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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Yes, it IS sad to see well respected brands decline in quality!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Re: “<span style='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. “<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>-----------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All the best,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Al Fuller<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I know that they were purchased in 2021 by<span style='font-family:Roboto;color:#111111'> Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial, a Chinese conglomerate. </span><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='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=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>best,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>doug</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 2:16 PM <<a href="mailto:eric@megageek.com">eric@megageek.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Well, in Oct, my SK breaker bar broke. </span> <br><span style='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='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='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Moose</span> _______________________________________________<br><br><a href="mailto:Shop-talk@autox.team.net" target="_blank">Shop-talk@autox.team.net</a><br>Donate: <a href="http://www.team.net/donate.html" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/donate.html</a><br>Suggested annual donation $12.96<br>Archive: <a href="http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk</a> <a href="http://autox.team.net/archive" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/archive</a><br><br>Unsubscribe/Manage: <a href="http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/dirtbeard@gmail.com" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/shop-talk/dirtbeard@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></body></html>