New Canadian Tire Maximum Ratchets are Junk!

[Handyandy23]

I'm guessing the number of Canadian members on here is fairly low, but I was so displeased with these ratchets that I felt like I needed to do a PSA anyways.

This week's CT flyer has the "newer" 90T ratchets packaged together in a promo set of the 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" for $50 CDN. For anyone wondering, the Maximum line is their "premium" house brand tools. The hand tools come with a lifetime warranty. The quality of these tools is usually pretty decent - nowhere near tool truck level, but a step above your standard home owner grade tools.

The previous version of these ratchets were 72T and I've had them for years after getting them in a set. While unspectacular, they've been solid. Not my favorite or go to ratchets, but they work nice and smoothly.

When they came out with the 90t version I was waiting to get them on a decent sale to try them out. I'll save anyone else the trouble - they're pretty bad! Back drag is horrendous. I'm not a ratchet snob by any measure, my favorites are Tekton 90t, but these Maximum 90t are terrible. 1/4" I could almost install a bolt in reverse. Larger sizes aren't much better.

The mechanism is also just super rough. For being a fine tooth ratchet, it feels like it's full of gravel inside. Needless to say I'll be returning them. Of course COO is China, which should have been a dead giveaway. My old 72t version are Taiwan I believe. This appears to be one of those cases where they're trying to market a tooth count, and cut costs at the same time.

Edit: just added a picture of said ratchet set. Only thing positive I can say is it came in a nice thick foam cutout to hold the ratchets in a drawer.

UPDATE: I just wanted to add to the OP, after taking them apart and lubing them with Permatex Engine Assembly lube, the ratchets are significantly smoother and less back-drag. Not sure why they would ship them so dry, but seems like a common issue with a lot of ratchets.

Fedwrench and some others also noted these look like twins of the new GearWrench 90T ratchets. From what I've compared that does seem to be the case, and Canadian Tire shares other tools with GearWrench.

So I might have been a little premature calling them junk. The $50 for all three deal is pretty good considering what the regular price (and GW price) is, just expect to take them apart and lube them when you get home to get the most out of them.

 

[Jswain]

They might be a little nicer if you clean then out and use a thinner lube perhaps they are dry. Not that you should have to for new tools but might be worth a shot, not like it will prevent returning it at Canadian tire

 

[Abeo]

Canadian Tire has a bad habit of introducing a quality "maximum" product, then replacing it with **** once people start using the lifetime warranty. I learned my lesson with a screwdriver set.... the warranty replacement was dollar store quality.
Based on this forum's recommendations, I have Williams screwdrivers and Gearwrench ratchets now.

 

[qqzj]

The mechanism is also just super rough. For being a fine tooth ratchet, it feels like it's full of gravel inside. Needless to say I'll be returning them. Of course COO is China, which should have been a dead giveaway. My old 72t version are Taiwan I believe. This appears to be one of those cases where they're trying to market a tooth count, and cut costs at the same time.

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

 

[qqzj]

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

50 water-down dollars!

 

[anavrinIV]

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

A Tekton set just like this is $60 and they are widely regarded as a great ratchet especially for the money. So I can understand a set of roughly the same (non-sale) price ratchets being substantially worse as disappointing

 

[Fedwrench]

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

I wouldn't say China, people's Republic of makes great tools but, that's my opinion. I feel China makes decent tools inconsistently. their quality control is minimal at best. However, China also makes stuff to the manufacturers specs too. Many brands choose profit margin over quality.
I don't think $50 (even if they're maple syrup dollars) is trying to get something for nothing. A bargain hunter, yes but, not in the something for nothing category.
Back to the ratchets, I would really like to see the backside, or gear cover of the offending ratchets in order to determine who made them. Bonus points for taking a picture of the ratchet internals with the gear cover removed.
Before condemning a ratchet, I always recommend at least opening up and placing a few drops of thin oil in it to see if that smooths things out.
I have to say they look nice in the photo and have that knurled ring at the end of their handles like an OEM tools/old duralast ratchet and the grooves at the top of the handle are similar to Gearwrench. I'm guessing SATA made at this point. Thanks for sharing and sorry they didn't work out for you

 

[qqzj]

A Tekton set just like this is $60 and they are widely regarded as a great ratchet especially for the money. So I can understand a set of roughly the same (non-sale) price ratchets being substantially worse as disappointing

Tekton is well known for being a hidden secret for tool lovers, offering the best value price ratio. A set of three will cost $77, see the link

https://www.tekton.com/ratchets?quantity=1&drive-size=1-4-in

I know after 10% discount it is about $70. But that is still a lot more than 50 Canadian dollars. Also the foam pad OP loves must worth something. In short, I don't seem it is a fair comparison. Better compare with Home Depot or Lowe's stuff.

 

[qqzj]

I wouldn't say China, people's Republic of makes great tools but, that's my opinion. I feel China makes decent tools inconsistently. their quality control is minimal at best. However, China also makes stuff to the manufacturers specs too. Many brands choose profit margin over quality.
I don't think $50 (even if they're maple syrup dollars) is trying to get something for nothing. A bargain hunter, yes but, not in the something for nothing category.
Back to the ratchets, I would really like to see the backside, or gear cover of the offending ratchets in order to determine who made them. Bonus points for taking a picture of the ratchet internals with the gear cover removed.
Before condemning a ratchet, I always recommend at least opening up and placing a few drops of thin oil in it to see if that smooths things out.
I have to say they look nice in the photo and have that knurled ring at the end of their handles like an OEM tools/old duralast ratchet and the grooves at the top of the handle are similar to Gearwrench. I'm guessing SATA made at this point. Thanks for sharing and sorry they didn't work out for you

All those Milwaukee power tools are made in China. At least most of them. They are very consistent in quality. I don't know for sure. But I suspect most of DeWalt's are China made tools with USA stickers. I can vouch for their quality. These are a lot high tech than stupid manual ratchets or sockets. I cannot imagine in this day and age people can still have such outdated opinions.

 

[lardy1]

Sigh.

 

[anavrinIV]

Tekton is well known for being a hidden secret for tool lovers, offering the best value price ratio. A set of three will cost $77, see the link

https://www.tekton.com/ratchets?quantity=1&drive-size=1-4-in

I know after 10% discount it is about $70. But that is still a lot more than 50 Canadian dollars. Also the foam pad OP loves must worth something. In short, I don't seem it is a fair comparison. Better compare with Home Depot or Lowe's stuff.

nah, $60. $54 after 10% credit. So expecting a similarly priced set to be better quality than complete ****, I get it

https://www.tekton.com/ratchet-set-srh91001

 

[qqzj]

nah, $60. $54 after 10% credit. So expecting a similarly priced set to be better quality than complete ****, I get it

https://www.tekton.com/ratchet-set-srh91001

Have you paid attention to the length? These look a lot shorter.

 

[qqzj]

Ok, let me clarify. I am not saying those CT Maximum ratchets are good ratchets, or even good deals. I am just saying the logic that 'Of course COO is China, which should have been a dead giveaway' makes any sense. Even forget about power tools, my Milwaukee demolition screwdrivers and utility knives are FANTASTIC!

I can see people want tools to be made in USA. That is welcome and I want that too. But I just thought we need to be fair to the tools we use. I got a hoard of China made tools and they are great. I also buy USA made tools and I know they are valuable. I either display them in my home or I flip them for profit. I don't use them. Makes no economic sense.

 

[Rattle]

Crappy tire has really gone down hill on quality over the years. Used to be there maximum line was pretty decent and getting it on the revolving sales was a good bang for the buck.

 

[qqzj]

This is the screwdrivers I referred to.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...-with-Steel-Caps-2-Piece-48-22-2702/302174746

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauk...al-Purpose-Blades-2-Pack-48-22-1503/309350823

Can anyone tell me with a straight face they are bad tools? Look, they are not even expensive relative to other choices.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I saw that add too. and wondered if they were Gearwrench, I guess not. It's not the first time CT has done this stunt. Thanks for the warning.

 

[measuredtwice]

Take them apart and take photos of the innards for us. Always fun to see what's going on. I also agree that it's worth a shot to disassemble, flush, and lube before giving up on them.

Regarding COO, some may be surprised by the amount of materials that go back and forth between China and Taiwan such as raw steel and unfinished parts. Only in the USA have I seen a COO that discloses "with global materials" but US manufacturers aren't the only one using global materials. It's just omitted in other countries.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

Crappy tire has really gone down hill on quality over the years. Used to be there maximum line was pretty decent and getting it on the revolving sales was a good bang for the buck.

Yup. I bought a Canadian Tire soldering gun at a pawn shop for $5 a few years ago. I could tell from the case it was a rebadged Weller. I remember all the antennas and ham gear my father built over the years with his Weller and it seemed like a quality tool. I would have bought the second one next to it for $5 as well except I didn't see utility in having 2 soldering guns.

Now, CT sells the exact same garbage power tools Princess Auto sells, except it has a Mastercraft sticker on it instead of Power Fist or Kawasaki.

Too bad. I regularly used a 3/8 drive Mastercraft starter socket set at work starting out and it was a decent ratchet to work with. I rebuilt it twice, no charge. It left a good impression.

 

[Burgerkong]

Yup. I bought a Canadian Tire soldering gun at a pawn shop for $5 a few years ago. I could tell from the case it was a rebadged Weller. I remember all the antennas and ham gear my father built over the years with his Weller and it seemed like a quality tool. I would have bought the second one next to it for $5 as well except I didn't see utility in having 2 soldering guns.

Now, CT sells the exact same garbage power tools Princess Auto sells, except it has a Mastercraft sticker on it instead of Power Fist or Kawasaki.

Too bad. I regularly used a 3/8 drive Mastercraft starter socket set at work starting out and it was a decent ratchet to work with. I rebuilt it twice, no charge. It left a good impression.

AND charges 70% more just to put them on 'sale'.

 

[Mr_B]

when it looks likely good on outside then turns out be junk on inside or finishing steps or material longevity falls well short or consistency poor it generally china as they happy provide this standard with a smile if they making money .
Taiwan moved up the rung a little and like the reputation for better quality plus they started doing more R&D and have added innovation in hand tools and modern pneumatic tools in a big way .
Biggest issue is the western companies who sell out for every cent of profit they can get and source **** or have no in house engineering and product testing professionals and market this **** with ridiculous claims and warranty they know they going screw you over on within a decade ...
The second biggest issue is people who keep buying the **** and not taking it back, if buy **** take it back and get every dime back and spread the word on the poor/declining brand lines and hopefully they either file for solvency or will start sourcing better products and do more honest business ...

 

[Handyandy23]

I wouldn't say China, people's Republic of makes great tools but, that's my opinion. I feel China makes decent tools inconsistently. their quality control is minimal at best. However, China also makes stuff to the manufacturers specs too. Many brands choose profit margin over quality.
I don't think $50 (even if they're maple syrup dollars) is trying to get something for nothing. A bargain hunter, yes but, not in the something for nothing category.
Back to the ratchets, I would really like to see the backside, or gear cover of the offending ratchets in order to determine who made them. Bonus points for taking a picture of the ratchet internals with the gear cover removed.
Before condemning a ratchet, I always recommend at least opening up and placing a few drops of thin oil in it to see if that smooths things out.
I have to say they look nice in the photo and have that knurled ring at the end of their handles like an OEM tools/old duralast ratchet and the grooves at the top of the handle are similar to Gearwrench. I'm guessing SATA made at this point. Thanks for sharing and sorry they didn't work out for you

Take them apart and take photos of the innards for us. Always fun to see what's going on. I also agree that it's worth a shot to disassemble, flush, and lube before giving up on them.

Regarding COO, some may be surprised by the amount of materials that go back and forth between China and Taiwan such as raw steel and unfinished parts. Only in the USA have I seen a COO that discloses "with global materials" but US manufacturers aren't the only one using global materials. It's just omitted in other countries.

I've attached some more detailed pictures, I believe this was the 1/2" ratchet, if I can tell from the tiny thumbnails what I'm looking at. Any ideas from these what the origin of these ratchets would be?

As you can see the mechanism is pretty dry. There's a small amount of some kind of lube in there, but not much. I put a decent amount of Super Lube in each one, and it did make them quite a bit smoother.

They are still a little clunkier and have a bit more back-drag than my Tektons that I paid about the same price for, but I'd call them "acceptable" now with the Super Lube. I might try trimming the spring in one of them to see if that can help them even more.

I guess in the grand scheme, for the price, I can just experiment with these a bit and try to improve them. They seem like they are pretty robust, just not going to win any awards for being smooth.

 

[Fedwrench]

Looks like Sata made in China to me.

SATA started off as Chinese Matco. They even had the same logo initially.

SATA is part of the Apex Tool Group and where all of your Chinese made Gearwrench comes from.

Interesting to note that the gear cover and internals pretty much match the new Gearwrench 90 tooth ratchet.

A little threes in one oil would probably do wonders for them.

They'll probably show up here as Husky

Update: attached is a shiity picture of a the new internals on a Gearwrench 1/2 inch drive 90 tooth flex head ratchet. looks very similar.

 

[qqzj]

You should not lube fine tooth ratchets with super lube. Try a thinner lubricant. Go to YouTube and see which one is the best.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Handyandy23]

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

Jeez, where to begin? Am I really being ridiculed by a guy that drove 50 miles to try and resell a $40 wrench set for profit?

You do have somewhat of a point, the made in China piece in my OP probably wasn't really necessary. I do plenty of defending on here of tools from China or other COO that most people dislike, because I agree you can't label the whole country as junk.

However, your example of quality Chinese tools is power tools, which I think everyone can agree they excel at. Lots of power tools and electronics come from there, and they seem to have a very good handle on manufacturing in that realm.

How many examples of high quality hand tools can you think of coming from China? Most of the higher regarded overseas hand tools come out of Taiwan. At the very least, it shows a step down in production costs that CT took to try and reduce their cost even more.

The combined regular price on these three ratchets is $150, and this is the first time since they debuted over a year ago that they've been offered at a sale or promo price. Just goes to show what kind of cost they have in these that they can offer them for 1/3 of their regular price.

My Tekton ratchets I paid about the same price for on Amazon, and they are much nicer ratchets. And if I wanted whatever the cheapest junk was, I could have gone to Princess Auto and gotten $10 ratchets with lots of back-drag. I never acted like they needed to be Snap On quality, but it is disappointing when you pay for something that doesn't perform like it should.

After lubing them I'll keep them for $50, but if I paid "full price" of $150 they'd be going back for sure. My $20 Tektons have thinner heads and are much smoother.

 

[Jswain]

Wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory as the gearwrench. Just like their old ratchet wrench's that said MasterCraft on one side and gearwrench on the other but at a fraction of the price. Maybe for $50 you didn't do so bad...

 

[Handyandy23]

Looks like Sata made in China to me.

SATA started off as Chinese Matco. They even had the same logo initially.

SATA is part of the Apex Tool Group and where all of your Chinese made Gearwrench comes from.

Interesting to note that the gear cover and internals pretty much match the new Gearwrench 90 tooth ratchet.

A little threes in one oil would probably do wonders for them.

They'll probably show up here as Husky

Update: attached is a shiity picture of a the new internals on a Gearwrench 90 tooth flex head ratchet. looks very similar.

Huh, well it's not entirely surprising since Maximum uses a ton of GearWrench branded wrenches already. Mine all say GearWrench on one side and Maximum on the other.

Seems like they must get most of their premium stuff through Apex.

I'll try the 3in1 to see if that's better.

You should not lube fine tooth ratchets with super lube. Try a thinner lubricant. Go to YouTube and see which one is the best.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

Ok thanks, that's good to know. I'll try the 3in1 like Fed suggested.

 

[Handyandy23]

Wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same factory as the gearwrench. Just like their old ratchet wrench's that said MasterCraft on one side and gearwrench on the other but at a fraction of the price. Maybe for $50 you didn't do so bad...

You beat me to it. I might have to change the name of this thread to "great value ratchets!"

 

[Fedwrench]

To me, the ratchets looked pretty good in their storage tray. Even ratchets off of the tool truck might need a little lube once in a while.

I hope the ratchets work out for you. Thanks for sharing.

 

[M635_Guy]

This is nonsense. China makes great tools. Lots of Milwaukee tools are China made and they are great. What I see is a guy trying to get a bunch of tools for nothing and got pissed he got junk. AFAIK, a set of gearwrench like these cost minimum $100 before tax and they are made in Taiwan. If you only spent like $50, what would you expect? You just cannot expect to get something from nothing.

Ok, let me clarify. I am not saying those CT Maximum ratchets are good ratchets, or even good deals. I am just saying the logic that 'Of course COO is China, which should have been a dead giveaway' makes any sense. Even forget about power tools, my Milwaukee demolition screwdrivers and utility knives are FANTASTIC!

I can see people want tools to be made in USA. That is welcome and I want that too. But I just thought we need to be fair to the tools we use. I got a hoard of China made tools and they are great. I also buy USA made tools and I know they are valuable. I either display them in my home or I flip them for profit. I don't use them. Makes no economic sense.

I agree with your posts here. Don't blame the country - blame the brand that isn't asking for what isn't meeting your standards for them. LOTS of high-quality things come out of China. It's a matter of asking for the level of quality you want and continuing to demand execution. If you do, you can get outstanding quality.

Net: the reason you get low quality anything from China (and pretty much everywhere else) is the company selling the product is trying to take the edge on quality to improve their profit.

 

[qqzj]

Anyone who is not a snob knows a place that can make great power tools can make great hand tools. Hand tools are probably the most low tech stuff out there. I have a whole lot of GearWrench tools. 60% from Taiwan, the rest from China. Some of the China made tools are very smartly designed and well made. Again, all the merits and demerits go to the USA vendors. They are responsible for the products.

As long as I had fun, what's wrong with driving a while to get the tools I want? Are you going to spit all the guys who visit swap meet next?

Jeez, where to begin? Am I really being ridiculed by a guy that drove 50 miles to try and resell a $40 wrench set for profit?

You do have somewhat of a point, the made in China piece in my OP probably wasn't really necessary. I do plenty of defending on here of tools from China or other COO that most people dislike, because I agree you can't label the whole country as junk.

However, your example of quality Chinese tools is power tools, which I think everyone can agree they excel at. Lots of power tools and electronics come from there, and they seem to have a very good handle on manufacturing in that realm.

How many examples of high quality hand tools can you think of coming from China? Most of the higher regarded overseas hand tools come out of Taiwan. At the very least, it shows a step down in production costs that CT took to try and reduce their cost even more.

The combined regular price on these three ratchets is $150, and this is the first time since they debuted over a year ago that they've been offered at a sale or promo price. Just goes to show what kind of cost they have in these that they can offer them for 1/3 of their regular price.

My Tekton ratchets I paid about the same price for on Amazon, and they are much nicer ratchets. And if I wanted whatever the cheapest junk was, I could have gone to Princess Auto and gotten $10 ratchets with lots of back-drag. I never acted like they needed to be Snap On quality, but it is disappointing when you pay for something that doesn't perform like it should.

After lubing them I'll keep them for $50, but if I paid "full price" of $150 they'd be going back for sure. My $20 Tektons have thinner heads and are much smoother.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Handyandy23]

Anyone who is not a snob knows a place that can make great power tools can make great hand tools. Hand tools are probably the most low tech stuff out there. I have a whole lot of GearWrench tools. 60% from Taiwan, the rest from China. Some of the China made tools are very smartly designed and well made. Again, all the merits and demerits go to the USA vendors. They are responsible for the products.

As long as I had fun, what's wrong with driving a while to get the tools I want? Are you going to spit all the guys who visit swap meet next?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

It's all good, I just thought it was a strange stance to take that I shouldn't expect anything of quality for $50, from someone who clearly knows the value that $40 or $50 can buy.

I agree with you on the China / COO side. But trying to say $50 is junk money to defend a junk tool doesn't make sense to me. That's the only point I was trying to make.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

It's always possible that with some careful stoning and maybe a spring change you might tune that ratchet up enough that it will be one heck of a deal.

 

[qqzj]

Well you got me interested. I went to CT website to take a look. A lot of the maximum stuff looks extremely like GearWrench stuff, down to the color of the socket holders. It is very likely these are made the same as GW. In that case, it is actually a great deal. I won't mind getting a set myself. A set of these costs more than double of what you paid.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SQHCS53/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Maybe you should wait a while to see others' comments first. I would be surprised if the quality is really that poor.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Handyandy23]

What do you guys suggest is better for fine tooth ratchet lube? 3-in-1 or Permatex Engine Assembly lube? I've got both and saw someone on another forum suggesting the engine assembly lube for fine tooth.

 

[Mgdoug3]

I like a thin coat of Super Lube and a few drops of 3 in 1 oil. I'm experimenting with a just a coating of Lucas Assembly Lube and so far it seems fine.

This is in a LP90 and it's not sealed. Too much of any oil runs out. So far with the little Lucas I used, nothing has leached out.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I took a $5 fleamarket find Westward ratchet and cleaned and lubed it. I wanted a dedicated socket and ratchet for the travel trailer clamping chocks. I used SWEPCO 101, a EP #1 moly grease. All I can say is Wow. CV joint grease is a moly grease. Since most grease is EP #2 add oil to thin it down.

 

[Handyandy23]

Update, I cleaned the Super Lube out and lubed them with the engine assembly lube, and it did make them all noticeably better again. The 3/8 is the smoothest, but they're all pretty decent now.

I also cleaned the Super Lube out of my Tekton 3/8 and replaced with assembly lube, and it too got a little better. So I'd still put the Tekton 90T in front of these Maximum / GearWrench 90T by a hair in terms of smoothness and back drag.

Also for comparison, I'd say the Maximum / GW 90T 1/4" is very similar to the feel of my GearWrench 120XP 1/4" ratchet, which I've never opened or lubed from new. I know a lot of people complain about the back drag on the 120XP, but I never found this particular 1/4" to be bad. And the 90T feels very similar.

The Maximum / GW 90T 1/2" I would say is a little smoother and slightly less back drag than my "virgin" / unlubed Tekton 90T 1/2". When I get some more time I'll lube that one the same way and see how it compares.

 

[Fedwrench]

For any ratchet over 60 teeth, i use three in one oil or a few drops of lucas tool box buddy. just a few drops will do the trick.

I prefer assembly lube on coarser toothed ratchets but, that's just me.

Glad the ratchets improved with lube.

 

[Mr_B]

i used red lithium thinned with atf in all my ratchets, just thin it more in higher tooth count if needs it .
To me a lot of the 90 tooth ratchets are worse than 60 or 72 tooths in a lot of instances .
Gearwrench best product and value was the 84T, 120 & he 90 not great value and no real improvement in design or manufacture and in many ways steps backwards ...

 

[u2slow]

My preferred ratchets are 20yo Snap-On with the orange plastic handles. One of the few tool treats I afforded myself many years ago. The other ones I like are the old Craftsman with the pear-shaped head and flattened handle. (would be a garage sale find these days).

I'm using an 18V impact for lot more jobs these days, so I rely on ratchets less.

Canadian Tire has a bad habit of introducing a quality "maximum" product, then replacing it with **** once people start using the lifetime warranty. I learned my lesson with a screwdriver set.... the warranty replacement was dollar store quality.

I ran into this with their 1/2" torque wrench recently. The current 'Maximum' tool only carries 1yr warranty, and is not as well-built.

Most of my screwdrivers have become Pic-quic style multi's, or rubber-gripped Kleins.

I'm not buying sets of tools anymore - fairly well stocked. When I need something now, it's usually a singular tool and I buy when its convenient and well-priced. Its not like I can warranty anything locally anyway (island life.)