Best ratcheting wrenches?

[Wizzard]

The 467AS was just released and like most of Facom's first production runs, the country of origin is France. Production for this will likely get moved to Taiwan later this year.

I sure hope they adjust the price accordingly

 

[usnen2]

I really like my Blackhawk set. Mechanism feels nice and the box end is pretty compact

 

[LordPsychon]

I really like my Blackhawk set. Mechanism feels nice and the box end is pretty compact

Blackhawk sets are pretty nice (don't own one but I have handled one). For my occasional use needs, the Kobalts aren't too bad - probably wouldn't be able to handle daily use but I'm a weekend warrior so they're okay in my book. Daily use needs would necessitate Proto, Snap-On/JH Williams, Facom, or Blackhawks - I suppose I could get away with Craftsman Industrial or Gearwrench (a bit more economical).

 

[TejDarkmoon]

The Gedore 7UR set is very nice so far. Only been using them for a few weeks but very happy with them.

 

[njric71]

I have the Gearwrench reversible and like them just fine, but the ones I find myself using most often are the XBeam Gearwrench. They are not reversible, but they sure are comfortable to use and offer great leverage for not being a traditional long wrench. I also have a set of stubbies and a flex head set from Harbor Freight because I don't use them that often. I forget what I paid for the xbeams but they were on clearance or something at a Napa I was picking something else up at so I grabbed them fairly cheap as an impulse purchase. Had I known I was going to use them as my go to ratcheting wrench set I probably would have held out and shopped for a larger set.

 

[redbarron57]

I used to have Gearwrench but once I got my first set of Facom ratcheting spanners I ended up selling the Gearwrenches and buying 4 sets of Facom ratcheting spanners.

6-24mm reversible
6-19mm zero offset
8-19mm flex head
8-17mm stubby reversible

The Facom's are in a different league compared to all the others I've used. They really are that good IMHO.

Do the facoms have any sort of grooves in the open end?

 

[ultgar]

Do the facoms have any sort of grooves in the open end?

The 467R's do..........see video at

 

[Finky198]

Blue point reversible flex head stubbys In metric and sae also come in full length made in Taiwan but high quality fit and finish

8pc sae 12pc metric

There self serviceable and dual pawl design

 

[snippits]

I use the GearWrench 20PC Combination Ratcheting Wrench Set SAE/MM that I bought at Sears about two years ago, but it only cost me $39.99 then. Just looked at the Sears website, and they are $69.99 now on sale.

I have to flip them over to reverse, so I wish I had bought a flex reversing type wrench, but that would have set me back a good bit. For the money, the GearWrench set is pretty dang good, and some times I can do repairs with ratchet wrenches faster than using ratchet/socket.

My set is holding up good, but I don't bang on the end of them with a rubber mallet either. The GearWrench set like I have are not the best for sure, but at the time I made my purchase, they were the best for the money.

 

[Rock Hound]

I'm sure they are not the best by any measure, but I recently bought the Dewalt SAE and Metric sets from Sears when they had them about 50% off earlier this month. They are my first set of ratcheting wrenches and I have to say I am quite pleased with them. I think I paid $35 for each set. COO=Taiwan

 

[Sask dude]

+1 for gear wrench

Love my 30pc set I got from Canadian tire last year !!'

 

[jlipsky14]

Anyone use the new SK X-frame ratcheting wrenches yet? They look great with a 1.7 degree arc swing, grooved open end, and 6 point ratcheting end.

http://www.skhandtool.com/carousel/sk-x-frame-ratcheting-wrench.aspx

Waiting to see if they use the same "6 pawl design" on a new regular round head ratchet.

 

[Rico.]

Do the facoms have any sort of grooves in the open end?

My ones don't.... But if you're looking for the flank drive+ type of ratcheting
wrenches then the new Facom 467AS models have the grippy open end.

 

[colin39]

My ones don't.... But if you're looking for the flank drive+ type of ratcheting
wrenches then the new Facom 467AS models have the grippy open end.

Ive not yet had an issue with slippage on any fastener with my facom 467's

 

[Qualitytools]

Ive not yet had an issue with slippage on any fastener with my facom 467's

I second that about my Facom 467s, no slipping on the open end!

 

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

I use the Husky set at work everyday, and have for probably a year now. I love them, for the money they can't be beat.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Me..._-202934643&ci_src=328768002&ci_sku=202934643

 

[bmrtoyo]

those look really nice ,gear wrench used to be half decent ,but went to china = junk

 

[jerseykat1]

I have had GW from when they first came out as well as some more recent ones, cman, HF, and blue point/williams. The mechanism in the blue points is the best of all these listed, followed by the most recent GW I have.

None of them are bad. If you are a pro go with the brand thats easiest for you to warranty because everyone uses them to break stuff loose and then will eventually get a broken one, probably in your most common size.

This man speaks the truth about getting the one that's easiest to warranty. They are all good wrenches. But how long will it take to be replaced when it breaks (if you use it professionally) is the question.

 

[jerseykat1]

i was checking out the facom wrenches and they look really nice. i Just dont know of any Facom dealers in my area so i would be hesitant about pulling the trigger on those.

I have GW, and Husky ratcheting wrenches. They both get the job done. The Husky pieces have pretty good mechanisms in them as well, this based purely on feel.

 

[pepgj]

I wish that more of the ratcheting wrench universe was double box rather than having an open end wench on one side.

 

[blarf]

i was checking out the facom wrenches and they look really nice. i Just dont know of any Facom dealers in my area so i would be hesitant about pulling the trigger on those.

Agreed. They look quite nice, but I'm a bit hesitant to buy if the only US dealer is Ultimate Garage. Does Stanley USA handle warranty claims, or do the tools have to be shipped back to the motherland?

Also -- how's that fast wrench (467R) work in the real world? It looks handy, but what are the downsides?

 

[bobcatdan]

Mainly I have gearwrench reveseables and flex heads. Both do what I ask and I'm happy. Mine are older when production was Taiwan. I few warranty replacements would be China. While they perform, I'd say there is a click down overall finish. Otherwise I have the old imported SK double box spline wrenches. I really like those and hope I never break one since replacement maybe hard. Pretty sure the wrench is available under other names yet. The newer Proto ones look really nice, but with what I have now, I incredibly can't justify them at all.

 

[anndel]

Snap On SOEXRM710 are my favorite

 

[Skin]

Agreed. They look quite nice, but I'm a bit hesitant to buy if the only US dealer is Ultimate Garage. Does Stanley USA handle warranty claims, or do the tools have to be shipped back to the motherland?

Also -- how's that fast wrench (467R) work in the real world? It looks handy, but what are the downsides?

Last I knew warranty was handled in Europe as there I no official presence in the US. Ultimate garage will warranty what they sell but that's it because he either eats the cost of the tool or pays out of pocket to mail it back to Europe.

Speed wrench/open ends work okay, downside is they require the same swing arc as manually removing and re-engaging an open end so in tight quarters its useless.

I'd recommend checking MAC and Proto catalogs for Facom overlap if you really care about warranty service. Generally speaking if you don't abuse your stuff you're going to get decades of use out of it anyway.

 

[PureLeaf]

Does anyone know why most ratcheting wrenches are chinese or taiwan? When it comes to regular combo wrenches, there are many US and european options, but for ratcheting it just seems the options are fairly slim. Even some of the top brands like Stahwille or Proto have ratcheting wrenches that are taiwanese rebrands.

Is it a trademark/copyright thing?

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Question. Who made the first ratcheting wrench on the market? Gear wrench?

 

[Skin]

Question. Who made the first ratcheting wrench on the market? Gear wrench?

Not sure if it was GW at the time of inception or if GW followed later but the modern ratcheting wrench design was developed in Taiwan in the 90s and first sold commercially by GearWrench. The old riveted design with exposed gearing had previously been around quite awhile, believe those have all been made by Kastar in the US (renamed Lang tools).

 

[falcon88]

Wera 05020013001 Joker Combination Wrench-Set, 11 Pieces

 

[BK13]

Holy pic resize, Batman!

 

[platform389]

Snap On SOEXRM710 are my favorite

Snap On also makes 1/2,3/8,1/4 and 1/4 hex drive inserts for their ratcheting wrenches that allow for sockets and bits to be driven. Makes for an excellent low profile ratchet!

These are available in both metric or fractional, depending on what you have.

 

[hautpot]

those ratcheting inserts from Snap-on ****. Their ACTUAL low profile ratchets are leagues better.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I find that the ratchet inserts no matter what brand don't really get you any more room than a thin ratchet itself. I bought a few and was disappointed.

 

[BFHtime]

those ratcheting inserts from Snap-on ****. Their ACTUAL low profile ratchets are leagues better.

What ***** about these?

I was thinking about trying these, maybe I should try something else?

 

[neonlazer]

I have a set of Matco rebranded Armstrong reverse ratcheting wrenches. My friend had them, and I HAD to get a set. The toggle switch design is so much more sleek than Snap On.

 

[BFHtime]

I find that the ratchet inserts no matter what brand don't really get you any more room than a thin ratchet itself. I bought a few and was disappointed.

I have something similar but different sizes to match the ratchet sizes, from craftsman. I find these are good for when a bigger offset is needed. Different size sockets can do the same with a ratchet, but the the ratchet wrench is usually thinner than a ratchet, where that matters.

To the OP.

The best ratchet depends on the situation.
I have posted in other threads about which ratchet wrenches are better as far as ratcheting mechanism, swing arc, and drag. I suggest try many and see what you like best, I bet you will be surprised. I was.

 

[drink]

What brand of ratcheting wrenches do you use, do you plan ongoing with something else in the future? Is there brand you have seen at work in your co workers box that you really like?

Wow! After looking at some of the tools the other guys have posted I realized how little I have invested in ratcheting wrenches. I must be really old fashioned because the first ratcheting wrench I came in contact with was a flat Snap-On box end style wrench (sitting in the red tool box). Many years later I purchased a set of the flat and offset Craftsman versions from Sears (in the blue box). Several years later I decided to buy a set of Craftsman Industrial full polished ratcheting wrenches also.

Currently I am thinking of buying an Armstrong locking flex head ratchet instead of a set of flex head ratcheting wrenches. If I get into a really tight spot where a socket will not fit then I can possibly use my flat Craftsman ratcheting wrenches to do the job. Some people will probably comment on how sockets can be to big or might fall off but at the moment I am thinking the Armstrong flex ratchet is an economical solution.

 

[tremek]

Id love to see a video comparing all of them. im not rich enough to buy them all to try out

 

[kctyphoon]

I've posted this picture before, but since this thread came back around I figured I'd post it here too just as a comparison of a few of the cheaper brands. I'm not a mechanic so I don't have any professional brands of wrenches..

These are all the same size wrench. I think I paid $8 for the husky spline set on clearance and just bought em for the hell of it a few years ago. (I don't think I've ever even used them). The Channellock's are identical to the HF sets.. The dewalts offer a great deal for the money if you can find them on sale. I paid $39 for the metric and sae sets. Not the best out there I'm sure, but a lot for the price, esp since they are reversible AND a thin head..

 

[MJD1]

I've posted this picture before, but since this thread came back around I figured I'd post it here too just as a comparison of a few of the cheaper brands. I'm not a mechanic so I don't have any professional brands of wrenches..

These are all the same size wrench. I think I paid $8 for the husky spline set on clearance and just bought em for the hell of it a few years ago. (I don't think I've ever even used them). The Channellock's are identical to the HF sets.. The dewalts offer a great deal for the money if you can find them on sale. I paid $39 for the metric and sae sets. Not the best out there I'm sure, but a lot for the price, esp since they are reversible AND a thin head..

Very good info there. That is usually the biggest issue as far as ratcheting wrenches go, will they actually fit in a tight area.

 

[AutoTeck84]

Anyone have expieriece with Lang offset ratcheting wrenches? They are super cheap and USA made.