ratchet torcher tests

[lightning02]

why is there so many videos of all different brands of ratchets people put thru a "torture test" yet no one (none i have found over the years that are worth a ****) putting snap on ratchets thru the test??

not knocking snap on ratchets or anything. i think they are the best when it comes to ratchets. i understand when you buy such a ratchet like a snap on you shouldn't question it bc its a top tear tool BUT with that said what are its limits?? how does it compare to others??

 

[hautpot]

Because I don't have too much free/petty time on my hands nor do I wish to void my ratchet warranty

 

[lightning02]

Lmao

 

[Dave455]

I don't really care how much torque my Snap On ratchet will take before it breaks, because I have no intention of taking it anywhere close to that! I was taught, many years ago, that you don't use a ratchet to break loose or tighten a fastener! Now I know that with some modern ratchets you can do this, and many folks do, but I don't!

I do care how smooth my ratchet feels, how little back drag it has, how small small an arc it will work in, how long lasting it is in normal use and how it feels in the hand! In all these areas my Snap On is pretty near perfect! I need to know nothing more!

Oh by the way, it's spelt 'torture'!

 

[sberry]

I don't care about any of that **** as long as it works but in comparison I really rarely use a ratchet anymore. Simple combination wrenches and a good share of the socket work is power drive. When I was a kid I beat the too small tools too hard but today any decent piece would last me decades.

 

[gdocktor3]

why is there so many videos of all different brands of ratchets people put thru a "torture test" yet no one (none i have found over the years that are worth a ****) putting snap on ratchets thru the test??

not knocking snap on ratchets or anything. i think they are the best when it comes to ratchets. i understand when you buy such a ratchet like a snap on you shouldn't question it bc its a top tear tool BUT with that said what are its limits?? how does it compare to others??

I think its because the Snap On ratchets cost so much and there is fear of it not being covered under warranty due to misuse. HF ratchets are no questions asked, grab a new one and out the door you go. Even if they declined you, it only cost a few bucks.

 

[sberry]

One of the best things I ever owned was a knockoff must be what is now Texton, the fools at Sears should have got this. The loss of the grip is my fault and was on for 20 yrs in a tool pool with where it wasn't always the guy owned it using the thing. It had several users in the same day and never missed a lick.

 

[sberry]

HF went shopping too, we have seen this type of stuff work now for a good long while and most of it is way better than the reputation it has. If I was buying tools today would be looking at almost the cheapest you could get to start with and cherry pick anything that didn't work out.
The reason there is so much testing is that there is the crowd that doesn't want to face reality and they really feel the need for self justification for paying thru the azz forever for not much better. Especially today when the gap has narrowed and quality of cheap hardware has skyrocketed especially when compared with cost.
Out of the 100 or so import wrenched we had in service a couple failures in 20 yrs where we ran them against a 1/2 air gun but most still have serviceable fit right along side domestic ones.
I have seen some of this in pitiful ruthless shops and in the field and the 3/8 I carry in my road kit is a dollar single from 30 yrs ago. I keep it for the tight fit and having been beat with a 20oz framing hammer on a bleeder several times. I have several of those we scored for over price as singles when we needed them from TSC, Olympia they were with a fine beam and a super fit, really tough little suckers and I always have a sense of relief when coming across one when jammed up and on occasion actually look one up for clearance.
I like my old flank drives, they are great and should be but the rumor that these other cheap little fuggers aint up to it should be taken more as opinion than fact. Losing skin due to the fact it wasn't worthy would have been cause for dismissal 1000's of cycles ago.
Even HF came up with a good ratchet, the only major that still has pos is Napa and Sears, absolute junk for a long time, not worth trading in.

 

[T45]

Some japanese tool magazine did torture tests on snap on ratchets and they are stupid strong in the f80 variants. So they have been tested and they are good enough to not need more testing.

The corralary to the story is tho that modern designs are inherently very strong, and you really have to be cutting corners with a POS product to build a weak ratchet with a modern design. That might explain the testing on cheaper stuff.

Most testing fails to capture what really matters in tools these days, which is not failure ofthe tool, but rather failure of the fastener. That and ****** ergonomics, sloppy fit, uneven tolerances, and the like which drive you crazy if you use the tool alot.

If you're using tools in a junkyard setting, you don't need snap on, you just need reliable stuff that fits and won't fail. And most box type wrenches and the like are typically 2x the minimal stregth of DIN/ISO or whatever. Of course some stuff is junk and they use more metal to get there, which creates fitment issues.

But again a generic torture test is just not going to tell you that much, because a hard metal and a soft metal can be equally engineered if the mass of the wrench is not considered a varaiable kept constant.

 

[Know Wosad]

About 6.00.

 

[Know Wosad]

Snapons

 

[Know Wosad]

Not ratchets but a wrench torqu test . It's worth watching

 

[Milwookie]

Here's the Snap-on vs Bluepoint vs SP wrench test:

Of the three, Snap-on was worst. Other two failed at 50 lbs torque, Snap-on failed at 30. In the other video that Know posted, results were Mac: 32, Facom 50, Britool 52.

So out of all those open-end wrench tests, Snap-on did the worst. I guess you should buy Made in USA if you want to support American workers, but spend your money somewhere else if you want better performing tools.

 

[LXCam]

I'm still trying to figure out why the OP would wanna torch a ratchet. For the life of me in 4 decades of using a ratchet I've never once tried doing it while it was on fire. But Hey man, whatever floats your boat.

 

[lightning02]

I'm still trying to figure out why the OP would wanna torch a ratchet. For the life of me in 4 decades of using a ratchet I've never once tried doing it while it was on fire. But Hey man, whatever floats your boat.

no videos of that either LOL

 

[manwithtools]

I don't really care how much torque my Snap On ratchet will take before it breaks, because I have no intention of taking it anywhere close to that! I was taught, many years ago, that you don't use a ratchet to break loose or tighten a fastener! Now I know that with some modern ratchets you can do this, and many folks do, but I don't!

Just curious, what do you use to break loose or tighten a fastener? Do you seriously switch tools in the middle of the process of loosening or tightening? I get the need to use a torque wrench for specific torque, I just don't understand not using a ratchet for everything else - that's what it's designed for my good man.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I shattered the internals (pawls) on a snap on soft handled flex head 3/8" ratchet a few years back taking the caliper bolts (not even the anchor bolts) off of a camry. Ended up grabbing the matco ratchet that was next in line in the drawer and finished it up. I don't know if it was just it's time to go after being used for so many years or if that bolt was really too tight, but the matco ratchet had no issues. All tools have a failure point, it's just a matter of finding that one obstacle that ruins them. I don't think a torture test is really applicable to tools that are bought off trucks, I wouldn't be afraid with a weekly visit and a warranty. The snap on/ matco ratchets were shop tools, we weren't allowed to have our own tools/boxes in the shop (no complaint there) so everything in the shop boxes were truck tools. With that said, my home box has no lower end tools besides tekton picks. I use gearwrench ratchets and have been for the last 6 years, never broke one. I took one apart to lube it up after 3 years or so of service and it had chipped a tooth, but I had no clue until I took the pawl out. It was actually still functioning even though it had chipped off. Sadly the current double pawl ratchets were the only parts that were available and even a single pawl didn't fit my older gear wrench ratchets properly so I retired them. My current ones are going strong, used them to do many a head bolt and the half inch to do lug nuts before I had my W7150.

 

[whateg01]

I'm still trying to figure out why the OP would wanna torch a ratchet. For the life of me in 4 decades of using a ratchet I've never once tried doing it while it was on fire. But Hey man, whatever floats your boat.

I have a 3/8" ratchet with the handle bent to the side. I don't know what the original owner needed to work around, but I guess they made it work. I assume it was done with a torch!

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I was taught, many years ago, that you don't use a ratchet to break loose or tighten a fastener! Now I know that with some modern ratchets you can do this, and many folks do, but I don't!

Just curious, what do you use to break loose or tighten a fastener? Do you seriously switch tools in the middle of the process of loosening or tightening? I get the need to use a torque wrench for specific torque, I just don't understand not using a ratchet for everything else - that's what it's designed for my good man.

I was wondering the same thing. Initial loosening and final tightening with a breaker bar? I deal with so many situations where a breaker bar won't fit. Either there's no space for it at all, or not enough space to turn it.

 

[Tinner]

No GJ thread like this would be complete without the anecdotal evidence and unscientific tests.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Just curious, what do you use to break loose or tighten a fastener? Do you seriously switch tools in the middle of the process of loosening or tightening? I get the need to use a torque wrench for specific torque, I just don't understand not using a ratchet for everything else - that's what it's designed for my good man.

Yeah, sometimes. Its quicker to grab a breaker bar than deal with hunting down a rebuild kit for a ratchet. Anymore though, ratchets are so strong that if I'm using a SnapOn or an Armstrong I don't worry about it.

 

[whateg01]

No GJ thread like this would be complete without the anecdotal evidence and unscientific tests.

I have a friend whose mother's second cousin's neighbor will only use Velveeta sliced cheese when working with SO tools, so their ratchets must be the best.

 

[Motorman55]

A 45 degree bent 4' pipe extension on a 1" breaker bar with multiple reducers to a 1/4" 6" extension and 12pt socket is how I get it done.

 

[PJNJ]

Here's the Snap-on vs Bluepoint vs SP wrench test:

Of the three, Snap-on was worst. Other two failed at 50 lbs torque, Snap-on failed at 30. In the other video that Know posted, results were Mac: 32, Facom 50, Britool 52.

So out of all those open-end wrench tests, Snap-on did the worst. I guess you should buy Made in USA if you want to support American workers, but spend your money somewhere else if you want better performing tools.

So under your assertion, SO, SK and Wright would not be in the ranks of "better performing tools". I'm not a Snap On fanboy or Koolaid drinker but I don't put much stock in that "test". The wrenches were obviously used and no one has any way of knowing how long they were in use; if they were earlier designs; and/or how hard they were used or abused. It also seemed that the torque wrench he was using was twisting around at times as he put pressure on it.

Have you seen Real Tool Reviews (he's a member here) video test of the Snap On Flank Drive Plus and WrightGrip wrenches where they snapped the head off a grade 8 bolt?

How about Snap On, WrightGrip and the new SK ratcheting wrench open end test?

Or the test of the SK ratcheting wrench box end?

Blanket statements about about US tool quality or foreign tool quality are completely wrong and misleading. There are many excellent USA made tools by different manufacturers and there are many excellent foreign made tools by different manufacturers also.

 

[PJNJ]

No GJ thread like this would be complete without the anecdotal evidence and unscientific tests.

I have a friend whose mother's second cousin's neighbor will only use Velveeta sliced cheese when working with SO tools, so their ratchets must be the best.

For the win!

 

[Al Borland]

For the win!

I once had a bolt that had been stuck since the middle ages. Couldn't get it loose. One day, the Snap-On Man heard of my plight and showed up. The hew and cry was deafening as He entered my shop. Upon hearing of the Snap-On Man's arrival, the bolt instantly released it's grip, spun itself out, and leapt to the floor. Subsequently the bolt prostrated itself at the noble Snap-on Man's feet, begging His forgiveness. The humble people of the shop were amazed.
Snap-On for the win.

 

[Dave455]

Just curious, what do you use to break loose or tighten a fastener? Do you seriously switch tools in the middle of the process of loosening or tightening? I get the need to use a torque wrench for specific torque, I just don't understand not using a ratchet for everything else - that's what it's designed for my good man.

I generally use a breaker bar to break loose a fastener, but obviously used sensibly - i.e. if you're breaking loose an 8mm or 10mm fastener with 3/8 drive you'll be nowhere near the torque limit of a ratchet, so go ahead, but I'm obviously not leaning on it!

If you've got a 19mm Bolt, torqued to 85 lb/ft and left to rust however, the breaker bar comes out, or switch to a bigger drive size where you're back in safe territory to use a ratchet!

I like sliding T's too, where there's room. Use the full length to break the fastener loose then just spin it in the mid position!

Limited access is a different case, you may just have to use a ratchet to get a fastener to turn, but in these cases you hopefully won't be needing ratchet busting torque!

I guess it's partly a generation thing - if, as a kid, I'd been caught breaking loose a fastener with a ratchet I'd have been banished from the workshop for the day! Also, some modern (I.e ****** quality) fasteners tend to need 6 point sockets, a 12 point makes using a breaker bar that much easier!

 

[whateg01]

So, where is the line? I pull out the ratchet and lean on it a little. If the fastener doesn't come loose, whatever size it is, then I re-evaluate the situation. If it'll handle having a breaker bar put on it, then I go that route. If it's smaller than that, the head is likely to break off. Again, though, there is no black and white rule that says when to really twist on the fastener.

I've beat on ratchets and wrenches alike with a hammer if the fastener doesn't just come loose with me pushing or pulling, much like an impact would do. There are a lot of times I'll put a short cheater on the ratchet being used, too. And I hook the box end on the open end of a wrench for added leverage, too. Only tool that has broken doing either of those was a no-name 8 mm pulling the pinion shaft bolt from a diff. I wasn't surprised by that - almost expected it, so I was ready to keep from busting my knuckles on the housing.

The only ratchet I've ever had problems with was a fine tooth, small head Stanley that I bought at Walmart. I really liked the ratchet, but if you put more than enough to tighten a spark plug on it, the pawl would bind or something and you'd have to smack it on the floor to get it to break loose. Called Stanley tools and they sent a replacement that doesn't have that problem. I've never really leaned on either of them, though. Just paranoid it'll happen again, even though I never really leaned on the first one either.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Just curious, what do you use to break loose or tighten a fastener? Do you seriously switch tools in the middle of the process of loosening or tightening? I get the need to use a torque wrench for specific torque, I just don't understand not using a ratchet for everything else - that's what it's designed for my good man.

If your ratchet isn't strong enough to break fasteners loose today...you're using the wrong ratchet.

 

[Olafur]

there!
Snap On FHNF100 =303lb/ft
Snap On F80=303lb/ft

 

[kkroger]

I blew up a snap-on Flex head ratchet using a hammer to beat on the handle to get a bolt loose where I couldn't get an air wrench in, busted the **** out of it... E-mailed Snappy they took address information and shipped a new one, didn't even WANT the old one back... Didn't CARE how it broke... A Buddy of mine had a similar thing happen to a snapon ratchet of his e-mailed, got a new one, they didn't want the old one then he traded it out with a dealer so he got a 2 fer...