This thread and others like it are getting expensive for me... Some evil person posted up a Zoro deal on a Gedore 1/2" ratchet/socket set. $57 before the ubiquitous 20% discount making it a whopping $46 shipped! Well, it arrived today and I am VERY impressed. My first Gedore tool and the pictures don't do it justice...
What I like:
In the pictures, they look a bit bulky, crude and perhaps not great balance, but not the case! In person they are super nice... Ratchet is smooth, minimal backdrag. Nice knurling on the sockets and extensions.. Extensions are flex/fixed and work really nice. Case is every super well made!
In short, I love it! So much I just ordered two more to give as gifts (or hoard for myself).
Possible negatives:
The sockets seem to be some sort of flank drive setup, and there is skip sizing (10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,22,24,27,30,32). Some of the sockets are double stamped with metric and SAE equiv.
The ratchet itself is only a 48 tooth (but still very smooth). Not really a big negative in a 1/2" drive
I recently also got the Wera 3/8" Zyklop ratchet/socket set. $90 on sale. A bit apples and oranges since one is a 3/8" set and the other is 1/2", but IMHO, the Gedore blows the Wera away! Half the price for a made in Germany kit vs double for a made in Czech republic. Case is better. Balance is better. Perhaps not as 'pretty', but honestly the Wera didn't impress... Which is a shame because I love there screwdrivers!
Beyond the Wera comparison, I thought it might be interesting to see it next to a Koken and Snap On...
Standard length non-flex ratchets...
Top tier German, Japanese, and USA made tools. The Snappy is a beast. Both the Gedore and Koken weigh in at just at a pound with a 17mm socket attached. The Snappy is 50% heavier right at 1.5 lbs. Gedore 48 tooth, Koken 72 tooth, SO 80 tooth. Some pictures and a quick video below...


