Reasonable 3/8" ratchets

[slow]

I am looking for a reasonable high quality ratchet. I have craftsman ratchets and basic tools. Light wrenching including bolting on superchargers, headers, plug changes.

Using my 10 year old craftsman ratchet just *****, my dads 40 year old ones are far better than my newer ones. (I cannot imagine how bad the made in china ones are now)

I want something better than the basic craftsman, but not necessarily a $200 snap on.

Made in USA is nice, but not necessary. Something with a decent warranty is preferred, and I do not have any tool trucks that I can purchase from. (but I am willing to purchase tool truck brands on ebay second hand)

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[u118224]

Take a look at SK, Williams and Armstrong. All USA made and excellent quality. A lot of GJ members love Taiwan/China ratchets but I'm not one of them. You can buy any of the 3 I referenced for the same or not much more money than a Taiwan/China ratchet.

 

[3baygarage]

Try S-K and Proto for quality USA ratchets.

They are available online. I know Zoro tools is good for Proto. S-K is a finer mechanism and also available at very reasonable prices.

 

[Cato]

I'm really impressed by the Husky ratchets at Home Depot, I think they are around $15.

 

[TonyCH]

I am ignoring the COO as it has little to do with quality, but here is few nice sealed heads:

Bahco 7750 about $40
Williams, $20-40
or even S-O F80 at about $55

New from ebay. I know cheap or expensive is relative but for a tool which will last decades I consider none of the above expensive.

Don't use them as breakers and you won't be needing the warranty.

 

[Herod]

Best ratchet I ever used was a 3/8 drive Indestro, Duro, Wizard pear head. Knurled handle. Best feel. Low drag. A perfect ratchet.

Buy higher end ratchets used on ebay. They are still somewhat cheap. Try them out. Use them. See what feels best in your hand, for you.

Keep the ones you like. Resell the ones you hate. You'll always have buyers.

 

[franzdom]

Std length the Bahco is amazing value, longer and flex I like the Armstrong, but it's a fair bit more money.

 

[BirdMobile]

A few suggestions, based on price:

$10-ish Harbor Freight long handled composite
$20-ish Carlyle R38TD full polish teardrop
$25-ish Husky 3/8 roto-ratchet
$50-ish Used Snap On F80
$60-ish Armstrong 3/8 MAXX locking flex
$70-ish Carlyle 100 tooth 3/8 roto ratchet

All of the above ratchets are excellent machines, I proudly own and use them all. My favorite "go-to" of them all is probably the Armstrong locking flex, but I use the Carlyle roto head a lot too. The cheap-o harbor freight gets a surprising amount of my wrenching time... don't let the price fool you, it's a seriously great tool.

 

[zkling]

Do you like lever or dial directional switch?
A few of my favorites
Older cornwell series
Older USA Husky ratchets, really nice and go cheap.
SK

 

[-->]

SK, Older USA made huskies like posted above, williams.

Honestly though I think I would go with the SK above most of them. And they're very affordable. Not cheap, but affordable.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

SK's are good. Harbor Freight has some nice stuff now if you are on a budget.

 

[bsaint]

Armstrong is the best value. Or you could over pay for an Armstrong and go with Matco who use Armstrong.

 

[Askme42]

I love my armstrongs. Have all three sizes. However I am really liking the sk I just got. They are so smooth it's scary.

 

[stratman977]

The 36 tooth cornwell ratchets are really smooth and have an amazing handle. The warranty is a little more difficult. They can be had on ebay for less than $30. I use these way more than any fine tooth ratchet I got including the snap on dual 80s but if fine tooth is important to you keep looking.

The closest place to the sears warranty no questions asked warranty would be NAPA. It may vary store to store but my local one as long as it says napa on it they will give you a new one for your broken one no questiones asked.

 

[Pumpman1968]

Check ebay for a used S-K ratty.............old school, been made about the same for 80 years.......lots of 'em and very reasonably priced.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Using my 10 year old craftsman ratchet just *****, my dads 40 year old ones are far better than my newer ones. (I cannot imagine how bad the made in china ones are now)

I feel you there. I have an ancient 24T Williams ratchet that is smoother than the newer Craftsman's I had (and sold).

The recent Williams flex head I bought is only 36T (Pre-Dual 80 Snap-On design) and it's insane how smooth a course tooth ratchet can be after using old Craftsman RPs for so long!

As stated by others Armstrong, Williams, SK, Wright and Proto are the best bets for a USA made ratchet that will last a couple of lifetimes.

That said, I reach for my Gearwrench (Taiwan) 84T flex ratchets more than my Snap-On ratchets at work. They've taken all the abuse I can give them, and haven't skipped a tooth.

Also picked up a Kobalt Roto-Ratchet (Taiwan) through Cripe Distributing recently for $14. Been interested in the Roto's, since for most it's a "Love it or Hate it" tool. After the time and effort it saved doing one set of glow plugs, I can call myself a huge fan.

As said by another member, it's all preference and what feels right in your hand. But I can say, just about anything out there is better than a Craftsman RP (and I was a huge fan when that's all I knew).

 

[rancherbill]

Using my 10 year old craftsman ratchet just *****, my dads 40 year old ones are far better than my newer ones. (I cannot imagine how bad the made in china ones are now)

Take it apart and clean and re-lube it.

It makes a huge difference. Some ratchets need it right from the factory.

 

[Askme42]

Take it apart and clean and re-lube it.

It makes a huge difference. Some ratchets need it right from the factory.

This is really the problem I would say with 90% of rough ratchets. They just need a good lubing.

 

[Loscaldazar]

I actually have a proto J5252F that is brand new (only took it apart to lube it) and just hanging out with no plans for using it....It's made in Italy and is incredibly small and smooth. $25 and PM me if interested.

Otherwise I'd go for an Sk or Wright ratchet. Pretty easy to find new or used all over.

 

[Davefr]

I don't care much for HF but they've really "stepped up to the plate" with ratchet quality. Their latest lineup almost looks like tool truck quality. They've also shown that they can innovate as evidenced by their composite ratchet lineup. (they can quickly become your "go to" ratchets for everyday use.)

HF still has tons of **** but I'd have no reservations about using their ratchets.

If the thought of HF is just too repulsive then go with SK, Proto, Williams, Wright or shop the used tool market.

 

[Cope]

The Kobalt Taiwan made ratchets are smooth, but mine are in the car, and don't get used much.

 

[lightning02]

Take it apart and clean and re-lube it.

It makes a huge difference. Some ratchets need it right from the factory.

you would think lol i lube all my ratchets but my cm ones since i didnt use them anymore. i had nothing to do one day and said wth and i lubed a 3/8s that worked fine. i just put little lube on the gear and then spin it couple times. after that it didnt work anymore. it started skipping and disengaging.

 

[BK13]

I have a bunch of different ratchets that I like...
36 tooth Snap On
GW XP120
Armstrong MAXX
HF Pro Series
HF composite
Kobalt Flex

 

[straightcut]

I had used Craftsman ratchets exclusively since I was a child in the early 1970's. After having a few rebuild for me at Sears and getting the plastic selector lever, I decided it was time to replace them all.

I purchased a Snap On F936 (3/8" dr) and a couple of dual 80's in 3/8" drive. The F936 is nice, but the backdrag is very heavy. If I wanted just one SO, I'd go with the Dual 80 due to reduced backdrag. All of the SO's that I have have been cleaned and lubed.

A reasonable, quality ratchet is an S-K. If you shop, you can find them on eBay for slightly less than $15 shipped. Clean and lube it and it will have low backdrag. What I don't like is that it requires two hands to change directions. I've since purchased two of each size (1/4, 3/8 & 1/2) including two long handle 1/2" drive ratchets.

 

[Ruger_556]

Proto XL ratchets are quite nice, I use mine over my FL80 as it fits my hand better. Just a thought

 

[threewood]

I really like my Armstrong MAXX 1/4 and 3/8 ratchets. I also have a newer Craftsman premium grade in 1/2" which is very nice. These are still made in the USA.

 

[Givl Reggin]

If you like your 'sets' to be all the same brand look at the Craftsman Professional 84-tooth ratchets - they are quite nice, USA made and are carried in the stores. I think someone said these are Armstrong brand made for Sears.

 

[dr_clyde]

I own several brands of ratchets, but my favorites are the SO dual 80's. If you're looking to buy just one ratchet, bite the bullet and get a standard Dual 80. Pick up a new one on ebay or just flag down a dealer and pay cash.

If you still can't stomach the price, SK make a really good basic ratchet. My second go to.

IMHO, this is one area where SO really shines.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Using my 10 year old craftsman ratchet just *****, my dads 40 year old ones are far better than my newer ones.

Yeah, mine is about 45 years old. Never rebuilt. Just used it an hour ago !

 

[kctyphoon]

HARBOR FREIGHT.. honestly, I'm willing to bet just about every "off brand / store brand " 72 tooth ratchet comes out of the same factory as the HF ratchets do.. Only difference being name, price, and the fact that some rivet their ratchets closed so you can't open them to clean, fix, lube - unlike HF does..

I honestly woldnt even bother going anywhere else but there if you are not going with a big name.. HF has so many different kinds, they all work great and are reliable, they all have a lifetime warranty, and for what you will spend elsewhere for one ratchet you can leave HF with 3 different kinds.. I have almost all of them even though I have absolutely no use for any.. Although I have been using the 1/4" composites (I have 3 ) at work with the different sized sockets I use attached to each one.. They have worked flawless for years removing everything you have ever seen on a telephone pole..

 

[rapid robert]

Armstrong maxx 3/8 locking flex is awesome, also really like my gear wrench 3/8 roto. Those are my go to ratchets. Had nothing but raised panel craftsman for years the older ones (25 to 30 years) are okay...the new ones are awful. After getting the Armstrong and the gear wrench the old cmans gather dust...

 

[abk241]

I've been using mostly S-K ratchets for the past 40 years with no issues that a cleaning and lube didn't fix.
I can't speak to the pricing today, but back then they were fairly priced.

 

[JAKE-THE-TOOL-MAN]

Armstrong MAXX, Proto, SK, Used Snap on or Cornwell. I also like MAC ratchets but they are very course.

 

[[CJ]]

Wright, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Jason280]

I'm sure its been mentioned, but the new HF composite 3/8 ratchet is a steal at $10-12. Other than that, the Kobalt series are very good ratchets, as are the Gearwrench.

 

[Manny2_0]

You can get a new
so f80
for about $55 on the bay, I saw it get relisted a couple of times cuz I guess it wasn't a deal


Craftsman 84th premium
said to be made by the Armstrong $44 bucks on sale
That's what I got mine for, used some points and it came to $38 otd

I bargain shop though

 

[Galvonzo]

A reasonable, quality ratchet is an S-K. If you shop, you can find them on eBay for slightly less than $15 shipped. Clean and lube it and it will have low backdrag. What I don't like is that it requires two hands to change directions. I've since purchased two of each size (1/4, 3/8 & 1/2) including two long handle 1/2" drive ratchets.

on the SK ratchet.

Quick tip for the day with the SK switch selector, with the switch selector perpendicular to the handle, push up on the left side to loosen, or push up on the right to switch it to tighten. One day I got tired of not knowing which way to turn the selector, so I sat there with it in my hand till I came up with a full proof system.

 

[Tronyadorable]

When you said "mostly superchargers and headers" HF Composites came immediately to my mind. They wont ding anything up if you're talking hotrods or boats.
I never thought I'd buy them or admit it but they're DAMN good.
I've yet to hear a single person say one thing bad on the composites.
That in itself is amazing.......for any brand (except Hazet , of course)

 

[rtole]

Gearwrench 120xp. The only non snap on ratchet I own. Very nice for the money

 

[Jacobson]

I have a basic Craftsman 3/8", and it works just fine.
No idea what the big fuss is over a simply ratchet.
Another vote for lubing what you already got.