Titanium 1/4" Drive Ratchet 2.0

[Ohio Andy]

That filled the set out nicely, it looks awesome! Love to see those Robertsons in there. We're strengthening the magnet on the bit holder socket this next round, by the way.

Your pictures just reminded me why the finger holes in the foam are where they are:

They're located at the center of mass of the ratchet and extension, so you lift them out right at the balance point. Small detail but explains that design choice.

Had not considered the balance point

I use lots of Robertson

So far the magnet has been sufficient. Will be interested to see how the new ones work.

One inch insert bits work great in the set. Slightly larger bits are a problem. Without thinking i dropped in a ph4... And ph4 bits, at least the ones I have, are a bit longer than 1".

 

[Ohio Andy]

Generation two has arrived. Not a lot of differences to make me want to stop using my Generation one (that I have been using for about five months now).

Kurling on the handle is better, I did not expect it, but it is.
The direction switch does look better.
It is stronger (not that I can tell).
They moved TRO from the head to the handle.

Very nice. Now I can drop one in each car.

TRO Designs 1/4" Titanium Superleggera Ratchet

A few comments on the Generation one TRO Designs 1/4" Titanium Superleggera Ratchet after 5 months use and a brief comparison to the generation two that I have had for a few hours. The bottom line is that it is my favorite 1/4" ratchet. I do not even miss kurling on the extension because the...

vimeo.com

 

[teagueo]

Generation two has arrived. Not a lot of differences to make me want to stop using my Generation one (that I have been using for about five months now).

Kurling on the handle is better, I did not expect it, but it is.
The direction switch does look better.
It is stronger (not that I can tell).
They moved TRO from the head to the handle.

Very nice. Now I can drop one in each car.

TRO Designs 1/4" Titanium Superleggera Ratchet

A few comments on the Generation one TRO Designs 1/4" Titanium Superleggera Ratchet after 5 months use and a brief comparison to the generation two that I have had for a few hours. The bottom line is that it is my favorite 1/4" ratchet. I do not even miss kurling on the extension because the...

vimeo.com

That's a next level review. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make a video about the tool set. That's huge for us as a small time manufacturer - it's much appreciated.

If I had something extra to give away I would! We do have something special lined up soon, maybe I'll shoot one your way as a thank you.

I noticed you have a short sleeve on in your garage in winter (in OH I presume) - major flex on the heated garage!

 

[Ohio Andy]

That's a next level review. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make a video about the tool set. That's huge for us as a small time manufacturer - it's much appreciated.

If I had something extra to give away I would! We do have something special lined up soon, maybe I'll shoot one your way as a thank you.

I noticed you have a short sleeve on in your garage in winter (in OH I presume) - major flex on the heated garage!

That would be my basement... It is crazy cold out right about now...

I did that in my woodworking shop.

 

[codeadidas]

@teagueo Any mid year updates on what TRO has been working on? I noticed a bronze color option was added?

 

[tarbellb]

 

[teagueo]

@teagueo Any mid year updates on what TRO has been working on? I noticed a bronze color option was added?

You're on it dude! You must've posted this almost right after we listed the new stuff...

We have a few new options up and a new quick spinner available with a Titanium or Carbon Fiber disc.








This is after 7 days in sea water and then immersed in acid - it's basically corrosion proof. We did a full torture test video series on our Instagram including torque and corrosion testing, results are shown below.









A common theme with our Superalloy tools is stronger, yet lighter and more compact. Something we can accomplish with ultra-high strength alloys and design optimization. Sometimes breaking ISO/DIN/ANSI rules when it makes sense.

 

[L.Cheapo]

You're on it dude! You must've posted this almost right after we listed the new stuff...

We have a few new options up and a new quick spinner available with a Titanium or Carbon Fiber disc.








This is after 7 days in sea water and then immersed in acid - it's basically corrosion proof. We did a full torture test video series on our Instagram including torque and corrosion testing, results are shown below.









A common theme with our Superalloy tools is stronger, yet lighter and more compact. Something we can accomplish with ultra-high strength alloys and design optimization. Sometimes breaking ISO/DIN/ANSI rules when it makes sense.

Awesome. Any updates on the 3/8 or 1/2 ratchets?

 

[bonneyman]

Oh man those spinner discs look awesome!
How does the carbon fiber one handle drops? As light as the ratchet is I'd think if one dropped a tool and it landed right on the spinner it might crack or chip.

 

[teagueo]

Awesome. Any updates on the 3/8 or 1/2 ratchets?

Gauging interest on the 1/2" drive now and shopping for some tool tester to demo it. No ratchet this size has any business handling like it does....

Oh man those spinner discs look awesome!
How does the carbon fiber one handle drops? As light as the ratchet is I'd think if one dropped a tool and it landed right on the spinner it might crack or chip.

Impact resistance is definitely not the strong suit of Carbon Fiber....In testing, the teeth do become deformed if dropped directly from chest height on to concrete (with a heavier breaker bar attached), but the tool is still usable.

Zero complaints on our Carbon Fiber handled ratchets (so far) but I'm sure people are careful with those haha.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Gauging interest on the 1/2" drive now and shopping for some tool tester to demo it. No ratchet this size has any business handling like it does....

I've been semi-patiently waiting for a 1/4-3/8-1/2 ratchet set in foam, but it sounds like that may be a while, if ever. I completely understand why, and may just have to go with the current 1/4 set instead.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Gauging interest on the 1/2" drive now and shopping for some tool tester to demo it. No ratchet this size has any business handling like it does....

You offer a 1/2", I am interested, but I use 3/8" more than the 1/2".

I didn't wrench as much as I used to, the older I get the more inclined I am to pay someone else to do it.

That said, I had a pro use a 1/4" gold (tin) for a month And it held up very well... He was sad that I took it back.

I ordered a couple spinners to go with my ratchets see how those work...

 

[bonneyman]

Impact resistance is definitely not the strong suit of Carbon Fiber....In testing, the teeth do become deformed if dropped directly from chest height on to concrete (with a heavier breaker bar attached), but the tool is still usable.

Zero complaints on our Carbon Fiber handled ratchets (so far) but I'm sure people are careful with those haha.

Understandable. Like with CF bike frames. Everything is a series of compromises.

I came across this composite while doing research for a movie review. Perhaps you've heard of it? It's called Durashock. It seems to have fantastic characteristics for alot of applications. Several materials from this company have interesting qualities.

Hardness

One of the most valuable characteristics of advanced ceramics in high-performance applications is their extreme hardness.

precision-ceramics.com

 

[teagueo]

I've been semi-patiently waiting for a 1/4-3/8-1/2 ratchet set in foam, but it sounds like that may be a while, if ever. I completely understand why, and may just have to go with the current 1/4 set instead.

There're visions of that exact set but turning it into reality is tougher than expected - We have working prototypes of the 3/8" & 1/2" drive ratchets but no capacity or enough personnel yet...

1/4" drive requires way less time and materials and even that has been nuts to keep up with!

 

[teagueo]

I ordered a couple spinners to go with my ratchets see how those work...

Andy, if you buy anymore, we're going to have to give you an honorary % of the company! Thanks for the new orders, it's very much appreciated. There are a few guys collecting colors on these things I think...

You offer a 1/2", I am interested, but I use 3/8" more than the 1/2".

It's a tough one - the 1/2" drive is where the weight reduction truly shines, but 3/8" is the go-to for a lot of guys. For marketing (we're still trying to get the name out there) the 1/2" is more impressive spec-wise.

That said, I had a pro use a 1/4" gold (tin) for a month And it held up very well... He was sad that I took it back.

Generous guy loaning that thing out! For any under dash jobs, it doesn't get much better...

 

[teagueo]

I came across this composite while doing research for a movie review. Perhaps you've heard of it? It's called Durashock. It seems to have fantastic characteristics for alot of applications. Several materials from this company have interesting qualities.

Hardness

One of the most valuable characteristics of advanced ceramics in high-performance applications is their extreme hardness.

precision-ceramics.com

Funny you mention that - we looked into some exotic ceramic based alloys for certain parts. Gives absolutely insane hardness to a normally soft metals and the stiffness to weight ratio is off the charts.

Only problem is, the ceramic makes it brittle - for tools, we need the toughness in most places. The tooling you need to cut the stuff is very expensive so it looks like they mainly sinter it. And they're pretty toxic, most of them.

The fracture toughness for DuraShock is 4 MPa√m. The Superalloy we use for the spinners is 90+ MPa√m.

 

[Toold_up]

What size sockets are you going to produce with the 1/2" drive ratchet?

 

[L.Cheapo]

There're visions of that exact set but turning it into reality is tougher than expected - We have working prototypes of the 3/8" & 1/2" drive ratchets but no capacity or enough personnel yet...

1/4" drive requires way less time and materials and even that has been nuts to keep up with!

Thanks for the reply. I just gave you one more set to make.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Andy, if you buy anymore, we're going to have to give you an honorary % of the company! Thanks for the new orders, it's very much appreciated. There are a few guys collecting colors on these things I think...

I might customize a set based on where it will live. If I have two different colors and if I grab two different sets, it helps me keep track of which is which without looking at what else I packed with it. Are people not using these and just looking at them?

If you are on a bike and need to reduce weight, there is nothing better (by the way).

It's a tough one - the 1/2" drive is where the weight reduction truly shines, but 3/8" is the go-to for a lot of guys. For marketing (we're still trying to get the name out there) the 1/2" is more impressive spec-wise.


Generous guy loaning that thing out! For any under dash jobs, it doesn't get much better...

The guy I loaned it to wanted it for replacing a bumper.... He said something about getting into touch places, but he said the ratchet would get banged up. I told him it was meant to be used and to not worry about it. It came out just fine even after the abuse. It cleaned up just fine. I liked it enough I decided to order the bronze version.