New Britain Ratchets from E-bay!

[3/8"indestro]

I made a post regarding this New Britain Ratchet I got from ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-2-...015QQitemZ250195184495QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

and this is the ratchet I got:


here is the old post:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17393&page=2

If you are interested in this ratchets,and expecting a "Newly found stock 1980-1990's. New Britian 1/2" Drive Ratchets. Made in U.S.A. 15" Long Heavy Duty." you might be disappointed as this are Husky imports made overseas.

 

[billymade]

Is this the same ebay member that you had the problem with?

 

[3/8"indestro]

yep,bought it from him,no response to emails.the photo he has advertised clearly has the USA,the one I got does not have it.

 

[ImportTuner]

Why do you think it is not made in the USA .... does it say Taiwan or China or something?

 

[3/8"indestro]

well,it does not say where it is made from.from my experience with ratchets,if it does not have any markings from where it was made.it is overseas.I paid for a NOS ratchet with the USA marking and I got one without it.If it clearly shows in the photo without the USA mark I would not have bought it.will you?

 

[3/8"indestro]

correct me if I'm wrong,but the only USA made ratchet that I have that does not have the USA marking is S&K.unless someone is producing those overseas too.I doubt it,I have about 6 of em.

 

[lbgradwell]

No, I think he ripped you off; you ought obviously to have received the item pictured...

Also, I have never seen a New Britain tool without the familiar script logo.

And I concur regarding the "Made in USA" stamp; I am VERY surprised SK lacks this stamp!

 

[ImportTuner]

I thought that unless it was marked made in USA, everything else is not ... but the new dual 80 Snap On ratchets are not marked at all ...

 

[wrenchr]

I thought that unless it was marked made in USA, everything else is not ... but the new dual 80 Snap On ratchets are not marked at all ...

Some are and some are not.

 

[lbgradwell]

Transition...

 

[nissan_crawler]

I bought from that guy too, and I bought the 1/4", 3/8" 1/2", and long 1/2". I was less than impressed if that's actual New Britain stuff. They feel like ****, and the knurling *****.

 

[MAD]

I don't think the seller set out to rip you off. If you look at the standard length 1/2” ratchet he has listed the picture shows the same script style with no USA marking. This guy bought out hundreds of old stock New Britain ratchets and some are marked one way and some are marked the other. I do not know if the ones that are not marked USA are imported or not. It is probably a decent ratchet for 12 bucks either way. That said the ratchet he provided is different from the picture. He should try to work something out with you or at the very least offer an explanation. I would give him a little time to respond and then leave feedback as you see fit. Things like this are disappointing but not worth getting too upset about for the about of money involved. Thanks for the warning about this eBay seller. I would not buy from a seller that stonewalls a customer with a problem.

 

[Underdog]

Some are and some are not.

I read his feedback and all the recent ones were positive for new Britain ratchets. His picture sure does show made in USA. Are you sure it's an import or not?

 

[64merc]

Boy, I just don't know what to think about all of this. All of the New Britain stuff I have seen is great quality. The only thing I can think of is that they went the way of Thorsen and Husky, in that they sold out and started importing an inferior product. I'm stumped.

 

[lbgradwell]

The only thing I can think of is that they went the way of Thorsen and Husky, in that they sold out and started importing an inferior product.

I kind of doubt that, Rolando... Especially if none of us have ever seen such a thing before from New Britain...

Still, they were acquired by Stanree, so it's just possible that they had a year or two of offshore production before being mothballed.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I read his feedback and all the recent ones were positive for new Britain ratchets. His picture sure does show made in USA. Are you sure it's an import or not?

I don't know if my New Britain stuff is imported or not, but it sure ***** ***. I wish I had kept my craftsman ratchets I sold, even those were better.

 

[64merc]

I kind of doubt that, Rolando... Especially if none of us have ever seen such a thing before from New Britain...

Still, they were acquired by Stanree, so it's just possible that they had a year or two of offshore production before being mothballed.

You have a good point, in that someone would have seen the offshore version sold. Do you think it is possible that they came out with a cheapy version, decided not to sell them, stored them away for years, and then sold off pallets of them, which are now being sold on ebay. Just throwing that out there.......

 

[philw]

I don't think New Britain came out with a different version because it has the same part # as the older NB's which NS-35. That part # goes back to at least my 1974 catalog and I would think if they were marketing a cheaper line they would have changed the #. Also NB already had a cheaper line, it was called Sparta. I would guess it's either a very late NB from around the 1984 time period when they shut their doors and had cut quality or a Stanley version from shortly thereafter. There is a Blackhawk sister to it with a part # 49998. I don't know of Stanley ever using the NB name.

Maybe someone on the board has a Blackhawk ratchet from the mid to late 80's that can compare. Blackhawk seemed to continue on after 84, at least my local Carquest carried it in the late 80's. I can't remember if their ratchets were the same as before the ownership change.

The NB ratchets were very nice ratchets. Similiar to SK. They were 45 tooth round heads with knurled grips. The knurling I have seen on older ones has been nice. The older ones did have a groove above and below the knurling which I did not see on the one in question. All of the NB tools I have use the script NB logo. For some reason I think I remember seeing a NB tool in block letters before because it struck me odd since I had been familiar with the script.

I really doubt that the ebay seller is trying to defraud anyone. Why would someone stamp NB on a tool? I think people are less familiar with NB then they are with Blackhawk or Husky.

 

[3/8"indestro]

I don't think the seller set out to rip you off. If you look at the standard length 1/2” ratchet he has listed the picture shows the same script style with no USA marking. This guy bought out hundreds of old stock New Britain ratchets and some are marked one way and some are marked the other. I do not know if the ones that are not marked USA are imported or not. It is probably a decent ratchet for 12 bucks either way. That said the ratchet he provided is different from the picture. He should try to work something out with you or at the very least offer an explanation. I would give him a little time to respond and then leave feedback as you see fit. Things like this are disappointing but not worth getting too upset about for the about of money involved. Thanks for the warning about this eBay seller. I would not buy from a seller that stonewalls a customer with a problem.

exactly,but seller has not responded to any of my questions.

thanks for all the input guys.I'm just going to have to "eat this one" and keep it as emergency.just posted it for others to be cautious when buying from him.ask specific questions before pulling the "buy it now" trigger.

 

[64merc]

I don't think New Britain came out with a different version because it has the same part # as the older NB's which NS-35. That part # goes back to at least my 1974 catalog and I would think if they were marketing a cheaper line they would have changed the #. Also NB already had a cheaper line, it was called Sparta. I would guess it's either a very late NB from around the 1984 time period when they shut their doors and had cut quality or a Stanley version from shortly thereafter. There is a Blackhawk sister to it with a part # 49998. I don't know of Stanley ever using the NB name.

Maybe someone on the board has a Blackhawk ratchet from the mid to late 80's that can compare. Blackhawk seemed to continue on after 84, at least my local Carquest carried it in the late 80's. I can't remember if their ratchets were the same as before the ownership change.

The NB ratchets were very nice ratchets. Similiar to SK. They were 45 tooth round heads with knurled grips. The knurling I have seen on older ones has been nice. The older ones did have a groove above and below the knurling which I did not see on the one in question. All of the NB tools I have use the script NB logo. For some reason I think I remember seeing a NB tool in block letters before because it struck me odd since I had been familiar with the script.

I really doubt that the ebay seller is trying to defraud anyone. Why would someone stamp NB on a tool? I think people are less familiar with NB then they are with Blackhawk or Husky.

Thank you for your input, it is very helpful. I really didn't mean that they came out with a different model (different model #), rather that they cheapened the existing model. In other words, I wonder if they cut corners right before they closed in '84???? This is the scenario that I am learning towards. If this is the case, it is not really a case of fraud, although I would be severely disappointed. If he listed it as being stamped USA, and it is missing this stamp, then I think a case can be made against the seller.

 

[old salvage]

I posted this before but heres a better pic. I think this is a late New Britain 1/4".
Its marked pat'd usa and works ok but it looks like ****, you know that cheapy looking chrome finish. Maybe twords the end of things quality went down a bit.

 

[eschoendorff]

Wow.... you're right... that chrome on the bottom ratchet does look like ****. reminds me of the stuff coming out of India

 

[old salvage]

Wow.... you're right... that chrome on the bottom ratchet does look like ****. reminds me of the stuff coming out of India

Yup.
Who knows, that could be where it was made.

 

[64merc]

Well, I can't see the picture where I'm at right now, but I'm still really disappointed in New Britain.

 

[MAD]

I have a NB45 ratchet that the chrome and knurling is very nicely done. For those that are not happy with the ratchet action on their New Britain ratchet you might want to try lubing it with grease rather than oil. The one I have was never bad but it never felt great until I greased it.

 

[old salvage]

I have a NB45 ratchet that the chrome and knurling is very nicely done. For those that are not happy with the ratchet action on their New Britain ratchet you might want to try lubing it with grease rather than oil. The one I have was never bad but it never felt great until I greased it.

Is that one of the old dual pawl ones with the fat head ?
I have a 3/8" drive nb40 that I inherited from my neighbor and it runs like a dream. I think the teeth in a roundhead are a little too fine for grease.

 

[krusty the clown]

i purchased two of those ratchets from the same seller, both marked USA.

 

[MarkH]

Have not pulled the trigger on these will be cautious.

Of course the job is moving overseas or elsewhere. The remaining staff have high incentives to do quality work. You are ready to take the brand and the higher-ups down like they did you. So I have seen some end of production work that is really bad, almost as bad as the initial batches from the new plant. So these have multiple chances of being in those production runs.

Some then get it together and survive, the others join a huge number of companies in the dustbin. We get to pay higher prices for **** or more than we were paying for quality.

 

[MAD]

Is that one of the old dual pawl ones with the fat head ?
I have a 3/8" drive nb40 that I inherited from my neighbor and it runs like a dream. I think the teeth in a roundhead are a little too fine for grease.

I started using grease in almost all of my ratchets. Not packed, just a light coat. SK includes a small tube of grease with rebuild kits so I assumed it must be OK for round head ratchets.I have never had a problem with it. I use wheel bearing grease because it is stable in high and low temperatures. Here is a picture of the NB45.

 

[old salvage]

Oh it is a roundhead. Interesting.
Just for kicks i'll try it in mine.
Thanks.

 

[vssjim]

What I was told was that in the later years before N/B and Blackhawk were bought that NAPA wanted it's own tool line name so that it why New Britian became Napa New Britian tools and Blackhawk was sold to any non Napa seller ie: auto parts warehouses etc. but the tools for years were the same other than name. I know that early on for years that N/B was sold everywhere but Napa was the driving force behind the split tool lines to keep them happy.

 

[3/8"indestro]

here is a Blackhawk Ratchet with the USA clearly visible.I do not know when this were produced.But from the looks of it,same letterings on the New Britain ones.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Here's what I have, some I thought were New Britain are Sparta. Either way, they all feel like ****.

New Britain NS-35, NS-65

Sparta CB-45, CM-45

The teeth feel rough, and the knurling is sharp to the point of hurting my hands. I honestly wish I had kept my Craftsman ratchets. The only thing nice I can say is that I like the length of the 15" 1/2" one.

 

[billymade]

Its odd to me how for so long companies didn't think of making their handles comfortable; I guess most were slow in thinking about ergonomics up until the last 10 to 20 years or so.

 

[64merc]

Its odd to me how for so long companies didn't think of making their handles comfortable; I guess most were slow in thinking about ergonomics up until the last 10 to 20 years or so.

I don't think comfort was as big of a priority to users back then. I know that my grandfather was an old school mechanic, and I can assure you that the comfort of the handle was the last thing on his mind. But then again, his hands were so beat up that he wouldn't have noticed the difference between a comfortable ratchet design and a standard design anyway.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I guess I must be old school cause those ratchets look just fine to me! Those remind me of SK

 

[eschoendorff]

Here's what I have, some I thought were New Britain are Sparta. Either way, they all feel like ****.

New Britain NS-35, NS-65

Sparta CB-45, CM-45

The teeth feel rough, and the knurling is sharp to the point of hurting my hands. I honestly wish I had kept my Craftsman ratchets. The only thing nice I can say is that I like the length of the 15" 1/2" one.

Just dip the handle parts in some plasti-dip and call it good.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Just dip the handle parts in some plasti-dip and call it good.

I suppose that would fix the sharp part, but it would look ghetto, and still wouldn't fix the crappy ratcheting mechanism.

 

[MAD]

I suppose that would fix the sharp part, but it would look ghetto, and still wouldn't fix the crappy ratcheting mechanism.

Do they all **** or is the NS65 with the older script better than the others?

If you decide to try grease in them I would be interested to know if that helps the action. The NB45 that I have was pretty smooth but had a loud clickity click
sound that reminded me of the cheap import ratchets that come in the kits with the fake inflated price tags. After the grease it was very nice. On the other hand I have a Blackhawk round head ratchet that the the action just ***** and the lube did not improve it at all. If you open them up it would also be interesting to know if the Sparta ratchets are the same inside as the New Britain ratchets. I don't kneed to know this information. I am only interested for the sake of broadening the old ratchet knowledge.

 

[eschoendorff]

I suppose that would fix the sharp part, but it would look ghetto, and still wouldn't fix the crappy ratcheting mechanism.

Ghetto, maybe. But they're crappy ratchets anyway, right?

Honestly, if it were me, I'd probably sell them off (to someone who doesn't hang out here ) there are simply too many great ratchets out there to spend your time dicking around with crappy ones.