Ratcheting Wrench Failure test

[Fedwrench]

Granted, this is Matco propanganda on you tube but, it compares the failure point on a Snap on, Gearwrench, and a new Matco ratchetig 13mm wrench. Judge for yourself.

 

[DTB]

All of them seem ok in my book,if you have to use a cheater pipe on all 3 of them to push them to failure.Can you put 140 foot pounds of torque on a standard length wrench by hand? And are these the new ratcheting wrenches made over seas with the 90 tooth internals? Funny that it shows the GW wrench taking more torque than the only USA made wrench in the test...

 

[rmsg0040]

^^ 140 ft lb by hand, you gotta be hercules. If ur using a cheater bar on these ratcheting wrenches, then your not using the right tool and will obviously break.

 

[GMZ]

Pointless propaganda. Thats what torque wrenches and their polar opposites, breaker bars are for. Reeks of similarity to Amsoil's 4 ball wear test, a completely useless method for testing an engine oil.

 

[JDS968]

Aside from the irrelevance of breaking a ratcheting box end with cheater pipe...I suppose we could also point out that they did this "experiment" with a sample size of 1 of each, so who knows whether the results are even statistically significant, it wasn't like the competitors failed at 140ish foot pounds and the Matco failed at 200

I'd say they all "pass" as far as I'm concerned.

 

[fourtythree]

Interesting test, but nothing in that video made me think I have to own Matco wrenches. 140 ft-lbs is more than I need in a ratcheting box end.

 

[Fedwrench]

The video isn't about using the right tool for the right job. It illustrates something that has been debated here many times, breaking fasteners loose with a ratcheting wrench. If anything, it shows that there's no sense in spending big money for a truck brand when Gearwrench will get it done for a lot cheaper.
I wished they would have used current Kobalt, Titan, and Mac edge. EZ Red, I'd like someone to test those EZ red wrenches to failure. How much does one of those torque testers cost any way?
I think Matco's point is that you'll bend the wrench before the Kabo made ratcheting mechanism will fail.

 

[Rico.]

Interesting test, but nothing in that video made me think I have to own Matco wrenches. 140 ft-lbs is more than I need in a ratcheting box end.

Best Avatar Ever....

 

[Dillithium]

What kind of a ***** breaks bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench, let alone with a cheater pipe on it? What a stupid test.

 

[BJ42LX]

And the handle on the Matco bent, too. To me, that's as much of a failure as the other wrenches.

 

[north]

Does the Matco wrenches come with a cheater pipe to utilize the über toughness?

 

[Hiball]

What kind of a ***** breaks bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench, let alone with a cheater pipe on it? What a stupid test.

LOL.. Id be willing to bet Ratchet Wrenches get used to break fasteners loose on a Minute by Minute basis, Even more on Monday thru Friday between the hours of 7am to 5pm at your local Mechanic shop. The Cheater? Probably not as much but theres one in every box. Ill admit ive used Ratchet wrenches to break fasteners loose, Im not Perfect.

I would have like to see the test with the previous regime of Matco Ratcheting Wrenches, I have a sneaky suspicion the numbers would have mirrored the GW's.

 

[Skin]

All of them seem ok in my book,if you have to use a cheater pipe on all 3 of them to push them to failure.Can you put 140 foot pounds of torque on a standard length wrench by hand? And are these the new ratcheting wrenches made over seas with the 90 tooth internals? Funny that it shows the GW wrench taking more torque than the only USA made wrench in the test...

72 teeth basic 12pt. The only ones with 90teeth are spline drive are the 9 series. The 7 series demonstrated are made by Kabo of Taiwan. They also arent priced too terribly for a truck set (8-19 for $155). The Snap-On set would run $350. Neither are stamped USA .

What kind of a ***** breaks bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench.

Just about everyone who wrenches full time i'd wager. Sometimes all you can fit in a space is a ratcheting box end. I'd also go a step further and say most have also at least chain linked the wrenches to get more leverage.

 

[Hiball]

Just about everyone who wrenches full time i'd wager. Sometimes all you can fit in a space is a ratcheting box end. I'd also go a step further and say most have also at least chain linked the wrenches to get more leverage.

Say it Aint So?

 

[vintagefan]

This is garbage. I've gone through THREE sets of Armstrong ratcheting wrenches (appear to be identical to Matco besides name stamped on them) trying to get just a single set that functioned correctly, and I couldn't.

A minimum of two wrenches in every set... getting stuck, self-reversing, skipping teeth.

In reality, my sample size is actually six sets, because I was getting a set of SAE and Metric each time.

IMO Danaher USA made ratcheting wrenches are garbage, and I wouldn't waste my time trying to find another set that functioned properly.

FYI I obtained all three through different official sales channels at seperate times, so it wasn't like I got a bad batch.

72 teeth basic 12pt. The only ones with 90teeth are spline drive and are reversible. The 7 series demonstrated are made by Kabo of Taiwan. They also arent priced too terribly for a truck set (8-19 for $155). The Snap-On set would run $350. Neither are stamped USA .

I was under the impression that the Matco reversibles were identical to Armstrong reversibles and also made in the USA?

Are the wrenches tested a different series?

If Matco had as much problem as I did with the USA made wrenches, I don't blame them one bit for switching to Taiwan.

That said, my Snap-on have NEVER come non-functioning out of the package.

 

[Skin]

This is garbage.

Again the ones showed in the video are made in Taiwan by Kabo. Not Armstrong like the older pro-swings.

I was under the impression that the Matco reversibles were identical to Armstrong reversibles and also made in the USA?

Are the wrenches tested a different series?

If Matco had as much problem as I did with the USA made wrenches, I don't blame them one bit for switching to Taiwan.

That said, my Snap-on have NEVER come non-functioning out of the package.

The reversible pro-swings might still be USA, as are the stubbies, but Matco has expanded their ratcheting wrench line heavily so many of the sets are made in Taiwan. The 7 series wrench arent reversible, they look like a replacement for the basic 0* offset rebranded GW sets that Matco use to sell.

 

[Dillithium]

Just about everyone who wrenches full time i'd wager. Sometimes all you can fit in a space is a ratcheting box end. I'd also go a step further and say most have also at least chain linked the wrenches to get more leverage.

Assuming it's a combination, there's an open end on the other end, why not use that?

 

[Hiball]

Assuming it's a combination, there's an open end on the other end, why not use that?

Wait a Minute.. Its Better to use the open end to break loose a Fastener versus a Ratcheting end?

LOL

 

[Skin]

Assuming it's a combination, there's an open end on the other end, why not use that?

on a stuck fastener? excellent way to destroy a couple sides of the bolt/nut, the wrench, your hand, or all 3.

 

[supersteve]

Sometimes these threads help illustrate which members are the Harry Homeowners and which are the battered bastards down at the repair shop.

 

[vintagefan]

on a stuck fastener? excellent way to destroy a couple sides of the bolt/nut, the wrench, your hand, or all 3.

Not if you have a Snap-on ratcheting wrench with an FD+ open end.

 

[B17E1943]

Dumb question - does anyone make a ratcheting wrench with a box end?

 

[jetmech09]

Dumb question - does anyone make a ratcheting wrench with a box end?

Yes, I know matco does. I believe snap-on does now too. One end ratchets, the other end doesn't.

 

[B17E1943]

Ah - thanks!

 

[wreckerman5357]

Chain Linking wrenches is my favorite way to break tools! I have only broken a couple of wrenches in my time and every single one of them was linked up to another wrench when it happened. I have done this more times than I can count and will get you out of a tight spot (literaly), but can also be hard on tools. I will add that i have done this far more times with zero problems than the few where i have had something fail.

For us pros, sometimes you have to abuse a tool because you can't call uncle on a job just because you don't have a tool that will accomplish the task while being used in a manner it was designed for. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[str8axle55]

I`ve jammed up my Gearwrenches just snugging up a bolt before final torquing with a regular box wrench. They are handy to have, but don`t take any torque. I`ve had a 4 pc set for 15-20 yrs, don`t use them much and I wrench for a living.

 

[Brad54]

What kind of a ***** breaks bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench, let alone with a cheater pipe on it? What a stupid test.

I'll tell you.
In a junkyard, the first three fasteners come right off with the ratcheting wrench, using a little "oomph" to bust them loose initially.
The fourth one is "The One." There's ALWAYS one.
You get on it and give it the same "oomph" as before, and it doesn't break loose. You're pulling it toward you, so you've got a LOT of force behind you. You give it a little more, and steadily increase the pressure because by now you're thinking "the other three let lose waaay before now... just a little more will get this one." Then its "Dammit, come lose!" and you're pulling on it and finally it busts lose.
Then you go to ratchet the wrench, and oops... the head is locked up... it is now "a wrench," and no longer "a ratcheting wrench."

I use my ratcheting wrenches all the time in junkyards, at the track, on road trips, etc.

During normal use, sometimes tools get pushed beyond their limits.

It's not surgery or rocket science... I'm not going to use a regular wrench first to bust loose all the fasteners, then put it away, then get the ratcheting wrench and remove them.

-Brad

 

[garfunkle24]

What's wrong with using ratchet wrenches to break fasteners loose? If I understand that I may shorten it's life but I'm willing to give that up for convenience, isn't that a valid choice too?

I can probably save more in the time saved walking back to my box for the "right" tool than replacing a couple of wrenches a year. That is if my Snappy guy didn't readily warranty them, which he does.

I get tired of the "right tool" preachers, especially when they're not pro wrenches and have the luxury of infinite time.

Hell, I bet my ratchets would last longer if I used a breaker bar instead in every single instance where it was possible but it would sure slow me down.

/rant

 

[d_rock]

What kind of a ***** breaks bolts loose with a ratcheting wrench, let alone with a cheater pipe on it? What a stupid test.

Flat raters can't be using one wrench to break a bolt, one to spin it, and one to tighten it. You will never get anything done changing tools every 10 seconds. So guess i'm a *****.......

 

[Dillithium]

Wait a Minute.. Its Better to use the open end to break loose a Fastener versus a Ratcheting end?

LOL

Rather that than destroying or reducing the lifespan of the ratcheting wrench.
But I really can't imagine not being able to reach for a box end wrench, or a breaker bar while trying to break loose a bolt.

on a stuck fastener? excellent way to destroy a couple sides of the bolt/nut, the wrench, your hand, or all 3.

I'll agree that it depends on the situation, but I would still rather spare the ratcheting end. If I can't get it with the open end without feeling like I would round it off, I would reach for a different tool.

Flat raters can't be using one wrench to break a bolt, one to spin it, and one to tighten it. You will never get anything done changing tools every 10 seconds. So guess i'm a *****.......

I think using the word ***** was a bad move on my part, I didn't mean to be offensive. I was simply genuinely surprised that people do it. I'm also not trying to tell people how to use their tools, but every tool has a purpose and I try to use it in the right situation.

But it can't be a SUPER time consumer to have two wrenches near you instead of one, at least that's how I feel about it.

 

[plinker]

Hell, I bet my ratchets would last longer if I used a breaker bar instead in every single instance where it was possible but it would sure slow me down.

Same here. I dont use my breaker bar's that often, mainly to hold the nut or bolt I'm turning instead of a wrench. I prefer moving up in drive size's instead.

That being said I try to use the right tool, but it's not alway's possible (especially when your in the field or junkyard and do not have it).

 

[shampoop]

Looks like a win for gearwrench to me!

 

[sdguy55]

Assuming it's a combination, there's an open end on the other end, why not use that?

Sometimes these threads help illustrate which members are the Harry Homeowners and which are the battered bastards down at the repair shop.

............

Ok now that i just got done picking my jaw up. I have never had the disfortune to have to use a cheater pipe on a ratchet wrench. And i link together wrenches all the time. But only with a regular wrenches. That being said i have GW ratchet wrenches and they have held up fine to professional use for 3 years now.

 

[buco]

I'd use them to break bolts all the time. Working in a production enviorment you make do with what is on hand.

Management will never have a problem replacing a broken tool if it reduces downtime.

 

[battlegraduate09]

this ***** uses ratchet wrenches to break loose bolts, namely the 1 single bolt that international thought was a good idea to put under the hot side pipes behind the doser, turbo actuator and oxygen sensor. its such a damn tight fit, cant ever see it, cant get a socket on it, just gotta feel it, and its much easier to get it broke loose with a ratchet wrench than a 0 offset boxed end that i have to take off and struggle to get back on everytime i move it.

 

[JDS968]

I'll start loosening up a fastener with my Gearwrench reversible combinations if it's not particularly tight, but if it's a big fastener or corroded or something, I always start with a fixed box end. And I don't see what the big deal is, either. When I open my box and grab the Gearwrench, I grab a Snap-On or NAPA in the same size. Start it with the fixed box end and then stick it in my pocket or drop it on my rolling service cart, take the ratcheting box end out of my pocket or pick it up off the cart, use that. Takes what, 2 seconds?

 

[Ken81590]

Cool video, but when will you ever put that much torque on a ratcheting wrench, or even a regular wrench alone? lol

 

[kippieland]

The video isn't about using the right tool for the right job. It illustrates something that has been debated here many times, breaking fasteners loose with a ratcheting wrench. If anything, it shows that there's no sense in spending big money for a truck brand when Gearwrench will get it done for a lot cheaper.
I wished they would have used current Kobalt, Titan, and Mac edge. EZ Red, I'd like someone to test those EZ red wrenches to failure. How much does one of those torque testers cost any way?
I think Matco's point is that you'll bend the wrench before the Kabo made ratcheting mechanism will fail.

Do you know who makes the titan, kobalt, ez-red wrenchs?

 

[magova1104]

Great video...............................If you are 16 and are about to buy your first set of wrenches.

 

[j.c.whitney]

GearWrench FTW!