Does anyone else not like racheting wrenches?

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

I have some Snap On and Craftsman sets of ratcheting wrenches. I cant remember the last time I used them.

 

[treasureseeker]

I never had an interest in using ratcheting wrenches but I purchased some GW on sale at Lowes and they are amazing to use.

 

[usdemt]

I love GW's, they are quicker to grab then a socket and ratchet, also if you need to change sizes they are already different sizes and you dont need to have 2 ratchets with you (even though most of us have way more than 2 rats, haha)

I picked up the 0 offset GW set that was on sale on Amazon and it is a perfect wrench for many applications. One side is 0 degree offset 12pt and the other is 0 degree offset 12 ratchet. And they are super long, perfect for breaking loose a bolt with the non ratcheting side and then using the ratchet if it is a lock nut or rusted. Check them out, they may serve a good purpose for you.

 

[nperkins]

Ratchet wrenches are an amazing tool. I travel for work sometimes... And this week, a ratchet wrench saved me 3 hours of work. I needed to take something apart, and it was impossible to get to with a socket, without taking apart the ENTIRE back of the machine, which would have taken me 60-90 minutes...

Luckily, the site I was at had a ratchet wrench, and I was able to get it in there, and use that to get to all the bolts i needed without having to take all the extra stuff apart, and had the whole thing fixed in about 15 minutes.


Now that being said, i DO NOT like using them on VERY stubborn bolts... If I have a bolt that I KNOW is going to be a PITA, i throw a regular wrench on it to break it loose, then use the gear wrench... Because I have had a Gearwrench slip on me, and it did ****.

 

[Don 18]

I picked up the 0 offset GW set that was on sale on Amazon and it is a perfect wrench for many applications. One side is 0 degree offset 12pt and the other is 0 degree offset 12 ratchet. And they are super long, perfect for breaking loose a bolt with the non ratcheting side and then using the ratchet if it is a lock nut or rusted. Check them out, they may serve a good purpose for you.

Got a link and / or a part number?

 

[NY Old Guy]

I guess it depends on the volume of work the user has. If you are constantly threading and unthreading nuts then a ratcheting wrench might make sense, and it will fit where a socket wont. But for torquing and loosening a stubron bolt. a conventional wrench is better. I have some, but don't really uise them much, Proto brand, got a good deal on Amazon on them. I just like regular wrenches whether regular combo, box, offset box, saltus, stubby, extra long, or socket sets.

 

[GoBlue]

Thanks for all the well wishes. Ill be the first to admit that i shouldnt have been using a grear wrench where i broke it...just happened to be the tool in my hand when i had a bad idea!

 

[newchris]

incredible tools. i hooked the box end of a standard wrench on the open end of a pittsburgh racheting wrench and went to town on a 3/4 inch bolt head on a demolition trailer if the pittsburgh could champ that imagine what a good one could do and imagine what you had to do to break them...

 

[usdemt]

Got a link and / or a part number?

http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-KDT85998-GearBox-Ratcheting-Wrench/dp/B001DICFCO/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

I think I got the set for $55 but at $70 they are still a steal. The metrics set isnt horribly priced either.

 

[Buckgnarly]

http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-KDT85998-GearBox-Ratcheting-Wrench/dp/B001DICFCO/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

I think I got the set for $55 but at $70 they are still a steal. The metrics set isnt horribly priced either.

Even better....
http://cgi.ebay.com/GearWrench-8599...970?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a631137e2


I absolutely love those wrenches, perfect for extra leverage for breaking free/tightening, and ratchet for speed.

 

[northernborn99]

I dont really like em, well mainly cause I cant afford em.

 

[1oldtimer]

Maybe I've been using ratcheting wrenches (like GearWrench) all wrong. I honestly thought the ratcheting end of the wrench was for speed once a nut or bolt was loose. All this time I've been doing my initial fastner loosening with a breaker bar, a solid, non-ratcheting open end or box end wrench, and then doing final tightening with the same, or a torque wrench. I didn't think the ratcheting end of a GearWrench/ratcheting wrench was made for initial loosening and final tightening of fastners.

Warnings on the packaging of every GearWrench I ever purchased have said...."The GearWrench is a precision tool and is not intended to free frozen fastners."

I guess they aren't really made for serious force being applied to them. I like them for what they're designed to do.

Jim C.

yup, that's how I use them.......bust it free and then go to town with the ratchet end.

 

[therealwormey]

some people shouldnt use chainsaws either,,,,,,,,, but they do

i just wanted to see if you could quote yourself,probly shoulda done this in the test lounge ,,, im drinkin so i counldnt feel like looking for it since i was already here

 

[BQuicksilver]

Why keep reseating a regular wrench when you can ratchet a fastener off. I couldn't work without them!

 

[shampoop]

Love mine. Every once in a while you come across a scenario where you think "holy **** this would **** soooooo bad if i didn't have my ratcheting wrenches, thank god i bought them."

 

[freeskier]

monte hit the nail on the head. there have been around as long as ive been spinning wrenches and i dont know how you guys got by without em. i have flex head, stubby, extra long and regular and inside a mini cooper engine bay, they see constant use.

 

[reddog289]

I use them after I have got the fastner loose, as there is a racheting gear in it. Before they came out I would make the same mistake by not using a breaker bar. Grab the ratchet , a pipe and have at it.
While having to work on the wifes Sable I wished I'D HAD AN 18MM RATCHETING WRENCH. Damn socket was to long, let alone put a ratchet on it. I need to find a set of reliable larger ratcheting wrenches. Cause you always need the one you don't have at 8pm on a Sunday night.

 

[diesel research]

I started using the modern type (not stamped plate type) at the same time I was using the F936/S936. Needless to say, for the most part they were much more pleasant to work with. A lot of times 36 teeth just didn't cut it, and it was my first 72t experience. That alone was worth something to me.

There are plenty of times they did not work or were not appropriate, but they were the go to, and the 936s were considered "special tools" for the times the ratchet wrenches wouldn't work. Later i found clutchless "0*" ratchets, and the ol 936s got pushed back further, used even less.

 

[jocono]

I love my ratcheting wrenches. I changed the brake backing plates on my Airstream. The first one took 3 hours to take off and put on. Hated that. I bought a set of Craftsman RW's and it took an hour to do the other 3.
Sometimes, there is nothing like them.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

The only thing I dont like about mine Is I got the flex head versions thinking they would be a good idea. I kinda regret it now. You have to be really perfect in the application of torque otherwise the wrench just keeps slipping off because the head moves on you. Im sure there is going to be a time when the flex head is nice but for now its kinda annoying. Never really felt myself saying "WOW I DONT KNOW HOW I LIVED WITHOUT THESE!"

Thanks
Sean Scott

 

[crewchief888]

I only like them when i need them. Otherwise i much prefer my normal wrenches.

yep me too

 

[GoBlue]

Im looking at some blackhawks tomorrow when the MAC guy comes. I really need to stay within the limits of my tools

 

[kams1973]

I love my ratcheting wrenches. I use them on anything I can get'em on. I recently bought a set of gearless racheting wrenches...I like them even more.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

i bought 2 small 8 pc sets of GearWrenchs at ace hardware for cheap, like $15. can't sat i use them all the time but they are handy. just used them to put the door hinges on my mustang, worked great.

 

[idubvdub]

Im looking at some blackhawks tomorrow when the MAC guy comes. I really need to stay within the limits of my tools

I've been using those for almost 2 years now. I'm quite happy with them. I'm planning on picking up their stubby set.

 

[Hammer1963]

They are great tools provided you use them as they intended. I have 4 different varieties of ratchet wrenches and use them on a regular basis. Every tool has a purpose and when used properly, more than pay for themselves easily. Of course I'm the guy who has stabbed himself with a screwdriver from improper use, so don't feel to bad.

 

[domain]

The first real wrench sets I bought were the metric and standard reversible Gearwrenches. Thats all I have ever had. To put it simply, when I only have a regular combo wrench available to me I say to myself "I want my gearwrenches!"

 

[William Payne]

I havent used alot of high end racheting wreches but did once use a wurth sebasto branded one, man that thing was as smooth as anything did not make a sound.

 

[Debra's Repair Shop]

I was using all MAC Edge Rev Ratcheting Wrenches(I have metric & std) and they are great!!!! I just picked up the Snap On ratcheting wrenches Monday(Metric & Std) and they are sturdier & thicker then the Mac Edge's. I loved my Mac Edge's but the last 3 days since grabbing the Snap On wrenches, I have a new found love in the shop LOL. I like both Mac & Snap On and you CAN'T go wrong picking up either. They are alot more expensive then gearwrench but I use either set atleast 10x's a day working so it's well worth the $750 I spent on the 4 sets!! I didn't get the flex head, only the std head because they work GREAT!!! The Mac Edge sets are alot more reasonably priced then the Snap On sets!! I highley recommend ANY mechanic that wants to cut production time down to pick up either set!!!!!

 

[SD39]

My only beef with non reversing gearwrench style wrenches is that if you are not careful you can get into a situation where the only options are to destroy ether the fastener or the wrench in order to remove the wrench. A very humbling/frustrating experience indeed

Haha! Glad someone brought that up. I was just thinking about this.

 

[William Payne]

Haha! Glad someone brought that up. I was just thinking about this.

If you have got it out far enough to have the wrench stuck on there could you not slide the wrench off of the hex of the bolt onto the thread leave it hanging then get an open ended wrench tighten the bolt back up enough to get the ratcheting box wrench off then use the open end wrench to get the last few turns of the bolt out? I only say that because the manufacturer would have had to have gotten the bolt in there to begin with so there must be some room.

 

[SD39]

If you have got it out far enough to have the wrench stuck on there could you not slide the wrench off of the hex of the bolt onto the thread leave it hanging then get an open ended wrench tighten the bolt back up enough to get the ratcheting box wrench off then use the open end wrench to get the last few turns of the bolt out? I only say that because the manufacturer would have had to have gotten the bolt in there to begin with so there must be some room.

Good call, actually I have lucked out like this before. Sadly my luck it has ended up being a flanged bolt

 

[William Payne]

Yeah flanged bolts would be a bit tricky.

 

[not-required]

Good call, actually I have lucked out like this before. Sadly my luck it has ended up being a flanged bolt

Yup the one time I got my wrench stuck it was on a flanged bolt...

 

[diesel research]

I only say that because the manufacturer would have had to have gotten the bolt in there to begin with so there must be some room.

Don't count on it. Sometimes that bolt was installed BEFORE that big chunk of iron was put in the way.

Example: My a/c compressor is REAL tight against the frame. Someone did NOT intricately finesse it between the block and frame rail with hand tools. They simply installed it on a new motor w/o having a pesky vehicle shell around. SOOOO many bolts would be easy to access if pesky things like engines, frame rails, and firewalls weren't in the way. THAT is how the oe got them in there.

 

[W650Mike]

Debra (?) {post 69 above}

Welcome to the forum!

 

[99LeCouch]

I enjoy using the sets I have. They make some things so much easier. Sometimes they are the best tool for the job.

Other times my pass-through socket set is the best tool. Or the regular old deep-well socket on an extension. It depends on the task at hand.

 

[Rickochet]

They have been gaining my respect and are quickly placing my trusty Snap On Flank Drive wrenches into retirement.

 

[Benji]

Their are times when they are the best wrench in the shop because you can't do something without one or you save alot of time by useing one I have Gear wrench ones in standard and metric in standard, flex and stubby most are really strong snd the only way I've broke one is by doing something I shouldn't have with it but I have had ones brand new break soon just by doing something easy. Bad steel in the box end but for the money really good wrench for the money.

 

[Steevo]

I won't buy them. I have used a few that belonged to other people, but don't see where they would gain me anything, and the places where they are too "fat" to fit outnumber the places where they would work.
Depending on what you do, and what you work on, you may have a different experience. That doesn't make either of us wrong.