Favorite ratchet and why
- Thread starter bsaint
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waterboy12
Well-known member
1/4 matco 88 and my flf80
Jawn
Well-known member
Seems popular. I got one when they were cheap from Grainger ($28 shipped), used it a few times since... no complaints.
For me, I'd say my favorite is a recent acquisition - the SK 43875 "Tuff-1" roto ratchet. Fine tooth, and the roto-ratchet style is really handy... quick transition from ratcheting a bolt out like normal to using it like a spinner handle once it gets loose enough.
RCStocker
Well-known member
It seems there are a lot of SK fans out there. I think they are great tools.
Sense I have been buying and selling tools for so many years and that my 4 sons and 5 grandsons always want tools they don't stay around very long. I keep a box in both shops with tools they can take. When I have tryed out a ratchet I toss it in and go onto the next one. I don't care which one I use. They all get the job done but the one I will not part with is my old Craftsman VF 1/2" with the brass quick relase. It is so smooth. I got it back in the 70's sometime. I have used it on farm machinery, trucks, cars and I take it along on the construction site if I need to tighten bolds on brackets. After all these years it is still very tight It is almost as smooth as my snap-on 80 tooth. I like the oval flat handle. It does not turn in my hand. It gets a little leverage. If my hads are greese or have oil on them the round handled ones seem to turn around in my hand with a large socket. I never readjust my hand to get a better grip. I might be the only one that likes the old Craftsman but if you get a chance to pick up a VF Craftsman do it and give it a turn. You will be very pleased and supprised. I do like my Snap-on 3/8" fine tood swive l head. It will get into places others will not.
Sense I have been buying and selling tools for so many years and that my 4 sons and 5 grandsons always want tools they don't stay around very long. I keep a box in both shops with tools they can take. When I have tryed out a ratchet I toss it in and go onto the next one. I don't care which one I use. They all get the job done but the one I will not part with is my old Craftsman VF 1/2" with the brass quick relase. It is so smooth. I got it back in the 70's sometime. I have used it on farm machinery, trucks, cars and I take it along on the construction site if I need to tighten bolds on brackets. After all these years it is still very tight It is almost as smooth as my snap-on 80 tooth. I like the oval flat handle. It does not turn in my hand. It gets a little leverage. If my hads are greese or have oil on them the round handled ones seem to turn around in my hand with a large socket. I never readjust my hand to get a better grip. I might be the only one that likes the old Craftsman but if you get a chance to pick up a VF Craftsman do it and give it a turn. You will be very pleased and supprised. I do like my Snap-on 3/8" fine tood swive l head. It will get into places others will not.
Chadwilliam1
Well-known member
I am surprised nobody has said an air ratchet.
Toolman12
Well-known member
As i do a lot of interior work i use my SO fc72 1/4 body 3/8 drive ratchet and my So flf80 flex head the most. Smooth action and low 4.5 arc make these my go to ratchets
RCStocker
Well-known member
I for one never thought of it. Good point.
I have them but never seem to use them. It is always one or w bolts here and there. I use one when I take an engine apart or am taking a lot of things apart.
emeraldcoupe
Well-known member
these are my favorite ratchets, they just feel right.
Chadwilliam1
Well-known member
I have an Ingersoll 1/4, I really like it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002ZZPY2W/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
willhollin
Well-known member
Facom 3/8" CDX ratchet.
Jawn
Well-known member
I have an older version of that (got it at a pawn shop for $20), while it's real handy at times it's not my favorite ratchet.
TwoInch
Well-known member
rt dak
Well-known member
I seem to reach for my Cornwell JR30 the most. Even though it's only 30 tooth it feels butter smooth with some RLL and I love the handle.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
I wouldn't be surpise if my air ratchets are rusted tight, I bet I haven't use them in years. I put miles on my cordless ratchet about everyday.
Badasssapper67
Well-known member
As for the 3/8ths, My Craftsman 943796 is my go to ratchet.
zakmartin
Well-known member
If I had to choose one, I'd choose my 1/2" Craftsman -v- RP ratchet that my dad bought in the mid-1970's and gave to me when he moved across the country in 1989 (he was a federal agent, so we moved around a lot. I stayed behind for college).
The ratchet is the old pear-shaped RP that has the oil port on the top (which has never been used). It was my first tool, it feels completely solid in my hand, has tasted my blood and has felt my pain. It is my Excalibur. The old RP has never let me down and it's the only tool I own that has a soul because it's been with me since the beginning and it's the only hand tool that was ever gifted to me.
Do I own better wrenches? Probably. More useful ones? Absolutely. But every time I pick up my 1/2" Craftsman -v- RP, it feels right. It's hard to explain, but everything I ever learned about engines, I learned with that wrench.
My dad was going through my toolbox a few months ago and came across "his" old wrench and asked, "Do you still use this? You have a lot of nice new tools in here." I told him, "Forget it. You're not getting it back." Then I turned on the radio, put his car on jack stands and changed out his diff fluid. While I was under the car, I told him, "You're too old to be wrenching anyway."
He kicked me in the foot and slid me a beer. It was a good day.
The ratchet is the old pear-shaped RP that has the oil port on the top (which has never been used). It was my first tool, it feels completely solid in my hand, has tasted my blood and has felt my pain. It is my Excalibur. The old RP has never let me down and it's the only tool I own that has a soul because it's been with me since the beginning and it's the only hand tool that was ever gifted to me.
Do I own better wrenches? Probably. More useful ones? Absolutely. But every time I pick up my 1/2" Craftsman -v- RP, it feels right. It's hard to explain, but everything I ever learned about engines, I learned with that wrench.
My dad was going through my toolbox a few months ago and came across "his" old wrench and asked, "Do you still use this? You have a lot of nice new tools in here." I told him, "Forget it. You're not getting it back." Then I turned on the radio, put his car on jack stands and changed out his diff fluid. While I was under the car, I told him, "You're too old to be wrenching anyway."
He kicked me in the foot and slid me a beer. It was a good day.
xbeatles4x
Well-known member
I just purchased a craftsman premium 1/2 ratchet. It just feels right in my hand. It is the best feeling ratchet I have ever felt. Well then again it should be for $70
Conductor562
Well-known member
fourtythree
Well-known member
My favorite 1/2" is my Napa RHFT, same thing as the Craftsman/Easco version. My favorite 3/8 is probably my KD RHFT, or my SK "tough 1".
metaleltr
Well-known member
Snap On SHLF80A
You want to talk torque this thing has it!
You want to talk torque this thing has it!
Hank McMauser
Well-known member
I like the s-k's both the original round heads and the tuff 1 series, they are fine tooth and smooth,almost like winding a good watch.
The indestro round heads with the tri wing selector are pretty nice too, I've found three of them this summer,one of them is a western auto "wizard"with a flattened panel handle, the other 2 have the round knurled handles,and are marked duro, and indestro select
The indestro round heads with the tri wing selector are pretty nice too, I've found three of them this summer,one of them is a western auto "wizard"with a flattened panel handle, the other 2 have the round knurled handles,and are marked duro, and indestro select
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You should, you turned me on to them. Many thanks again sir.
FiendFX
Well-known member
Snap-On FLF80 & TF72. One for leverage and strength, other is for tight spots/light duties.
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5mall5nail5
Well-known member
Just bought a FHD80 in green, hoping it becomes my favorite!
Hank McMauser
Well-known member
they are probably just fine...remember half of us are old vintage tool junkies and the majority of the rest have been drinking the Snap-on kool-aid
RatchetMan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2011
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The Snapon F80. Just used it the other day to get into a tight spot in the engine compartment and the fine tooth design enables me to actually turn the nut with hardly any room to work. IMO, there's no reason to fool with any other ratchet when it comes to fixing stuff.
Chadwilliam1
Well-known member
my 88 tooth Armstrong is top notch. I just cant really pick a favorite. I like every ratchet I have for different reasons and if I didn't like it i wouldn't keep it in my box.
I love my 3/8" Armstrong 88 tooth ratchet, only had it a few weeks now so the old craftsman professional flex handle is still my favorite, but the Armstrong is super smooth and will probably become my favorite as I get more use out of it.
gfc62
Well-known member
My grandfather died in the early 1970s and I got a bunch of his tools. He was a retired fleet mechanic for the county government. He didn't have a single metric tool in the whole lot! His ratchets were SK round heads from the late 50s and early 60s. I used those ratchets working as a mechanic in the late 70s and 80s.
Where I worked back then no one had SK tools, the well-off guys had Snap-On or Mac and most others had Craftsman. I'm sure some might have looked down on my tools but I was proud to have my grandfather's old SK tools in my brand new Mac box.
Over the years I have bought many other ratchets and while I appreciate the quality and feel of my SO ratchets, the SKs compare well and have great sentimental value. I still use them pretty regularly and often think about these being 50+ year old tools that still work silky smooth. That really says something about how we used to make things. Thanks to this great site and this thread, I'm going to have to try some other ratchets from Cornwell, Proto, Armstrong, and others.
Where I worked back then no one had SK tools, the well-off guys had Snap-On or Mac and most others had Craftsman. I'm sure some might have looked down on my tools but I was proud to have my grandfather's old SK tools in my brand new Mac box.
Over the years I have bought many other ratchets and while I appreciate the quality and feel of my SO ratchets, the SKs compare well and have great sentimental value. I still use them pretty regularly and often think about these being 50+ year old tools that still work silky smooth. That really says something about how we used to make things. Thanks to this great site and this thread, I'm going to have to try some other ratchets from Cornwell, Proto, Armstrong, and others.
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