Gear wrench ratchets how do they hold up/compare

[joedodge]

How do they hold up and compare in qaulity to snap on and the like.

 

[Fedwrench]

You can't really fairly compare a truck brand ratchet to a ratchet made in Taiwan that's sold at 1/4 the price of the truck ratchet.
However, my Gearwench ratchets have served me well with daily shop use for at least 3-5 years or so now. Will the Gearwrench stuff last forever? Ask me down the road.

 

[kiatech]

pretty sure just the body is tawain made. The innards are same as matco, armstrong, craftsman premium.
I only have one it has never given me 1 problem.

 

[joedodge]

That's true lol thanks for the replys guys. I use them daily as a tech also and was considering getting the gear wrench bent handle flex head but unsure of how they held up. Does the détente in the swivel head bug you guys

 

[Fireball027]

I have many Snap-on and Matco ratchets, however I use my gearwrench ratchets more then any other ones. They are used daily in a shop and have been used and abused. I did have to have new internals put into one of my 3/8 ratchets, however I just got a new kit through my Matco dealer and have had no problems since.

I would recommend them, especially for the price

 

[kiatech]

That's true lol thanks for the replys guys. I use them daily as a tech also and was considering getting the gear wrench bent handle flex head but unsure of how they held up. Does the détente in the swivel head bug you guys

If your talking about this ratchet its the one I have. its been an awesome ratchet.
http://www.sears.com/gearwrench-812...92820000P?prdNo=36&blockNo=136&blockType=G136

 

[joedodge]

That's the one only chrome handled

 

[firebox40dash5]

pretty sure just the body is tawain made. The innards are same as matco, armstrong, craftsman premium.
I only have one it has never given me 1 problem.

Matco guy told me the body was made in the same US plant as Matco & Armstrong the other day when I was looking at a 120XP he had. Take it for what it's worth, he's also said Matco is the only company making toolboxes in the US, just like Snap On claims.

Then again, he also said he'd recommend them as much as his own, and they're cheaper. If he's misinformed, well, he's putting down what he sells.

 

[gpgab97]

I've had a set I bought almost 8 years ago this month. They have held up just fine. I never use them to really torque something down however, just to speed things along. As long as you switch ends once ready to anchor something down they will hold up. I have worked with them in the desert heat and sand of Iraq and Afghanistan, and all over the place in the south muddin' with friends and I still have them to work on my daily drivers today. I know 8 years isn't much, but my tools don't get cleaned every time i use them, and they sure as heck don't get serviced by a dealer. I have a Metrinch set that i use interchangeably with them and they're not too shabby either for certain situations. For the money and the use you will see from them (plus the ability to replace them individually as needed) I say go Gearwrench. I use them more than sockets.

 

[joedodge]

Oh **** now were starting a coo war. I'm glad to hear they hold up I may add one to my box Wednesday been looking a while all my other ratchets are snap on but I just don't see the need to spend that kinda money I like there ratchets alot but I tho I I can do just as good for less

 

[jfcasey]

I use a 84t 3/8 soft handle and a 1/4 chrome handle daily in a shop and love them. I haven't had a single problem with either of them.

That said, the 1/2 I have is a POS and constantly reverses direction just like the craftsman ones do. I hate that thing and usually only get out to use as a hammer or a punch.

 

[Hiball]

I use a 84t 3/8 soft handle and a 1/4 chrome handle daily in a shop and love them. I haven't had a single problem with either of them.

That said, the 1/2 I have is a POS and constantly reverses direction just like the craftsman ones do. I hate that thing and usually only get out to use as a hammer or a punch.

I had the same problem in 3/8" in GW and Matco.. Note this was only 84 and 88 tooth variations. Tear it apart, reassemble and it was good for a while then it would rear its ugly head.

 

[joedodge]

Glad to hear good and bad reviews

 

[DTB]

I'd really like to have the 4 piece 120xp flex head ratchet set...If only someone would buy my 3 piece 90 tooth Carlyle flex head set.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I had the same problem in 3/8" in GW and Matco.. Note this was only 84 and 88 tooth variations. Tear it apart, reassemble and it was good for a while then it would rear its ugly head.

I had a 1/4" rebuilt that would switch directions, and skip teeth. Turned out to be a 60T pawl that came in an 88T rebuild kit. Maybe the Taiwanese guy that bagged the kit up grabbed the wrong pawl.

 

[Hiball]

I had a 1/4" rebuilt that would switch directions, and skip teeth. Turned out to be a 60T pawl that came in an 88T rebuild kit. Maybe the Taiwanese guy that bagged the kit up grabbed the wrong pawl.

Yeah.. Mine where matched sets, I have read where some Armstrong ratchets where shipped with mismatched gear/paw.

 

[Chuck122]

If anything, people should by speculating that Matco uses Taiwanese kits in their ratchets.

I was just about to say that... What if???

 

[jfcasey]

Jeez I must have missed the part where JoeDodge was asking about the COO in this one guys I think we can all agree that anything you buy from a Danaher company has over seas parts in it, so do we really need to continue arguing about it until this is another 4 page locked thread that does nothing to confirm or deny the balance of quality & price of gear wrench ratchets?

 

[gsingh]

I been using them ever since i started working on cars (truck brands were too expensive back then). Its been two years now and they still work fine. I couldn't seem to justify spending 400+ on wrenches with snapon.

 

[ATC]

Gearwrench is one of the first ratchts I grab out of my box. I've had them for years and love them!

 

[toolaholic]

I have the 1/2 inch flex head and the 1/4 drive flex head. Both are fine ratchets. The 1/2 drive was used to remove/install 22mm pivot shaft to frame nuts on my dakota r/t removing/ installing upper control arm bushings. And the 1/2 drive was used to turn the alltrade bushing Clamp to remove/install upper control arm bushings . I really cranked on it pressing the bushings in/out and it did fine. Both the 1/4 and 1/2 drive are 84 tooth.

 

[Bolt99]

I have a Gear wrench 15mm wrench that I have used daily for about two years. Now it slips frequently. I agree with the Marco tool box statement. Made in Jamestown N Y.

 

[Deafautotech]

I has use gearwrench 120 1/4 dr and 3/8 dr ratchets at my garage and work.. Work great! Even I got flex ratchets on three sizes. Work good.. It will last long if use it correct way..

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

they're the same thing as the craftsman premium's that have been out for awhile, or at least same internal design. No issues with mine, nor their ratcheting wrenches... think I have each set of those.

 

[5mall5nail5]

I think they are a great value - they feel really high quality honestly. I have a lot of ratchets and GearWrench feel nice!

 

[muck0nator]

That's true lol thanks for the replys guys. I use them daily as a tech also and was considering getting the gear wrench bent handle flex head but unsure of how they held up. Does the détente in the swivel head bug you guys

have this ratchet myself, works great probably my favourite ratchet next to my 3/8 gw roto head.. never had an issue

 

[celticbhoy]

Thanks for starting this thread. I've been looking at Gearwrench and SK ratchets for professional daily use to replace my craftsman ratchets that come out of the sets and was going to post a thread like this. Amazon has some really great prices for GW ratchets.... just a shame that the shipping and export fees cost about as much as the ratchets themselves.

 

[wannab20hatch]

Ive had the wrenches for a few years now and never had problems. I have been thinking of diversifying my ratchet set and adding some flex. I priced snap on and for the same as one 3/8 flex ratchet I got a whole gearwrench set today. So far im really happy with them. Im no mechanic just a body tech so my ratchets don't see a ton of use and should last me quite some time.

 

[joedodge]

Thanks alot guys my independent tool dealer will be here Wednesday. As much as I love my snappy ratchets I think I'm gonna give one of these a shot

 

[eriksalo]

I have lots of ratchets. My current favorite ratchet is my $100 Snap-On F80. It is nice and smooth and seems really strong. I also really like my $10 Harbor Freight composite ratchet. Nice feeling in my hand and a smooth mechanism. If I have to pull hard, would not trust the HF unit and would grab the Snap-On.

I just ordered one of the Gearwrench 120XP ratchets and am looking forward to trying it out.

As someone who has worked in manufacturing for 20+ years and has been to Taiwan and China almost 50 times, I can say that I do not understand the strong emotions with regard to made in Taiwan. The Taiwanese have great raw steel and are among the best manufacturers in the world. The USA is great too, though I think it is fair to say that our engineering is better than manufacturing consistency. Us Americans are an innovative bunch and that is not a positive trait on the manufacturing line. If processes are automated, I don't think it matters much the color of the person who pushes the on button.

Snap on makes tools that are either the best or near the best (I own lots of them) but the quality is not directly because they are made in the USA, it's because they design for quality and use good raw materials, both at the expense of cost. The days when made in USA was automatically better is decades past. Modern supply chains are complex and international.

Many people think Apple computers are the highest quality but they are all made in China (by a Taiwanese parent company, on German and Japanese made machines, and they are designed in the USA using chips packaged in Singapore and Malaysia, and running software written in Russia and India).

It's really hard today to find a product with all the pieces made 100% in any one country.

If you want to know where your money is going, while they are made in Taiwan, both Gearwrench and KD tool are owned by APEX tool headquartered in Maryland. APEX is owned by Bain capital of Mitt Romney fame. Bain has almost no Chinese investor base.

Snap-On is a public company (with a significant Chinese investor base) headquartered in Wisconsin. Is that more American than APEX? I have no idea.

Today's world of manufacturing and money is so complicated I don't think it's useful to make generalizations about a product based on the "made in" sticker. I like to take a product in my hand and see how it feels when I am using it.

 

[NC-Fordguy]

I have lots of ratchets. My current favorite ratchet is my $100 Snap-On F80. It is nice and smooth and seems really strong. I also really like my $10 Harbor Freight composite ratchet. Nice feeling in my hand and a smooth mechanism. If I have to pull hard, would not trust the HF unit and would grab the Snap-On.

I just ordered one of the Gearwrench 120XP ratchets and am looking forward to trying it out.

As someone who has worked in manufacturing for 20+ years and has been to Taiwan and China almost 50 times, I can say that I do not understand the strong emotions with regard to made in Taiwan. The Taiwanese have great raw steel and are among the best manufacturers in the world. The USA is great too, though I think it is fair to say that our engineering is better than manufacturing consistency. Us Americans are an innovative bunch and that is not a positive trait on the manufacturing line. If processes are automated, I don't think it matters much the color of the person who pushes the on button.

Snap on makes tools that are either the best or near the best (I own lots of them) but the quality is not directly because they are made in the USA, it's because they design for quality and use good raw materials, both at the expense of cost. The days when made in USA was automatically better is decades past. Modern supply chains are complex and international.

Many people think Apple computers are the highest quality but they are all made in China (by a Taiwanese parent company, on German and Japanese made machines, and they are designed in the USA using chips packaged in Singapore and Malaysia, and running software written in Russia and India).

It's really hard today to find a product with all the pieces made 100% in any one country.

If you want to know where your money is going, while they are made in Taiwan, both Gearwrench and KD tool are owned by APEX tool headquartered in Maryland. APEX is owned by Bain capital of Mitt Romney fame. Bain has almost no Chinese investor base.

Snap-On is a public company (with a significant Chinese investor base) headquartered in Wisconsin. Is that more American than APEX? I have no idea.

Today's world of manufacturing and money is so complicated I don't think it's useful to make generalizations about a product based on the "made in" sticker. I like to take a product in my hand and see how it feels when I am using it.

Wow. An interesting, well written and factual post.

It's pleasant to see such a post on this forum. Maybe this will be the norm and not the exception

 

[Tarheelgarage]

I use gear wrench ratchets professionally everyday and they have handled much use and abuse without fail. Especially like the gearwrench roto head ratchets.

 

[HaroRider]

For the money Gearwrench cant be beat..bottom line.

Their warranty might be a little iffy, but I havent broken anything from them yet for first hand experience with them.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

My buddy at work used my Gearwrench 3/8" (84 tooth) flex head ratchet to break loose an exhaust manifold bolt on a Cummins in a Kenworth. It was a job that should have used a breaker bar, and I was starting to worry how hard it was getting cranked on. Ended up shattering the MAC (USA) universal socket on the end of it, but the ratchet held up just fine.

Love my Gearwrench flex heads, and reach for them before my Snap-On ratchets lately. Just need to buy a 1/2" drive now...

 

[Loscaldazar]

120XP gearwrench ratchets win for bang for the buck /thread.

Ok, in more seriousness, I absolutely love my gearwrench ratcheting products. The 120XP's are smooth, durable, and are fantastic to use. Mine came badly scratched however

 

[Dennis93]

I don't know about the ratchets, but I use my ratchet wrenches all the time, even with an impact driver on the other side and they have held up for 4+ years using them daily. Plus, you don't have to wait for a tool truck to roll by, Sears, Ace, Fastenal, and Grainger all warranty them if need be. I have yet to do that.

 

[billymade]

The warranty situation is harder then you think; NAPA auto was able to help me (special order), where Sears (not in stock), Fastenal (wouldn't warranty without receipt) could/would not.

 

[homesale]

Gearwrench 120XP ratchets vs. Craftsman premium ratchets: Which one is better and why?

 

[87FoRunner]

Gearwrench 120XP ratchets vs. Craftsman premium ratchets: Which one is better and why?

What are you working on and why?

 

[richfinn]

I think my set of Halfords ratchet spanners are Gearwrench in reality.

Whatever, they are better than the single Blue Point ratchet spanner I own. That tool is a liability ,total ****.

Ps I'm a Snap On fan, but I like the Gearwrench better than Blue Point and I would try a ratchet no probs