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I DO have a couple of specific questions, but I'm trying to create a little general discussion about tool quality, since I love this board so much. I definitely fall into the realm of a shade-tree mechanic and home do-it-yourselfer, so that influences my tool purchases. I do things often enough...

I DO have a couple of specific questions, but I'm trying to create a little general discussion about tool quality, since I love this board so much. I definitely fall into the realm of a shade-tree mechanic and home do-it-yourselfer, so that influences my tool purchases. I do things often enough...

Mostly WD-40, a couple of Scotch Brite pads, and some elbow grease cleaned those wrenches up. Most of the rust was an even coating on the chrome. There were a few stubborn spots, and I did a quick vinegar soak to loosen those up some. Then more WD-40 and more scrubbing. Then I washed them with...

First, how many of you actually use any of this stuff? I'm curious. Here's a few things I just picked up recently. The ratchet is a 1/4" drive 2875 I got on eBay. It wasn't any more expensive than the comparable used SK and Proto ratchets, so I nabbed it. I have to say, I like it better than...

So there's no reason to mess with it at all?

Hey folks. I picked up this Mac 1/2" ratcheting wrench (RW216K) at a pawn shop for a buck. I was wondering if anyone knows the purpose of the the screw on the side of the head on the ratcheting end. Is it to adjust the tension of the mechanism, or to lube it? Or something else? Pretty cool...

Probably so, but the whole point of starting this thread was to see if these ratchets constituted a value purchase. They seem to be selling cheaper than their "standard" counterparts, but the cost of purchase, plus the cost of a Matco kit – for a ratchet by a brand no longer in business –...

Just a quick update on the Duralast. Even an overnight soak in ATF changes the sound of the ratcheting and very slightly smoothes the action. So it's apparent that the ratchet is not sealed with gaskets. It was a decently smooth ratchet off the shelf, however. The biggest upside to doing...

Yeah, I don't think the Duralast is serviceable. I don't think it's sealed, so you can probably give the head a soak in ATF if you want to lube it. If it gets grody or rusty inside, though, there's no way to clean it. Maybe that qualifies as a manufacturer defect and you can warranty it? ;–)...

I'm going to keep adding to this thread ... I recently bought an SK 3767 flex-head based on reading these posts. It just fills a niche for me. My go-to ratchet is a 3/8" roto head that's 10" long, so I wanted another 3/8" ratchet that was a little shorter than the typical standard handle that...

+1 on Circle C for new SK stuff! I bought a ratchet that was $10 cheaper than on Amazon. I added a deep socket I needed to get the order over $50. The shipping was free and very fast. http://www.circlecsupply.com

Many might be able to figure out that the Armstrong ratchets are amongst those I'm talking about. Since the Armstrong brand is being discontinued, some folks are deeply discounting them while others are raising prices based on availability. Seems there are more Armstrong aviation ratchets...

Definitely things to consider. Thanks for that advice!

Yeah, I figured there might not be any real advantage. But like I said, sometimes I run across deals where the aviation version of a particular ratchet is the same or cheaper than the standard ratchet. Any disadvantages?

I'm asking about aviation ratchets because I occasionally see good deals on them. I know they usually have a couple of features different from standard ratchets, such as the pass-through for allen wrenches and a ring socket retainer. Is there any reason I should pass on a deal when I only do...

No apology necessary, imo. Some topics are worth rehashing periodically because there are always new members and new/updated products. I think it's also useful to add what kind of work we do because different applications often require different tools and different levels of quality. For...

10:44 p.m. Talking about tools. :)

BTW, does anyone else kind of like that you can discuss tools at 1:30 a.m.?

So, tool truck brand? Snap-on, Match, Mac, Cornwell? Or is industrial (Proto, Williams, Armstrong, Wright, etc.) just as good? UPDATE: Just noted md21722's response.

ssdave, 10mm was one of the sizes I was thinking about. I work on my Subaru Forester and my wife's Honda CRV, and almost all of the bolts are 10, 12, 14, 17, and 19mm, with varying accessibility. I have 19 and 17 mm universal sockets, but they were mostly impulse buys because they were great...