Shoreline_
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Is only the Mac flavor of SBD with metal motor bodies? Or does the dewalt also. Hard to tell from online pictures.
Does anyone have a dewalt cordless ratchet?
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decableguy2000
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The Dewalts do not have a metal motor body. They are also brushless.
OP
Shoreline_
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Ooff dont want brushless for a ratchet.
Why on earth not??
OP
Shoreline_
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Tell me why in a ratchet application why its better? And dont give me a longer run time speech, por favor. Theres plenty of batteries. If I wanted long run times Id use an air ratchet.
finn
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Flip your question around: why would a manufacturer introduce new brushed tools when their technology and manufacturing base and facilities switched to brushless decades ago?
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Shoreline_
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1Bad55Chevy
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Who still makes brushed battery powered tools in 2025?
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Shoreline_
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Snapon, Matco, I guess Mac still does. Makita. Im sure others.
I think, as the one who made the original assertion that brushed is preferable for a ratchet, that the burden of justifying that position is yours.
1Bad55Chevy
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Based on the internet matco and Makita are brushed ratchets while the others are brushless.
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Shoreline_
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No. But as the one who asked the original question "Tell me why its better in a ratchet" someone answered my question with a question. 1) I already told you I prefer brushed. 2) No one has yet to tell me why brushless motors in ratchets are better overall.
Basically youre looking for me to sell myself on brushless motors in ratchets by just telling me Im wrong without supportive evidence?
I answered the ************ answer that was a question that was why did so many manufacturers switch to brushless with "Its all marketing."
You apparently do not like my explanation so borderline insult me.
So how about you answer my question. For a professional mechanic, why is brushless motor better for a cordless ratchet?
Basically youre looking for me to sell myself on brushless motors in ratchets by just telling me Im wrong without supportive evidence?
I answered the ************ answer that was a question that was why did so many manufacturers switch to brushless with "Its all marketing."
You apparently do not like my explanation so borderline insult me.
So how about you answer my question. For a professional mechanic, why is brushless motor better for a cordless ratchet?
OP
Shoreline_
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You said who still maked brushed tools. Not who still makes brushed ratchets. And according to my toolbox, matco is brushed.
Longer run time, more power, faster rpms, no changing of brushes, no spark formation in the presence of explosive vapors. Plus the top line models will be brushless so you’ll be limiting yourself to entry level ratchets.
I agree that brushless motors aren’t strictly necessary but to take such a hardline stance against them seems like you’re limiting yourself for no good reason.
There are no advantages to brushed motors except cost that I know of. I recently bought a brushed pruner for that reason. I bought the Makita brushed ratchet years ago and am happy with it. Brushless ratchets seem to be pushing the torque to 50-60 ft-pounds in the same package size now which is an advantage over my old Makita where I need to hand start almost everything.
1Bad55Chevy
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Ya thats what I said. Matco and Makita (ratchets) were brushed while the snap on and Mac were not.
finn
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I gave you an answer, but you ignored it.
The engineering and production facilities and technology has moved on to brushless. It costs money to have duplicate manufacturing lines and engineering and purchasing support for the old technology. The world has moved on.
Why don’t automakers still offer cars with generators like they had in the fifties? Because alternators are a newer generation of technology and there’s absolutely no benefit to hanging on to obsolete technology that has to be supported by engineering and manufacturing.
You did not ask the original question. Your question was in fact, a response to a question. You stated that you did not want a brushless ratchet, and Hakeem responded with a question "Why on earth not??" To which you immediately responded with a question (although phrased as a demand).
So now that we've cleared that up, why do you not want a brushless ratchet?
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Shoreline_
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We are talking about an electric ratchet not sophisticated machinery.
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Shoreline_
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Because the mac ratchet body is tiny compared to its plastic brushless counterpart.
From what Ive seen with my tools, the brushed motor stuff is slightly more compact which is a big deal in tight spaces of a professional mechanic. Not someone who tinkers in their garage with their triple the life electric brushless ratchet they use 3 times a year. Also from what Ive read brushed motors have higher initial torque.
finn
Well-known member
Do a simple google search on brushed vs brushless motors and you’ll come up with several dozen citations on advantages of each. I skimmed over several, and the only thing of significance is that brushed motors are cheaper to make. Even that is somewhat dubious, since a high volume factory can likely spit out tens of thousands of brushless motors more cost effectively than having essentially a duplicate factory and dedicated support team to support obsolete, low volume brushed technology.
Not one of your “observations” was cited or supported in any of the citations I read, including your assertion of more compact size for brushed motors. . If anything, brushless motors can be more compact than brushed. It’s all execution, not inherent design.
Not one of your “observations” was cited or supported in any of the citations I read, including your assertion of more compact size for brushed motors. . If anything, brushless motors can be more compact than brushed. It’s all execution, not inherent design.
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Milwaukee. They still manufacture and sell non-Fuel (aka brushed) tools.
For example; https://www.milwaukeetool.com/products/2457-20
dnschmidt
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You're not completely wrong. Milwaukee does still make brushed tools, including their original ratchet, but they also make brushless tools that are NOT FUEL. They have three lines: FUEL, brushless and brushed.
finn
Well-known member
I think that, at least in the not so distant past, some of the entry level Craftsman tools were still brushed. Casual observation suggests that even Craftsman is moving towards all brushless.
The brushed Milwaukee tools seem to be entry level tools to meet a price point. I can’t think of any recent brushed tool releases. It’s all the low cost entry level products that have been around for years.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I have several Milwaukee and Dewalt cordless ratchets.
The three small head O.G. Milwaukees on the left are brushed motors. The 4th Milkwaukee over, high speed Fuel, is brushless, as is both Dewalts.
As far as any difference in use between the Milwaukee brushed and brushless, there really isn't any. The high speed spins faster but, just like the brushed small heads, is pretty weak at somewhere about 30 ft lbs to break free or tighten using just the trigger. I routinely use them by hand to break free and tighten at torque levels around twice that. I never switch back and forth to tighten or loosen anything with a separate tool than whatever cordless ratchet I'm using.
The Dewalts are waaaaay stronger ratchets by every measure. They break free / tighten using just the trigger at around 50 ft lbs, and I routinely break free and tighten by hand up to 100 ft lbs or more. They have definitely become my go-to/most used cordless ratchets since Dewalt finally entered the cordless ratchet game.
The Milwaukees manuals do not mention anything about using them to break free and tighten by hand (for some reason I thought they warned not to, but I just checked and it's not mentioned at all). I have been using them to break free and tighten most everything for more than 10 years (~4 years for the high speed) and they do the job just fine. I have had to replace the anvil assemblies in them on occasion. Whether that's due to normal wear and tear or due to how I (ab)use them, ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The anvil assemblies are not terribly expensive and pretty easy to swap out to get it back to working like new again.
The Dewalts manual only warns to "not use manually for high torque applications, such as vehicle lug nuts or bolts." I don't use cordless ratchets for wheel lugs or suspension components, but for pretty much everything under the hood except for a crank bolt I have been using them to break free and tighten everything by hand since they first came out in 2022. I've not yet had any issues with the Dewalts.
The three small head O.G. Milwaukees on the left are brushed motors. The 4th Milkwaukee over, high speed Fuel, is brushless, as is both Dewalts.
As far as any difference in use between the Milwaukee brushed and brushless, there really isn't any. The high speed spins faster but, just like the brushed small heads, is pretty weak at somewhere about 30 ft lbs to break free or tighten using just the trigger. I routinely use them by hand to break free and tighten at torque levels around twice that. I never switch back and forth to tighten or loosen anything with a separate tool than whatever cordless ratchet I'm using.
The Dewalts are waaaaay stronger ratchets by every measure. They break free / tighten using just the trigger at around 50 ft lbs, and I routinely break free and tighten by hand up to 100 ft lbs or more. They have definitely become my go-to/most used cordless ratchets since Dewalt finally entered the cordless ratchet game.
The Milwaukees manuals do not mention anything about using them to break free and tighten by hand (for some reason I thought they warned not to, but I just checked and it's not mentioned at all). I have been using them to break free and tighten most everything for more than 10 years (~4 years for the high speed) and they do the job just fine. I have had to replace the anvil assemblies in them on occasion. Whether that's due to normal wear and tear or due to how I (ab)use them, ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The anvil assemblies are not terribly expensive and pretty easy to swap out to get it back to working like new again.
The Dewalts manual only warns to "not use manually for high torque applications, such as vehicle lug nuts or bolts." I don't use cordless ratchets for wheel lugs or suspension components, but for pretty much everything under the hood except for a crank bolt I have been using them to break free and tighten everything by hand since they first came out in 2022. I've not yet had any issues with the Dewalts.
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I am also a professional mechanic and in general I am a Milwaukee fan due to their greater selection of power tools for mechanics, however I have had a Dewalt DCF513B cordless ratchet for two years now and it is a fantastic tool. Very hard hitting to the point that infrequently I forget about it's power and it will remind you by slamming your hand into a nearby object if your grip is loose. Definitely bigger than Milwaukee but really just longer, and the trigger is set back far enough that the reach is great. A 2ah battery also lasts all day, to several days depending on use. It has become my go to cordless ratchet.