blackhawk fine tooth ratchet?

[merbie]

So ill be selling my snap on dual 80s (1/4,1/2 and 3/8) due to not really getting on with them and also my new job does not require me to have tools so no need to have such expensive ratchets sitting at home, id rather have more tools for the price i can sell these at. so what im thinking of replacing it with is the blackhawk 72 tooth ratchet, are these any good do any of you own one?
cheers in advance

 

[espyking83]

Just get the Bahcos or Armstrong aero ratchets. I love vintage Blackhawk but am not a fan of their newer stuff. I have no experience with that ratchet in particular. You can get a Toptul ratchet 1/4 flex head off Ebay for only $12 right now, its not as smooth as the SO or Bahcos, but its got 72 teeth and it feels durable. Some of the best satin finish Ive seen other than Koken too.

 

[popparoach]

its a decent ratchet,really small head.made in taiwan.I haven't stressed it much but it is a nice ratchet.

 

[redbarron57]

Dude those ratchets are super nice. They are strong, compact and priced right. The actions are smooth and the chrome finish was flawless on mine. Plus they have sealed heads and are pre lubricated. To put this into perspective the1/2 drive ratchet head is smaller than the snap on fl80 3/8 head. It has an hourglass shaped handle that feels good in your hand. That is my review from first hand knowledge.

 

[redbarron57]

Oh and you can get all three for about the same price as one so ratchet.

 

[gagreen]

These are aggravating. My 1/4 constantly switches between in and out. It's nice and small, but has to much back drag. Go with Armstrong.

 

[Fedwrench]

I have two, 1/4 and 3/8 drive. I got during an MSC sale. They're nice no frills ratchets that are inexpensive if you shop around. They might not make you give up your favorite ratchet but, they'll serve you well. I would like to see Blackhawk sell a flex head version.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Are these the same action/pawl design as the common Taiwan imports that keep popping up (HF, Kobalt, etc)?

 

[gagreen]

Are these the same action/pawl design as the common Taiwan imports that keep popping up (HF, Kobalt, etc)?

i don't think so. I have a 1/4 tekton composite and the tekton feels smoother and has less backdrag.

 

[oldldh]

72 teeth---???

84 teeth---???

How passe'....

120 clicks are "more better"---"most good"---"most unbad"...

I had to b@#tardize the language a tad...

The GearWrench 120 teeth ratchets are a very good way to go...

Available in the U.K. from a plethora of places, however, your prices are roughly twice what we pay in the U.S...It would be worth the trouble to see if you can order from the U.S...I've shipped presents from www.Amazon.com to my grandchildren in the U.K. without any problems with H.M.Customs, or deliviery...They ship UPS and the stuff got there very quickly...Worth a look...

Amazon's price on the 81206P is $82.03 with free shipping, which beats 108.43 Pounds all to death...

Give them a try, you might be on to a good thing...the only bad thing would be that the order doesn't process...

(I own the 120 tooth FlexHead set, and I'm buying the 3 pc Ratchet set next week, from www.tooldiscounter.com ...I do not know whether, or not, they'll ship stuff to the U.K., but I know Amazon.com does!!!)

 

[oldldh]

Another way to go is the Tekton line of low profile, quick release ratchets...

They are pretty nice 72 tooth ratchet...

Available from Amazon, and bunch of other places in the U.K., and the U.S....

And, the price is right...

Good luck in your search...

 

[jcfields]

.

 

[bob15]

Personally, I would just keep the Snappy's. If you like them and they are paid for, just keep them and use them at home. I have zero Snap On ratchets at work, and probably 8-10 of them at home. Selling them to just replace them with a somewhat inferior ratchet is a waste of money, IMHO.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Personally, I would just keep the Snappy's. If you like them and they are paid for, just keep them and use them at home. I have zero Snap On ratchets at work, and probably 8-10 of them at home. Selling them to just replace them with a somewhat inferior ratchet is a waste of money, IMHO.

I tend to agree. If you can get some of those Armstrong Maxx ratchets off of ebay, it might be worth your time. I have at least 15 Dual 80's and I feel the Armstrong ratchets are 95% as nice, but can be had at a third of the price. My 3pc locking flex set cost me $140 shipped.

 

[gagreen]

Personally, I would just keep the Snappy's. If you like them and they are paid for, just keep them and use them at home. I have zero Snap On ratchets at work, and probably 8-10 of them at home. Selling them to just replace them with a somewhat inferior ratchet is a waste of money, IMHO.

Absolutely inferior.

 

[zkling]

Agree with Bob. Before you sell, I'd carefully run the numbers to see how much you would be ahead in the long run. Just by purchasing new and then selling slightly used you are automatically taking a loss. In the grand scheme of things it may not be worth it to sell and end up with a ratchet not as nice for ~$20 savings.

 

[merbie]

well they keep skipping out and theyve been warrntied a few times, what i have been looking at is the older mac 30 tooth design i like them they look cool and beefy, or maybe facom round heads

 

[superautobacs]

Are these the same action/pawl design as the common Taiwan imports that keep popping up (HF, Kobalt, etc)?

There are many types of mechanisms, this is just one of them:

 

[superautobacs]

well they keep skipping out and theyve been warrntied a few times, what i have been looking at is the older mac 30 tooth design i like them they look cool and beefy, or maybe facom round heads

Did your Snap-on guy service them himself and fill the internals full of grease?


The old Mac 30-tooths would be a big downgrade, IMO. I was offered one for free and I declined!

 

[spasticone]

They look a lot like the mac tool micro tough ratchets I used to sell when I was a tool man. They redesigned once and then discontinued them. I loved them but they broke too often when used under high torque.

 

[superautobacs]

They look a lot like the mac tool micro tough ratchets I used to sell when I was a tool man. They redesigned once and then discontinued them. I loved them but they broke too often when used under high torque.

I remember those micro-toughs. They were sold under different brand names under the Stanley umbrella of companies, as well as private labels like Proxxon and Mastercraft, for example.
They would be similar in size to those micro-toughs, but these are the current generation (been around for 3 years or so?).

 

[spasticone]

I remember those micro-toughs. They were sold under different brand names under the Stanley umbrella of companies, as well as private labels like Proxxon and Mastercraft, for example.
They would be similar in size to those micro-toughs, but these are the current generation (been around for 3 years or so?).

Hmmm... Are they similar size and do they have flex heads? I wrench for a living now and did love those old ratchets.

 

[superautobacs]

Hmmm... Are they similar size and do they have flex heads? I wrench for a living now and did love those old ratchets.

The micro-tough?

or the Blackhawk? Blackhawk, like Fedwrench mentioned, don't seem to offer a flex-head version.




A Japanese tool company called Tone does offer flex heads though:

3/8 and 1/2 drive extra-long flex:

3/8 next to a 1/2 drive:

 

[spasticone]

This forum needs a "like" button

 

[Fedwrench]

SUPERBACS, you come up with the most interesting Japanese/Taiwanese tools no one else has seen.

Are those TONE ratchets available in Canada?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

From the pics, it looks like TONE could be the OEM for the Blackhawk ratchets.

 

[superautobacs]

SUPERBACS, you come up with the most interesting Japanese/Taiwanese tools no one else has seen.

Are those TONE ratchets available in Canada?

Not in this continent, unfortunately!

From the pics, it looks like TONE could be the OEM for the Blackhawk ratchets.

Tone is a Japanese tool company that sources some of their products from overseas, including Taiwan and Europe.

There was a discussion about Tone ratchets recently in this thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97563&page=58

I'll just quote myself:

Tone was one of the early adopters of high tooth-count ratchets in Japan. When they introduced their 72-tooth pearhead ratchets people were led to believe they were a Japanese product, when in fact they were imports from Taiwan.

If the RH3FHX is marked with "Japan", it's a bit deceptive and misleading.

Their new lineup is still imported from Taiwan. Newtools/Hi-Five is definitely one of their sources (probably their primary source).

So, Newtools/Hi-Five is the OEM. They are a huge OEM/ODM supplier for a myriad of tool brands from around the world, like the Stanley/B&D "empire", for example.

 

[merbie]

Probably gunna go for a blackhawk and this guy


Merb

 

[merbie]

Just ordered the black hawk should be here in a couple weeks

these guys are for sale if anyone's interested they work and everything but their just not for me pm if interested


Merb

 

[texasprd]

I'm interested in the Blackhawks myself. Any word on how they are working out?

 

[scubadoober]

I have the Blackhawk in the 3/8 and like it. I picked up the powerbuilt pro in 1/4" flex and really like it. Blackhawk, Tone, and Powerbuilt pro all seem to use the same Taiwanese OEM. That is the only real problem with the Blackhawks is they only offer the standards in each drive size, but check out the powerbuilt pro ratchets. They can be had for much cheaper through ebay so shop around.

 

[5ktq]

I think the pear blackhawk is taiwanese, a lot like pear dewalt?

Round head blackhawk still USA.

the pear head looks cool though.

 

[Fedwrench]

I think the pear blackhawk is taiwanese, a lot like pear dewalt?
Round head blackhawk still USA.
the pear head looks cool though.

Yes, the pear head Blackhawk is made in Taiwan.

I have never seen a recent US made round head Blackhawk ratchet, all of the current ones i've seen have also been made in Taiwan.

 

[M6erfan]

Those Tone, Blackhawk, PowerBuilt, etc. Taiwan ratchets have the smallest heads I've seen. Super compact. I have the locking flex Carlyle version in 1/4" drive and like it a lot.