Most "Indestructible" Ratchets (for a school)

[richfinn]

Bahco dual 80, same as Snap On 1/3 the price, rebuildable mechanism off the van (if you don't show him the handle and just exchange the mechanism). My original snappy 3/8 lasted 20 years of abuse (no cheater pipes but used hard) without failure. Worth the money??? I think so

 

[Farmall450]

I'd suggest Armstrong. Easily rebuildable and relatively inexpensive. Not as cheap as Napa or GearWrench but worlds cheaper than S-O/Mac/Matco as well as US and tough. I've put some torque (by hand, no cheaters here) on mine, and never got any to skip. If it has to be cheaper, i'd go Gearwrench, same design pretty much but imported.
Dan

I concur.

Decades?



It's definitely not the ratchets.

Yeah, decades.

 

[Magneto]

Harbor Freight all the way! You sure can't beat the low grade Chinese white metal (SARCASM). For home use I'd go Craftsman. If you're in the trades, I'd pay the extra for Snap-on. Although I've had plenty of pro tell me Craftsman is fine, if it breaks, lifetime replacement.

 

[Farmall450]

Harbor Freight all the way! You sure can't beat the low grade Chinese white metal (SARCASM). For home use I'd go Craftsman. If you're in the trades, I'd pay the extra for Snap-on. Although I've had plenty of pro tell me Craftsman is fine, if it breaks, lifetime replacement.

neither apply to school?

 

[superspec]

I don't think you can beat the gw 120xp for the price. Under 70 bucks for the three piece set is a killer deal.

 

[mmack66]

Harbor Freight all the way! You sure can't beat the low grade Chinese white metal (SARCASM). For home use I'd go Craftsman. If you're in the trades, I'd pay the extra for Snap-on. Although I've had plenty of pro tell me Craftsman is fine, if it breaks, lifetime replacement.

Most of the HF ratchets are made in Taiwan, and the Craftsman ones are made in China.

Good try, though.

 

[Farmall450]

I don't think you can beat the gw 120xp for the price. Under 70 bucks for the three piece set is a killer deal.

Is the 120 as tough as their lesser ones?

Most of the HF ratchets are made in Taiwan, and the Craftsman ones are made in China.

Good try, though.

They buy evercraft or whatever from napa so...

 

[Farmall450]

Bahco dual 80, same as Snap On 1/3 the price, rebuildable mechanism off the van (if you don't show him the handle and just exchange the mechanism). My original snappy 3/8 lasted 20 years of abuse (no cheater pipes but used hard) without failure. Worth the money??? I think so

Bahco is available where?

 

[tweedlestan]

Hell, just get Chinese-made Craftsman. If they get treated like **** anyway you might as well buy ****.

 

[Farmall450]

Hell, just get Chinese-made Craftsman. If they get treated like **** anyway you might as well buy ****.

I don't think he wants to drive 3 towns away to a sears. I believe that's why they switched to Napa, which makes gearwrench a good option. I told him we should just rebuild them lol...good lesson for the others.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Not being "that guy" but it seems as if nothing is going to work ... and almost all brands have been presented. If people are busting them up at a record pace pony up the cash and get something good. Or get something cheap and easy to replace. That's about all we can say.

 

[rusty65]

I don't think he wants to drive 3 towns away to a sears. I believe that's why they switched to Napa, which makes gearwrench a good option. I told him we should just rebuild them lol...good lesson for the others.

When I was in Auto tech last year Napa had a lifetime warranty on all the hand tools and replaced all the tools we broke in the class. I broke two ratchets and they were replaced with no problem just dropped off when they came for a parts drop. So what I'm trying to say is why but more tools when the old ones can be replaced and repaired just as easy if not more easily.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[bahcoswed]

Bahco is available where?

A quick search on amazon
bahco 6950 1/4 "dual80"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006MHEFJ2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

3/8 "dual80"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006MHEFWY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

1/2 "dual80"

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006MHEGCS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Bad pics(same on all 3 ratchets) but there you got a ratchet with snappy dual 80 mechanism for atleast 3 times cheaper! Great ratchet to use

 

[bahcoswed]

Wtf is Palmera? I have these fine ratchets, but my ratchets are not marked with palmera on the handle, Only bahco!

 

[tweedlestan]

I don't think he wants to drive 3 towns away to a sears. I believe that's why they switched to Napa, which makes gearwrench a good option. I told him we should just rebuild them lol...good lesson for the others.

Some Sears stores will be happy to sell rebuildkits at a very low price. Sometimes as low as one cent each.

Just a thought.

 

[Farmall450]

Some Sears stores will be happy to sell rebuildkits at a very low price. Sometimes as low as one cent each.

Just a thought.

I cannot get any for the life of me...

 

[Notwerk]

Depending on the ratchet, some Gearwrench models use the same internals as Matco. Either way, they're very nice for the price you pay.

If they were just for your use, I'd say grab the Gearwrench and, should you bust them, buy the Matco repair kit for about $20 and upgrade your Gearwrench to the Matco guts. It's a nice combo and works out a cheaper than an actual Matco ratchet.

Yes, they're imports. Later on, if you're making money at this stuff, you can step up to a truck brand if you like. But I think Gearwrench makes great starter tools, generally speaking.

Now, for a class? I don't think it really matters. Kids are going to break stuff regardless. Go as cheap as you can because there's no sense in wrecking good tools. Until they learn to use the right size ratchet or step back to the box for a breaker bar, they're going to bust every ratchet they touch.

 

[Farmall450]

Depending on the ratchet, some Gearwrench models use the same internals as Matco. Either way, they're very nice for the price you pay.

If they were just for your use, I'd say grab the Gearwrench and, should you bust them, buy the Matco repair kit for about $20 and upgrade your Gearwrench to the Matco guts. It's a nice combo and works out a cheaper than an actual Matco ratchet.

Yes, they're imports. Later on, if you're making money at this stuff, you can step up to a truck brand if you like. But I think Gearwrench makes great starter tools, generally speaking.

Now, for a class? I don't think it really matters. Kids are going to break stuff regardless. Go as cheap as you can because there's no sense in wrecking good tools. Until they learn to use the right size ratchet or step back to the box for a breaker bar, they're going to bust every ratchet they touch.

This is true.

 

[kippieland]

I have quite a few Gearwrench ratchets with all the tooth ranges....60, 84, and 120. Out of all of them I like the 84 the most. The 120 are smooth but I am experiencing quite a bit of drag witht them. The 84 remind me the most of the Armstrong and Matco stuff. Either way, I think they would work great in your situation. If you want to spend more money then I would look into the Armstrong Maxx stuff.

 

[Farmall450]

I have quite a few Gearwrench ratchets with all the tooth ranges....60, 84, and 120. Out of all of them I like the 84 the most. The 120 are smooth but I am experiencing quite a bit of drag witht them. The 84 remind me the most of the Armstrong and Matco stuff. Either way, I think they would work great in your situation. If you want to spend more money then I would look into the Armstrong Maxx stuff.

I think I will talk to the instructor about this. Since Napa even has Gearwrench!

 

[NC-Fordguy]

Most of the HF ratchets are made in Taiwan, and the Craftsman ones are made in China.

Good try, though.

Raised Panel--China

Full Polish--Taiwan

Thin Profile--Taiwan

Premium--USA

 

[Farmall450]

This is true. ^^

 

[exophyusical]

For the life of me I cant convince myself that this thread is at all legitimate, just a creative take on the usual "best ratchet" threads IMO. For what its worth I make my living with my tools, none of my ratchets are high dollar ratchets, and the only time I break one is when I abuse one, even then its rare. The "Titan" brand ratchets are cheap, smooth, and durable. I have some "Jet" brand 48 tooth ratchets that are rough but they seem to be indestructible and rebuild kits are easy to come by. Even the Mastercraft (Stanley) ratchets I have stand up pretty well, and the turn around time on a broked one is faster than practicaly anything else.

 

[shoggoth80]

For what it is worth, I run a mix of ratchets. Each gets a slightly different task.
Bahco 7750: slimmer head, great handle, smooth. When I don't need flexibility, this one.

Gearwrench 72t rotohead: more or less my go to for almost everything. It's kinda an SK/Snap On clone, but that's fine. When you take it apart to grease the guts, don't plop the retaining ring in too tight, as it can bind your mechanism. Comfort grip, a feature I have personally found to be underrated.

Snap On 1/4" rotohead w/comfort grip: pretty sure it's 72t. A slightly longer 1/4" drive. My go to small ratchet. Want to get the 3/8" version, as it's got the GW beat by a couple inches.

Older US made Craftsman raised panel: get's used where fine teeth, or flexibility are not needed.

Titan flex head stubby 3/8": fine tooth, flexible, and can get into tighter areas. The least of all my ratchets.

Kobalt 1/2": smooth for a bigger ratchet. I had the 3/8" version too, which wasn't bad until I dropped it.

I used these guys every day. The only ratchets I have had trouble with were the Kobalts, funny enough. For what it is worth, the Duralast stuff from Autozone is said to be pretty nice internally.

A lot of the recommendations given in this thread seem to be good. For a high school class, I imagine that the instructor has to walk a pretty fine line. I really like a lot of the GW offerings personally. I don't really care where a tool comes from as long as it gets the job done, and doesn't **** out on you. I think GW rides that line between made well enough, and affordable enough.

 

[Farmall450]

For what it is worth, I run a mix of ratchets. Each gets a slightly different task.
Bahco 7750: slimmer head, great handle, smooth. When I don't need flexibility, this one.

Gearwrench 72t rotohead: more or less my go to for almost everything. It's kinda an SK/Snap On clone, but that's fine. When you take it apart to grease the guts, don't plop the retaining ring in too tight, as it can bind your mechanism. Comfort grip, a feature I have personally found to be underrated.

Snap On 1/4" rotohead w/comfort grip: pretty sure it's 72t. A slightly longer 1/4" drive. My go to small ratchet. Want to get the 3/8" version, as it's got the GW beat by a couple inches.

Older US made Craftsman raised panel: get's used where fine teeth, or flexibility are not needed.

Titan flex head stubby 3/8": fine tooth, flexible, and can get into tighter areas. The least of all my ratchets.

Kobalt 1/2": smooth for a bigger ratchet. I had the 3/8" version too, which wasn't bad until I dropped it.

I used these guys every day. The only ratchets I have had trouble with were the Kobalts, funny enough. For what it is worth, the Duralast stuff from Autozone is said to be pretty nice internally.

A lot of the recommendations given in this thread seem to be good. For a high school class, I imagine that the instructor has to walk a pretty fine line. I really like a lot of the GW offerings personally. I don't really care where a tool comes from as long as it gets the job done, and doesn't **** out on you. I think GW rides that line between made well enough, and affordable enough.

I'm gonna agree w/ you there.
I too use a ton of different ones at home, but gearwrench has nice offerings priced well

For the life of me I cant convince myself that this thread is at all legitimate, just a creative take on the usual "best ratchet" threads IMO. For what its worth I make my living with my tools, none of my ratchets are high dollar ratchets, and the only time I break one is when I abuse one, even then its rare. The "Titan" brand ratchets are cheap, smooth, and durable. I have some "Jet" brand 48 tooth ratchets that are rough but they seem to be indestructible and rebuild kits are easy to come by. Even the Mastercraft (Stanley) ratchets I have stand up pretty well, and the turn around time on a broked one is faster than practicaly anything else.

I am a student, and school was the first place I have every seen/tried to use a broken ratchet. It's pretty legit. I even posted it from school, on my school netbook

 

[exophyusical]

I'm gonna agree w/ you there.
I too use a ton of different ones at home, but gearwrench has nice offerings priced well



I am a student, and school was the first place I have every seen/tried to use a broken ratchet. It's pretty legit. I even posted it from school, on my school netbook

I believe that, I just have trouble believing that any of our opinions (or yours) are going to lead to any new ratchets showing up in your school shop. Regardless of whatever you have been lead to believe probably about the only thing you can do to get new ratchets is to quit rebuilding the broken ones until it becomes a problem.

If it was my shop I'd just keep the 1/4" ratchets locked up and make the kids use bigger ones, if a 1/4" drive was necessary it could be signed out.

 

[Farmall450]

I believe that, I just have trouble believing that any of our opinions (or yours) are going to lead to any new ratchets showing up in your school shop. Regardless of whatever you have been lead to believe probably about the only thing you can do to get new ratchets is to quit rebuilding the broken ones until it becomes a problem.

If it was my shop I'd just keep the 1/4" ratchets locked up and make the kids use bigger ones, if a 1/4" drive was necessary it could be signed out.

The teacher buys new ones, just Napa's cheapest line. Everlast or whatever. I'm trying to talk him into rebuilding them, but he thinks it is a waste of time

 

[rusty65]

The teacher buys new ones, just Napa's cheapest line. Everlast or whatever. I'm trying to talk him into rebuilding them, but he thinks it is a waste of time

I still don't know why he would buy new evercraft ratchets when Napa should be fixing them. I broke a Evercraft ratchet taking the bracing off the engine compartment of a Buick century and the Napa driver rebuilt the ratchet with a smile.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

 

[basspro]

Go to a fleamarket somewhere, bring $10, tops! Look for anything from the 50's-60's era that says S-K, Williams, Indestro, Craftsman... any of the half drive round heads. Any one of those has already lasted someones lifetime, will last you yours and your kids lifetime...of professional use.

 

[EFS463]

Little off topic but it makes me think, your lucky. I graduated a few years ago, and just before I went into high school, my county cut automotive programs. There used to be a 4 bay building with a classroom attached to it at the back of my school, 2 deep. So 4 lifts in all the way in, and a empty bay with floor space behind each lift. County cut it, now that classroom isnt even used. so sad.

 

[cburnscrx]

If you're really that interested in Gearwrench, you might take a look at the Husky ratchets at Home Depot. They're made by APEX tools (ie Gearwrench, Armstrong, ect), have a lifetime warranty and are 72 tooth.

 

[Farmall450]

I still don't know why he would buy new evercraft ratchets when Napa should be fixing them. I broke a Evercraft ratchet taking the bracing off the engine compartment of a Buick century and the Napa driver rebuilt the ratchet with a smile.


Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

Yeah, I should bring this up to him. It doesn't come out of his pocket tho.

Little off topic but it makes me think, your lucky. I graduated a few years ago, and just before I went into high school, my county cut automotive programs. There used to be a 4 bay building with a classroom attached to it at the back of my school, 2 deep. So 4 lifts in all the way in, and a empty bay with floor space behind each lift. County cut it, now that classroom isnt even used. so sad.

Yes I am fortunate to have them.

If you're really that interested in Gearwrench, you might take a look at the Husky ratchets at Home Depot. They're made by APEX tools (ie Gearwrench, Armstrong, ect), have a lifetime warranty and are 72 tooth.

We don't have one near us.