For what its worth...
Just got back for checking out these swivel head ratchets: Gearwrench (at Sears), Harbor Freight Pittsburgh and Lowes Kobalt models. I had to be out anyway, so I'm not charging the extra 2 hours of my time and gallon of gas to the " swivel ratchet research" project.
HF had just one 3/8 regular length (96782) left on the rack. It had the yellow ovals on the red handle, lots of 3/8 stubbys with no yellow. The regular size was on sale for $12.99, stubbies same price, but not on sale. I couldn't see any obvious way to disassemble either version. Both sides looked flush with the frame. Maybe if you pull the head off of the split shaft something reveals itself. They worked fine, and looked well finished, but the torque required to get it to ratchet seemed a little high to me. Compared to my "raised box" handled Craftsman from the 80' (which isn't exactly like butter) it took more torque to get the Pittsburgh to move. The 3/8 felt more like what I would expect on a 1/2 inch ratchet. The 1/4 inch was better, but still seemed like it was a little tight. The 1/2 inch seemed tight too, but didn't seem much more that the 3/8. On the 1/2" regular length swivel head, with yellow handle, it was obvious that there is a retaining clip of some sort, that would allow you to take it apart.
I compared the Pittsburgh swivel 3/8 to the Pittsburgh 3/8 indexing version that was almost the same price but not on sale. It took much less force to turn. (It was less than my Craftsman takes too.)
Next I went to Sears and looked at the Gearwrench 1/4 & 3/8 swivel head set. Both units took noticeably less torque to make them ratchet compared to the HF Pittsburgh units. I wanted to buy them on the spot. They were $59.99 for the 1/4 & 3/8 set. You can buy both the Pittsburgh 1/4 ($9.99) & 3/8 ($12.99) for $22.98 on sale. I didn't actually need them today, and since the Gearwrenches weren't on sale, I kept my powder dry and my money in my pocket.
I've been watching since November for the Gearwrench to go on sale at Sears, but haven't notice them. Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches yes, but not the ratchets. Maybe I missed it.
Then to Lowes. The Lowes around me carry the Gearwrench ratchet wrenches, but not the ratchets. But they did have 1/4 & 3/8 swivel ratchet in their Koballt line. It felt just as good as the Gearwrench at Sears, probably made by Danaher, just like Gearwrench. But unlike the Gearwrench and Pittsburgh swivel heads, the Kobalts don't have the quick release. The 1/4 inch was $25 and the 3/8 was $30, not on sale. The other difference is the handle. The Kobalts have a softer, more comfortable (imho), blue handle. Maybe a compromise on durability though?
Conclusion: Depends on what you need. Its worth it to me on the 1/4 and 3/8 to have the lower ratchet torque. And I'd like to have the quick release, so I'll wait until the Gearwrench set goes on sale, or I'm working on something I could at least use them on, then buy the Gearwrench 1/4 & 3/8 inch set.
But I also bought the 1/2" Pittsburgh swivel head on the way back home for $17.99. Its ok as-is for my purpose, and I can see how to open it up, so I can try some better lube to see if I can maybe make it even better. It will also give me something to play around with, to see if a swivel head will be as much help as I expect it will. If not, at least it has more teeth than my box handle Craftsman 1/2 inch.
If you're considering the Pittsburgh units, I would not rule out the possibility that if you tried 10 or 20 of the Pittsburgh units, you might find some that are much better than the rest. And I have no idea about "breaking in" a ratchet. This is the first time I've bought a ratchet since I busted my K-marts, and upgraded to Craftsman back in the 80'.
That's just my untrained, non-certified, unscientific observation.
P.S. If any of you guys want to send me the pro stuff to prove how good it is, I'll be happy to get you my address.
