Round VS Pear head. What is your ratchet preference?

[Scout3918]

Pear head gets my vote.

 

[T45]

Hey, someone better call Wright and SK...i

Do you guys honestly think SK ratchets are competitive with modern designs?

I have no issue using obsolete tools that have good ergonomics and already have been paid for. But the market has moved on. You have both inferior strength and repairability for obsolete designs...

Companies that sit there with their head in the sand are not doing themselves (or their investors or customers) any favours...in the long run.

Modern ratchets are stronger, smaller, more manageble in tight spaces, and fully repairable. Those are non-trivial benefits and even GW and HF are selling loads of ratchets because of this at cheap prices.

 

[PJNJ]

Do you guys honestly think SK ratchets are competitive with modern designs?

I have no issue using obsolete tools that have good ergonomics and already have been paid for. But the market has moved on. You have both inferior strength and repairability for obsolete designs...

Companies that sit there with their head in the sand are not doing themselves (or their investors or customers) any favours...in the long run.

Modern ratchets are stronger, smaller, more manageble in tight spaces, and fully repairable. Those are non-trivial benefits and even GW and HF are selling loads of ratchets because of this at cheap prices.

Sure they are - or - Wright and SK would have stopped selling them. I'm sure Wright is smart enough to make sure that their products are selling and producing a profit for them. I picked up a well-used SK 1/2 ratchet at a flea market for $8 a couple of years ago. I took it apart, cleaned it and lubed it. Works fine and turns bolts as well any other ratchet as do my 1/4 and 3/8 SK's. So do my Wright 1/2 and 3/8 ratchets. I also have pear heads that range from 36 teeth to 120 tooth action (Gearwrench 120xp). But in 1/4, the 60 tooth SK is still my favorite (though my Proto 4752a and Gearwrench 120xp are pretty close). And that little jewel of a ratchet has gotten in every place I have needed it to in the last 50 years.

I have no real preference anymore for one type of ratchet over another. They all work and work well. I don't consider any of them obsolete or novelties. But I get a real kick out of these threads when the terms "obsolete", "inferior" and "novelties" get thrown around.

As for strength, I keep looking for the tests showing their "inferior" strength but I don't see the tests. Please produce the tests showing this "inferior" strength.

 

[Qualitytools]

I like pear head for clearance in tight spaces. However, I do have a couple of round heads and they extremely smooth, such as the Facom. Each has its place

 

[Whchua]

I like pear head..

 

[rockinacummins]

Another pear head vote here - for all the reasons previously stated.

 

[Reese]

I have both and honestly don't see any significant difference in using any of them. I grab a ratchet out of the drawer by drive size and length.

My two favorite ratchets are an SK 1/4 drive and an SK 3/8 drive compact flex.

 

[raiderhillbilly]

They are two different tools for two different jobs. Round heads were designed as a low back drag ratchet for low torque applications, removal, and installation, often pared with a breaker bar or wrench to crack free or final torque.

The pear head was essentially a semi ratcheting weak breaker bar. Their coarse heads produced inconvenient back drag. They were a better alternative to breakers for undercarriage and some engine work.

Today, mostly fueled by Snap Ons intellectual property, tool makers are producing low back drag pear heads that are as strong as breakers rendering round head ratchets, breakers, and all other ratchets obsolete.

Some guys I know have kept round heads almost as novelties or for ergonomic reasons. The best of these is the Snap On 100 tooth swivel. It can function like a ratcheting screwdriver. Has lower back drag than anything else with teeth.

Here are 4 paragraphs and not one scientific fact to be found.

 

[uscarry45]

Pear head hands down no question! and believe it or not my favorite ratchet is an allen brand pear head in 3/8 drive. I have snap on / matco / craftsman / and sk and the one I grab the most is the allen

 

[T45]

Here are 4 paragraphs and not one scientific fact to be found.

Snap on 1/2 drive ratchets are stronger than SK [/B]breaker[/B] bars.

Go break a couple and find out.

 

[T45]

Full disclosure: I prefer old round head ratchets. But the numbers don't lie.

 

[NedNorton]

They are two different tools for two different jobs. Round heads were designed as a low back drag ratchet for low torque applications, removal, and installation, often pared with a breaker bar or wrench to crack free or final torque.

The pear head was essentially a semi ratcheting weak breaker bar. Their coarse heads produced inconvenient back drag. They were a better alternative to breakers for undercarriage and some engine work.

Today, mostly fueled by Snap Ons intellectual property, tool makers are producing low back drag pear heads that are as strong as breakers rendering round head ratchets, breakers, and all other ratchets obsolete.

Some guys I know have kept round heads almost as novelties or for ergonomic reasons. The best of these is the Snap On 100 tooth swivel. It can function like a ratcheting screwdriver. Has lower back drag than anything else with teeth.

I try to stay positive but...

Really? I'm guessing they are just as obsolete as 3/8 guts in a 1/4 body. Or, shade tree mechanics have more to loose than the pro tech when things get tough. (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Wow Adam. Wow.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[montanafordman]

I want to be part of the in crowd but for whatever reason I get more satisfaction from round heads - specifically the standard SK 1/4" ratchets or the SK Tuff1 3/8 ratchets. They just feel that much better for me. I've gotten used to switching the direction lever and can usually do it with one hand - if anything hold it against something if necessary. I've got snap-on Dual 80's in 3/8 and 1/4 and they're nice, but I usually grab the SK.

 

[Local]

Sometimes I wonder how you guys actually take a bolt off or on with all the direction changes y'all do.

 

[BK13]

I like pear heads generally, but I have a new infatuation with a Proto (Facom) round head ratchet....


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[jl4c]

No one has said all RH are bad. My statement, echoed by some other folks, was that, because our first experience with cheap RH ratchets was bad, it's left RH ratchets with a certain stigma for us.

I get it. My first socket set was Taiwanese and cost $2.99 when I acquired it as a 10 y.o. Of course it came with a cheap, round head ratchet. I too had been biased against them ever since.

Recently I've taken an interest in the Kilness patent round head ratchets made by New Britain and sold under many names, including MAC and MATCO.

As member MShaw (who used to work for New Britain in the early 70's) indicated, this design will shear off the anvil before it strips out. Depending on whether the ratchet is a 45-tooth or 60-tooth the locking pawl has either 8 or 12 teeth respectively. With each tooth sharing 1/8 or 1/12 of the load, neither the pawl nor the ratchet head generally strips out. The Kilness patent ratchet design is so strong that both the 3/8" drive and 1/2" drive ratchets use the exact same internals, except for anvil size. If it's strong enough for 1/2" drive ratchets, you can bet it's fine for 3/8", even long handle ratchets.

Attached is my latest find, a CB-45 Husky 45-tooth design. I just cleaned it up, put some Super-Lube in it and it's ready for action again. The Kilness design ratchets have changed the way I think about round heads. Granted, they are a bit more difficult to change direction, but I find that a small price to pay for the strength and small head size. YMMV.

 

[jl4c]

Sometimes I wonder how you guys actually take a bolt off or on with all the direction changes y'all do.

Yeah, I wonder why there is all the inordinate interest in having a ratchet one can switch direction with one hand. I'm sure there are a few situations where it's handy, but often enough that one would forego all the positives of a RH?

I'm glad I'm not too old to change my pre-conceptions.

"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do sir?"
--John M Keynes (who, for as much as I loath him for his economic views, had this right)

 

[T45]

Yeah, I wonder why there is all the inordinate interest in having a ratchet one can switch direction with one hand.

Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but there are loads of times I can remember using a round head ratchet with a knob on it and being pissed when the reverse lever wouldnt work.

There is a couple of user cases where it really is a hassle.

1) Project needs you to hold other things in your non-working hand,
2) needing to keep the non-working hand clean
3) needing to keep non-workin hand bare (without using a glove)
4) having to hold some hard to reach nut in just the right place (typically sight obstructed)

The other related issue is it is usually alot easier to verify by sight or feel if the ratchet is in on/off mode--which keeps you from having to go thru the hassle above. While technically its a different feature, than one-handed switching, it also is useful for the same reasons.

Some ratchets also rotate the mech and can lose positive ratchet / traction on the square drive. This is a defect/non-feature but it creates the same issues above--and sometimes even happens on pear head designs. I believe the complaints on 84T gearwrench ratehets touched on this.

 

[MN_Runner]

I have one round-head ratchet for taking off Honda transmission drain bolt. It fits well for that application and I can kick the snout out of it to break it loose. Other than that I prefer pear-head SO Dual 80 ratchets.

 

[bixxjs]

I have both round and pear head ratchets,depends on the application.

 

[byoungblood]

I've gotten attached to round head ratchets over the past 3-4 years after shunning them for about the past 20. I ran across some old Williams round head ratchets and they're just so smooth. They can be shifted very easily thanks to their star shaped selector.

 

[drink]

Even though I have some round head ratchets I prefer the quick release pear head, or tear drop ratchets. I also have some Armstrong Maxx ratchets that are popular among many. After I thought about it a little I realized I have several different brands and types of ratchets.

 

[Packard V8]

I have a friend who was a buyer for US Steel. He said the S-K round head was the most durable ratchet of them all. He measured durability by the buckets-full of broken rats turned in for new. The S-Ks lasted longest in the hands of workers who often tried to break tools and equipment just for grins.

jack vines

 

[65k10]

I like pear heads generally, but I have a new infatuation with a Proto (Facom) round head ratchet....


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I have a few 3/8 and 1/2 drive versions of the Proto Facoms and I like how small and light they are compared to my other ratchets.

I kind of cringe when I see how many roundhead ratchets I actually own. I guess because the Wright dual pawl ratchets and the various iterations of the 72 tooth Facom were a way to get a fairly good fine fine tooth ratchet for not a lot of money.

I have to admit I like the thinner head and directional lever on my pearheads. Trouble is outside of my 84 tooth Gearwrenches, most of my pearheads are old, low-tooth count designs. Maybe someday when I give up on roundheads I'll have to upgrade to some modern pearheads.

 

[M6erfan]

The only RH ratchets I really like are the Palm Control style (Facom, ProTo). In general I prefer quick release pear heads for their, generally, smaller profile

 

[Pudmechanic]

I've used both and never noticed much difference. Most of my ratchets are pear, some quick release, some not. The only thing I've ever seen regarding a possible advantage to a round head is SK's claim that there's much less back-drag on their round heads compared to pear head ratchets. Never had that much trouble with back-drag in any event, I usually just reach in and spin it out by hand if it comes to that (given sufficient clearance). It kind of makes sense that that round design could be smoother in that regard but I don't know how to measure it. I'm not gonna stop using my pear heads in any event.

 

[Ton ton]

I like both styles of ratchets.

 

[lardy1]

If space/clearance aren't an issue, I prefer my rugged old SK roundheads.

I never understood why people say it takes two hands to switch a roundhead. I do it one handed all the time and my girlfriend even does it. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I really like a thumb switch of the pear heads. But also like finer tooth counts on the smaller rats.

 

[paulsomlo]

I never understood why people say it takes two hands to switch a roundhead. I do it one handed all the time and my girlfriend even does it. Maybe I'm missing something.

If the ratchet has lots of grease between the body teeth and the pawl, and/or there's a substantial socket on it, one handed works, due to either drag or inertia. If you try it with no socket on it, most of the time, the anvil will spin when you try to change directions.

The single floating pawl style doesn't have that issue, though - as in Facom/SK Tuff1 design.

 

[Fialaja]

I’m in the minority here with my preference for roundheads. Most of my ratchets are rhft.