Cornwell JR30 vs. JR72

[Wamsutta]

Which ratchet is smoother regardless of tooth count?

 

[redwrench60]

JR30.

Even though the 72 has more teeth the ratcheting back swing is tighter, even with lube. I have both and like the 30 better

 

[Wamsutta]

redwrench, thank you sir.

 

[redwrench60]

No problem at all. Cornwell 30 tooth ratchets have to be the smoothest non fine tooth ratchets on the planet. Couple that with their 'coke bottle' handle and they make one pleasent to use ratchet. The JR40 is my favorite from them. Same as a JR30 just a little longer for more leverage and comfort.

 

[shoggoth80]

I've got a JR40H (30 tooth, long handled, with comfort grip), and it's butter, all I've done is add oil to the gear. Really smooth for a coarse tooth. Like it a lot.

 

[morgaj1]

The 30-tooth Cornwells are my favorite ratchets. Very smooth and little back drag.

 

[Brownsfan]

Jr 30. Pretty much any Cornwell 30t ratchets will be the smoothest you ever use.

 

[zkling]

Agreed, they just fit in the hand well, and the reverse selector is in a good spot compared to most round reverse levers.

 

[KnurledNut]

Which ratchet is smoother regardless of tooth count?

My vintage cornwell gearless ratchet.

But definitely agree the 30 has a great feel.

 

[Hammer1963]

I use both and the 30 is smoother, that is until I trimmed the pawl spring by a couple winds and now the 72 is smoother. I think it's just to be a preference of what you want. Both are ultra strong

 

[Wamsutta]

You guys are fantastic. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

I have a 30 tooth Cornwell I bought off eBay just to try it out. Very smooooth, it is one of my go-tos now, and depending on what I doing I will grab it before my fl80

 

[giants]

Thanks to this post, I'm interested in getting my first Cornwell ratchet.

I checked alloy-artifacts, but couldn't find answers to the following.

Please give me more guidance as to what to look for and what to avoid.

What are common problems with these ratchets?

One seller noted his JR30 "needs degreased slips out of engaged." I asked for clarification, but what do you think that means?

It looks like snap rings hold the lever switch and gear head in place on at least the JR30 (it's hard for me to see it clearly). Is that correct?

What are the pros and cons of the JR3?

Does the JR-301, which has black oxide finish, rust easily? Would chrome polish protect it from rust, or should I just pass, living in a high humidity area that tends to rust my tools.

Would Super Lube be the best lubricant to add to the JR30-type ratchets?

What's a good price to pay for one on Ebay?

 

[lardy1]

I have a couple old flea market Cornwell's. I get a feeling something akin to security when I occasionally use them. Just an incredibly impressive feel that I get from no other ratchet I've used.

 

[toddmorr]

have the JR40, which I think is a long version of the JR30. Nice enough ratchet, but backdrag much greater than any of my Kokens. Reasonably smooth.

so I snipped the pawl spring a few turns and that really helped with the backdrag, but still higher than ideal for me.

thoroughly lubed it with SuperLube and that helped also with sound and smoothness.

 

[giants]

have the JR40, which I think is a long version of the JR30. Nice enough ratchet, but backdrag much greater than any of my Kokens. Reasonably smooth.

so I snipped the pawl spring a few turns and that really helped with the backdrag, but still higher than ideal for me.

thoroughly lubed it with SuperLube and that helped also with sound and smoothness.

Thanks. I'm a newbie to quality ratchets. Where can I buy extra springs in case I goof up cutting them?

 

[vibblueser]

Have the JR40 as well, honestly it is one of my favorite ratchets. The handle fits my hand perfectly and the backdrag is smooth and inspires confidence. The tool just feels solid. Had a JR72LH and the backdrag was stiffer but higher tooth count. Definitely go with the chrome handle based on my opinion.

 

[mikebaker1129]

Thanks. I'm a newbie to quality ratchets. Where can I buy extra springs in case I goof up cutting them?

This is a good question!

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I found a bag of various springs at Princess Auto, Enkay brand I think. I used one on a P14 rifle ejector.

 

[giants]

Thanks. I should have clarified as to whether anyone knows the specifications of the pawl springs as to length and outer diameter.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

This thread needs pictures....here are 3 of my Cornwell ratchets shown in my backup ratchet drawer. I may end of eliminating some of these ratchets eventually, but I’m sure the Cornwell will be staying.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[giants]

Thanks.

On the top of your Cornwell ratchet heads might be a hole, similar to the oil port on old-school Craftsman.

Are your holes covered or open?

How do I plug the holes to prevent debris from affecting the gear inside?

Link to Craftsman oil port:

https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/...series_1_c5496ba0327cc5a224692d926370c4a4.jpg

Thanks

 

[Wamsutta]

have the JR40, which I think is a long version of the JR30. Nice enough ratchet, but backdrag much greater than any of my Kokens. Reasonably smooth.

so I snipped the pawl spring a few turns and that really helped with the backdrag, but still higher than ideal for me.

thoroughly lubed it with SuperLube and that helped also with sound and smoothness.

I'm perplexed as to why you feel the need to cut the pawl spring. My JRF36 is so smooth, it barely makes an audible click. Backdrag is non-existant.

 

[toddmorr]

I felt the need because the backdrag was way too high, along the lines of many of the high tooth ratchets I've used. And much higher than any of the three kokens I use regularly. Surprising, because I expected a premium USA low tooth count ratchet known for low backdrag to be comparable to koken. It wasn't and still isn't, but better than it was before the spring trimming for sure

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[giants]

I felt the need because the backdrag was way too high, along the lines of many of the high tooth ratchets I've used. And much higher than any of the three kokens I use regularly. Surprising, because I expected a premium USA low tooth count ratchet known for low backdrag to be comparable to koken. It wasn't and still isn't, but better than it was before the spring trimming for sure

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thanks.

Newbie here learning a lot from this thread and, in particular, you post. Please bear with my novice-level questions.

Can you walk me through what tool(s) you used to cut the spring and how you determined how many windings to cut?

Also, can you quantify or explain in more detail the back-drag feel and comparisons both with the Koken and before and after spring cutting?

Thanks

 

[Wamsutta]

^
You're not going to need to cut the spring. There's something going on with Todd's ratchet that's very abnormal. Everybody else says their 30 tooth Cornwell ratchet is the smoothest ratchet with the least amount backdrag they've ever owned.

 

[giants]

^
You're not going to need to cut the spring. There's something going on with Todd's ratchet that's very abnormal. Everybody else says their 30 tooth Cornwell ratchet is the smoothest ratchet with the least amount backdrag they've ever owned.

Thanks. What might be the underlying problem with Todd's ratchet?

Oh, what's the best lube, eg Super Lube, to lubricate the internal gears?

 

[Wamsutta]

Thanks. What might be the underlying problem with Todd's ratchet?

Oh, what's the best lube, eg Super Lube, to lubricate the internal gears?

I don't know what's up with Todd's ratchet. Being that it's so unusual for a Cornwell ratchet to need its spring cut, the thought has entered my mind that he has a foreign spring in there to begin with.

The Cornwell dealer I got mine from lubed it up with Permatex green brake grease. I'd imagine however that Superlube would do just fine.

 

[OKIEtyler]

I love every cornwell ratchet I own, low and high tooth count. They're my go-to's. I lube the gears with a couple drops of engine oil and they're the next feeling ratchets I've ever used.

 

[toddmorr]

Thanks.

Newbie here learning a lot from this thread and, in particular, you post. Please bear with my novice-level questions.

Can you walk me through what tool(s) you used to cut the spring and how you determined how many windings to cut?

Also, can you quantify or explain in more detail the back-drag feel and comparisons both with the Koken and before and after spring cutting?

Thanks

just guessed on the number of windings, think it was about 2. Used a side cutter Knipex. Pretty straightforward. There's no science to how much to trim..I guess you could keep trimming until you get the quantity of backdrag desired but at some point there may not be enough spring pressure to keep the pawl correctly positioned and then you got a big problem.

as to my specific ratchet, sure anything can happen but the ratchet was in near perfect cosmetic shape when I bought it. I guess it's *possible* somebody put in a different spring because the original spring was too light. Kind of doubt it though. Anyway, i'm going to look around for a different spring and see what results I get.

The Koken ratchets, especially the 24 tooth 753 series, are amazingly low backdrag, meaning very little resistance to turning the anvil. quite annoying to turn the ratchet and have to use two hands to keep the socket from going "backwards" as it were.

 

[giants]

Thanks.

To disassemble the ratchets, there's a snap ring that holds the gear direction lever in place. The holes for that snap ring are REALLY small. Any tips for removing it, eg brand of snap ring pliers and/or pin size?

Also, there's a hole at the top of the head that's not threaded, similar to the oil port on the attached photo of a Craftsman ratchet. How would I cover that port?

Thanks