Loscaldazar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 2,385
Saw the SK 90T ratchet was for sale at HJE ($66 shipped to me), so I had to grab one to see how I would like it. Taken a long time for this ratchet to get to market, so my expectations were high.
To start, the length is 8" and the chrome is great. The handle is comfortable, and will work for a wide variety of hand sizes (bigger hands can place their middle finger below where SK 80200 is stamped and their thumb and pointer finger above, smaller hands can just place the thumb and pointer below where the stamping is). I could wish for a thicker handle, but then again, I would probably only be happy with a 1" diameter handle on all of my ratchets, so that may just be me.
Here are a few dimensions (in MM) with Blue highlighting the best in each category. It is fairly compact, but the difference, as I've said previously when comparing the Matco/Armstrong 88T to the F80, is not a deal breaker. They're all actually much closer than you would think by looking at them.
Several who had handled the prototypes in the past had mentioned that they felt rather heavy. Both the F80 and SK 90T come in at the same 10.5 Oz., so not bad for either in my opinion. The SK, with a smaller head, feels better balanced, as opposed to the head-heavy Snap On.
The ratcheting mechanism is fantastic. The mechanism is light, crisp, and smooth. The back drag on it is significantly lower than the equivalent F80 from Snap On. It just is REALLY lower than the F80. The F80 has never been the lightest back drag ratchet, but it's never been bad either, so how light the SK is is great work. Slop is nonexistent and the next tooth feels like it engages right away with no slack. Great job here.
It may look like an Apex single pawl design, but there are several features that set it apart. The selector (anodized aluminum?), on the left side, has a tab that slides along a "shelf" specifically milled out for it. This limits the travel of the selector switch. Nice feature.
There also are two recessed areas on the bottom part of the head behind the pawl that allow the ball/spring to sit firmly in them (just below where the shelf for the pawl tab slides on). This results in a solid and positive click/lock into place when changing directions. Again, something that the very similar Apex/Matco design lacks.
It also has a large raised circle in the middle that fits into a recessed circle of the gear/drive piece. My guess is that this helps reduce the gear from moving around, jamming, and such. It also means the gear isn't being pushed away from the pawl under load, making it a stronger ratchet. Take most ratchets, put a 12" extension on them, pull down on the extension, and try ratcheting it. Many will not ratchet like this, some do but feel horrible and you can tell the gear/pawl are being pushed out of place. The SK does this with ease. The F80 is okay, but not fantastic, at this task, speaking to how well machined and how precisely everything fits up in it.
The pawl is large, with 14 teeth engaged (Snap On is 7 IIRC). Well made, and the entire thing engages with the gear, not just half of it like some other single pawl competitors.
As far as things I don't like about it is that it doesn't have O-rings around the drive anvil like Snap On and Matco have. The opening in the cover plate is tightly machined (significantly less gap between cover plate and anvil than the Snap On), but I'd like an O-ring there regardless. I also don't like that they used Hex screws instead of Torx screws (it's a 2MM or 5/64, which ever one fits in there better for you
). Both super minor complaints....
All together, this is an excellent ratchet. Having used it next to my Snap On F80, I very much like the SK 80200 WAY better. Better balance, slimmer, longer, better ratcheting mechanism, and cheaper. It took a long time to come out, but it's a great design. Unless it proves to be weak or problem prone over the long haul, it is a better ratchet than the F80. With a used F80 being around the same price (and having technically no warranty from Snap On if you buy it used), I think the SK 80200 is a better bet for most people.
Hopefully the 1/2 and 1/4 drive versions are just as good, but the SK 90T 1/2 drive will have a much harder time against the Snap On S80A, which is just a fantastic 1/2 drive ratchet.
To start, the length is 8" and the chrome is great. The handle is comfortable, and will work for a wide variety of hand sizes (bigger hands can place their middle finger below where SK 80200 is stamped and their thumb and pointer finger above, smaller hands can just place the thumb and pointer below where the stamping is). I could wish for a thicker handle, but then again, I would probably only be happy with a 1" diameter handle on all of my ratchets, so that may just be me.
Here are a few dimensions (in MM) with Blue highlighting the best in each category. It is fairly compact, but the difference, as I've said previously when comparing the Matco/Armstrong 88T to the F80, is not a deal breaker. They're all actually much closer than you would think by looking at them.
Several who had handled the prototypes in the past had mentioned that they felt rather heavy. Both the F80 and SK 90T come in at the same 10.5 Oz., so not bad for either in my opinion. The SK, with a smaller head, feels better balanced, as opposed to the head-heavy Snap On.
The ratcheting mechanism is fantastic. The mechanism is light, crisp, and smooth. The back drag on it is significantly lower than the equivalent F80 from Snap On. It just is REALLY lower than the F80. The F80 has never been the lightest back drag ratchet, but it's never been bad either, so how light the SK is is great work. Slop is nonexistent and the next tooth feels like it engages right away with no slack. Great job here.
It may look like an Apex single pawl design, but there are several features that set it apart. The selector (anodized aluminum?), on the left side, has a tab that slides along a "shelf" specifically milled out for it. This limits the travel of the selector switch. Nice feature.
There also are two recessed areas on the bottom part of the head behind the pawl that allow the ball/spring to sit firmly in them (just below where the shelf for the pawl tab slides on). This results in a solid and positive click/lock into place when changing directions. Again, something that the very similar Apex/Matco design lacks.
It also has a large raised circle in the middle that fits into a recessed circle of the gear/drive piece. My guess is that this helps reduce the gear from moving around, jamming, and such. It also means the gear isn't being pushed away from the pawl under load, making it a stronger ratchet. Take most ratchets, put a 12" extension on them, pull down on the extension, and try ratcheting it. Many will not ratchet like this, some do but feel horrible and you can tell the gear/pawl are being pushed out of place. The SK does this with ease. The F80 is okay, but not fantastic, at this task, speaking to how well machined and how precisely everything fits up in it.
The pawl is large, with 14 teeth engaged (Snap On is 7 IIRC). Well made, and the entire thing engages with the gear, not just half of it like some other single pawl competitors.
As far as things I don't like about it is that it doesn't have O-rings around the drive anvil like Snap On and Matco have. The opening in the cover plate is tightly machined (significantly less gap between cover plate and anvil than the Snap On), but I'd like an O-ring there regardless. I also don't like that they used Hex screws instead of Torx screws (it's a 2MM or 5/64, which ever one fits in there better for you
). Both super minor complaints....All together, this is an excellent ratchet. Having used it next to my Snap On F80, I very much like the SK 80200 WAY better. Better balance, slimmer, longer, better ratcheting mechanism, and cheaper. It took a long time to come out, but it's a great design. Unless it proves to be weak or problem prone over the long haul, it is a better ratchet than the F80. With a used F80 being around the same price (and having technically no warranty from Snap On if you buy it used), I think the SK 80200 is a better bet for most people.
Hopefully the 1/2 and 1/4 drive versions are just as good, but the SK 90T 1/2 drive will have a much harder time against the Snap On S80A, which is just a fantastic 1/2 drive ratchet.
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