mrbreezeet1
Banned
I used lubriplate.
Kobalt 3/8 Flex head ratchet
- Thread starter doan
- Start date
biscuit141
Well-known member
All these posts hare tempting me to get this kit. Problem is I have a 3/8 Craftsman flex head, but it is not fine tooth and the chrome is pealing bad on the handle. My FIL gave it to me so I'm not sure if that should carry any value. I do have the 72 tooth 1/2" flex head from Lowes and that sucker is smooth.
wrh3
Well-known member
sharkytm
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Me too... couldn't resist at $18. I'm very impressed with both the ratchet and the extension. The sockets, eh, couldn't care less.
O RLY
Well-known member
I went back for a second one yesterday after seeing they had 21 pieces on hand. Well me and 2 sales associates and 1 manager walked around the store all willy nilly for almost an hour and turned up empty handed. They think they're in a box up on top of an aisle somewhere since the only sale in the last 3 weeks was the one I bought a week ago which I found sitting on top of the socket sets by its self. If these things were out they'd be moving. Dag nabbit time to try a different lowes. I want one for my truck box too.
Pudge87
Well-known member
Thanks for the heads up on this deal. I picked a set up today and was very pleased for the price. It took 2 stores for me. After about 30 minutes of walking around with an employee in store #1, we came to conclusions that a whole case is misplaced somewhere. According to their handheld gadget, they had 24 in stock and none had been sold.
wrh3
Well-known member
Luckily for me my local store is logical and put the display right beside the tools, I may go back and buy some for gifts.
Tribalvision
Well-known member
I can confirm they are built and shipped dry.. grease em up when you get them.
alpinewhite
Well-known member
Are other ratchets greased from the factory?
Harrison2
Well-known member
any tool truck brand will be, some other online ones are but mainly highend stuff.
cheaper ones like this and harbour freight arnt...
is gearwrench lubed from factory?
wrh3
Well-known member
Gearwrench, Craftsman, Snap-On, Mac, Matco are all lubed from the factory IME.
Harbor Freight is not lubed and some fine tooth round head across all brands have little to no lube.
Harbor Freight is not lubed and some fine tooth round head across all brands have little to no lube.
Rocket3004
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 8, 2013
- Messages
- 72
Well then @ 72 teeth is this fine tooth and maybe not need any lube (or oil instead)??
wrh3
Well-known member
Not fine enough for me, I do go to Superlube spray oil for the 88 and 120T Gearwrench ratchets but use Superlube grease (light coating) for anything less. FWIW, I believe I read that Superlube is what Snap-On uses for their ratchets, YMMV.
IMO, all ratchets need some type of lube, otherwise you have metal on metal contact. It may last but I am one of those........
IMO, all ratchets need some type of lube, otherwise you have metal on metal contact. It may last but I am one of those........
Last edited:
alpinewhite
Well-known member
Is it better to use lithium grease or silicone.
Rarified27
Well-known member
If you're looking for another option, I've used white lithium grease (the can, not the spray) in the past with no issue.
alxdgr8
Well-known member
Mine had oil on it when I took it apart. I used white lithium grease to lube mine (from a tube).
leadfoot415
Well-known member
Very nice ratchet for the price, cant beat the order online for instore pickup option - they had it ready and waiting for me at the customer service desk within 20 minutes. Works much better & smoother than my flex head craftsman 3/8" ratchet. Trying to resist the urge to purchase another one!
Conductor562
Well-known member
I've had this rat for about a year now. It's a nice ratchet, I find myself reaching for it often. I'd like it better if it said "USA" instead of "Taiwan", but it's a very nice rat regardless.
Out of curiosity do you have any negative "I wish it..." comments about it? Besides the Taiwan marking. I plan on picking one up this week, would be nice to get some feed back from someone like you that has a good amount of time using it.
markduncan93
Well-known member
The head could be a bit thinner for tighter areas. Heck, can't really complain for $18 and tax. But I always have a Matco 88 if that issue arises.
Conductor562
Well-known member
Not really. As Mark said it could be thinner, but I wouldn't consider it as being any thicker than most other ratchets of this style. Even coming from the factory dry it was still butter smooth. It prefers RLL over SuperLube and the RLL coat must be VERY thin. The flex joint could stand to be a bit stiffer, but it isn't so loose as to hinder it's performance. I'm easy on it typically and use my Proto pear heads or ASD combos for the real tough stuff. That being said, I have put the torque to it a few times and it never swayed. I typically prefer the 1st gen (Williams) stuff, but this is the finest ratchet Kobalt ever put out IMO. The finish is fantastic as well. None of the current store brands offer anything this nice as far as I'm concerned.
Jeff95TA
Well-known member
I picked one up too since I've been looking for a fine tooth ratchet. It's sitting on my desk at work right now so I can show it to one of my coworkers. I'm trying to drag him into my tool purchasing binge!
Ditto on the head being thick. Rivals some 1/2" drive ratchets in terms of thickness. Still a nice ratchet though.
I just ran over to the local Lowes and picked up the last one they had for $17.97.
I noticed the 3/8 ratchet was 30 bucks and the 6 inch extension was 7 bucks by themselves. Not to mention the two sockets.
Didn't need this, but can't beat the price.
I noticed the 3/8 ratchet was 30 bucks and the 6 inch extension was 7 bucks by themselves. Not to mention the two sockets.
Didn't need this, but can't beat the price.
Went into Lowes for this today and like everybody said, it was in the lawn & garden section. Price on the display was $19 and change. I had the girl scan it and sure enough it was $17.97. Sweet little ratchet, but as others said, it was bone dry. I lubed it up and this thing rocks. Thanks for the lead on it.
O RLY
Well-known member
Picked up a second one for the truck box today. Great price.
biscuit141
Well-known member
OK, so I need some help deciding what to do. I have the Cman raised panel flex head ratchet and it works just fine, however the chrome is pealing badly from the handle end. That bothers me more than it being 36 tooth and raised panel. I went to Lowes today to get some other stuff and I picked up this set because I also had a 10% off coupon so it was $16 and change, but I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it. I really only need one flex head 3/8 as a home DIY guy, so if I return the Cman ratchet to Sears since the chrome is pealing I won't be getting a China ratchet so I guess they can give me store credit and I can buy something else. What would Garage Journal do? Keep the Kobalt and return the Sears or deal with pealing chrome on the Cman and retune the Kobalt?
Tribalvision
Well-known member
Keep the Kobalt and replace the Craftsman as a spare. The Kobalt is a great value.
alpinewhite
Well-known member
What size is that Torx screw from the underside? I was able to remove the two T15 screws from the top but by T10 won't fit the bottom one. Is it a T8?
I would warranty the peeling chrome Craftsman ratchet and see if they have a used Rebuild that is acceptable.
Could have sworn it was a T9.
It's a T9. I had to go out a buy one because my set only went down to T10...
mattamd_xp
Well-known member
Got another set this morning to bend up into a "spark plug ratchet". Found a 10% off code online so got it for just a hair over $17 with tax. Anyone know the angle of the bend for the bent handle?
captain14
Well-known member
Would you be a me to share the 10% off code at Lowe's?
captain14
Well-known member
Thanks