60tooth vs 88tooth?

[tuzzy]

is there a big difference to justify the price?

I can get the Gearwrench 60 tooth ratchets 3/8, 1/4 and 1/2 locally for about $45 from a hook up new.

vs

Armstrong Maxx 88tooth 1/4, 3/8 and Armstrong 60 tooth 1/2 for $140.

vs

Craftsman Premium 84 tooth 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 for about $130.

I like the length of the Gearwrench and Craftsmans, but the Armstrong handle looks more comfortable.

Just basically want to know are the Armstrong and Craftsman any better than the Gearwrench quality wise and are the extra teeth that much more noticeable that the justify the price?

 

[chris6278]

in most cases theres not much difference but ive came across a few situations where the more teeth the better

 

[NC-Fordguy]

If budget is a concern go with the gearwrench set

I have the crafty premiums and they are very nice ratchets

As stated above fine tooth is nice to have in real tight areas

 

[John316]

The Armstrongs are better quality. 3 Times better? Nope. If you're like me though, you will buy the GW because they are a better value for a very nice ratchet set, and then you will be haunted by the fact that the Armstrongs are better and will ending up buying them anyway.

 

[otis66]

is there a big difference to justify the price?

I can get the Gearwrench 60 tooth ratchets 3/8, 1/4 and 1/2 locally for about $45 from a hook up new.

vs

Armstrong Maxx 88tooth 1/4, 3/8 and Armstrong 60 tooth 1/2 for $140.

vs

Craftsman Premium 84 tooth 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 for about $130.

I like the length of the Gearwrench and Craftsmans, but the Armstrong handle looks more comfortable.

Just basically want to know are the Armstrong and Craftsman any better than the Gearwrench quality wise and are the extra teeth that much more noticeable that the justify the price?

GearWrench has a new 84 Tooth ratchet That is replaceing the 60 tooth ratchet. I have yet to be in a situation were the 80 made a defferance over the 6o tooth. 80-88 teeth is nice though. Also the 88 tooth Armstrong gear will fit in the Armstrong ratchet. If you break the gears in your 60 tooth Armstrong the gear will be replaced with 88 tooth. Same with MATCO.

 

[philw]

I would stay away from the craftsman if you are concerned about warranty. They may try to give you a Chinese ratchet in the future. Same could be true of Armstrong but they seem to be doing OK currently.

I think you are paying mostly for the place of manufacure (Armstrong is US, Gearwench is Taiwan or China). With that said, I think the Armstrong is of a little better build quality. Based solely on performance the Armstrong wouldn't be worth the diff.

 

[otis66]

is there a big difference to justify the price?

I can get the Gearwrench 60 tooth ratchets 3/8, 1/4 and 1/2 locally for about $45 from a hook up new.

vs

Armstrong Maxx 88tooth 1/4, 3/8 and Armstrong 60 tooth 1/2 for $140.

vs

Craftsman Premium 84 tooth 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 for about $130.

I like the length of the Gearwrench and Craftsmans, but the Armstrong handle looks more comfortable.

Just basically want to know are the Armstrong and Craftsman any better than the Gearwrench quality wise and are the extra teeth that much more noticeable that the justify the price?

This is a great deal on these ratchets. I would jump on it. Get two sets.

 

[quackattack]

The gearwrench ratchets are VERY nice! They are the only exception I made to having foreign made tools in my box. For that price you can get them at get them! However I also have the craftsman 84t in 3/8 and love it. Each to their own.

 

[Anotherrcguy]

I purchased the gearwrench set and continued to look at the craftsman premium set. I finally broke down and purchased the craftsman set and sold my gearwrench set.

I don't think that you will find much advantage to the 84 over the 60, but you won't be haunted by those Armstrong or craftsman premiums while you sleep if you go with them!

 

[5mall5nail5]

Does the Craftsman 1/4 in use 84t as well? Awfully small gear for 84t!

 

[Fedwrench]

Internally aside from where they're made the 60 tooth ratchets are all the same. The 84/88 models are the same design with a few more teeth.

My official policy is that 24-28 more teeth spread over a gear about the size of a quarter will not give you a giant leap in performance. I own all of the ratchets you mentioned in your post. I have never encountered a situation where the 80 plus tooth ratchet was able to do something that the 60 tooth ratchet couldn't but, that's just me.

I have had issues with my Craftsman 84 tooth ratchets locking up. The pintle for the floating pawl can slip past the pawl during use and lock the ratchet up until you disassemble it.

I also feel the Taiwan made Gearwrench ratchets have better fit, feel, finish, and crisper action than the newer PRC made versions.

I really like the Armstrong Maxx ratchets. The hourglass handle is very comfortable. The flexheads offere a locking head feature if you want to use it. I do like the longer length of the Gearwrench 1/4 flex head though.

The bottom line is that all of the ratchets you mentioned will serve you well so, get all of them.

 

[Bill R.]

I bought something like 12 of the gearwrench ratchets in 1/4 3/8 and 1/2 when they were on the big sale at sears and tracked down a matco truck since he never comes by. I bought one of the 88 tooth gearkits and installed it in the long flex handle 3/8. It made a small difference but not enough that i'm going to track down the matco guy and get one for all of them, i'll probably pick up a couple more kits and do a 1/4 and another 3/8 but not a 1/2.... The stock 60 tooth is very good to begin with ,especially if you've been using 36 tooth snapon and craftsmen all your life.

 

[Notwerk]

The arc difference between a 60 and an 88 is two degrees. That's not much at all, especially when you consider that the 60 already has a 6 degree arc.

If it were me, I'd probably grab the Gearwrenches. They can be upgraded to the 88-tooth mechanism in the future if you really feel the need. Your local Matco truck/Armstrong dealer has the 88-tooth kits.

Danaher makes all the ratchets discussed here and while the Craftsman ratchets are very similar to the others, they're quick-release and take a completely different kit than the others. For peace of mind, I'd rather just stick with the Gearwrenches and know that I can use the Matco/Armstrong kits if I ever need them.

If you find that 60-teeth is enough (and it likely will be), you won't even need the kits, but you'll have the option of going that route in the future.

 

[4x4gearhead]

I have one of the GW 60 tooth 3/8 ratchet and have had good luck with it. I had a matco one at one point and I would warrant it almost weekly due to a sticky pawl, not sure if they made a change but this cheap ratchet hasnt given me any trouble so far. I was surprised as it was given to me I thought I would have the same luck that I did with my matco one as this one is taiwanese. I proved myself wrong.

 

[amolaver]

<SNIP>
Danaher makes all the ratchets discussed here and while the Craftsman ratchets are very similar to the others, they're quick-release and take a completely different kit than the others. For peace of mind, I'd rather just stick with the Gearwrenches and know that I can use the Matco/Armstrong kits if I ever need them.

If you find that 60-teeth is enough (and it likely will be), you won't even need the kits, but you'll have the option of going that route in the future.

just for clarity, the craftsman premium is not quick release. thin profile, yes (QR), premium, no. 84T (premium) vs 60T (thin profile).

agreed, doesn't feel like much difference (GW 60T vs craftsman premium 84T) swing-per-click, but the handle of the premium i find extremely comfortable. at some point i'll pick up one of the armstrong locking flex heads because i'm curious if i'll like that handle design. looks strange and uncomfortable to me, but nearly everyone who has one says it feels great.

the gearwrench ratchets are excellent - i've got a bunch of them (flex and non, comfort grip and non, all 3 drive sizes). i do prefer the craftsman premiums, but mine haven't given me any lockup troubles. that issue has been reported multiple times, so it doesn't appear to be a fluke. because of this, i'm not sure i'd be rushing to plunk down the money for them.

i think the GW set, at that price, is a no brainer. maybe get one of the armstrongs as well so you'll be able to compare, and if you really like them, sell of the GW and buy the rest of the armstrong.

ahm

 

[Notwerk]

just for clarity, the craftsman premium is not quick release. thin profile, yes (QR), premium, no. 84T (premium) vs 60T (thin profile).

Ah, yes, you're right. Thanks for the correction.

 

[ajchien]

If you become a true GJ member, you will eventually have two set of EACH.



In my opinion, the choice between these will depend more on your personal preference of country of origin, brand name recognition, and place of warranty peace of mind more than any functional difference between the ratchets.

 

[mscribellito]

I own the Gearwrench 60T as well as the Craftsman 84T in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drives...

I like them both... Haven't used the new 84T ones too much, so I can't say they are better than the GW 60T, but both are better than my 40T or so CM ratchets!

 

[Slingshot Engage]

I have the Armstrongs in regular and flex, some 88 and some the older 60 tooth models. Armstrongs are my favorite ratchets so thats what I'll tell you to buy. That is quite a big price difference between the two sets(GW and Armstrong).

However when you look at the price of the Matco ratchets it makes the Armstrongs seem like a damn good deal.

Also I like the 88 in the 1/2 the most. 60 tooth in a 1/4" is plenty fine and the 3/8 could go either way.

 

[Outlawmws]

The arc difference between a 60 and an 88 is two degrees. That's not much at all, especially when you consider that the 60 already has a 6 degree arc.

If it were me, I'd probably grab the Gearwrenches. They can be upgraded to the 88-tooth mechanism in the future if you really feel the need. Your local Matco truck/Armstrong dealer has the 88-tooth kits.

Danaher makes all the ratchets discussed here and while the Craftsman ratchets are very similar to the others, they're quick-release and take a completely different kit than the others. For peace of mind, I'd rather just stick with the Gearwrenches and know that I can use the Matco/Armstrong kits if I ever need them.

If you find that 60-teeth is enough (and it likely will be), you won't even need the kits, but you'll have the option of going that route in the future.