Bad luck with Harbor Freight flex heads

[TheEuronater]

Like the title says, I'm having a hard time not breaking the long handle flex head ⅜" drive ratchets. Just broke my third one and thinking it's not even worth the hassle of getting it replaced. Are there any other long handle flex head comfort grip ratchets that last? Thinking it's time to just go Snap On even for 10 times the price, but I've heard those break at the pin too.

 

[Noworries]

I could be way off base here but maybe if your fasteners are that tight.. use a breaker bar to get it started??? Ive had a 3/8 flex from HF for a couple years now.. no issues

 

[chappys4life]

What model hf ratchets? Are they icon, Pittsburgh? I have been abusing. 1/2 icon flex with no issues. I will say if you want a in between hf and snap on I would look at willams or gearwrench. My flex 3/8 gearwrench has been abused for years breaking bolts loose

 

[unslow1]

Sounds like you need a 1/2 ratchet or breaker bar. It doesn't matter who made it if it's used past the capacity of the tool it will break.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Mine haven't broken at the pin yet but they sure get floppy fast. If they didn't get so floppy, I'd use and abuse them more, I'm sure.

 

[TheEuronater]

I could be way off base here but maybe if your fasteners are that tight.. use a breaker bar to get it started??? Ive had a 3/8 flex from HF for a couple years now.. no issues

I just use the leverage from the handle, that’s why I get the long version to bring to the junkyard. So I don’t have to carry so much.

What model hf ratchets? Are they icon, Pittsburgh? I have been abusing. 1/2 icon flex with no issues. I will say if you want a in between hf and snap on I would look at willams or gearwrench. My flex 3/8 gearwrench has been abused for years breaking bolts loose

Pittsburgh pro I think it’s 14 inches long.

Sounds like you need a 1/2 ratchet or breaker bar. It doesn't matter who made it if it's used past the capacity of the tool it will break.

Trying to find a flex head with a stronger pin because these are weak. The most recent one bent taking nuts off of a ball joint that was connected to a control arm. 6 bolts undone by hand and it’s already wonky.

 

[Ton ton]

You are not the only one complaining about hf ratchets. Thanks for sharing.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I have a 1/2in and 3/8in and the only issue i had was head pivot wearing out. I exchanged them and put them in my junkyard box and got the Carlyle locking flex head with quick release and comfort grip. Paid $162 out the door for both I believe. The 1/2in head on the Carlyle is about the same size as the 3/8 hf

 

[Mr_B]

carlyle long flex comfort grip
locking flex CHT R38LFLQR
non locking flex CHT R38NLFL

i use these professionally without issue and that does include so pull-a-part trips and pushing what tools you got bit harder than like .
look in napa flyer as deal prices are good value buy .

 

[Noworries]

I just use the leverage from the handle, that’s why I get the long version to bring to the junkyard. So I don’t have to carry so much.



Pittsburgh pro I think it’s 14 inches long.



Trying to find a flex head with a stronger pin because these are weak. The most recent one bent taking nuts off of a ball joint that was connected to a control arm. 6 bolts undone by hand and it’s already wonky.

Try their ratcheting breaker bar... only 36 teeth but it 18" long and more substantial than the ratchet.. and costs less

 

[lardy1]

So many options out there. If cost isn't a factor I'd move away from Harbor Freight. You can get yourself into a decent Carlyle, Tekton, Gearwrench, etc. for less than fifty bucks. Double that and a liitle more and you can get into SK or Proto 90 tooth.

 

[Taco Truck]

They all have the potential for a broken pin, but some are definitely stronger than the others.

Matco and Snap on both make good flex heads and can sometimes be found for cheap on the used marker with a little gumption and luck.

The Gearwrench flex heads are great too and aren't expensive though they will be more than the Pittsburghs for sure. This is probably what I'd recommend if it'll be going to the junk yard just because the potential to leave it there accidentally and never see it again.

I've used the 1/4 Carlyle locking flex heads and thought the quality was good but didn't really like the lock. I'd imagine the 3/8 is decent too. It is a quick release though if that's an issue.

Mac, Cornwell, Stahwille,and Carlyle have some too, but I don't have any first hand experience with them.

If you're not set on a comfort grip there's another Carlyle, Armstrong (if you get lucky on the used market), and Williams (if you're cool with 36 teeth).

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Look into masterforce , northern tool or titan

 

[Noworries]

There is a video on youtube (sorry..couldnt find it again) that compared snapon proto mac and the pittsburgh flex head 3/8 ratchets and while yes the pittsburgh came in dead last it broke (teeth on the gear) at over 400ft/lbs while the snapon broke (the 3/8 lug sheared off) at around 475 ft/lbs. Sorry guys..that just does not justify the extra 100+ bucks to me

 

[Noworries]

No-one is holding a weapon to you and making you buy one. If it doesn't meet your needs, or is more expensive than you want to pay, buy one that meets your needs, or that is within your budget. That's why there's numerous models and levels of functionality and finish on the market, at different prices.

Same with the OP. Nobody is making him keep using his HF wrench. He gave it a fair try at 3 times, and wants to move on. He's asking which one would be an upgrade from the one he had fail.

I'd look at it exactly the opposite. I've used the Snap-on ones, other quality flex heads, and the cheap ones. No way does saving up to $100 or even a bit more justify having to use the cheap ones. I don't miss the money I spent getting the tools I have now, but do appreciate that they work the way I want them to every time. That doesn't detract from the experience of the guy that's perfectly satisfied with the performance of whatever wrench he has, that's not the same as mine, either. If it's working for him, and meeting his financial objectives, that's excellent. The only situation that I feel some sympathy for is the guy that has something that isn't meeting his needs, but isn't able to buy better because of some financial ill circumstances.

Geez.. the point is EVERYTHING will fail when used way beupnd its intended perameters. Breaker bars are made for a reason... ratchets are mot, even the queen of tools thats snapon, are not intended to be used that way... having said that..i own snapon and proto as well as pittsburgh... i am not a fanboy of any 1 brand.. imo if you bought a long ratchet for the leverage.. cant grip when you repeatedly break a tool used as it wasnt intended.. screwdrivers arent prybars and ratchets arent breakerbats

 

[M635_Guy]

If you've broken three, you're using the wrong tool - simple as that (and by that I mean you're using the tool you have incorrectly - I'm guessing one or more of those times you would have broken a SO as well).

 

[Mr_B]

There is a video on youtube (sorry..couldnt find it again) that compared snapon proto mac and the pittsburgh flex head 3/8 ratchets and while yes the pittsburgh came in dead last it broke (teeth on the gear) at over 400ft/lbs while the snapon broke (the 3/8 lug sheared off) at around 475 ft/lbs. Sorry guys..that just does not justify the extra 100+ bucks to me

dodgy test gear, someone on the weed or it wasn't 3/8 drive.
You won't see much from any brand go over 300 for 3/8 drive ...
most struggle with mid to high 200's

 

[lardy1]

It wasn't the ratcheting mechanism that failed anyway. The OP said it was the handle.

 

[TheEuronater]

Caliper bracket bolts on a Mk5 were too tough for this guy.

 

[TheEuronater]

There is a video on youtube (sorry..couldnt find it again) that compared snapon proto mac and the pittsburgh flex head 3/8 ratchets and while yes the pittsburgh came in dead last it broke (teeth on the gear) at over 400ft/lbs while the snapon broke (the 3/8 lug sheared off) at around 475 ft/lbs. Sorry guys..that just does not justify the extra 100+ bucks to me

No way I was putting anywhere near that kind of force on it. I was in my driveway using my arms not even my body weight.

 

[Rinspeed]

I'm not sure which is the more important question to ask, why does the OP keep breaking the same tool or why does the OP keep using the wrong tool for the job.

 

[MaximRecoil]

dodgy test gear, someone on the weed or it wasn't 3/8 drive.
You won't see much from any brand go over 300 for 3/8 drive ...
most struggle with mid to high 200's

Yeah, that aligns with the results of the tests that "ClientGraphics" did. He tested 18 different brands of 3/8"-drive ratchets and they all failed at between 206 and 300 foot pounds of torque. I've attached his chart showing the results below. The links to his videos are:

Part 1 -

Part 2 -

 

[dnschmidt]

Ever hear of a Milwaukee cordless impact wrench? If I've got to get medieval on something (to quote Markus from Pulp Fiction) I'm not using a hand tool. I like the 3/8” Mid-Torque.

 

[TheEuronater]

That the OP broke 3 of them before considering something better says a lot about the strength of belief. I'm a bit skeptical, I might have stopped after 1. Definitely would have after 2

The first one I considered possible abuse on my part, the second one broke prematurely in my opinion. This last round it was in my junkyard bag, I'm not looking to take nice stuff to the junkyard. I have Gearwrench 120xp stuff, and use Craftsman, these aren't my only ratchets.

 

[Mr_B]

Caliper bracket bolts on a Mk5 were too tough for this guy.

that piss poor, any half decent flex still always shears the anvil or slips the mesh at worst .
way that ear bent suggests it bit soft likely due to poor alloy and/or heat treatment .
The flex joint always been known trouble on pitts pro ratchets .
You much better off looking for a deal on carlyle and get a store credit on the ratchet or a swap for something else .

 

[johninct]

A breaker bar would solve your problem.

 

[bobcatdan]

I have never broke a 3/8" snap on flex head at the joint giving it all I had. I have broke simlar mac ratchets in that fashion.

 

[ThePostman]

Just my 2 cents, indie mechanic, I use the Pittsburgh 3/8” flex head long handle a lot on Toyota gearbox check plugs, 10mm Allen to be specific, and other square drive plugs. Anything bigger is 1/2" drive
. I've owned it for some years now, and I have yet to break it. I'm not going to use it for suspension work, I take that back, I have. I've abused the hell out of it. But I know where not to bother with a 3/8” drive anything....
Still on my original.
I'm a fan of what works and loyal to none, I have a mix of all old and new

 

[Skin]

The first one I considered possible abuse on my part, the second one broke prematurely in my opinion. This last round it was in my junkyard bag, I'm not looking to take nice stuff to the junkyard. I have Gearwrench 120xp stuff, and use Craftsman, these aren't my only ratchets.

Maybe time to accept you need better tools. Bringing an expensive ratchet with you doesnt mean anything bad is going to happen to it and i'd think you'd be more diligent when it comes to checking before you leave.

This isnt targeted at you specifically but there have been similar comments in the past where people will save their high end tools for changing their lawn mower spark plugs but when real work needs to be done they look to HF, Gearwrench, Tekton, Sunex, Grey Pneumatic etc...

Its backwards and mildly amusing.

If you want an obscenely strong flex get one of the 90T MAC or Proto ratchets. Snap-on cloned the reverse hinge as well but its only on a 16 or 18" 3/8" (cant remember which).

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Think about it this way, your HF ratchet that "saved" you $100 up front has caused you 2 return trips to the store (and maybe a return trip to the junkyard?). At the end of the day you would've been money ahead buying a tool with a longer track record and years of proven performance. I'm surprised the ratchet broke on the VW ball joints, but if you replace the HF with a "better" one and you break that, then you really need to step up to 1/2" drive. I've only ever had a 3/8" and 1/2" Craftsman raised panel blowout on me.

FWIW, I have the same ratchet that I keep in my RZR tool bag, so I'm not hating on it, but it wouldn't be my primary use ratchet as it feels cheap and clunky compared to my more expensive ratchets. It's also not the only ratchet I carry, so if it were to fail I have a backup. In situations where I can't have my tools fail, I carry better tools. My road box and race car tool bags carry Dual 80's or Armstrong 88's. My logic is it's more important to have top quality tools in the field because I can't just walk over to my box and grab one of my other 20 ratchets like I can at home or in the shop. The aforementioned broken raised panels failed at the wrong time, the 3/8" broke at the Parker 425 removing a front shock and the 1/2" broke in Baja at the NORRA 1000 replacing a 934 CV joint. Not my car, not my tools, but I look like the ******* when it takes me 5x as long to make a repair under the gun.

 

[WittHay]

We have always had Volkswagen Jetta diesels good little run around cars and even more economical when using cheaper farm fuel. Also fairly simple to work on.

Last brake job was on a 2012 TDI with those M14 triple square rear caliper bracket bolts. One was easy using a Snap-on 1/2 drive socket and 24" ratchet. The other has limited clearance. Used a Snap-on 3/8 breaker bar and about a 20" pipe. Also used one of those new Mac RBRT sockets similar to picture that fit extra tight on the bolt and you can use a wrench on the socket to remove the bolt after its broke loose

There are decent Taiwan triple square sockets made but anything longer than 15" on 3/8 drive tool is getting there. If there is no clearance for 1/2 drive tools, you have to pick the brands that you feel most comfortable with at 18" plus 3/8 drive lengths. Snap-on works for me, maybe a HF 3/8 breaker bar will work for the OP

 

[ajchien]

Maybe time to accept you need better tools. Bringing an expensive ratchet with you doesnt mean anything bad is going to happen to it and i'd think you'd be more diligent when it comes to checking before you leave.

LOL. Here’s a story...

My *wife* is at a salvage yard pulling parts for her car. (Yes, I married her!)

She tells me the guy next to her is fumbling around frustrated. She asks him if he’s okay, he says “I lost my 10mm socket!”. She says, “Here, borrow mine”. He politely declines, saying “no... no... I lost my SNAP ON 10mm socket! I need to find it!”.

Wait ... that story probably didn’t help the OP in convincing him to bring different tools to the salvage yard...

 

[anndel]

I've loosened several axle nuts torqued to 217 ft-lbf with my Snap-on 3/8" long handle flex had with no issues. The pin was fine and so was the head. I did another vehicle with the same axle nut torque with a brand-new unused 1/2" HF Pittsburgh long handle breaker bar and the head sheared right off.

 

[lardy1]

I almost feel sorry for the OP. By reading the first post it seems obvious that he's fed up with his flex ratchet breaking, has proposed (himself) that he might be willing to go as high up the food chain as Snap-On to have a flex ratchet with more strength.

How do we respond? 20% tell him HF is junk and move on (which he stated he already knows), 20% tell him that the HF flex ratchet is as good as the others on the market (even though he has already broke three of them), 20% chastise him for abusing his flex ratchet when h should have used a breaker bar (even though none of us know how hard it was pushed. We weren't there.) and another 20% delve into a conversation about comparative ratcheting mechanism strength (even though the OP never mentions the ratcheting mechanism).

Seems to me his question is very direct. Are there stronger brands of flex heads available?

 

[Fedwrench]

Better quality tools are always a great option. However, there is that chance that your technique might need refining. Perhaps the flex head is the weak point. Do you have a long handled fixed head ratchet? A breaker bar as many have recommended, might be a solution.
However, It's time to move away from the Harbor Freight flex head as with three failed, i don't think your results are going to change with #4.
I know I can't usually loosen caliper crossover bracket bolts with a 3/8 drive ratchet and I don't work in the rust belt.
Stay motivated, don't get discouraged, find a workable solution for what you're doing, and let us know what you ended up with. I would look at Tekton's long ratchet and breaker bar offerings.

 

[Mr_B]

I have a few mac axis flexi ratchets and not had issue with one as of yet .
snapon always durable on ratchets although many cheaper taiwan offerings are a close to equal match these days .
Carlyle proved good to me, even the gearwrench 84T going hold up better than pitts pro. others to concider could be proto matco or new capri flexi ratchets.
I've used Carlyle, Mac, Facom, EZ Red extendable, Matco, Gearwrench long flexi's and not had issue with pretty hard use .
Had problem with Tekton Flexi's.
with any flexi it good idea put strong thread lock on the pin threads, I use bearing retainer on mine and snug them up good .

 

[SeisMec]

Are there any other long handle flex head comfort grip ratchets that last? Thinking it's time to just go Snap On even for 10 times the price, but I've heard those break at the pin too.

Have you considered swivel head - like this 12-1/2" Snap-On? (The longest I know of short of adaptation.)

 

[Rinspeed]

But I know where not to bother with a 3/8” drive anything....

I've seen enough caliper brackets that were torqued on with quite a bit of force, it would be very rare I wouldn't just grab a 1/2" to start with.

 

[zendriver]

Might just be me, but I would never consider using my snap on 3/8 inch (non-flex) to remove caliper bolts, or other similar fasteners.

Lug nuts?

Might be why it has had the same ratchet mechanism for 44 years.

I have other tools more suitable for those types of jobs, so that way nothing breaks.

Reminds me of when somebody puts a 6’ cheater bar on a harbor freight breaker bar and it snaps.

“What a piece of ****! That would never happen to my snap on “ - sitting safely in the toolbox drawer.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[unslow1]

I've seen enough caliper brackets that were torqued on with quite a bit of force, it would be very rare I wouldn't just grab a 1/2" to start with.

I won't even try bracket bolts with less than a 1/2 unless it's the only thing that fits in there.