Craftsman USA ratchets ive never seen

[1982fxr]

Not mine, just curious when they were made and if they were some special issue tools or something.

 

[njride]

I think they are stainless steel, came out within the last 20yrs or so. Someone will be along shortly with all the details lol.

 

[Fedwrench]

I want to say those came out in the 1980s. The first ones had the word Stainless engraved between the handle and ratchet head. Later versions had Lifetime engraved in the same spot. I think they were 36 teeth, the handle was slightly offset from the head. They had a really thin head for back in the day and the plastic insert in the handle. They also had sockets and extensions with a plastic collar around the base with the size on it. I think the ratchets were marketed as being revolutionary for the thin head and offset handle. They had a short run compared to other Craftsman Ratchets.

 

[Lesserstore]

From the 1988 Catalog (Stainless version):

 

[tooljunkie4]

The "Stainless" ratchets were made of stainless steel.
The "Lifetime" ratchets were of the same design, but not made of stainless steel.

 

[nk15268]

An update to this thread. I fell down a youtube rabbithole and found a guy who is documenting craftsman ratchets for a book. He said both the "Stainless" and "Lifetime" ratchets were stainless steel, just a slightly different mix of metallurgy. (He tested them) BTW, I have been using my 43765 3/8" Lifetime ratchet for over 35 years now, having bought it in the late 1980's Great ratchet that fits in places a thick-headed ratchet won't go. I finally picked up the matching Lifetime 1/4" 43764 and 43766 1/2" units this month on ebay. So happy I finally have a full set to play with. In case you were wondering, the "Stainless" stamped ratchets were number 43761 for the 1/4, 43762 for the 3/8, and 43763 for the 1/2 ratchet.


Here's that video in case anyone is interested:

 

[Model A Fan]

An update to this thread. I fell down a youtube rabbithole and found a guy who is documenting craftsman ratchets for a book. He said both the "Stainless" and "Lifetime" ratchets were stainless steel, just a slightly different mix of metallurgy. (He tested them) BTW, I have been using my 43765 3/8" Lifetime ratchet for over 35 years now, having bought it in the late 1980's Great ratchet that fits in places a thick-headed ratchet won't go. I finally picked up the matching Lifetime 1/4" 43764 and 43766 1/2" units this month on ebay. So happy I finally have a full set to play with. In case you were wondering, the "Stainless" stamped ratchets were number 43761 for the 1/4, 43762 for the 3/8, and 43763 for the 1/2 ratchet.


Here's that video in case anyone is interested:

Any idea what the channel on YouTube was? For some reason, the video shows as "private". Thank you!

 

[mreisner]

I always wanted one of those ratchets back in the day.

 

[nk15268]

Any idea what the channel on YouTube was? For some reason, the video shows as "private". Thank you!

This is his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GearWolf

 

[Model A Fan]

This is his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GearWolf

Thanks for the link. I'm always interested in tool channels that discuss obscure stuff

 

[tiredoldironworker]

If you find them, buy them. Best ratchet that I have ever owned. And I have several Snap-ons.