Genius Ratchets

[Hawk321]

Hi folks,

bought some Genius tools last year...there were cheap and wanted them only to fill the gaps. Among them, a 1/4" swivel head ratched, for just 15 Euros.
Played around with it and noticed that the mechanism was running a lil bit sticky, so as would no grease be inside.

Opened the head to get a closer look...and... no grease...

http://www.bilderhoster.net/img.php?id=w96zd9g2.jpg

http://www.bilderhoster.net/img.php?id=d8jr9alz.jpg

The mechanism looks like the one from Facom and SK,
lubricated the parts with bearing grease, assembled it together and tried to kill the ratchet

Took a M8 12.9 bolt in a vise and turned the head with my 1/4" ratched and a long pipe...broke the bolt....did it 3 times again....everytime the bolt broke...but the ratchet works still fine.
To show some numbers, this chart (delivered by Gedore) shows that a Bolt of 12.9 M8 gets a torque of 42 Nm that's are 31 lbs.ft !

Since that test, I worked everyday with it....really nice quality!
It was a big deal for me...infact...a Snap-On swivel head cost a lot more!

 

[B.O.V. Norway]

*snip*

Opened the head to get a closer look...and... no grease...

*snip*

"€15 - Grease not included".
Hehe, I guess the profit must come from somewhere. I wondered a bit how good those ratchets could be.

Have a nice day.

 

[LoneGunman]

I don't know anything about Genius brand tools so I can't say anything negative about them but the idiots on Ebay who advertise them as being just like Snap On get on my nerves. Ebay is full of these ratchets, I'm not a Snap On cool-aid drinker, I like Snap On but it does not have to be Snap On but for what these tools sell for on Ebay, they are cutting corners someplace.

 

[eschoendorff]

INB$ the Red Lube of Love comments....

 

[Hawk321]

I talked with them on the Automechanika...one of the worlds biggest trade show of the automotive industry...

Genius exhibet their program....

They told me, that Genius produce tools for almost every big brand since 197x (whatever)...just for a few years under an own label....sounds logical for me, when you compare all tools of them with other...

Same with Snap-On....not everything is US made and not everything is cheap or invented by them. Compare the Alligator plier price with Craftsman or Knipex.

How ever, if sb. need a low budget tool and has lil bit grease at home
you can save a lot of money. Have the "old" pricelist from them...today they are 50% more expensive than 2007.
In Germany I must look for alternatives...because you can't buy craftman here or other cheap stuff...wrote often that even a basic Gearwrench Set cost 200 Euro>>> ~280$ !

 

[Garage-Junkie]

never heard of the brand before

 

[B.O.V. Norway]

Here ya go

Have a nice day.

 

[billymade]

http://www.geniustools.net/home.html

I guess they are a canadian company...

Check out their full line of tools here: http://www.geniustools.net/home.html

 

[eschoendorff]

http://www.geniustools.net/home.html

I guess they are a canadian company...

Check out their full line of tools here: http://www.geniustools.net/home.html

Sure, the offices are in Canada... but the tools come from "over there..."

 

[48548]

I posted some of them taken apart with lots of pictures showing them, Toptul and Snap on and proto apart to compare them... you can look them up if you want, I like the tools i got from them, but they look identical to the toptul, so who is making whose tools? I don't care because they work and work well, but I still am a little curious.

 

[HarveyM]

I bought toptul swivel ratchets (1/4", 3/8" & 1/2") and the 1/4" was also dry.
The other two sizes came greased.

Regards
Harvey

 

[Hawk321]

This company is made for canada, but the plant is in Taiwan! They are producing tools for over 30 year FOR different brands...so they are not really new...same with mac pliers...most are knipex.

 

[AutoTech]

I have the Genius 1/4 and 3/8 swivel head ratchets and they are tough as any other out there, I have yet to break one!

 

[MarkH]

I think somewhere in the copying process grease must have fallen off the list.

Some of the reasons while copies may be good, they frequently do not make it up to the standard of the original. All SK and Facom ratchets have come with grease, once it was hard where Sears had let the ratchet sit for too many years, but that is a retailer not a producer issue.

I always put them down as the standard imported tool and usually wonder what they forgot in the copy process, now I know.

 

[Hawk321]

So I don't want to make misunderstandings...my other Genius Ratches had/have grease! Only the swivel head was dry...

 

[DSKA Tools]

Actually, they are manufactured out of Taiwan but based in Canada. We have been selling them to the heavy equipment guys for years. The sockets, chisels and ratchets are top notch. We hardly have a warranty repair. Every once in a while we have a return on chisel but they stand behind their products. We service around 2500 mechanics in the southeast and many more online. Our customers really like them. Genius Tools also sponsors the TV show "Pimp My Truck" and a drifting series in California. Being an ex-diesel mechanic of 25 years I would say they are the same quality as Snap-on. I really like Martin and Wright tools as well.