping BOTH WAYS. Really? =
If they didn't like the photos I sent, they could have paid for the =
shipping one way at least! I mean, $20 isn't going to break me, but it =
is a drop in the bucket for a company that charges a MAJOR premium for =
tools. And to have me without a tool for over 3 months! I mean if I =
was making my living with their tools, I would have been starving.=20
I will NO LONGER buy SK tools. I hope they are happy. If any of them =
break, I'm headed to a local Lowes and replacing them with their house =
brands (they used to do that in the past at least.)=20
Anyway, just wanted to let all of you know what happened with the bar.=20
Moose _______________________________________________
Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk =
http://autox.team.net/archive
http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/dirtbeard@gmail.com
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vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'word-wrap:break-word'><div =
class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal>Yes, it IS sad to see well =
respected brands decline in quality!<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Re: =
=E2=80=9C<span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Although the core Backyard =
Buddy lift is still made in the US of US steel, many of the ancillary =
components now are imported and it only says "assembled in =
USA" instead of "made in USA." The substituted imported =
parts are not up to the quality of the Backyard sold by Steel =
City. =E2=80=9C<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>I have to assume the =
domestic companies ARE getting what they are ordering from the foreign =
suppliers, raising the question of why are they either [1] specifying =
lower quality, or [2] specifying higher quality but accepting lesser =
goods?</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>-----------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>All the best,<o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal>Al =
Fuller<o:p></o:p></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div =
style=3D'border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in =
0in 0in'><p class=3DMsoNormal><b>From:</b> Shop-talk =
<shop-talk-bounces@autox.team.net> <b>On Behalf Of </b>old =
dirtbeard<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 4, 2024 4:27 =
PM<br><b>To:</b> eric@megageek.com<br><b>Cc:</b> =
Shop-talk@autox.team.net<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Shop-talk] SK breaker =
bar Saga (the final update)<o:p></o:p></p></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>I am very sorry to =
hear this, Moose. I too have been a loyal SK customer for over 50 years. =
I have a very larage collection of tools from =
them.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=3DMsoNormal>I =
know that they were purchased in 2021 by<span =
style=3D'font-family:Roboto;color:#111111'> Hangzhou GreatStar =
Industrial, a Chinese conglomerate. </span><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'> I believe that some/most of the =
manufacturing is still done here, but it is no longer an American =
company.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>For new =
purchases I believe Proto and Wright still are US-made and owned, =
but things changs.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>I bought a Backyard =
Buddy 4-post automotive lift in 2019 that was wonderful. It was made by =
Steel Valley Lifts. I ordered another one last month, but now it is =
owned by Advantage Lifts which sells imported lifts as =
well. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Although the core =
Backyard Buddy lift is still made in the US of US steel, many of the =
ancillary components now are imported and it only says "assembled =
in USA" instead of "made in USA." The substituted =
imported parts are not up to the quality of the Backyard sold by Steel =
City. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>I truly hate to see =
this degradation of quality happen to really good American tool =
companies. I guess I am just glad that I have most of the tools now that =
I will ever need.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>best,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>doug</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=3DMsoNormal>On =
Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 2:16=E2=80=AFPM <<a =
href=3D"mailto:eric@megageek.com";>eric@megageek.com</a>> =
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote =
style=3D'border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in =
6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Well, in Oct, =
my SK breaker bar broke. </span> <br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I couldn't =
find any phone numbers or anything, just a website to fill out some =
info.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>After putting =
in a claim for the "breaker bar repair kit", I waited almost a =
month, nothing. Then I posted here and others expressed their =
dissatisfaction with SK as well.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I finally =
found an email and sent them one asking if they received my claim. =
They stated that they did not have it.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I resubmitted =
it, waited 2 days and emailed again. Again, they said they didn't =
have it.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Then about a =
day later, they sent me an email stated they DID have it, but they =
didn't see it because the email address (I have no idea what that =
meant.)</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>But they also =
said that I would have to send them the broken tool in for a =
replacement, since the kit wasn't available.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>So I spend =
about $12 sending it in (with all the postal tracking and such.)</span> =
<br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>About 2 weeks =
AFTER I confirmed they received it, I sent another email. =
Nothing.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Then, I get an =
invoice for the shipping of the new tool to me for $8 about 4 days =
later. I pay it within an hour of getting it.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>About a week =
later, I get a message saying they received my payment and will be =
shipping out the replacement. Now, this was about mid Dec. =
So I hoped they would get it in the mail sooner before the =
holidays.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Nope, they =
waited until the new year to ship it. Since the place is only =
about 4 hours away from me in PA, it only took 2 days to get it. =
So I now have my new SK breaker bar.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Note, in all =
my emails to them I expressed how much I loved SK tools, and how I =
relied on my breaker bar and how I would have to buy a cheap one to use =
in the meantime if it was going to take a while to replace.</span> =
<br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In the end, I =
am not at all happy. American tool companies used to be worth the =
extra price. However, I know that if I had a cheap Home Depot =
Rigid one and walked into a store with it broken, I would walk out with =
a new one.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The other =
thing is that I had to pay the shipping BOTH WAYS. Really? =
If they didn't like the photos I sent, they could have paid for the =
shipping one way at least! I mean, $20 isn't going to break me, =
but it is a drop in the bucket for a company that charges a MAJOR =
premium for tools. And to have me without a tool for over 3 =
months! I mean if I was making my living with their tools, I would =
have been starving.</span> <br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>I will NO =
LONGER buy SK tools. I hope they are happy. If any of =
them break, I'm headed to a local Lowes and replacing them with their =
house brands (they used to do that in the past at least.)</span> =
<br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Anyway, just =
wanted to let all of you know what happened with the bar.</span> =
<br><br><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Moose</span> =
_______________________________________________<br><br><a =
href=3D"mailto:Shop-talk@autox.team.net"; =
target=3D"_blank">Shop-talk@autox.team.net</a><br>Donate: <a =
href=3D"http://www.team.net/donate.html"; =
target=3D"_blank">http://www.team.net/donate.html</a><br>Suggested =
annual donation $12.96<br>Archive: <a =
href=3D"http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk"; =
target=3D"_blank">http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk</a> <a =
href=3D"http://autox.team.net/archive"; =
target=3D"_blank">http://autox.team.net/archive</a><br><br>Unsubscribe/Ma=
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rd@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></body></html>
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Shop-talk@autox.team.net
Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk http://autox.team.net/archive
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