Metric Ratcheting Wrench Set

[ecotec]

Just a clarification - I think your pricing is for the Williams (BluePoint) set. The Williams SuperCombo set seems to hover in the $350 range. Nothing wrong with the BP set, but it's definitely not the same as the traditional SuperCombo style.

Mine say SuperCombo…

My set is only 10mm-19mm. It was just over $140 on sale, a few years ago.

And they sent me one incorrect wrench for the set. They told me to keep the incorrect (non-reversible) one… so, I got an extra 10mm out of the deal.

 

[89MustangGX]

Mine say SuperCombo…

My set is only 10mm-19mm. It was just over $140 on sale, a few years ago.

And they sent me one incorrect wrench for the set. They told me to keep the incorrect (non-reversible) one… so, I got an extra 10mm out of the deal.

Pretty impressive for that price. I'm pretty confident you won't find the same deal anymore. Nowadays the Taiwan set is that price the the 'USA' set is twice that.

 

[ecotec]

Even the non-reversible one, that they sent me by accident, says SuperCombo.

 

[ecotec]

Pretty impressive for that price. I'm pretty confident you won't find the same deal anymore. Nowadays the Taiwan set is that price the the 'USA' set is twice that.

Well that *****. As I said earlier, they are not stamped USA. Each one comes with a paper tag that says Made in USA or Forged in USA… I cannot remember.

I want to say that I got them from ProToolWarehouse.

At some point, I want to buy the 4pc large expansion set and 8mm and 9mm. I cannot justify doing so, but I want them.

 

[WWheeler]

FWIW the heads on my Williams SuperCombo reversibles are larger than my Gearwrench. The width of them is almost identical, with the Williams 3 or so hundredths of a mm wider on both the 10mm and 19mm, but the head of the Williams 19mm is 1.5mm and the 10mm is almost 1mm thicker than the Gearwrench.

I use both but MUCH prefer the Williams and can't remember the last time I ran into any clearance issues where I had to use a non-ratcheting wrench instead. I'm sure it's happened but definitely not a common issue for me.

[snip]

So they're both terrible, oversized ratcheting wrenches.

I ran into it so much with the Gearwrench I never bothered to pick them up for years. Eventually just sold them.

Hmmm, so since Snap-on is the same width as the Gearwrench and Williams you must also think they are "terrible, oversized ratcheting wrenches" right?

19 mm 12-Point Metric Flank Drive® Reversible Ratcheting Box/ Speed Open-End Combination Wrench

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

Dimension A, Head Width, mm: 36.5

36.5mm is the same width as both the GW and Williams ratcheting wrenches, give or take a few hundredths of a mm.

Edit: Tried embedding a video from imgur showing me measuring the Williams ratcheting head width with zeroed-out calipers, but no surprise it wasn't playing for me.
Attempt #2

Edit: 2
Here's Williams 19mm specs showing they have the exact same ratcheting head width (36.5mm) and thickness aka head depth (12.9mm) as the same size Snap-on.

12Pt 19 mm Reversible Ratcheting Combination Wrench

{ "1": "12Pt 19 mm Reversible Ratcheting Combination Wrench" }

www.williams-industrial.com

I couldn't find any listed specs for the GearWrench, but as I showed above, the GearWrench are slightly smaller width and pretty significantly thinner.

 

[BlackHorseSaga]

Hmmm, so since Snap-on is the same width as the Gearwrench and Williams you must also think they are "terrible, oversized ratcheting wrenches" right?

19 mm 12-Point Metric Flank Drive® Reversible Ratcheting Box/ Speed Open-End Combination Wrench

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

36.5mm is the same width as both the GW and Williams ratcheting wrenches, give or take a few hundredths of a mm.

Edit: Tried embedding a video from imgur showing me measuring the Williams ratcheting head width with zeroed-out calipers, but no surprise it wasn't playing for me.
Attempt #2

Edit: 2
Here's Williams 19mm specs showing they have the exact same ratcheting head width (36.5mm) and thickness aka head depth (12.9mm) as the same size Snap-on.

12Pt 19 mm Reversible Ratcheting Combination Wrench

{ "1": "12Pt 19 mm Reversible Ratcheting Combination Wrench" }

www.williams-industrial.com

I couldn't find any listed specs for the GearWrench, but as I showed above, the GearWrench are slightly smaller width and pretty significantly thinner.

My wrenches are 32.4mm wide for all three sets. Not 36.5mm. They're also remarkably THINNER.

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

A Regular Snap-on wrench is 28mm.

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

It's not a huge leap from 28mm to 32.5mm, but it's a huge leap from 28mm to 36.5mm.

25% larger head size means it doesn't fit into a lot of places.

If you want me to measure it with my Starrett caliper, and take photos I will but I assume you can do simple math.

 

[Komet]

While thinner head profile is generally desirable, for me it doesn't matter as much on ratcheting wrenches because they're always going to be thicker than a box head equivalent, and I've run into plenty of automotive situations where only a normal box head will fit. I do like the reversible units though, can't get yourself into trouble with those.

 

[WWheeler]

My wrenches are 32.4mm wide for all three sets. Not 36.5mm. They're also remarkably THINNER.

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

A Regular Snap-on wrench is 28mm.

Snap-on Store

shop.snapon.com

It's not a huge leap from 28mm to 32.5mm, but it's a huge leap from 28mm to 36.5mm.

25% larger head size means it doesn't fit into a lot of places.

If you want me to measure it with my Starrett caliper, and take photos I will but I assume you can do simple math.

Gotta admit I didn't realize Snap-on's 'flank drive plus' or any ratcheting wrench was that much smaller. Those are pretty sweet and all but well out of my budget for sure just as I suspect the OP's also seeing as they asked "What is the best budget ratcheting wrench set on the market in 2022?"

I still stand by that for any home-gamer Gearwrench or any of the other consumer level ratcheting wrenches mentioned on this thread are just fine and don't often pose a clearance issue as you suggest. They sure aren't "terrible, oversized ratcheting wrenches" any more than the Snap-on ones I linked which are the same size.

If you're turning wrenches for a living, especially if you're fighting flat rate, then that's a whole nother ballgame. It just doesn't much warrant a mention in this thread does it?

 

[boom_bap]

I suppose everyones budget is different, so all options are welcome.

 

[boom_bap]

Lastly here are some of my personal favorites: Dewalt long pattern reversibles. Craftsman V series, same as FACOM/USAG but, lower in price but, without 15 & 18 mm (stupid SBD). Blackhawk, Blackhawk was making great fine tooth ratcheting wrenches before they became the rage.

I was checking out this Dewalt set actually, might swing on these ones tbh. Seems like a decent set for the price.

DEWALT Reversible Metric Ratcheting Wrench Set (12-Piece) DWMT19230 - The Home Depot

The 12-Piece Full Polish Metric Ratcheting Wrench set offers a variety of wrenches for any user need. These wrenches have 72 teeth for a 5° arc swing. This set includes Metric 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

www.homedepot.com

Reviews seemed mostly positive on HD. The Craftsman look decent too other than skipping a few sizes I agree.\

Also since they're sbd, they'll likely be around for a while to warranty I'd hope.

Icons look nice but a bit steep on the price without coupon.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

I still have the $50 CM USA SAE 7 pcs set ratcheting wrench set from 2005 that works well. Take a look at the CM V series set $85 from Lowes that may be within your budget. You may need a good set of standard combo wrenches as well.

 

[boom_bap]

I still have the $50 CM USA SAE 7 pcs set ratcheting wrench set from 2005 that works well. Take a look at the CM V series set $85 from Lowes that may be within your budget. You may need a good set of standard combo wrenches as well.

Ya those look pretty good too other than the couple of skips. I do have a set of regular wrenches, so skips may not be that big of a deal, but I'd like a complete set.

 

[WWheeler]

That 12pc Dewalt set is liable to be made on the same line as the 7pc Craftsman-V

 

[lardy1]

If I was looking to buy I think I'd go with the DeWalt.

 

[AJHD]

I'm not going to lie, buying ratcheting wrenches is frustrating right now...

Snap On is expensive, and some of their sets have been out of stock. The reversible ratcheting for example my dealer hasn't been able to get for some time now.

Capri seems to be out stock.
Tekton is out of stock.
Olsa only seems to have SAE, metric is unavailable.
SK is still shut down.
MAC and Matco offerings are going be rebrands.

For me, newer Chinese Gearwrench is junk. I won't buy it. I've either returned or sold everything Gearwrench. I literally have one GW tool left.

Amazon has endless Chinese and India garbage if you have money to throw in the trash.

Icon is overpriced. HF's other offerings are more Chinese ****, however the new Taiwan Quinn set looks promising. But I'd like to see a 20% coupon. Not sure if I'm willing to drop $200+ on a metric and SAE set.

Beyond all that, almost every set I can find skips common sizes and/or stops at 18mm for metric. So that's pretty an instant fail for me.

In my area, I've not seen many ratcheting wrenches on the 2nd hand market (Craigslist, OfferUp, etc.)... I've not looked on eBay.

Williams is an option, depending on the set. I had the Williams MWS-12RC reversible ratcheting set. The same set sold under the BluePoint name. I didn't care for (the heads were huge and I prefer a smaller offset) or actually use them. Needless to say I sold them awhile back.

 

[jsmeece]

I am glad I have several sets of SAE and Metric Armstrong ratcheting wrenches in both box end and reversible.

 

[boom_bap]

Never got around to buying any. FiguredId just wit on it for a while

 

[LHSA]

I'm looking for a reversible ratcheting set in 6mm-9mm. I ended up biting the bullet and buying the snap-on SOXRRM set in 10-19mm, but don't want to go deeper in with snap-on for the smaller sizes. Figure I don't need the torque for smaller sizes.

I wish ICON had a smaller size set. The finish is very similar to the snap-on.

Any ideas?

 

[richfinn]

I've got a few different styles of ratcheting wrenches.

If I lost them all and had to start again I would purchase the "Mountain" long flex heads first as I find them the most versatile for working on vehicles.

I like the offset/reversible/flex head/90 tooth design for getting at recessed bolt heads in engine bays for things like aux belt tensioner/timing belt covers/water pumps etc.

Good for suspension/brake/transmission work too where you need a bit of muscle

I put off the purchase for a long time, thinking they were a bit of a gimmick, I can report they are not and have become an essential tool for me.

I find regular flip style ratchet wrenches pretty useless to be honest

I personally don't think ultimate strength of the mechanism is that important (we all have regular wrenches for that), they are more about accessibility where regular tools fail and speeding up the job