Ratchet quality?

[ajchien]

How do you guys judge the quality of a ratchet?

Number of teeth in the mechanism?
Manufacturer?
Strength/durability?
Chrome finish?

Just curious. Newbie here starting to form an addiction....

 

[indestro]

Number of teeth in the mechanism? Yes,but the pawl or DUALs have to be durable, and
my intended use may require tight work or high torque
Manufacturer? Not really with the exception being disreputable COOs
Strength/durability? Absolutely
Chrome finish? I prefer nickel or satin cause I work with a lot of oil and silicone based fluids

 

[mtkst19]

my criteria is the following--

is it comfortable to use.

can i put some *** into it and not worry about the teeth skipping and bust my knuckles.

is it practical.-- by practical, i mean can it get the job done better than others. the advent of fine tooth ratchets have made my coarse toothed counterparts obsolete. that little bit of swing comes in handy. Especially since cars are getting packaged more tightly. You need to stay ahead of the curve so to speak.

anymore, all my ratchets are flex head and fine toothed--they seem to be the most versatile for my use.

 

[Fedwrench]

I prefer ratchets with 45 teeth or, mostly 60.In addition to the things you mentioned, I also look at balance, handle length, and head thickness. What's most important to me is feel. The ratchet should feel like a natural extension of your hand as you work. Welcome to the board.

 

[spongerich]

The fine toothed ones are great for tight spots etc, but when I have room to work, my favorite is still my 60 year old Plomb. There's just something about the way it feels that makes it a pleasure to use. If you're a professional, then of course, using vintage tools on a daily basis probably isn't practical, but for weekend tinkerers like me the Plombs are just great.

For heavier service, I absolutely love my Cornwell 1/2" black anodized. The shape of the handle and the smoothness of the action is incredible.

 

[woody 73]

my criteria is the following--

is it comfortable to use.

can i put some *** into it and not worry about the teeth skipping and bust my knuckles.

is it practical.-- by practical, i mean can it get the job done better than others. the advent of fine tooth ratchets have made my coarse toothed counterparts obsolete. that little bit of swing comes in handy. Especially since cars are getting packaged more tightly. You need to stay ahead of the curve so to speak.

anymore, all my ratchets are flex head and fine toothed--they seem to be the most versatile for my use.

Yes I think you got this one covered Comfort,strength,practical and versatility.

 

[GrantCee]

Chrome finish? I prefer nickel or satin cause I work with a lot of oil and silicone based fluids

Who makes nickel-plated ratchets?

 

[mrholeshot]

Who makes nickel-plated ratchets?

Snap-On uses Nickel chrome

 

[mrholeshot]

How do you guys judge the quality of a ratchet?

Number of teeth in the mechanism?
Manufacturer?
Strength/durability?
Chrome finish?

Just curious. Newbie here starting to form an addiction....

There are so many reasons it's crazy. There are some great ratchets out there with no distiction and those that carry a familiar brand that are **** so I've stopped looking at who makes them. The number of teeth is rarely a factor but sometimes it is so it;s good to have a fine tooth on hand. Normally but not always the less teeth the stronger the ratchet. I find that my 36 tooth Snap-Ons can cover just about anything. On a personal not I think anything about 72 teeth and you are ******* in the wind. Strength is the #1 factor for me. I like them comfortable but I can give up a custom handle for a knurled handle if it has the grip. I like Chrome on my ratchet because it easy to keep clean. Strenght and Comfort are the top two. There are some good off brands out there kicking the living **** out of the major players right now but one thing you didn't mention but ios one of the most important. Warranty. No matter what you buy make sure it is easy to have it replaced or repaired. No ratchet, no mater how strong or comfortable or shiny it is is going to be any good without the warranty to back it up. If you have a limited amout of tools pick a tool that you can warranty close to home.

 

[djb2]

Snap-On uses Nickel chrome

Doesn't that phrase usually refer to triple plating -- a base coat of copper, then nickel plating with a surface plating of chrome?

The copper fills in the base alloy grain structure, is easily polished, and is a little malleable to handle the difference in reaction to physical stress (impacts, rapid heating) of the base metal and surface plating.

The nickel intermediate plating gives the luster and protection, with the chrome providing the surface hardness. They provide increasing resistance to oxygen diffusion and thus corrosion of the lower layers.

If you stop at the nickel plating step you won't have quite the polish and hardness of the surface. Under ideal plating conditions for both processes less hardness might mean a little more toughness. And over time (or faster with heat) there will be a little oxygen bonding changing the surface appearance.

 

[ToolGuy75]

A ratchet that works, thats all. I don't understand how people care about the comfort or feel in your hand of a ratchet or wrench. I wrench for a living and have never once stop to think how a tool feels in my hand, we're talking about tools here not woman products. As long as it works to do the job thats all that matters.

 

[X1 Mike]

First priority for me is the name on the tool. The Wang Ratchet Company may be making wonderful ratchets but if they don't have a history of quality behind them why should I beta test them?

Second priority is comfort, if I have sharp edges digging into my hands I sure aint going to enjoy pulling on it.

Third priority is strength, if a ratchet is comfortable for me to be yanking on it damn well better be strong enough to handle me.

Fourth priority is number of teeth, more is always better in my book. I don't like a ratchet with a lot of slop.

Fifth priority is how the tool looks. Quality was my first but to me a tool has to look like a quality piece. I like to take pride in my tools and actually enjoy looking at them as I clean them at the end of the day.

 

[bonneyman]

A ratchet that works, thats all. I don't understand how people care about the comfort or feel in your hand of a ratchet or wrench. I wrench for a living and have never once stop to think how a tool feels in my hand, we're talking about tools here not woman products. As long as it works to do the job thats all that matters.

I disagree. There are several outstanding brands of ratchets out there that I don't use because they are not comfortable. What I mean is, how they fit the hand. I gravitate toward tools that feel like they were made for me. That's why everyone has their own opinion - everyone's hand are shaped a little different.
I own a pair of S-K roundhead 3/8" #45170. Just always liked how it fit my hand from the moment I first tried it. And it didn't produce pressure points in my palm when I pulled on it. It has a larger diameter, knurled grip that just fits better. Contrast this to the older Craftsman ratchets. The handle profile just isn't comfortable for me. Not saying C-man is a bad tool - and their warranty is just great - but I don't like their handle feel.
Bonney made some really strong ratchets, but their handles were too small, and the ratchet action too "rough", for my tastes - and I'm a Bonney fan!

 

[jay50]

price

 

[GrantCee]

Doesn't that phrase usually refer to triple plating -- a base coat of copper, then nickel plating with a surface plating of chrome?

You are correct. The copper is necessary to get the nickel to adhere properly; one purpose of the nickel is to give corrosion resistance that chrome lacks.

Chrome also adheres to nickel better than it does to raw steel. I have old Proto Los Angeles ratchets with the chrome worn down past the copper layer on the edges, with no peeling. On the other hand, I have a couple of 10-year-old Craftsman where the chrome is peeling from the edges and corners, and it's obvious there's no intermediate layer. The difference between a quality plate and a cheap plate.

If you stop at the nickel plating step you won't have quite the polish and hardness of the surface. Under ideal plating conditions for both processes less hardness might mean a little more toughness.

True for electrolytic nickel; not true for electroless nickel, which is nearly as tough as hard chrome.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

I purchase ratchets mainly off of how they feel, followed closely by strength/durability and of course the price. As far as the ratcheting mechanism I love the Matco 88's. However my Cornwell JR72 is the most comfortable in my hand and the gears are nearly on par with Matco.