Just How Useful is a Cordless Ratchet?

[niferous]

I use my 3/8" drive Milwaukee M12 cordless ratchet more than just about any power tool I have. It's extremely useful and I may buy another just to have two.

 

[johndeereman]

Yes my M12 3/8'' ratchet has become my new go to I don't know what took so long to realize it's usefulness.

 

[WWheeler]

I have never used my M12 ratchet even once (except to try it out). I either use my hand ratchets or my impacting air ratchets. I'm with Fedwrench in that I wouldn't trust the plastic on it to break very many bolts loose, and by the time I break it loose with a regular ratchet and switch to the M12, I could have had it out by hand.

Now if they make an M12 impacting ratchet then I would be all over that.

There's no reason to have to switch from a regular ratchet to the cordless.

The M12 cordless ratchet works just like a regular ratchet. I use it to break fasteners free by hand then pull the trigger to spin it off all in one go. Same goes for install. Use the trigger to spin it down to it's max 35 ft lbs & then finish torquing it tight by hand just like with a regular ratchet only waaaaaaaaaaay faster.

 

[Skin]

Gave them an honest trial and ended up shelving them in favor of pneumatic impacting. Cordless ratchets are a bit weak and all of them are too slow for me. The pneumatics are about half the size, twice the torque, 2-3x the speed, and they will never surprise you and pinch your fingers. Too many advantages to ignore. If I didn't have an air hose readily available of course my opinion would be opposite.

I do use small cordless impacts for a lot of work as well.

 

[ssbtech]

I have the Craftsman C3. Bought it because I already have the battery for the 1/2 impact and drill. Also have a full set of the Max Axxess pass through sockets that work on the C3 ratchet.

Have I used it? Not yet. I bought it because I know at some point I have to do my rear sway bar bushings and it's a pain to ratchet the bolts out by hand.

 

[bcradio]

There's no reason to have to switch from a regular ratchet to the cordless.

The M12 cordless ratchet works just like a regular ratchet. I use it to break fasteners free by hand then pull the trigger to spin it off all in one go. Same goes for install. Use the trigger to spin it down to it's max 35 ft lbs & then finish torquing it tight by hand just like with a regular ratchet only waaaaaaaaaaay faster.

I know how it works. It's just a matter of trusting the plastic to hold up when breaking bolts loose. I guess from all the comments here though, it can be trusted pretty well.

 

[bcradio]

Gave them an honest trial and ended up shelving them in favor of pneumatic impacting. Cordless ratchets are a bit weak and all of them are too slow for me. The pneumatics are about half the size, twice the torque, 2-3x the speed, and they will never surprise you and pinch your fingers. Too many advantages to ignore. If I didn't have an air hose readily available of course my opinion would be opposite.

I do use small cordless impacts for a lot of work as well.

This is exactly how I feel. Love my reactionless air ratchets.

 

[GSteg]

Lately I've been using my Milwaukee M12 ratchet to prime the power steering pump (after a rebuild) without having to start the engine. It spins fast enough to get most air out of the pump before bleeding it the real way (engine on, turn steering lock to lock, etc).

 

[Greg85mcss]

I have the m12 & used it all the time when I was doing a lot of underhood work. It's great for running fasteners on & off in tight spaces like fwd accessories. Especially long bolts that don't have enough resistance for a regular ratchet to work on. I'm not doing much of that work lately but it still comes in handy. I use the hex impact when I can because it's faster & more powerful but it's great to have the ratchet for tight spots. I thought about the max access because I had some c3 stuff but I think the battery size would really limit its uses.


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[MikeF2316]

I'm just a weekend warrior, but my M12 ratchet comes out any job that has more than 2 fasteners.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Years ago I bought a pneumatic 3/8" ratchet. Used it once or twice. I found it useless for removing rusted nut and bolts even after they were loosened.

I asked Santa for an M12 Fuel 3/8 impact. I know after Christmas I am going to get a M12 3/8" hammer drill. I might have to try the M12 ratchet. Sure wish it was an impacting ratchet.

 

[spazzer]

On my 2nd week working at the ambulance company I bought the M12 3/8" ratchet. Its become my go-to tool and one of my all time favorite tool purchases along with an airlift vacuum coolant fill tool. For tighter fasteners I'll break them loose with a regular ratchet and follow up with the M12. I'm on my 2nd duramax fuel system/9th head gasket replacement now and its a breeze with the ratchet.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

M12 ratchet here too... notice a trend?

 

[pgtr]

OP here... Yes indeed, now that I've seen it, the M12 is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. It takes care of the obvious problems the CMan model has and if you can do a little manual ratcheting with it - perfect.

Thanks for introducing the M12 to me. Think I'll put the 3/8 version w/ a battery on my list!

 

[Jeeper]

I have an m12 ratchet too. Excellent when you have to do a radiator and don't have a lot of room to swing a ratchet. Use mine more than I thought.

 

[jshillin]

Yep, another vote for the M12 ratchet... I've had mine over a year now and use the heck out of it. I grab it out of the toolbox on just about every project.

 

[CGT80]

Years ago I bought a pneumatic 3/8" ratchet. Used it once or twice. I found it useless for removing rusted nut and bolts even after they were loosened.

I asked Santa for an M12 Fuel 3/8 impact. I know after Christmas I am going to get a M12 3/8" hammer drill. I might have to try the M12 ratchet. Sure wish it was an impacting ratchet.

Around 10 years ago, I bought a nice composite IR high speed air ratchet. It works well, but is very noisy and I always have to drag out a stupid hose. I either forget to use it or don't bother with the hose. It hasn't been used a lot. The 2135TI is another story......I wouldn't be without it.

Home depot has a deal on the 12v Fuel 1/2" hammer drill and 1/4" hex impact. The kit is $200 and you get to choose another bare tool or battery for free, to go with it. I got the 3/8" 12v ratchet. It looks like it will be exactly what I was looking for. So far, I have only used it once, but it sits with my other cordless (human powered) ratchets, where it will be quick to grab.

The hammer drill is very handy for smaller work, but has an electronic overload protection, so it will stop when overloaded. It has enough power to twist your wrist around pretty good, if you don't trigger the overload. It won't replace my V28 hammer drill, but it will take care of all the duties where I don't want to lug that monster around. The impact driver beats the **** out of my old 14.4v nicad milwaukee units.

The 3/8" 12v impact looks interesting. I think it might be a bit more compact than the 1/4" hex version........shorter nose? For now, I will use an adapter on the 1/4" impact to go along with the ratchet.

 

[DFB]

The 3/8" 12v impact looks interesting. I think it might be a bit more compact than the 1/4" hex version........shorter nose? For now, I will use an adapter on the 1/4" impact to go along with the ratchet.

Here is a pic though poor it shows the 3 M12 Fuel impacts. The nose piece on the 3/8 in itself isn't actually shorter but often you will be more compact in length by not having to use using any sq. drive adapter. Plus you will pick up 200 more in lbs and probably reduce some torque loss. Slight difference in mode one also, maybe 3lbs

 

[winlinmac]

A cordless ratchet helps me avoid turning on the air compressor all the time... its true