Ratchetech kick starter

[csargents1546]

Got this in my email account. This would be great to help them get this off the ground. They have just under 30 day to raise the 40,000 dollars that they need to get up and running. Think all of us at GJ can give them a hand. HELL YES!!!!

http://www.indiegogo.com/RatcheTech

 

[Toolhorder]

Coo?

 

[B18c_tuner]

Very nice design and very well thought out.

 

[shoturtle]

There was a whole thread on them, and the company rep came on. They are made in China.

 

[JDS968]

What ever happened to the rep and that first thread? As I remember it, he simply stopped responding. I had offered to throw in more money to get a more complete metric set, even if that meant waiting longer for it. I suppose I'll just get the 7-piece set and fill it in if they're successful, but I'd love to put more money into this early, without it just buying unrelated trinkets I don't need (or, you know, inch-pattern tools...wait that's the same thing...)

 

[shoturtle]

He did say there will be a more complete set coming out next year. The 7 piece sets are the kickoff.

 

[JDS968]

Oh well. I contributed $80 for the 7-piece metric set. I do hope the campaign is successful.

 

[JDS968]

Come on guys, I'm disappointed in you. What happened to everybody from the last thread about this?

 

[Toolhorder]

Come on guys, I'm disappointed in you. What happened to everybody from the last thread about this?

Made in China killed it, honestly I'd rather invest in a kickstarter for a company that is going to make high quality USA made tools.

 

[JDS968]

honestly I'd rather invest in a kickstarter for a company that is going to make high quality USA made tools.

I would too, if it were practical. I just don't think we're going to see any new tool manufacturing start-ups in this country for the foreseeable future, so it's likely this, or nothing. For what it's worth, "high quality" and "Chinese made" are not mutually exclusive when we're talking about American engineering ordered to tight specifications. From the looks of the videos, it seems like these guys are paying for the kind of high-specification manufacturing that we all expect from a serious tool.

 

[signcrafter]

I would too, if it were practical. I just don't think we're going to see any new tool manufacturing start-ups in this country for the foreseeable future, so it's likely this, or nothing. For what it's worth, "high quality" and "Chinese made" are not mutually exclusive when we're talking about American engineering ordered to tight specifications. From the looks of the videos, it seems like these guys are paying for the kind of high-specification manufacturing that we all expect from a serious tool.

If these guys were trying to start a company that made something in the USA than I would conisder investing. But it is just a couple of guys trying to get rich pedling some made in china wrenches. They may be a neat idea and I wish them the best of luck but I don't see any reason to get so excited.

 

[2JZGTESC300]

EZ-RED already has a set. It works awesome on fuel lines and brake lines that need flare wrenches. I'll have to take a picture of my set Monday or something. I don't use it much but when I do, it's very nice to have them around.

 

[shoturtle]

Come on guys, I'm disappointed in you. What happened to everybody from the last thread about this?

Not interested in a skip set, if it was a 10pc metric, I would be in. But they skip to many sizes for my taste. I will wait for the large set.

 

[JDS968]

If these guys were trying to start a company that made something in the USA than I would conisder investing. But it is just a couple of guys trying to get rich pedling some made in china wrenches. They may be a neat idea and I wish them the best of luck but I don't see any reason to get so excited.

Wow. Seems like some of you guys are so xenophobic that you see "China" and just can't think straight anymore.

Made in the USA would be nice but at the end of the day, when it's sitting in your toolbox and it's a good product that you can pick up and get a job done with it, who cares what country the foundry equipment is in?

EZ-RED already has a set. It works awesome on fuel lines and brake lines that need flare wrenches. I'll have to take a picture of my set Monday or something. I don't use it much but when I do, it's very nice to have them around.

You mean these ones? Interesting design, not seen anything like that before. Does the protruding end (the black part) ever get in the way of turning it?

Not interested in a skip set, it it was a 10pc metric, I would be in. But they skip to many sizes for my taste. I will wait for the large set.

I'm with you there, I really want this in at least a complete 10mm-19mm set (and eventually 8mm-25mm), as I said the last time around. But I'm worried that if we all sit on our hands waiting for the complete set, they're never going to get THIS set into production, and if they never produce THIS set, they're sure as hell not going to produce the complete one.

If it came down to it, I'd rather have a skip set and never get to fill it out, than have none at all.

 

[shoturtle]

gearwrench will have their skip set out later in the year of this type of wrench. There are options.

 

[richfinn]

Apart from the flexhead, thats not a new idea. I had some MAC about 15 years ago they didnt have a box wrench end but were well made, to be honest I never really used them and sold them on, prefer a crow foot.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Wow. Seems like some of you guys are so xenophobic that you see "China" and just can't think straight anymore.

Hmm. Let me try:

Wow. Seems like some some guys are so credulous that even though they see "China" they still can't think straight anymore.

I jest, obviously, but hopefully you see the point I'm trying to make, i.e. your argument cuts both ways.

It's not a bad looking tool and an interesting design, but the premium is high. If it was manufactured in the US, I'd feel better about supporting it and having something unique for my efforts if the funding succeeded. As it stands, I'll end up with a Chinese made tool which, unfortunately, doesn't carry the same kind of weight with me. China isn't generally associated with quality tools and until that changes, it's unrealistic to expect people to pay a premium for them.

 

[mvptrukin]

ΔΔΔΔ x2
I think that xenophobic comment is BS!
1) I think the design is nothing new, SO and others make what I call a claw wrench for flare nut type apps.
2) other mfg. moved production overseas but I don't recall them hitting up people for startup funds.
3) their whole spiel begins with---you will be helping a struggling American family-- did they ask Wilde to see if they could make the tool in KS?
NO they will never get .02¢ of my tool money and others feel this way cuz they seem to be way short of their goal!

 

[supersteve]

xenophobic

Isn't there something similar to Godwin's Law that states "the more GJ'ers talk about Chinese tools, the more likely someone will use touchy-feely liberal buzzwords"?

 

[JDS968]

I jest, obviously, but hopefully you see the point I'm trying to make, i.e. your argument cuts both ways.

Yeah yeah, I get it, ha ha. I just reject the assertion that "China" is inherently a deal breaker that should "set me straight". As has been pointed out before...lots of great products are manufactured in China...and at the same time, complete **** gets manufactured in the United States. I'd like to see things manufactured here, but it's not a guarantee of quality.

It's not a bad looking tool and an interesting design, but the premium is high.

Well okay, but compared to what? That EZ-RED ratcheting line wrench set (EZ-RED is made in China, isn't it?) is selling for $25 per wrench at Sears, compared to $11 per wrench here. Even if you split that (as the EZ-RED wrenches have two ratcheting ends instead of one ratcheting and one fixed) it's still more than the Ratchet Tech.

If it was manufactured in the US, I'd feel better about supporting it and having something unique for my efforts if the funding succeeded.

I keep seeing people saying "this isn't new" and I've seen a number of similar products, but I've yet to see anybody actually post a link to a product that actually operates like this one. So far, I don't see why this isn't "unique".

And like I said...while I'd love to support US manufacturing, the kind of heavy industry that these products require is prohibitively difficult to start up in the United States, particularly for somebody operating on a small scale. If we insist on US manufacturing, we're probably going to be limiting ourselves to the products that the big, established manufacturers are willing to put out.

China isn't generally associated with quality tools and until that changes, it's unrealistic to expect people to pay a premium for them.

They've certainly demonstrated that they're capable of manufacturing to high specification and quality levels in other markets, and they even make some tools perfectly well to the satisfaction of the big brands, including the tool truck brands. But if the people who buy high quality tools insist "China tools are always cheap ****, so I'll only ever pay cheap **** prices for anything that says 'China' on it," then it's probably going to be a self fulfilling prophecy. China will just build more and more cheap **** if that's all we're willing to pay for.

ΔΔΔΔ x2
I think that xenophobic comment is BS!

What do you call it if people automatically refuse to consider a product based on COO, to the exclusion of all other factors? I read this kind of stuff every day on here.

1) I think the design is nothing new, SO and others make what I call a claw wrench for flare nut type apps.

Any idea what Snap-On calls it? Because I can't find anything of the sort on their website.

2) other mfg. moved production overseas but I don't recall them hitting up people for startup funds.

Obviously these guys aren't moving production from the US to China, they're starting from scratch, hence the need for startup funds. And if they were asking for donations, sure I wouldn't give them a second look, but they're actually giving people the tools that the startup funds are for.

3) their whole spiel begins with---you will be helping a struggling American family-- did they ask Wilde to see if they could make the tool in KS?

I don't know, maybe e-mail them and find out if it makes such a difference?

Isn't there something similar to Godwin's Law that states "the more GJ'ers talk about Chinese tools, the more likely someone will use touchy-feely liberal buzzwords"?

I think you're about the first person to ever accuse me of anything involving the word "liberal"...

 

[gatewaysysop]

Yeah yeah, I get it, ha ha. I just reject the assertion that "China" is inherently a deal breaker that should "set me straight". As has been pointed out before...lots of great products are manufactured in China...and at the same time, complete **** gets manufactured in the United States. I'd like to see things manufactured here, but it's not a guarantee of quality.

China does make some good stuff, but we're not talking about ambiguous stuff, we're talking about hand tools, specifically. More often than not, China hand tools are poor quality. More often than not, US-made hand tools of the same type are, at least by general consensus, better quality. Nobody's argument is hanging on absolutes, there are exceptions to every case, it goes both ways after all.

As I have said elsewhere before, I have German tools that put my US equivalents to shame, and I have Swiss tools that put some of my German ones to shame. I've never found any Chinese tools that put anyone else's to shame. It's not for lack of trying.

What do you call it if people automatically refuse to consider a product based on COO, to the exclusion of all other factors? I read this kind of stuff every day on here.

What do you call people who balk at incredulity as if the act of casting doubt, based on available evidence, was inherently wrong? They're one in the same.

Don't want to drag this further off topic, so let's just agree to disagree.

 

[signcrafter]

Wow. Seems like some of you guys are so xenophobic that you see "China" and just can't think straight anymore.

Ya ok. My whole point wasn't that I won't buy a tool made in china, I'm not going to invest in a couple guys importing tools to get rich! I have no problem with China tools, I do try to buy US whenever possible but like you said it's not always possible money wise. But I will not invest in a couple guys saying "you will be helping a struggling American family" who in turn farm out all their labor to china. Why aren't you pushing these "great" guys to "help out other struggling American families" and produce these in the US.

I have no clue why you are pushing these guys so hard? Are you related to them somehow? Like I said before I wish them best of luck and truly hope they succeed. But I see zero reason to invest in their company. If they make it on their own, more power to them. If they were producing the tools in the US and "helping struggling American families" out I would invest in them. But they aren't. They are nothing more than importers of a tool already available.

Their whole "helping a struggling American family out" sympathy plea is sad at best when they turn around and tell all the other struggling American families to get lost by out sourcing the production overseas. Hypocrites and a couple guys trying to peddle another chinese product to get rich, that is all they are. But you can keep pushing them for whatever motive you have to and putting others down if they don't jump up with joy over a company out sourcing production like you do.

 

[hammlm]

I will stay out of all the geo-political and struggling family talk. I missed the first thread, but I must say, these look pretty gimmicky to me. I watched the video and I'm just not feeling impressed or compelled to buy or try these.

Showing the kobalt 11/16" jaw spread didn't impress me. I applaud them for trying to make a go of it, but I don't see this turning the wrench industry on its ear.

 

[JDS968]

My whole point wasn't that I won't buy a tool made in china, I'm not going to invest in a couple guys importing tools to get rich!

I'm not thinking of this as an investment in the company (they're not selling stock, after all), so much as an attempt to generate enough initial business to get the operation off the ground. They're selling (or rather, pre-selling) a set of 7 wrenches for $80.

But I will not invest in a couple guys saying "you will be helping a struggling American family" who in turn farm out all their labor to china. Why aren't you pushing these "great" guys to "help out other struggling American families" and produce these in the US.

I have no clue why you are pushing these guys so hard? Are you related to them somehow? Like I said before I wish them best of luck and truly hope they succeed. But I see zero reason to invest in their company.

Like I said, I'm looking at this as a pre-sale rather than an investment. And I don't give a **** about the "struggling American family" gimmick (theirs, or whatever hypothetical ones you're talking about). I just want to be able to buy the wrenches. And I want enough people to buy them that I get the 7 piece set, and then a full 8mm-25mm set, eventually. And that's not going to happen if everybody gets so hung up on "OH NO CHINA" that they won't give what looks like a perfectly good tool a chance.

They are nothing more than importers of a tool already available.

You guys keep saying this...but can ANYBODY post a link to where this tool is already available?

Oh and the whole "get rich" thing is pretty laughable. I hope the business does well enough to get the products out and expand its offerings, but I'm not under any delusions that these guys are going to "get rich" off of this, and I doubt they are either. People don't get rich selling low-volume specialty products with proportionally high start-up costs and limited profit margins.

Not that I'd begrudge them getting rich or anything, but I don't see it happening.

 

[supersteve]

And I don't give a **** about the "struggling American family" gimmick (theirs, or whatever hypothetical ones you're talking about). I just want to be able to buy the wrenches. And I want enough people to buy them that I get the 7 piece set, and then a full 8mm-25mm set, eventually. And that's not going to happen if everybody gets so hung up on "OH NO CHINA" that they won't give what looks like a perfectly good tool a chance.

I don't give a **** about your "I want my wrenches" gimmick. You have a funny way of asking people for help.
Go shill somewhere else.

Edited to add: Can I get a "Here we go!" anyone?

 

[JDS968]

I don't give a **** about your "I want my wrenches" gimmick. You have a funny way of asking people for help.
Go shill somewhere else.

Sorry, I didn't realize I had stumbled into the social welfare and labor rights message board, I was under the mistaken impression that I was on a tool discussion board. You know, for people who want wrenches and things.

 

[supersteve]

Sorry, I didn't realize I had stumbled into the social welfare and labor rights message board, I was under the mistaken impression that I was on a tool discussion board. You know, for people who want wrenches and things.

Okay, I'll play.

So go get your wrenches.

 

[djamesm]

Ya ok. My whole point wasn't that I won't buy a tool made in china, I'm not going to invest in a couple guys importing tools to get rich! I have no problem with China tools, I do try to buy US whenever possible but like you said it's not always possible money wise. But I will not invest in a couple guys saying "you will be helping a struggling American family" who in turn farm out all their labor to china. Why aren't you pushing these "great" guys to "help out other struggling American families" and produce these in the US.

I have no clue why you are pushing these guys so hard? Are you related to them somehow? Like I said before I wish them best of luck and truly hope they succeed. But I see zero reason to invest in their company. If they make it on their own, more power to them. If they were producing the tools in the US and "helping struggling American families" out I would invest in them. But they aren't. They are nothing more than importers of a tool already available.

Their whole "helping a struggling American family out" sympathy plea is sad at best when they turn around and tell all the other struggling American families to get lost by out sourcing the production overseas. Hypocrites and a couple guys trying to peddle another chinese product to get rich, that is all they are. But you can keep pushing them for whatever motive you have to and putting others down if they don't jump up with joy over a company out sourcing production like you do.

How's this for a late reply. I am the inventor and a member of the struggling American family. And it is hardly a gimmick. You have no idea. I am an MD, and this is way harder than med school. Do you know what I would have to charge for a set of tools made in America? About 160 bucks for a 7 piece set. And that is just to break even. Who is gonna pay that? You?

 

[kythri]

How's this for a late reply. I am the inventor and a member of the struggling American family. And it is hardly a gimmick. You have no idea. I am an MD, and this is way harder than med school. Do you know what I would have to charge for a set of tools made in America? About 160 bucks for a 7 piece set. And that is just to break even. Who is gonna pay that? You?

Helpful hint:

If you ARE the person behind the effort to make these wrenches, posting snippy/pissy replies to people who aren't enamored of your tools is a bad idea.

YOU need to be professional, and let that roll off your back, because taking this stuff personally and responding like you are (which, I will give you, is slightly more tame than some I've seen) isn't going to do you any favors.

Further, if you're going to attempt to use jingoistic marketing (i.e. your "cash-strapped American family" line), you had better brace for the exact same response that has already happened here: You're touting your Americanism, but sending your manufacturing overseas. That sends a pretty strong message to a lot of folks, and, frankly, it's not exactly a positive message.

Your marketing needs to be based on the merits of your product, not some pro-little-guy/anti-corporate kinda stuff. You need to explain why your product is better than the competition, with direct examples, that kind of thing. General claims of superiority are nothing more than marketing hype, and have been so for, well, ever. It doesn't actually tell the potential buyer anything of value. You say yours is better? Well, the competition says the same thing.

Edited to add: And dredging up a one-year-old post to reply in such a manner? Even classier!

 

[Gmonkee]

OK djamesm, any updates?

I read this when you first posted, but there seemed to be little feedback for the last year or so. I would assume that the fundraising was more widespread than just one forum. It would have to be.

The design seems right enough, the price point average for specialty wrench sets. COO is not one of my bigger issues, quality level is. If quality was up there I would be tempted to try a set one day.

 

[trout]

How's this for a late reply. I am the inventor and a member of the struggling American family. And it is hardly a gimmick. You have no idea. I am an MD, and this is way harder than med school. Do you know what I would have to charge for a set of tools made in America? About 160 bucks for a 7 piece set. And that is just to break even. Who is gonna pay that? You?

If you made a quality tool that was more useful than something I already have, and do so in the US I would be willing to pay $20 + for each piece.

Actually I've already paid more than that for standard combo wrenches and so have a lot of other people on this board so I'm not really seeing your point about having to charge more, people are willing to pay it.

And as someone has already said, I'd rather help a factory full of people who are part of American families than just you.

 

[firebox40dash5]

You're a doctor, and a member of "the struggling American family"? Please, cry me a river, and I'll build you a bridge. Along with all the irony above regarding making that statement while selling not just imported tools, but imported tools from the cheapest, most troubled asian nation... er, communist state.

I certainly understand the financial difficulty of trying to produce goods in the US. Between the political climate, taxes, regulation, and the shuttering of more and more factories that could have made your tools, I can't imagine the difficulty. But seriously, if you want to use the pity strategy, you should probably be doing it in the name of creating more than an opportunity for a couple people to get rich off an import business... that one's been done to death. If you really made a revolutionary product domestically, the quality was there, and it looked like the company would be around to back their 'lifetime warranty' then I would consider a $160 wrench set. What I wouldn't buy is an $80 chinese wrench set from some guy I've never heard of and a warranty I probably couldn't collect on, especially when he throws a pity party over some fairly constructive criticism.

 

[signcrafter]

How's this for a late reply. I am the inventor and a member of the struggling American family. And it is hardly a gimmick. You have no idea. I am an MD, and this is way harder than med school. Do you know what I would have to charge for a set of tools made in America? About 160 bucks for a 7 piece set. And that is just to break even. Who is gonna pay that? You?

A year later you bring this up. My whole point wasn't about COO. I found it "interesting" that you play the struggling family card and try to draw people in by supporting YOUR struggling family. But then you don't support any struggling US families, you do the opposite by sending production overseas. If you would have never played the struggling American family card I would have never said a word. I just find it very hypocritical of you to cry out about struggling but then do production overseas. I will be the first to say that production in the US would probably kill any dream you have of this due to high costs of small runs and like I said your choice to produce out of country isn't what is upsetting. It's how you went about your pitch crying for sympathy about helping out other struggling American families but then you send production overseas. That is all, hypocritical.

Any updates on the actual product a year later?

 

[scaron]

oh sheesh. $170 for a 7-piece set? i can get an 11-piece Wright combination set, made in the US, practically unbeatable quality for $150 in SAE and even less in metric. retail price. you could probably bring your construction costs down if you invested in some manufacturing equipment instead of farming out the work to a job shop. i just spent over $250 on some wonderful US-made S-K ratchets and sockets a few weeks back to replace some cheap chinese equivalents that probably cost me a fifth of that or less when i had purchased them - and i'm happy and proud to do it. speaking from the standpoint of someone who saw the economy in my hometown and home state decimated by the offshoring of manufacturing, as an engineer who has seen opportunities for myself and my colleagues dwindle because of offshoring, i am more than happy to pay a price premium for high quality tools designed and produced in the US or Europe where workers can earn a good wage and companies need to meet some standards for workplace safety and environmental responsibility. there are plenty of others out there who feel the same way. brands like snap-on, cornwell, s-k, mac, wright, wilde and others seem to be able to make a go of it just fine.

 

[djamesm]

Yup, you are right. I want to apologize to anyone I offended. Let's talk about the tool. It is a very compact, flex head open end ratchet with a 30 degree operating envelope. You can tighten the flex head with the torx screw to the point it locks. If it wears with use, just tighten a little more, no problem. It is made of a high quality low alloy steel, quenched and tempered to 42-46 Rockwell C. Nothing else on the market has these combinations of features. It gets to ridiculously tight areas and ratchets the fastener off. I have handed this wrench to professional mechanics and to a man they rave about it.

 

[djamesm]

You're a doctor, and a member of "the struggling American family"? Please, cry me a river, and I'll build you a bridge. Along with all the irony above regarding making that statement while selling not just imported tools, but imported tools from the cheapest, most troubled asian nation... er, communist state.

I certainly understand the financial difficulty of trying to produce goods in the US. Between the political climate, taxes, regulation, and the shuttering of more and more factories that could have made your tools, I can't imagine the difficulty. But seriously, if you want to use the pity strategy, you should probably be doing it in the name of creating more than an opportunity for a couple people to get rich off an import business... that one's been done to death. If you really made a revolutionary product domestically, the quality was there, and it looked like the company would be around to back their 'lifetime warranty' then I would consider a $160 wrench set. What I wouldn't buy is an $80 chinese wrench set from some guy I've never heard of and a warranty I probably couldn't collect on, especially when he throws a pity party over some fairly constructive criticism.

Ok, sorry guys. I am just trying to get this off the ground. I really do have good intentions. I moved to Texas to take care of our wounded warriors as their doctor, and at the same time to interface with foundries. I initially, when I was laboring under the fantasy of manufacturing in the USA, was going to hire our wounded veterans to assemble, sell, manage the organization. Reality stiff-armed me in the face. No way to manufacture this product here. Waaay to expensive. I am a patriot. I spent 8 years in the armed forces. I have an American eagle tattooed on my left arm. It was not pleasant going to China. But it was either that or quit. And I make about as much money as a busy plummer, with way more debt. I ain't rich by a long shot. I can't afford my own foundry. What would you do in my place?

 

[kbeefy]

Just got to play with these at the SEMA show, I like them. They also had a crowsfoot prototype, very cool!