I have the sp air 1/4 ratchet, not real happy with it, strong at first but weaker as time went on. Its now very difficult to switch directions. Granted it was only like $53 on amazon.
The Snap on Far series are pretty good ratchets.
The ratchet I like best is the mac ar1776 - way strong. Rated like 80 lbs/ft I think? Whatever its rating its the strongest air ratchet I've ever used.
The ar778 is just as strong but also shorter by 2 1/4" or so which makes it feel stronger. I like the longer 1776 because I'm less likely to bump the trigger and its easier to hang onto.
Definitely not anti-kickback though. Want to keep ahold of it.
Also has a sealed head which is a great feature.
As is the selector switch mounted on the back of the tool and down lower - if you've ever been pulling a bolt and got an air ratchet wedged you know what a pain in the *** it is to switch directions on almost all air ratchets, not a problem with these.
They are not light tools either, but I've regularly broken loose fwd bellhousing bolts with mine, so its a trade off I'm fine with.
Pretty sure they are actually made by Proto for mac, and I believe there is a Proto titanium version that is a little lighter.
They are very durable also. A friend of mine had his for at least 12-15 years or so before it was stolen.
I'm pretty sure he never oiled it at all for the first 10 years or so. He said it was getting a little weak one day and I ran a little trans fluid through it and good as new - this is when he said he'd never oiled it before.
This is when I decided to get one.
The biggest drawback is price, not cheap. I bought a used 778 off ebay for $125. Decided I liked the 1776 better. Got lucky and found one of those for like $85, both in good condition.
A coworker, who is possibly the cheapest bast..., um, one of the more frugal people I've met, talked me into selling him the 778 for what I paid for it. Now if he'd just buy a new 1/2 impact and quit borrowing my 2235....
