The SHLF80 is the same strength as a SO breaker. No reason to bother with the breaker. Just use the ratchet. More convenient. I don't even own a breaker anymore.
Help me pick a new 1/2 flex head ratchet
- Thread starter JWC86
- Start date
Dakotadadv8
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2021
- Messages
- 1,487
Nice I need to look into the SHLF80, I have the standard SO 1/2 drive S80A and it is a beast. I can always use my 24" or 36 inch SO breaker bar for uninvited visitors during the night just in case my Louisville Slugger is not nearby.
VolvoRyan
Well-known member
I went with the locking-flex.... and now my beaker bars don't get used anymore. Arguably, the ratchet is "stronger" in the sense that the thicker handle has less flex.
Snap-On sells the rebuild kit for like $10. I keep one on hand, so if I lunch the internals on mine, I can be back in action quick.... and then warranty the guts later.
-Ryan
Carlyle from NAPA
Chrome Vanadium Cody
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
- Messages
- 663
Just curious, is the flex joint detented?
Carlyle from NAPA
seber
Well-known member
The calculation is straightforward. Distance cubed to the outside radius (in this case 1/2 the drive size) times the tensile strength. Minus distance to inside radius cubed times tensile strength. You just need to know the ID of the hole. so if the drive size is 1/2" and the hole is 1/8" then the loss is .0625 cubed divided by .25 cubed. Or 1.526%
Thanks. So a negligible difference as I intuitively thought.
Wonder if there’s something else going on. The anvil is being bent along its axis too, but the material in the middle shouldn’t matter for that either.
Received mine yesterday. Next day via UPS. I'm lazy.
Carlyle from NAPA
Wrench97
Well-known member
I have a 17" and 24" nonlocking Snap On you can tighten the pivot bolt to make it stiff if need be.
There are a couple on feabay for under $100
Why limit yourself, the SO ratchet adapter is very strong as well. I went with the 18" SF80A because when you've under a car there is such a thing as having too much handle. If I need more grunt, which is rare, I will just grab the 25" breaker with or without the adapter.
I"m not gonna check your work, but it sounds like you've oversimplified this. But yes, it's a tiny difference.
look up formulas for torsional strength and the variable J. Ok, so J is all that matters for this comparison since we assume strength and torque applied is constant and we are only concerned with the difference between the two areas.
Calculate J for the drive size.
Now Calculate J for the hole size.
Subtract Jdrive from Jhole to get Jnet for the QR ratchet. Compare this to JDrive.
Now for sure it's not that simple in reality since you have two perpendicular holes that intersect on a QR ratchet. But either way it's a small difference.
Any links? I didn’t see any that cheap.
Lucid Moments
Well-known member
I have a Snap On flex head ratchet that is about 18". I think the model is RKRSX936JT but don't know for sure. I love it. It is long enough to give you enough leverage for most stuff, but not so long that it gets in the way too much. The flex head is stiff enough that it doesn't flop around without having to be locked. And I have put a long cheater on it which it handles no problem.
That’s been my experiences lol
Dakotadadv8
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2021
- Messages
- 1,487
Unless it fell off the back of a truck if you know what I mean.
dyermullet
Well-known member
What is the COO? China or Taiwan?
Carlyle from NAPA
Wrench97
Well-known member
1992 Snap-on 1/2" Drive Flex Head Ratchet Long Handle S831 Made in USA for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1992 Snap-on 1/2" Drive Flex Head Ratchet Long Handle S831 Made in USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Snap-on Tools 1/2 Drive Flex Head 17 Inch Ratchet S711A USA for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-on Tools 1/2 Drive Flex Head 17 Inch Ratchet S711A USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Taiwan
I think it was. If I remember, I will check before work.
It went in the enclosed trailer toolbox and I had other stuff to do yesterday. I wanted to make sure it was put away before the trailer gets stored for the winter. I didn't get a chance to try it out.
EDIT: I stand corrected. I looked and it has no detent.
Last edited:
Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
If that sells for less than $180 I will be very surprised.
The advantage of the SHLF80 is the combination of a fine toothed gear mechanism with dramatically high strength. This is a first ever, best in class tool.
Consequently, I’ve found the length almost never is an issue, thanks to the flex and 80 tooth head. It’s a very easy tool to use and take advantage of.
Looking back over my many years of home auto repair, there are only a few game changing tools for me. Impact gun is #1. The Snap On SHLF80A is easily in the top 5. I would choose this ratchet before buying any other premium ratchet due to the work you can get out of it.
FWIW, in no particular order, my other game changing tools have been: digital multi-meter/OBD2 scanner, LED lights, including head lamps, swivel sockets, ball Allens, swivel torx, high quality bit sockets in general, and really really good wrenches.
Socket quality, std ratchet quality, extensions, so often discussed, haven't been game changers for me. If/when I work in someone else’s garage, I’ll take my guns, the SHLF80A, and wrenches, speciality sockets for just in case. Everything else I can make do with.
Last edited:
My bad, I should have said dual 80. I’m not really interested in a older design.1992 Snap-on 1/2" Drive Flex Head Ratchet Long Handle S831 Made in USA for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1992 Snap-on 1/2" Drive Flex Head Ratchet Long Handle S831 Made in USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-On Tools SF80A, 1/2" drive, Dual 80 Flex Head Ratchet at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Snap-on Tools 1/2 Drive Flex Head 17 Inch Ratchet S711A USA for sale online | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-on Tools 1/2 Drive Flex Head 17 Inch Ratchet S711A USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
I would guess that dual 80 you linked will sell for far more than $100.
With no more free shipping from Snap, On eBay buyers seem willing to pay catalog price or very nearly, presumably feeling they are saving the $25 shipping cost. This despite the fact that I think shipping is free over $250, and the SHLF80 at $270, would ship free.
That said, though it might be debated here, the reality is Snap On’s prices rise with inflation and tool designs don’t change THAT often such that people like me, who maybe got deals 10 years ago, can sell like new-ish SO tools on eBay for profit.
I see several good looking models for under $200 on the bay. I’d see if I could find one with a chewed up handle for cheap and replace the handle.
so i have all 3 flex capri ratchets and liek them a lot-except the 1/2 I warrantied cause the selector was all floppy. they sent another and same thing. i bought them about 2-3 years ago now. is your 1/2 flex capri selector floppy and loose?
dyermullet
Well-known member
Thanks
I humbly stand corrected, I bid $130 and it sold for $133. If I didn't already have one I would have bid at least $150. Someone got a very good deal.
SO's prices rise way faster than inflation. Maybe they're not as bad as PPG auto paint, who typically raise prices quarterly, and the same with 3M autobody supplies, but they definitely raise prices way more than inflation. All of the above are publicly held companies and they need to raise earnings ~10% a year to keep shareholders happy. The only way to do this is to increase prices similarly. But like you said, I have a few SO tools, like the metric flare nut wrenches, that I could probably sell for what, or more, than I paid for them 5-10 years ago, since they're essentially in new condition with limited home use.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
That all depends on whether you compare Snap-on to the value of the dollar or compare the value of the dollar to Snap-on.
Damn, that was a good deal! That ratchet looked mint.
You know what, I'm very glad you got it because right after I bid I started thinking I hope the hell I didn't drive it up on one of the forum members here. I'm just glad I wasn't home or I would have bid again. I paid at least $175 for mine and it wasn't in as good a shape. Congrats on a great deal, I don't think there is any other ratchet that comes even close in quality, they are a work of art. Again, I'm happy for you and I'm sorry if because of me you paid an extra $20.
It's all good thanks. I've been buying ICONs lately and want to get back on track lol...
I found my 25" Snap-on Locking Flex at a pawn shop. You could tell it was used but overall it was in good shape and no missing chrome. I gave $150 for it.
I have the straight version of the Carlyle posted above. I want to say it's like 48 teeth? It's a decent ratchet but I'm not a huge fan of quick release. I bought a second ratchet just like it for a gentleman who would always help me out and I wanted to show my gratitude after he broke another one of his Craftsman ratchets. He likes quick release and loves the ratchet. He hasn't broken the ratchet after a few years of working on farm equipment which he can't say about his Craftsman ratchets.
I have the straight version of the Carlyle posted above. I want to say it's like 48 teeth? It's a decent ratchet but I'm not a huge fan of quick release. I bought a second ratchet just like it for a gentleman who would always help me out and I wanted to show my gratitude after he broke another one of his Craftsman ratchets. He likes quick release and loves the ratchet. He hasn't broken the ratchet after a few years of working on farm equipment which he can't say about his Craftsman ratchets.
Yeah website says the flex head is 48 tooth.
My memory was correct then. I knew it was more than the 36 tooth Craftsman but not a high tooth ratchet by today's standards. If I walked into Napa and saw that ratchet on the shelf for that price, I probably wouldn't leave the store without it.