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Right Angle Ratchet Screwdriver Recommendation?

J

John in OH

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Looking for a recommendation for a low-profile, right-angle, ratcheting screwdriver. Hoping to find something with a fine tooth count in the ratchet and a low profile. I had a fairly nice Husky unit that I really liked, but it appears to have gone walk-about.

Dug around in the depths of the toolbox and found an old General brand driver similar to this:

General Rt Angle Ratchet Screwdriver.jpg

But it’s pretty junky and has a very course tooth count. There are several others I found on Amazon that look “ok”, but they seem to be pretty pricey (approximate range of $30) … or at least more than I was hoping to pay. The E-ZRed 4SO4 looks nice as it has flexible ends, but I don’t really need the ¼” square drive.

E-ZRed EZRed Item # 4S04 Rt Angle Ratchet Screwdriver.jpg Engineer Engineer Rt Angle Ratchet Screwdriver.jpg

Or, the ratchets look too course …. like this cheapy unit.

Cheapy Rt Angle Ratchet Screwdriver.jpg

Anyway, hoping you guys can offer some suggestions of other brands or performance reviews of any of the above.
 
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Fedwrench

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To me the EZ Red 1/4 stick and the Gearwrench clone are little too bulky to me.

I think the husky one, along with vim and Blackhawk versions are the best ones available.:beer:
 
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dalehsc

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C

Can I try?

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BMack37

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First, buy that last one in your post. It's not great but serviceable and it's the thinnest head and it's cheap, keep it around and only use it when your good one won't fit. Mine is Neiko but I imagine it's rebranded by several companies.

I really like my Felo ratchet, I like that it's made in Germany and fine toothed, you can also ratchet it just by pushing on the back of the head...that being said, there's a small part in me that wished I bought one of the Wiha(Taiwan) or Wera(Taiwan). I like that the both the Wihas and Weras have a thumbwheel on the back. I know they're more than you wanted to pay but sometimes there are deals to be had, I bought my Felo for $15 from a promotion on GJ by a retailer(German-hand-tools). GHTs has promotions every once in a while so maybe buy the first one then pick up the better one later. They're worth the money in tight spaces, they really are. Keep in mind that these can also be used as a regular 1/4" ratchet.
 
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J

jim faston

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plinker said:
I have a Bluepoint similar to the cheapy unit, 72 tooth. Ok quality, has some backdrag though. Fairly compact.


Found it.
https://store.snapon.com/Ratcheting-Offset-chrome-Handle-Ratcheting-Miniature-Straight-P643969.aspx
Click to expand...



Kastar (Lang Tools) seems to be the OEM for these as well as the coarse tooth variety as sold by Sears, etc. The Kastar/Lang three piece set can be had for a much better price than the Blue Point version. I also have the coarse set and wouldn't recomend it. The VIM tools one has worked well for me.

https://store.snapon.com/Ratcheting...Ratcheting-Handle-and-Bit-7-pcs--P643972.aspx

vs.

http://www.tooltopia.com/kastar-hand-tools-5220.aspx
 
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pozidriv

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J

jallyn

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I have the VIM Tools HBR3 and HBR5. The HBR3 has a 52-tooth 1/4" bit ratchet and comes in at 3-1/2" long. Tiny ratchet for cramped quarters. The HBR5 is 4-1/2" long and has the same 52-tooth 1/4" bit ratchet on one end and a 64-tooth 5/16" bit ratchet on the other. It comes with a chrome plated 5/16" hex to 1/4" square drive with spring-ball for socket retention. Damn handy ratchets.

Can be gotten at Amazon.com. You can get it cheaper from ToolTopia.com if you are ordering enough tools to qualify for free shipping.

There is also the HBR4 which is a touch over 4" and has a comfort dual component handle on the 52-tooth 1/4" bit ratchet. And the HBR12 looks pretty cool too for certain automotive applications...getting into real tight spots. The 1/4" bit ratchets on it are beefed up and given 72-tooth ratchets, and a more substantial "quick disk" for manually advancing the fastener.
 
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Sine Swept

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I've got the Vim HBR4 and I reach for it first, though I have a few Canadian Tire Mastercrafts (Regular and Maximum) as well as a Princess Auto Pro Point that is also nice. I believe it is the handle that I am drawn to and the thumb wheel is a nice touch.
 
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winlinmac

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Funny you should ask, I just purchased this the other day, btw also comes in a 2-pack set without the fine ratcheting mechanism

spin_prod_1195869912
 
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bareass172

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I own a small pass through kit from Gearwrench, one metric and one SAE. It is tiny pass-through sockets but the kit came with the bit adapter to drop in. It's not as small as many of these, but for the price it's been very useful.
 
T

TLCObsession

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Does anyone make a good unit where you twist a screwdriver handle instead of swinging a ratchet? I have an adapter for hex drive (similar to the one Milwaukee sells), but a complete ratcheting screwdriver with a right angle drive would be very handy.
 
E

eentzel

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TLCObsession said:
Does anyone make a good unit where you twist a screwdriver handle instead of swinging a ratchet? I have an adapter for hex drive (similar to the one Milwaukee sells), but a complete ratcheting screwdriver with a right angle drive would be very handy.
Click to expand...

I have this:
https://spectools.com/shop/skewdriver-pro-kit-model-fst-3000/

I wouldn't use it when I need every possible once of torque, but for under-dash work and the like, it's pretty handy. The 4x speed feature is also great for things like light switch covers around the house.
 
B

bareass172

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TLCObsession said:
Does anyone make a good unit where you twist a screwdriver handle instead of swinging a ratchet? I have an adapter for hex drive (similar to the one Milwaukee sells), but a complete ratcheting screwdriver with a right angle drive would be very handy.
Click to expand...
Are you wanting a 3/8 drive right angle drive or 1/4" bit drive like that? I have this one:
http://www.carbtune.co.uk/bevel.html
And Motion Pro makes this one:
https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0229
They are right angle, just not ratcheting, but very good.
 
Z

zkling

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Nicest one I have seen is the Mac MRBD5 I think, don't recall the model number right now, would have to go look at it. Fine tooth, very compact, almost too compact at times, made in Taiwan by some company for Mac.

The Snap on is nice and even more regular ratchet like.
Wera is nice as well.
The Kobalt/Husky/Gearwrench 1/4 & 5/16 combo ratchets are not as traditional ratchet style but their length and slender beam profile are handy. For the price for the kit they are hard to beat.
 
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BMack37

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I bought the Kobalt one when it was on sale for the holidays, it was absolute junk.
 
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PJNJ

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I have the Gearwrench branded one and it has worked fine - probably used it about 10-15 times and have owned it about 10 years IIRC.

:beer:
 
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jallyn

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BMack37 said:
I bought the Kobalt one when it was on sale for the holidays, it was absolute junk.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for 10 bucks I got the Kobalt set with sockets and bits. The ratchet skipped so it got set aside and replaced with a VIM Tools HBR5...fits perfectly and the sockets and case are kind of nice. Bits seem a little soft, but for the case and the sockets (both metric and SAE) it was worth $10.
 
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bart1

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Get the VIM. Whichever one fits your needs. I think it's the best and most versatile. The wera is my second fave that I have.
 
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T

TLCObsession

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eentzel said:
I have this:
https://spectools.com/shop/skewdriver-pro-kit-model-fst-3000/

I wouldn't use it when I need every possible once of torque, but for under-dash work and the like, it's pretty handy. The 4x speed feature is also great for things like light switch covers around the house.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I have - but what I would like is if it were all in one. I end up trying to hold the adapter to the screwdriver handle and the thumb-rest to the body - all while pushing against the fastener.
 
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