bought a Matco 88

[bayoutoolguy]

bought a matco 88 3/8 drive 8 inch fixed head ratchet 2 days ago. the dealer didnt have it on his truck so they shipped it directly from Matco, should be here Monday. I wanted to get some opinions from people on here who own and use that matco 88s. are they strong? i always hear from people that fine tooth ratchets arent strong and cant take alot of torque. is this true at all? i wont abuse it or use it for the wrong job, but i certainly wont treat it like a 1/4 ratchet. ill be using it mostly for doing work on diesel trucks (cummins, powerstroke duramax, turbo upgrades, injectors etc) and i would like to know if this ratchet is up to the task. i started a small diesel performance company recently and i got rid of all my " inferior" tools, craftsman sockets work fine for me but any ratchet i buy from now on will definitely come from a truck. i know im not the only one on here who is picky when it comes to buying ratchets lol

 

[ChrisF250]

im a diyer but i push my tools pretty hard never had a problem with any fine tooth ratchet, I liked the matco 88 over the snap on dual 80, it had a better ergonomic feel to it

 

[bayoutoolguy]

does the matco 88 seem like a ratchet that can take some abuse/hard use?

 

[ibedayank]

does the matco 88 seem like a ratchet that can take some abuse/hard use?

I can tell you have not used the SEARCH part of this forum to search for matco 88
I am sure that it will return many posts on the topic

 

[Aklass]

I have an 88 and a dual 80, had the 88 for 4 months before I got the dual 80. My complaint about the matco is that the flex lock ***** and gets stuck, sometimes I have to use pliers to unlcok the flex. The dual 80 is what I use now because its smoother and longer by an inch or so. I only reach for the matco now if my snapon wont fit into a tight spot. I have yet to break either ratchet either. And the last thing is that the flex joint on the matco is Y shaped and wider than the joint on the SO

 

[Farmrod]

I have an 88 and a dual 80, had the 88 for 4 months before I got the dual 80. My complaint about the matco is that the flex lock ***** and gets stuck, sometimes I have to use pliers to unlcok the flex. The dual 80 is what I use now because its smoother and longer by an inch or so. I only reach for the matco now if my snapon wont fit into a tight spot. I have yet to break either ratchet either. And the last thing is that the flex joint on the matco is Y shaped and wider than the joint on the SO

X2 pretty much took the words out of my mouth

 

[Sterff]

I have an 88 and a dual 80, had the 88 for 4 months before I got the dual 80. My complaint about the matco is that the flex lock ***** and gets stuck, sometimes I have to use pliers to unlcok the flex. The dual 80 is what I use now because its smoother and longer by an inch or so. I only reach for the matco now if my snapon wont fit into a tight spot. I have yet to break either ratchet either. And the last thing is that the flex joint on the matco is Y shaped and wider than the joint on the SO

I am the complete opposite from you. I have never had problems with the Matco locking mechanism and it is 100% better than what Snap-on has to offer.

 

[RKSpeed]

Friend of mine sheared the anvil off a 88tooth 24" long 1/2" matco ratchet, never skipped on the pawl once. I thought the same thing you did about the fine tooth ratchet but now I have no questions. I have some Gear Wrench ratchets w/ the 88 tooth kit and couldnt be happier. No idea about the locking flex ratchets.

 

[powertrip]

I am the complete opposite from you. I have never had problems with the Matco locking mechanism and it is 100% better than what Snap-on has to offer.

The OP original post was about a fixed head not locking flex.

 

[wchamberlain]

I have S/O 80 tooth and Matco 88 in 3/8................Both ratchets are quality, it's merely personal preference.

I tend to favor the Matco, I like their comfort grips better than S/O!

 

[Sterff]

The OP original post was about a fixed head not locking flex.

I know and I was responding to the guy's quote . Either way I have all of the 88 ratchets Matco makes and love them all. The OP will love it.

 

[bayoutoolguy]

i hope so. i hope to get some good use out of it. And from my understandig theyre made by Danaher, same company who makes Craftsman? are the matcos made to a better quality and standard as far as internals and ratcheting mechanisms go? i hate Craftsman ratchets.

 

[wchamberlain]

Bayou it's an 88 tooth count ratchet................Much better quality than any craftsman ratchet!!!!!!!

 

[wchamberlain]

i hope so. i hope to get some good use out of it. And from my understandig theyre made by Danaher, same company who makes Craftsman? are the matcos made to a better quality and standard as far as internals and ratcheting mechanisms go? i hate Craftsman ratchets.

Bayou, you will be hard pressed to find a better ratchet in value, quality or performance, as I stated earlier, it's merely personal preference.

 

[ibedayank]

i hope so. i hope to get some good use out of it. And from my understandig theyre made by Danaher, same company who makes Craftsman? are the matcos made to a better quality and standard as far as internals and ratcheting mechanisms go? i hate Craftsman ratchets.

and general motors made the CHEVETTE ..... but also made the cadillac
ford made the pinto...... also made the lincoln

 

[saturdaymechanic]

You will be very pleased. It's tough, comfortable and gets the job done.

 

[bayoutoolguy]

chamberlain and saturdaymechanic, thats what i was hoping to hear! thanks guys

 

[Sh1thead]

I personally own both dual 80 and 88 3/8 flexheads. Matco fits into tighter spaces feels better in my hand and has performed better than anticipated. Both are quality ratchets and wont be dissapointed what so ever but for me matco 88 barely leaves my back pocket.

 

[Appleyard]

I've put a 4ft cheater pipe on the end of my 3/8" Matco 88 with my dealer standing right there. It took the abuse no problem. When I saw my dealer walk up I took the cheater pipe off and he just kinda laughed at me and said "No go ahead! You'd do it if I wasn't standing here and I'd just end up warrentying it for you next week if it breaks. Might as well do it while I'm here now!"