1/4" flex ratchet

[LXCam]

Darn, now I am tempted to get one of these also even though I do not need it.

Well maybe hold that thought till this evening, I'm going to swing by and pick mine up in a couple hours on the way home. My opinion could drastically change within minutes.



Edit: so I picked it up a couple hours ago and I'm pretty darn impressed. All actions seem precise and positive and no slop. I like how the head will lock 90 degrees to the handle in either direction. It has a fair amount of back drag but it's not all that bad. I'm thinking some of that will wear in or it could be a little lube might clear that up some. I'll put it to use this weekend and gets better impression but so far I'm thinking it was money well spent.

 

[67King]

Gads, you yunguns are sure spoiled. In my day you had a 1/4 ratchet that had 10 teeth and you were happy to have it !

Yeah, but back then, you could stand IN the engine bay to work on the darn things! I spent many hours in the engine bay of my GTO what I got it in the early 90's

 

[ecally]

Darn, now I am tempted to get one of these also even though I do not need it.

I gave in. My local NAPA had one in stock. It feels awesome. The head is nice and compact. The selecting lever is working smoothly and surely so far. The flex locking mechanism is quick and secure. I really like it. Will have to put it to work soon. I'm really liking the push button release I don't have any other ratchets with that feature

 

[M6erfan]

Well maybe hold that thought till this evening, I'm going to swing by and pick mine up in a couple hours on the way home. My opinion could drastically change within minutes.



Edit: so I picked it up a couple hours ago and I'm pretty darn impressed. All actions seem precise and positive and no slop. I like how the head will lock 90 degrees to the handle in either direction. It has a fair amount of back drag but it's not all that bad. I'm thinking some of that will wear in or it could be a little lube might clear that up some. I'll put it to use this weekend and gets better impression but so far I'm thinking it was money well spent.

Interesting comment about the backdrag. I think it's pretty lite, mine has less than the TR72.

On lubing it, mine doesn't look serviceable. If i ever have the need ill have to figure out how to get the cover plate off.

I agree though, nice little ratchet and mine's still going strong without a hitch in 1 1/2 years. I really appreciate the compact head.

 

[LXCam]

Interesting comment about the backdrag. I think it's pretty lite, mine has less than the TR72.

On lubing it, mine doesn't look serviceable. If i ever have the need ill have to figure out how to get the cover plate off.

I agree though, nice little ratchet and mine's still going strong without a hitch in 1 1/2 years. I really appreciate the compact head.

Well here's the consideration. My other 1/4" go to's are very well worn GW's and the ezred 92" ratchet I bought last year. The GWs are very broke in and the ezred long handle is just a real stand out. I'm doing an assembly project this weekend that should really make or break how I feel about this new one. It could be I'm just overly sensitive to back drag on a 1/4" rat. The Steelman rats I have are the worst and this one is a million times better than those.

 

[M6erfan]

^^^looking forward to your impressions LX

 

[neuralsnafu]

Damn, I think this is the longest thread I've made on here.

When it comes down to it, I don't really have a budget. I am thinking about the snap on version. Do I absolutely need it? Probably not. I guess it just comes down to getting better tools for working on my projects. I already have decent sockets (metric is all wright).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

 

[Olafur]

I'll have to call NAPA and ask them to open up a store over here. Their Carlyle tool brand seems to be quite good for the money. Unobtainable for me.

 

[Mr_B]

Seems pretty good to me, I now own 3 of them, one 1/4, two 3/8 (long/standard) .
certainly good for the online reserve price and fact warranty should be reliable and easy if your local napa a good one .
they single pawl and cclip retainer, work smoother after a good grease application.
sure will get even better after few months use .
head size is compact and swivel lock decent but would of preferred lock button lower profile and also direction switch partially countersunk .
Overall very nice ratchets with comfortable local warranty and comfortable prices . These are certainly pro usable and not a lot more than pittsburgh pro non locking flexi's .
The 100 tooth carlyle roto heads damn nice too, I fancy set of those too but they more pricey ...

 

[Fedwrench]

NAPA has a history of their tools being over priced. However, if you check out their quarterly Real Deals promotions, there are often some great deals to be had on Carlyle and other brands.

 

[M6erfan]

Agree Fed, never pay full retail on tools at Napa, they have sales all the time

 

[Brand X]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLY1CIE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[cherrybomb]

Yes bpjr,somehow that doesn't surprise me.go elsewhere, like napa.