How many ratchets do you own?

[PowderKeg]

Yeah, I've got @ 140 brands with at least one ratchet, and another 18 brands I've seen but haven't got a rep of yet. Have been adding from 1 to a few previously unknown/unseen brands each year, and manage to pick up the first ratchet rep of one every now & then. Less than 6% of the total are from the Big 4 truck brands - I'm pretty cheap so they mostly go for far more $$$ than I'll spend - and 90%+ are standard length and not specialty/flex/long handled ones.

 

[r_olson_06]

Yeah, I've got @ 140 brands with at least one ratchet, and another 18 brands I've seen but haven't got a rep of yet. Have been adding from 1 to a few previously unknown/unseen brands each year, and manage to pick up the first ratchet rep of one every now & then. Less than 6% of the total are from the Big 4 truck brands - I'm pretty cheap so they mostly go for far more $$$ than I'll spend - and 90%+ are standard length and not specialty/flex/long handled ones.

Definitely a solid approach. I approached from a similar concept. What are your top 3 favorites out of your collection?

 

[PowderKeg]

Well if you're talking action/gut design then I'd have to say the MDF/Easco RHFT tops the the list, with Herbrand oval head vertical slide button shifters and Wright round heads (the later ones retained with a flat split ring instead of screws) following.

From personal usage history/nostalgia the venerable Craftsman RHFTs have always been and always will be my all-time favorites - they (all five) were the first ratchets I bought as upgrades to what I'd started out using (the older coarse toothed Craftsman pear heads my father had). A few used 700 series Snappys came along later and got a lot of welcome use in tighter spots needing a more compact head, and a 3/8" NAPA branded Easco pear head stubby has been highly favored for being one of the smoothest actions (like butter) I've ever bought new.

For appearance it's hard to beat the fully chromed Armstrong RHFTs, with 700/800 series Snappys and the Wright-sourced fully chromed Matco up there too.

For general neat!/uniqueness it would be Herbrand speed ratchets, a Wix branded Fors patent ratchet from New Britain, and Bonney round head ratchets with slightly reverse tapered handle grip, sculpted beams, and slightly raised oval panels for the brand and model #'s.

 

[r_olson_06]

Well if you're talking action/gut design then I'd have to say the MDF/Easco RHFT tops the the list, with Herbrand oval head vertical slide button shifters and Wright round heads (the later ones retained with a flat split ring instead of screws) following.

From personal usage history/nostalgia the venerable Craftsman RHFTs have always been and always will be my all-time favorites - they (all five) were the first ratchets I bought as upgrades to what I'd started out using (the older coarse toothed Craftsman pear heads my father had). A few used 700 series Snappys came along later and got a lot of welcome use in tighter spots needing a more compact head, and a 3/8" NAPA branded Easco pear head stubby has been highly favored for being one of the smoothest actions (like butter) I've ever bought new.

For appearance it's hard to beat the fully chromed Armstrong RHFTs, with 700/800 series Snappys and the Wright-sourced fully chromed Matco up there too.

For general neat!/uniqueness it would be Herbrand speed ratchets, a Wix branded Fors patent ratchet from New Britain, and Bonney round head ratchets with slightly reverse tapered handle grip, sculpted beams, and slightly raised oval panels for the brand and model #'s.

Those RHFTs are hard to beat. The craftsman ones are really nice with the quick release. They are my go-to still to this day. I know there were a few 15" non flex made but it sad there were no Craftsman ones. The Herbrand J9 is so iconic with blue/green grip.

 

[3baygarage]

It's interesting to hear your favorites PowderKeg.

 

[PowderKeg]

Well, I'm a sucker for an RHFT with any brand on it (and there are quite a few), but the Craftsmans will always stand out. As a side note, I may be responsible for coining "RHFT" to describe this specific MDF/Easco design. A good 30+ years ago on Mark KW's Tool Talk (or was it Tool Source?) board I got tired of typing out "Round Head Fine Tooth" - which was how Sears described these specific ratchets in the catalog - and started calling them "RHFT" ratchets, and occasionally "RHFTQR" (but quit that 'cause it was getting too long again...) - I've been an RHFT fanboy and sung praises from the very beginning... This was before I was aware that other brands had sourced RHFT ratchets from Easco (or maybe Sears Craftsman had exclusive rights for a time back then, wouldn't surprise me). Soon others on the board - and later on other tool boards/forums like here - were referring to them as RHFT ratchets. I'd jump in at times when somebody called any other round head design RHFT to advise them that no, "RHFT" is specific to the MDF/Easco design and not just any old round head ratchet, even if other sales literature/descriptions claimed "fine toothed" in their round head ratchet. Now I'd hadn't seen anybody call them RHFT before I started doing it, and I won't 100% insist I'm the originator ('cause Never Say Never, or always), but...

 

[DGersic]

+2 today



We’ll see how I like them. The included polishing cloth is silly.

 

[Bulldog13]

This many

 

[badmatt]

Probably not enough….



1/2” drive Mac not pictured.. because it doesn’t fit in the lid drawer.

 

[Retired dozer fixer]

Well the last time I replied to this specific thread 15 years ago (post #78) the count was @ 325. I just broke 900 on the "official" USA count, and if I counted all the duplicates and Pacific Rim ones it's well over 1000.

WHY???? Did you win the lottery?
Just asking

 

[Retired dozer fixer]

I have a 40+ year career pulling wrenches and had tools in several different locations and never had more than maybe 25 ratchets across 5 different drive sizes any given time. Just didn’t need that many. Also had a family to feed

 

[infinite97]

Professional heavy equipment field tech

3x 1/4”
4x 3/8” (plus two Milwaukee m12 ratchets)
3x 1/2”

No need for any more, and I rarely touch two of the 3/8” ratchets.

 

[impactims]

In my toolbox there are about 70 ratchets. Not all unique, there is some redundancy.

 

[dante2]

I think I'm at 15 or so between the shop and house. Looking to adding a 14"+ 3/8 flex at some point. My used Snap On are my go to ratchets in the shop.

 

[wrenchr]

I have a 40+ year career pulling wrenches and had tools in several different locations and never had more than maybe 25 ratchets across 5 different drive sizes any given time. Just didn’t need that many. Also had a family to feed

You got to pump those numbers up..................

 

[wrenchr]

Nice. Persistence over time yeilds some amazing results. I ended up selling off the majority of my collection a few years ago to focus on Plomb. Ratchet collecting is an amazing hobby. It is fancnating how many different designs to solve the same problem. Do you keep tabs on known ratchet you do not have in your collection?
Nice work!

Plomb, finding nice examples can be tough, but when you do it is very rewarding.

 

[NUTTSGT]

At least 5 more than I posted in this thread prior.

 

[PowderKeg]

WHY???? Did you win the lottery?
Just asking

Why not? No lottery involved, just a good 40-ish years of flea markets, yard sales, auctions, fleabay, etc. Only a very small handful were bought new for some specific purpose/need, and none of them came off a tool truck. With less than 6% from the Big 4 truck brands I'm obviously pretty darn cheap in what I've been willing to spend on used tools, more often than not less than/equal to a combo meal+, so I cut back on eating out (a good thing actually...). Got started after finding a few different brands on the same identical ratchet design and wondered who actually made it - like others I once thought (some of decades ago) that Sears Craftsman actually produced the tools they sold... Finding more that were "the same but different" just kept *********** and the obsess.... er, "collection" has kept on growing. NEVER dreamed it could get this big, and it's apparent there's a lot more out there that could be had with limitless $$$ - I've passed on a boatload that went for more $$ than I'm willing to spend, but I've often stumbled on another for much cheaper later. I'd say there are worse things to collect, like baseball cards, beanie babies - at least I can pull any ratchet out of a drawer and use it on a truck or tractor...

 

[colmal]

Why not indeed.

I just bought a Tone !/4" Ratchet (Japan), as I need parts to repair a Sidchrome example. I was fascinated to learn that japan made most of the !/4" stuff in the 70's-80's, someone on here alerted me to it.

Finally put the knowledge to use, we'll find out today or tomorrow, The Sidchrome needing repairs has bugged me for a few years and has some value if in good working condition, that ratchet was on sale 1973-75 only.

The Tone seems to be alot more common in USA than Aus

 

[drokihazan]

42 Snap-On, 3 Williams, 3 Craftsman, 2 Icon, 1 Hazet, 2 Matco
I guess it's a lot for most people, but not significant on GarageJournal.

 

[swsman]

Off top of my head 13, some are specialty tools for limited access and such.

Tekton

3 extra long in all three drive sizes
1 stubby 3/8 drive

Astro

1 in 3/8 drive
1 in 1/2 drive
Long nano socket ratchet 3/8 drive
Stubby double boxed end nano socket ratchet 1/4 drive and 3/8 drive

Carlysle

1 3/8 drive flexhead

HF

1 1/4 drive composite
1 1/4 drive flexhead

VIM

HBR5
HBR8

Have older Craftsman/other ratchets that have been retired. They sit in a spare drawer.

 

[colmal]

Why not indeed.

I just bought a Tone !/4" Ratchet (Japan), as I need parts to repair a Sidchrome example. I was fascinated to learn that japan made most of the !/4" stuff in the 70's-80's, someone on here alerted me to it.

Finally put the knowledge to use, we'll find out today or tomorrow, The Sidchrome needing repairs has bugged me for a few years and has some value if in good working condition, that ratchet was on sale 1973-75 only.

The Tone seems to be alot more common in USA than Aus

The Tone parts will be a successful replacement to rebuild the Sidchrome Ratchet , needed a spring, screw and face plate, leaves me with a spare spring and a bonus double male 1/4" drive

 

[colmal]

And the answer to 'How Many' ? is so many

A generic stubby 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 set

Every other ratchet I have is Sidchrome, a few spares, but most in wall cabinets, tool chests, boxes and sets.

1/4" 1973- 2005 14ish varieties 30ish in total

3/8" 70's -2005 2 varieties, 5 ish in total

1/2" 50's to 2005 15ish variety's, no idea- somewhere b/w 50-100ish

3/4" 1970's 2, one is a Caterpillar set