Picking a 1/2" Ratchet on a budget

[stevenhs]

Find a used snap on ratchet on ebay

 

[Derek1387]

I don't like its feel and the gears in it. Feels gritty/chunky compared to my Matco and Gearwrench ratchets I have.
Tried lubing it with a few recommended lubes and it got better but still not happy.

And I just want something nicer.

 

[jn50308401]

Find a used snap on ratchet on ebay

I 2nd that. There are tons of 1/2 drive ratchets up right now under 50 bucks. I have a 3old course tooth Snappy ratchets and they work fine. I shopped carefully on the 'Bay and got all 3 of mine for about 40 bucks a piece.One had a new gear kit it too.

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

 

[_Rainbow_boii]

First, take a deep breath and have a seat.

As much as I hate HF, their Pittsburg Pro ratchets have improved significantly to the point where they're not that far off from tool truck quality. I would have no problem using them "on a budget".

I'd pick them over CM, Husky, Kobalt and the other Chinese brands.

Unfortunately the other 99.98% of what HF sells is still **** but they obviously put some serious effort into their ratchet lineup and it shows.

If the name Pittsburg Pro is too emotionally upsetting, maybe you can etch it out or cover it up!!

I truly have to agree with this guy. I have a couple SO ratchets, and the Harbor Freight ones are almost identical. Just to give you an idea of the strength of them, I tightened the wheels on my car with my impact gun, so yes it must have been way more torque then they should have been tightened too. I got a flat on the highway and needed to change to the spare. I first tried using the "roadside" kit with the little tire iron, I couldn't budge it standing on it. I must have been truly lucky because I was driving home after going to harbor fright. I broke out my new 1/2 Pittsburgh Pro ratchet and a 17mm socket. I couldn't budge the lugs by have but putting all my weight standing on the handle of the ratchet broke them loose. I was truly shocked at the quality of these and respect some things from harbor freight. You just have to do some research online first. Months later and the ratchet still is working perfectly.

 

[AmishFury]

I have an older model and I believe it's 48 teeth as I did the old quarter turn and count - I came up with 12 teeth x 4 = 48 teeth.

i tested mine on a full turn old diamond logo ratchet 50 teeth

 

[rapid robert]

Proto long handle pear head - get a nice vintage model on eBay. I have one that has been my go to 1/2 ratchet for thirty years. Love the positive clicking of the 36 or so teeth.

 

[jd100]

I've had a Facom FCMS161 1/2 Ratchet for a couple years now its been great and always my go to 1/2 ratchet.

 

[Ponchoguy]

I don't like its feel and the gears in it. Feels gritty/chunky compared to my Matco and Gearwrench ratchets I have.
Tried lubing it with a few recommended lubes and it got better but still not happy.

And I just want something nicer.

Never had that experience with any of my CMans, but I have multiple types (RHFT, pear head, thin profile, etc). I like my SK units too, but don't like that they don't have a quick lever to flip to reverse like the Cmans do.

 

[n8n]

A while back someone made a real good argument for going snap-on for ratchets in that their mechanism was such that *all* the wear parts are in the rebuild kit. Other designs may have teeth in the body that if they wear/chip the whole thing is scrap, e.g. SK etc. (most round heads) not that they are bad ratchets, I still have my grandfather's 3/8" SK, but if you're going to be using it hard, the snap on design is the win.

So, if you're not going to splash out for Snap-On, my vote is one of the Williams pear head ratchets, being essentially an older Snap-On ratchet with the Williams name on it.

 

[The collector]

Looking to add a 1/2" ratchet for general use after i moved most of my older Craftsman stuff out.

I currently have the 120XP Gearwrench 1/4 and 3/8" ratchets, and like them. But, should I look at something a little more "robust" for a 1/2" drive ratchet like Armstrong or Williams? Or would the Gearwrench suit me well still?

I can spend $50-60 on a single ratchet if need be, or i can just grab the $100 120XP flex head ratchet set from Gearwrench to have a bit of flexibility

What do you all think?

Go on ebay and grab a superratchet for 20 bucks

 

[nadogail]

I have used Harbor Freight tools to bring home a lot of paychecks. They might feel a bit like a club, but they get the job done.

 

[The collector]

I have used Harbor Freight tools to bring home a lot of paychecks. They might feel a bit like a club, but they get the job done.

And if you break 1 easy return policy

 

[Gurp]

Check Ebay Fb and your local flea markets for a good idea proto with a 18in handle.

 

[lardy1]

My guess is that the OP has probably found his ratchet considering he posted this almost 13 years ago. SMH.

 

[DAustin]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets to look at the OP date. It's got me more than once.

 

[BigLeagueSmoes]

couple years ago

 

[KnurledNut]

My guess is that the OP has probably found his ratchet considering he posted this almost 13 years ago. SMH.

What makes this even funnier is that you **** at math.

 

[seber]

I have the full Monte on half inch but if I were starting over for home use I would find a used USA breaker bar and a Snap-on ratcheting adapter on Ebay. You will want the breaker bar anyway and the adapter can be had cheap. It will stand up to anything you can do to it.

 

[lardy1]

What makes this even funnier is that you **** at math.

Ha!! Good call. I can say that even with my foot in my mouth.

 

[mrb1]

And the replies to the OP still keep coming . OP hasn't even been on here in 4 years. Guessing that these are all cellphone users that don't even bother to look back 2 or 3 posts.