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1/4 dr. ratchet

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bayoutoolguy

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Sep 17, 2011
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Golden Meadow, Louisiana
looking to get a new 1/4 ratchet, the THLF72 snap on I own isnt cutting it. action isnt smooth at all, doesnt skip, just not smooth. most ive broken loose with it is about 40 lbs. So, out of the ones listed below, which is the best, as far as smoothness and longevity go? 1/4 dr. is not something i use a whole lot, so hopefully itll last a while before needing a rebuild kit. Even though I dont use it much, I dont mind spending more for one of the ones I listed. the snap on is for sale for $50, message me if interested.

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/AFR68LFTG/1-4-DRIVE-88-TOOTH-LOCKING-FLEX-RATCHET/

http://www.mactools.com/ShopOnline/Product/tabid/120/productid/319570/variantid/310329/Default.aspx

http://www.mactools.com/ShopOnline/Product/tabid/120/productid/319577/variantid/310336/Default.aspx

http://www.tooltopia.com/kd-tools-81009f.aspx
 
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OxJaw

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Medina, Ohio
The only one from your list that I have used is the gearwrench. I can tell you that it is no where near as smooth as the snap on 1/4" that I have.

I can also say that out of all the 1/4" ratchets that I do own the snap on is the smoothest. That's compared to a gearwrench 84 tooth, a triangle 2.5 degree and a craftsman premium 84 tooth.

Another thing that I have noticed is that most 1/4" ratchets are more "notchy" feeling than the 3/8" or 1/2" drive models of the same line.

Have you tried taking your THLF72 apart and cleaning and lubing it?
 
S

Stooge

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I have an older version of the orange handled mac, cant remember the number off hand, works great, dont remember it ever skipping, gets quite a bit of use and has never needed a rebuild. Its my second choice 1/4 behind a snappy tm711 that ive had forever
The mac will be a solid albeit spendy choice, and id buy the gearwrench just to have, they have nice ratchets and would be well worth the price
 
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Skin

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My 72s are smooth but I can get them to jam if I try. The Matco is nice also but you need to watch out for quality control issues that either cause them to lock up or self reverse if you ratchet back and forth fast.

I think cornwell finally came out with a 72 tooth flex in 1/4" you might also want to consider. Theres also the 100 tooth Taiwan roto ratchets sold under a few brands (MAC, Carlyle to name 2).

Wouldn't bother with a MAC or Cornwell 30 tooth if you're after smooth action. Either need to clip the spring or put a good few years of use on those suckers to get them anywhere near smooth.
 
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ihateminimumwage

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Clean out that Snappy and see if it smooths out. If it's still to rough for you, it's kind of hard to beat. I love my Gearwrench flex. Even with 60 teeth, it was smoother than my Matco 88.

If your priority is a smooth action, stay away from the MAC ratchets. They are tried and true reliable, but at only 30 teeth, not in the same realm as all the fine tooth offerings out there.
 
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Applesauce

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Sounds like your S-O wrench needs a cleaning and lubing. I use a 1/4" wrench for three-quarters of every workday, and my Snap-On TL72 might not be my favourite, but it's certainly smooth. (Having said that, I don't use Superlube. Though I doubt it makes a difference...)

I think my favourite is probably an S-K/Facom set that I bought here. It seems the same wrench can be found by itself on eBay for less than $15, but the socket set is nice too. Keep in mind that this design is NOS, so S-K parts are probably not available, and I don't know whether Facom rebuild kits would fit. It's also short. Like, really short. I pressed a nice long acrylic handle onto mine to gain another two inches or so, and it's pretty good now.

Still, it'd be pretty dumb not to service your Snap-On. There's two generations of T72 designs: one where the pawl spring is glued to the pawls for easy assembly, and another where it's not. The one where the spring is not glued is current, and is considered a fix for the former (once it breaks, anyway).
 
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DOUGD

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Mar 15, 2011
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Buy the standard and the long handle 1/4" SK's and pocket the extra cash. I'm not crazy about SK's larger ratchets but these 1/4"s are great and I use the 1/4"s very hard daily.:beer:
 
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DRhodes

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Ohio
Like others have said, the SK is hard to beat for the price. I can't believe your not happy with the snap on. They are wonderful ratchets. I can say though that I typically pick up my sk ratchet before the snap on, but that's because I'm old school and its what I've always used.
 
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CWP1616L

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PROTO J4757F

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DMAR

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May 12, 2012
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You either have a clunker, or it probably needs to be cleaned/lubed. My Snap Ons are the smoothest 1/4" ratchets (72 teeth) that I've ever had. Do you have a truck guy that can look at it for you?

There are other good ones, the Matco is good, but not as smooth as the Snap On. I have not tried the 1/4" Proto, but Proto makes some nice tools.
 
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crewchief888

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the couple of SO 1/4" dr ratchets i have at work are smooth as silk.

mac i have at work is the sloppiest thing i've ever used, it's been "rebuilt" a few times, and never seems to last long before it starts skipping again..
no matco 1/4" dr ratchets, the cornwell i have is nice, but not as smooth as the SO

i have duralast and gearwrench at home, and they are nice as well....:thumbup:

maybe it's just me, but every SK ratchet or breaker bar i get my hands on i break, most of the used ones i find, are broken as well :headscrat



:beer:
 
F

Fedwrench

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Skin said:
Proto doesn't make those, they're Facom palm control copies.
Click to expand...

True. what you have now is cross brand mingling since Stanley owns Facom, Proto, and Mac, you can now get palm control ratchets from all three brands that are made in Italy. Great ratchets though.

Back to the subject at hand. I think the op needs the longest 1/4 drive flex head can find. 40 foot pounds is 3/8 drive territory not 1/4. However, I would recommend the Carlyle R14F90. It's a 90 tooth, 8.25 inch long 1/4 drive flex head ratchet. It offers strength, a crisp 90 tooth action, and available through NAPAs across the country. A close second would be any of the Gearwrench 1/4 drive flex head models with the comfort grip in 60, 84, or 120 tooth trim. The Gearwrench measures aprox 7.75 inches overall so, it's shorter than the Carlyle.

All of the chrome flex heads mentioned are too short at about 6.5 inches for what you're doing with it.:beer:
 
OP
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bayoutoolguy

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I do like to test out my ratchets strength lol. only reason i broke loose 40 lbs with it cause i was in one of those rare situations where thats the only ratchet i had in my bag, usually and now always carry a 3/8 and 1/2 also. Getting the longest one available doesnt sound like a bad idea.
 
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JerseyBoatBuilder

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bayoutoolguy said:
I do like to test out my ratchets strength lol. only reason i broke loose 40 lbs with it cause i was in one of those rare situations where thats the only ratchet i had in my bag, usually and now always carry a 3/8 and 1/2 also. Getting the longest one available doesnt sound like a bad idea.
Click to expand...

The T72,TL72 & TLL72 are all supposed to be good for up to 90 ft lbs

I wouldn't even use grease on a dual 80 I think they prefer just a couple drops of oil
 
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JerseyBoatBuilder

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Skin said:
My 72s are smooth but I can get them to jam if I try.
Click to expand...

I warrantied quite a few 72's within a few months even weeks of each other because of that.
It seemed like once they jammed or seized it happened more frequently after that
After a couple times I began to leave them like that and warrantied them for new ones.
All of the 72's I had that did that the direction selector would push out farther and farther from the head of the ratchet and have play in it.
I eventually ended up with some that wouldn't do that anymore and haven't had any problems since then.

Snap On claims they are good for up to 90 ft lbs so I use them that way
 
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CWP1616L

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If the THLF72 wasn't smooth, I'd take it apart and find out why.

Does anybody know the Torx head size?
 
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vintagefan

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Mar 2, 2012
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I really like the SK's myself as well. I tried running SO for a good year, and also like them, but I still think I'm a roundhead guy at heart.

Wright should not be ignored either... it's somewhat like a fine tooth version of a SK roundhead, but with dual pawls that are offset so it doubles the effective tooth count while still keeping that easy-clicking roundhead feel. The quality is absolutely top notch.
 
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kams1973

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Take it apart, clean, lube, and chuck it up in your favorite cordless drill. Give it a whirl. If it's not to your satisfaction after that, let your trusted snappy dealer handle it.
 
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CWP1616L

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I've run into a lot of mechanics that don't have the patience to take their ratchet apart to clean and lube it. Some are even clueless as to how.
 
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redwrench60

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Sep 10, 2011
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East Tennessee
All my dual 80s and 1/4" drive 72s from Snap-On have been perfect, but both my Matco 88s frequently lock up after a pull and require a stiff smack on the bench top to free them. Not a dealbreaker but annoying.

I'd get the Snappy rebuilt, some kits are smoother than others.
 
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03protege

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I have that gearwrench (84T) and the Snap On you have.

I say they are pretty similar as far as I can tell except the Snap On has a much lower free spinning resistence.

So when you are loosening a fastener it will get to the point where you have to grab the socket to give it a little more resistance so you can continue to ratchet, the Snap on is good for several more rotations after the gearwrench.

I hope that makes sense, I am sure I am not using the proper terminology.
 
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Applesauce

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03protege said:
I say they are pretty similar as far as I can tell except the Snap On has a much lower free spinning resistence.

So when you are loosening a fastener it will get to the point where you have to grab the socket to give it a little more resistance so you can continue to ratchet, the Snap on is good for several more rotations after the gearwrench.
Click to expand...

I find that to be the case with my TL72 as well. It's definitely lower resistance than my little Facom/S-K, although the latter feels much more solid - dare I say stronger - than the Snap-On.
 
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