Icon tool reviews.

[dogdog]

It's one of those things, sign of times I guess... So many Fake News Trolls out in full force.

I still remember the one about the 20Ton press with grave warnings about Cheap COO failures and he almost died with picture and proof... Then this guy with the soft metal on the socket on a set of new icon sockets he bought, dents and everything from the looks of it getting beat by a BFH.... now this guy claiming electrical switch on the ratchet just because it's marked on/off... WTF is wrong with #Peoplewithfakenews lately... dam these Corona Princess are out in full force with this lockdown or something.

 

[coopmandu]

This image pretty much sums it up:


On and Off? Are there batteries?

Really?

 

[zendriver]

This image pretty much sums it up:


On and Off? Are there batteries?

Do you own any ratchets - at all?

My 45 yo Snap On uses those very same directions , which is probably why the Icon has it.

 

[Mr_B]

L & R seems smarter way label them but ICON had copy snapon rather than using it's own brain do something smarter .
Same with raised selector much same as snapon, that could of been far better practical design ...
Besides the ICON roto head ratchets which pretty good spec/product to price the rest fall short against other socket ratchets in this price range .

 

[Mr_B]

Is this acceptable workmanship?

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Not for the product marketing or price, I got 2 sets off ebay 7" and 9", same design but black slightly textured 2nd layer grip over a yellow first layer and they about 3-5 bucks a pair and better finish, working fine too in daily auto shop .

 

[dogdog]

L & R seems smarter way label them but ICON had copy snapon rather than using it's own brain do something smarter .
Same with raised selector much same as snapon, that could of been far better practical design ...
Besides the ICON roto head ratchets which pretty good spec/product to price the rest fall short against other socket ratchets in this price range .

That is preference... then some one will argue why copying a ratchet... invent an invisible tool... just sell some magic dust... there is no ending to this. maybe you prefer L&R, some one prefer , on/off, others prefer C/CW or just an arrow.

This is just not a valid argument. didn't Snap-on copy some one else too? but that is ok because snap-on on / snap-on off is ok ....

Some one could have argue left and right is a linear motion and not exactly a rotation. ...

Then again maybe that justin youtube guy prefers to BFH his Non-free Icon sockets and cries about it on the internet to grab some attentions... get some brotherhood LOVE...

oh well complain about something legit. Like their garden pump spray or pumps... the sprayer leaks, return policy is horrible, absolute junk value. But those are not Icon brand... so...

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I have the 1/2 drive ratchet that goes for $62 I got mine at the pawn shop almost new. So far it’s good. I don’t know why people are complaining about the selector switch at least it isn’t switched around like the Pittsburgh ones are which is something that drives me crazy. Definitely not my go to ratchet but still nice I like it over my Craftsman ratchet but not over my Capri ratchet. I wish it had a comfort grip as well but for the price I paid I can’t complain one bit.


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[anndel]

Is this acceptable workmanship?

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Compared to the Lang and Knipex SR pliers I have, no. The Icon's look checp but if it functions well, that's all that matters.

 

[anndel]

Do you own any ratchets - at all?

My 45 yo Snap On uses those very same directions , which is probably why the Icon has it.

All my Snap-on ratchets from the 1990s to a couple of years have the ON/OFF stamping on them.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I have the 1/2 drive ratchet that goes for $62 I got mine at the pawn shop almost new. So far it’s good. I don’t know why people are complaining about the selector switch at least it isn’t switched around like the Pittsburgh ones are which is something that drives me crazy. Definitely not my go to ratchet but still nice I like it over my Craftsman ratchet but not over my Capri ratchet. I wish it had a comfort grip as well but for the price I paid I can’t complain one bit.


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Got the Icon and an SK LP 90 flex head 1/2” and they’re startlingly close in performance if you put a bit of grease in them before use.

 

[PSYCwon]

I have the 1/2 drive ratchet that goes for $62 I got mine at the pawn shop almost new. So far it’s good. I don’t know why people are complaining about the selector switch at least it isn’t switched around like the Pittsburgh ones are which is something that drives me crazy. Definitely not my go to ratchet but still nice I like it over my Craftsman ratchet but not over my Capri ratchet. I wish it had a comfort grip as well but for the price I paid I can’t complain one bit.


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I picked up the comfort grip 3/8” ratchet to replace a Craftsman as my beater ratchet at work and honestly it’s been a huge upgrade and so far I’m extremely happy with it. Compared to my Hazet HP’s though? Not even close. I MIGHT even pick up a couple others for fine tooth beaters if I stumble across a good enough sale again.

 

[M635_Guy]

L & R seems smarter way label them but ICON had copy snapon rather than using it's own brain do something smarter .
Same with raised selector much same as snapon, that could of been far better practical design ...
Besides the ICON roto head ratchets which pretty good spec/product to price the rest fall short against other socket ratchets in this price range .

Because they wouldn't get **** from people for doing L/R instead of On/Off like people expect in a premium ratchet...

 

[Mr_B]

^
lol, on -off always seemed stupid to me, would prefer no markings over that really
L - R is logical . No idea why snappy and mac stuck with on - off .
No idea why HF didn't go for better taiwan ratchet design like carlyle or facom compact heads

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I picked up the comfort grip 3/8” ratchet to replace a Craftsman as my beater ratchet at work and honestly it’s been a huge upgrade and so far I’m extremely happy with it. Compared to my Hazet HP’s though? Not even close. I MIGHT even pick up a couple others for fine tooth beaters if I stumble across a good enough sale again.

That’s good. I haven’t tried Hazet but have heard good things about them. I love my Capri ratchets though especially in a professional setting they hold up great.


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[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Got the Icon and an SK LP 90 flex head 1/2” and they’re startlingly close in performance if you put a bit of grease in them before use.

Yeah I haven’t tried greasing it yet. Still a big improvement over my Craftsman 1/2 flex head though.


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[Bubba Fett]

Icon tools are decent, but they are not in any way a competitor to Snap-On.

I would compare them to Tekton, Carlyle, and other Taiwan-made brands, because those are probably all made by the same OEM (Infar, Hi-Five).

As for COO, it still matters to me. I will seek out USA-made tools first, but I am open to tools made in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Canada, Mexico and Taiwan. Those are trade partners, and are not attempting to overtake the world economy, like China.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Yeah I haven’t tried greasing it yet. Still a big improvement over my Craftsman 1/2 flex head though.

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It’s become a habit when I get a new ratchet. I just pop the cover open and check to see what’s in there and grease it up if necessary.

 

[Mr_B]

That’s good. I haven’t tried Hazet but have heard good things about them. I love my Capri ratchets though especially in a professional setting they hold up great.


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I also found current capri ratchets to be of good design and manufacture .

 

[Lassen Forge]

This image pretty much sums it up:


On and Off? Are there batteries?

Do you propose they change it to "un-do" and "do-do"?

 

[M635_Guy]

^
lol, on -off always seemed stupid to me, would prefer no markings over that really
L - R is logical . No idea why snappy and mac stuck with on - off.

They're doing it like they've always done it

No idea why HF didn't go for better taiwan ratchet design like carlyle or facom compact heads

Icon tools are decent, but they are not in any way a competitor to Snap-On.

Have either of y'all actually used one?

I have Carlyle, Tekton, Icon, SnapOn and Sunex ratchets (there might be a couple others lurking around...)

(the Carlyle ratchets are 1/2" and 1/4" - those are most of the 3/8")

The Icons I own are (easily) better for me than any of the others except the Snap On, and frankly I seem to wind up with the Icon in my hand as often as anything. My Icon 1/4" swivel is what I use 2/3 of the time when I'm using ratchet with 1/4" sockets, most of the rest is the Snap On (I often run two at a time though).

Tekton and Carlyle make nice ratchets - Tekton is especially good for the money. My Sunex is garbage - I keep it for times when the ratchet is at risk. But Icon is great for the money IMHO. It's not better than Snap On, but it's pretty close, and 1/3 the price... :dunno

I would compare them to Tekton, Carlyle, and other Taiwan-made brands, because those are probably all made by the same OEM (Infar, Hi-Five).

As above, I'm going to disagree. Having used Tekton, Carlyle and Icon in the same day (two of the three today), it's pretty clear they're all built to a different spec. Honestly, of what I own right now, the Carlyle stuff would be the first-out.

As for COO, it still matters to me. I will seek out USA-made tools first, but I am open to tools made in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Canada, Mexico and Taiwan. Those are trade partners, and are not attempting to overtake the world economy, like China.

You can rest your soul then - Pretty sure all of my Icon ratchets (and all of their wrenches, I believe...) are made in Taiwan.

 

[vssjim]

I bought a set of ICON 3/8 deep metric sockets to try out after all the stories of soft and wearing out even supposedly never seeing an impact. So I used them every day at work an after about 10 months a 12 mm split and I was fairly surprised so I got it replaced and gave it away. I'm sure the ratchets and wrenches are ok but I think the sockets are as people say quick to wear on the drive end and prone to breakage.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

It’s become a habit when I get a new ratchet. I just pop the cover open and check to see what’s in there and grease it up if necessary.

Oh ok I thought they would already come greased from the factory. Makes me want to crack mine open.


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[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I also found current capri ratchets to be of good design and manufacture .

Yes they are I really like mine.


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[Kscardsfan]

Oh ok I thought they would already come greased from the factory. Makes me want to crack mine open.


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They should, but they don’t always get enough or it sits on the shelf at the warehouse too long and dries out or who knows what else. And this was just as true on some LP90 SK ratchets as it was on the icons I’ve got.

 

[Johnny27]

The Icons I own are (easily) better for me than any of the others except the Snap On, and frankly I seem to wind up with the Icon in my hand as often as anything. My Icon 1/4" swivel is what I use 2/3 of the time when I'm using ratchet with 1/4" sockets, most of the rest is the Snap On (I often run two at a time though).

Most of those short 6-8" 1/4" type ratchets could be any brand. Low torque applications. When you get to 10"+ ratchets, is when you start to see real differences in design and use. This also applies to sockets.

Put 100-150ft/lbs on a ratchet, and you'll see these Taiwan-made tools jump the pawl and slip about 10% of the time when brand new. Last time you'll ever use anything other than a Snap-on, or a MAC. Had a guy here using a Pittsburgh Pro ratchet go to the ER for 11 stitches after his flex ratchet slipped the internals, and tore his hand up.

 

[Mr_B]

^ I use quite a few taiwan ratchets and sockets in daily auto and light farm machine repair and they fine, just don't buy bottom of the scale and do some research .
Facom carlyle capri welzh laser, tekton all have good taiwan ratchet that do 150ft-lbs and up . I returned mac impact sockets as wallowed too badly and current daily impacts are taiwan japan style ... Not everything great out the truck, taiwan or HF, good choices and bit of research along with sensible use nets good results .

 

[Mr_B]

They're doing it like they've always done it


Have either of y'all actually used one?

Yes used them, only socket ratchets I like in icon is the roto heads, they better effort than most and best at that price point currently .
Capri Carlyle and Tekton got them beat on better design and range on all other socket ratchets .

 

[seagullplayer]

I thought the reason most/all overseas ratchets come dry was due to shipping rules.

Icom is still a little pricey for me. But I'm sure they would do fine for my mostly home garage use.

That socket in the OP sure looked like it had been hammered on to loosen a bolt. Brake work is hard on tools. I'm pretty sure I got a couple like that.

 

[sk farmer]

Most of those short 6-8" 1/4" type ratchets could be any brand. Low torque applications. When you get to 10"+ ratchets, is when you start to see real differences in design and use. This also applies to sockets.

Put 100-150ft/lbs on a ratchet, and you'll see these Taiwan-made tools jump the pawl and slip about 10% of the time when brand new. Last time you'll ever use anything other than a Snap-on, or a MAC. Had a guy here using a Pittsburgh Pro ratchet go to the ER for 11 stitches after his flex ratchet slipped the internals, and tore his hand up.

1st post huh? welcome to the party.

of course i am going to take a little issue with some of your comments. i don't really know what 6-8 inch 1/4 rype ratchets are (compact 3/8 maybe) but i have upwards of 100 ratchets to include snap-on, mac, matco, sk gearwrench, proto, icon, craftsman, carlysle. well you get the idea. it has been proven many times over that all but the cheapest bottom of the barrel stuff takes an incredible amount of torque to make one fail in a test.

my experience tells me that when things start to go wrong is when you start pushing them at extreme angles (like with flex heads). even then failures are not that common. do ratchet failures happen and cause injuries? sure do. but as usually happens, someone pops in and says i won't use brand x because it sent my buddy to the hospital with (fill in the blank). the vast majority of those accidents are the fault of the user with improper tool use or simple carelessness. i have had countless bumps, cuts, bruises and scrapes in my 50 plus years, those were the mild ones.

the serious ones have included broken bones, stitches and pretty much cutting the end off of one of my fingers and having it reattached. the common denominator in the majority of all of these injuries has not been failing tools, it has been failing operator.

like i said, tools can and do fail but if you are pushing as hard as you can toward a sharp object that can cause harm and you do nothing to protect yourself or at least make it safer it is more your own fault than the tool.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

They should, but they don’t always get enough or it sits on the shelf at the warehouse too long and dries out or who knows what else. And this was just as true on some LP90 SK ratchets as it was on the icons I’ve got.

Good to know about that.


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[Kscardsfan]

1st post huh? welcome to the party.

of course i am going to take a little issue with some of your comments. i don't really know what 6-8 inch 1/4 rype ratchets are (compact 3/8 maybe) but i have upwards of 100 ratchets to include snap-on, mac, matco, sk gearwrench, proto, icon, craftsman, carlysle. well you get the idea. it has been proven many times over that all but the cheapest bottom of the barrel stuff takes an incredible amount of torque to make one fail in a test.

my experience tells me that when things start to go wrong is when you start pushing them at extreme angles (like with flex heads). even then failures are not that common. do ratchet failures happen and cause injuries? sure do. but as usually happens, someone pops in and says i won't use brand x because it sent my buddy to the hospital with (fill in the blank). the vast majority of those accidents are the fault of the user with improper tool use or simple carelessness. i have had countless bumps, cuts, bruises and scrapes in my 50 plus years, those were the mild ones.

the serious ones have included broken bones, stitches and pretty much cutting the end off of one of my fingers and having it reattached. the common denominator in the majority of all of these injuries has not been failing tools, it has been failing operator.

like i said, tools can and do fail but if you are pushing as hard as you can toward a sharp object that can cause harm and you do nothing to protect yourself or at least make it safer it is more your own fault than the tool.

Lots of truth in those words. The end user has the biggest part in the end result.

 

[M635_Guy]

Most of those short 6-8" 1/4" type ratchets could be any brand. Low torque applications. When you get to 10"+ ratchets, is when you start to see real differences in design and use. This also applies to sockets.

Put 100-150ft/lbs on a ratchet, and you'll see these Taiwan-made tools jump the pawl and slip about 10% of the time when brand new. Last time you'll ever use anything other than a Snap-on, or a MAC. Had a guy here using a Pittsburgh Pro ratchet go to the ER for 11 stitches after his flex ratchet slipped the internals, and tore his hand up.

"When used incorrectly, 10% of them fail"



PPro is MiC I believe, and I bought and returned them. I'm sure they're fine for light use, but I probably wouldn't trust them for anything heavy-duty.

Icon is made in Taiwan, and both the 3/8" and 1/4" rotos have been flawless. I like the pear-head a lot too. I'd trust them to any normal use.

I have one ratchet over 10" (an FLL80) and I'm more likely to use a breaker bar in a lot of situations where there's that much beam and a tough fastener. It should be pretty hard to get 150 ft/lb on a rachet 8" or less. If you're using a cheater bar and break the tool or hurt yourself, my sympathy is limited. You're using the tool in the wrong application.

Yes used them, only socket ratchets I like in icon is the roto heads, they better effort than most and best at that price point currently .
Capri Carlyle and Tekton got them beat on better design and range on all other socket ratchets .

It's all opinions here I suppose, but I'm kinda mystified by your opinion of Carlyle to be honest.

For pear-heads, I tend to use the Snap On, but have used the others a fair bit with the following opinions:
Carlyle: Fine but nothing special. A little "clicky". Would like a slightly beefier handle. Not worth the $$ overall IMHO vs. the other options.
Sunex: Hot garbage mechanism (clicky, reverses itself if you look at it too hard. Comfortable-but-blobby handle. If I'd bought it standalone (vs. a socket kit) I would have returned it immediately. I only like it as a ratchet I'm not afraid to kill or loan out.
Tekton: Very nice mechanism. Hate the hard edges at the index finger and the bottom of the handle. It would be a rock star if they'd round off the damn edges, especially for the $$, but easy to recommend anyway.
Icon: Very nice mechanism. Handle feels beefy in a good way and has no hard edges that face the hand. I wouldn't mind a (rounded) indention like Tekton has for the index finger, but feels enough like the Snap On that I'm fine with it. Of the four, if I pick this one up I'm least-likely to switch to one of my SO ratchets. Also easy to recommend.

I mean, the dual-80 is a fine mechanism, and I have zero concerns about whether it will perform (which is why I have several), but I've been very happy with the price performance of Tekton and Icons.

 

[Mr_B]

It's all opinions here I suppose, but I'm kinda mystified by your opinion of Carlyle to be honest.

I don't like all carlyle ratchets but the compact head QR ones are very good for real deal money.
I get them delivered to shop with parts and my napa will do warranty via phone and deliver which easy and quick .
These days I don't use many large teardrop head ratchets often but when I do it normally mac tekton or welzh long/extending handles . I'm a big fan of some facom and koken ratchets too .

 

[M635_Guy]

I don't like all carlyle ratchets but the compact head QR ones are very good for real deal money.

I'll have to check them out at some point. At the moment my ratchet-cup runneth over

I get them delivered to shop with parts and my napa will do warranty via phone and deliver which easy and quick .
These days I don't use many large teardrop head ratchets often but when I do it normally mac tekton or welzh long/extending handles . I'm a big fan of some facom and koken ratchets too .

I'm a fan of the Icon stuff overall as a DIY guy, but if I was a pro in a shop I'd probably be running a lot of Carlyle stuff. There's a bunch of NAPA locations around here - like three or four within 10-15 min. of my residential area and over a dozen within 30 min. - that's going to crush HF/Icon for ease of warranty/etc. and the tool trucks too once you factor in price. I have a set of Carlyle flare nut wrenches and they're extremely nice - it looks like Carlyle and Icon share a lot of the same OEM manufacturing. That doesn't always mean they're 100% the same, but it appears to be true for the wrenches and ratchets.

 

[joey1320]

Put 100-150ft/lbs on a ratchet, and you'll see these Taiwan-made tools jump the pawl and slip about 10% of the time when brand new. Last time you'll ever use anything other than a Snap-on, or a MAC. Had a guy here using a Pittsburgh Pro ratchet go to the ER for 11 stitches after his flex ratchet slipped the internals, and tore his hand up.

Sounds like user error.

Sanp-On - 292ft/lbbs breakage point.
ICON - 276ft/lbs breakage point.
Husky - 259ft/lbs breakage point.
etc etc etc...

All of the 3/8" ratchets made it past 150ft/lbs.


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[Johnny27]

Sounds like user error.

Sanp-On - 292ft/lbbs breakage point.
ICON - 276ft/lbs breakage point.
Husky - 259ft/lbs breakage point.
etc etc etc...

All of the 3/8" ratchets made it past 150ft/lbs.

You all are referring to the anvil shearing. I'm talking about the internal gears of these cheap Taiwan ratchets slipping when force is applied/released/reapplied. Put 50 ft/lbs on a ratchet (it doesn't have to be 100), and the bolt doesn't break loose. You break tension for a second. You reapply force. Second time you apply force, the pawls slip and the ratchet jumps uncontrolled. Maybe the gear reengages and catches, and maybe it doesn't. I've seen it across the board on all the brands you're talking about here.

Happens about 1 in 10 times using them. They use a single rocking pawl. Doesn't matter if it's new or used. Forget flex heads, forget user error. It's a problem with the designs. Snap-on doesn't do it. MAC doesn't do it. Haven't seen Stahlwille do it. Haven't seen Gedore do it. I don't own any Japanese ratchets. I can make any other ratchet do it randomly, and randomly is dangerous to physical injury.

Those hydraulic tests lock in place, and then just shear. They're irrelevant unless you put a pipe on the end of a ratchet. I never do that, because I have long, long 3/8 and 1/2 ratchets and a 36" breaker bar I put a 5' pipe on.

 

[joey1320]

Funny how I have been using "cheap" ratchets for over 25 years and never needed eleven stitches... Anyways, I'm out. Buy whatever you want. Your money, your choice.

 

[M635_Guy]

I've seen it across the board on all the brands you're talking about here.

And yet I've used all of mine pretty extensively (except the Sunex - it's so bad compared to the others it sits 99.5% of the time) and never ever had anything like that happen. I'm just a dude in my home garage, but my tools get used far more than average for someone who doesn't make money at it.
It sounds like you and your buddy have a dangerous habit of some sort (I'm not trying to be flippant).

Happens about 1 in 10 times using them. They use a single rocking pawl. Doesn't matter if it's new or used. Forget flex heads, forget user error. It's a problem with the designs. Snap-on doesn't do it. MAC doesn't do it. Haven't seen Stahlwille do it. Haven't seen Gedore do it. I don't own any Japanese ratchets. I can make any other ratchet do it randomly, and randomly is dangerous to physical injury.

I agree those tests don't match what you're describing, but I haven't heard of anything like that happening in any of the tests/reviews/posts here on GJ/etc. - and I read a ton of them over the last several years as I rebuilt my set of tools.

It really sounds like something you're doing vs. something the tool is doing. I can kinda imagine a smaller single-pawl mechanism "floating" a bit in a way a dual-pawl wouldn't when being used at a high speed in a certain way (it is in the same ballpark as why I think my Sunex would randomly switch direction), but I highly doubt that would be a long-term flaw across multiple companies (meaning High-5/etc.).

If you're trying to say that anything made in Taiwan or China has this flaw and US/Japanese and German tools never do it, I can just flush your opinions...

 

[dsaabm]

Happens about 1 in 10 times using them. They use a single rocking pawl. Doesn't matter if it's new or used. Forget flex heads, forget user error. It's a problem with the designs. Snap-on doesn't do it. MAC doesn't do it. Haven't seen Stahlwille do it. Haven't seen Gedore do it. I don't own any Japanese ratchets. I can make any other ratchet do it randomly, and randomly is dangerous to physical injury.

Matco/Gearwrench/Armstrong Family, SK LP90, Mac Axis, any Taiwan 90T such as Carlyle or Tekton, use a single rocking pawl and floating gear with very similar design. To say the general design fails under heavy cyclical loading is crazy.

Way more likely cheap $20 ratchets like Pittsburgh sold with this design more likely have quality defects cause what you describe.