Olsa Tools Lesson Learned

T

Tio Loco

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Sorry this is so long, but I'm really frustrated.

I don't know how many have seen these tools, but they managed to catch my eye, in particular the 'push' ratchet combination wrenches. I really like ratchet combination wrenches, but if you own any of them, you know the issue with always guessing which way to orient the box end of the wrench to accomplish an operation (tighten/loosen). Seems I invariably guess wrong and have to flip it over. Anyway...

Olsa has addressed this issue with a 'push' technology which reverses the direction of the ratchet by just pushing the wrench toward the bolt and turning in the direction you want to go. It's pretty slick, and easier to use than it sounds like it would be. (There are videos on youtube.)

So, despite the lack of name brand recognition, I plunked down for a set. When they arrived I was impressed, not only that they worked as advertised, but they are beautifully done wrenches, very well finished, feel great in the hand, everything I like in a wrench. So far, so good.

We're in the process of moving, and I was remounting my lathe to it's home atop a 44" US General tool chest. It involves reaching inside the top drawer of the chest to tighten the mounting bolts. In what I consider a freak accident, my brand new Olsa 15mm wrench slipped and fell into the inside of the double end wall of the chest which is open at the very top. So now it's down a well at the bottom inside the chest wall with no access except the opening which swallowed it. I can't justify cutting holes in the tool chest just to retrieve a wrench.

Fiddled with a magnet on a string for a while with no luck whatsoever (I haven't given up yet), but I thought OK, just bite the bullet, contact Olsa, and purchase a replacement.

Received a very friendly and timely response from Olsa... sorry, we don't sell individual wrenches, just the sets. What? I asked how they handle warranty replacements, and if they have replacements for warranty, why won't they sell me a single wrench? Nope, for warranty they 'send' the entire set for replacement (meaning that they don't manufacture them).

I tried to shame them into helping me by pointing out that it appears that they are a marketing company, not a tool company, because a stand-up tool company would not operate this way. I also pointed out that every time I need a 15mm wrench, I will be cursing their name for their inflexibility, and that I would certainly never buy Olsa again, all to no avail.

I learned a lesson that I already knew about buying no-name tools. No matter how spiffy the product is and how much you like it at first blush, it's just junk without good customer service.
 
I can understand your frustration, but I think you're being a bit harsh on the company that you bought your wrenches from. Generally anything that is sold as a set and not as individuals won't have individual pieces for sale, the business just doesn't work that way. To get you a single wrench they'd have to break open a set and leave the others sitting on the shelf or they'd have to order a bunch of singles ahead of time to have the one on hand that you'd need. It's much simpler (and cheaper, believe it or not) to deal only in whole sets, both for sales and warranty.

Magnets are going to be tough as any that are strong enough to lift the wrench will want to stick to the wall of the chest. Have you tried with a couple of really strong magnets (like the ones out of hard drives) to get the wrench to stick to the wall of the chest from the outside? If you can do that, you should be able to slide it up the wall and fish it out from inside the chest.
 
@mattthemuppet2 I understand simpler and cheaper, I own a retail business, but really? For a warranty claim you have to return the entire set for replacement? They don't replace individual wrenches? Seems short sighted to me, especially for a new company trying to make a name for themselves. I understand that it's just one wrench from a set that was not super expensive, but especially in this day and age when businesses are suffering, customer service is the key to success. If I go above and beyond for a customer, they are more likely to spread the good word (as I would have done), than to whine (like I am doing).

I tried some rare earth magnets on the outside without any luck, but I have not given up. I'm thinking I can machine a UHMW sleeve for a magnet that will prevent contact with the wall of the chest and allow it to slide down the well. Of course, I could also remove the lathe, remove the drawers and turn the whole chest upside down, but I'm not ready to go that far at this time.
 
You might try a USB bore camera and a long flexible retriever. A wire with a hook on the end may be able to catch the socket for retrieval as well.
 
I agree, but that's just the new model for retail. You either buy a bunch of spares at extra cost (and inventory/ tax costs), you break up a set and lose the difference between the individual and the set price or you sell a new set. Most places with a good rep for CS do either the first (eg. PM on here) or the second. Either way, that adds to the overhead which has to be paid for somehow, through higher prices or lower profits.

The plastic sleeve with magnet in it sounds like a good plan, nice thinking!
 
@Nogoingback except for the fact that there's a PM 1022 bolted to the top, 13 drawers full of stuff, and it weighs 300lb empty, I would agree.

@RJSakowski Good idea. Found a $9 semi-rigid one on Amazon with fairly good ratings, and it includes a hook attachment, so I'll give that a go.
 
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