SK ratchet opinions

[areyouanywhere]

Hey guys and girls,

I am wondering what you all think of SK ratchets. I am talking about the 40970, 42470, 47170 and others that style. My issues are they have a high profile and the forward, reverse switch is not the easiest to use... you can't just use your thumb to activate it. I don't remember the tooth count but it is lower than most newer stuff, they could improve that too.

I know they have used that design forever and it does work, but in my opinion their are much better ratchet designs out and for a high end tool directed at professionals they could have something better inside their socket sets, or at least offer it separately.

So what do you all think?

 

[vssjim]

I have lots of different ratchets I use at work but those ratchets get used every day. The SK Professional style ratchets you list are great and are good for life as far as quality and durability goes.

 

[Fedwrench]

It's not what we think that matters, it's how the ratchet feels in your hands and how much you enjoy using it that matters.

There are many threads here about the SK round head ratchet. Many people love them as a bulletproof many decades old design. Others as your post indicated, prefer thinner profile, higher tooth count pear head or roto ratchets.
Some people like Fords others like Mopars.

I wouldn't look for SK to change their ratchet deign anytime soon.

 

[vssjim]

It's not what we think that matters, it's how the ratchet feels in your hands and how much you enjoy using it that matters.

There are many threads here about the SK round head ratchet. Many people love them as a bulletproof many decades old design. Others as your post indicated, prefer thinner profile, higher tooth count pear head or roto ratchets.
Some people like Fords others like Mopars.

I wouldn't look for SK to change their ratchet deign anytime soon.

Actually they are saying on the SK facebook page they are going to expand the ratchet line and add another style soon so we will see what they add fairly soon.

 

[Ruahrc]

Just a home gamer here. I have the "short" and "long" versions of the above SK ratchet in both 1/4 and 3/8 drive. I think they are great. As I said just a home gamer so have not run into difficult situations where clearance or quick reversing action was a problem. Not the cheapest ratchets (but far from the most expensive either) but feel worlds better than the Wal-Mart special I had been using previously and also made in the USA.

Tooth count on the 3/8" stuff is 40 tooth I believe, 1/4" is 60 tooth. I heard a rumor on these forums that SK is thinking about releasing a dual-pawl upgrade kit that you could install on these ratchets and increase the effective tooth count. Would be interested to see/try those if they ever came available but so far no problems with the tooth count as-is.

So yeah they work great for me, if I ever run into those problems of clearance, access, etc I will look into picking up more specialized ratchets. I see SK also makes pear head and flexi designs, I will probably look at those first if I find the need.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

Like fedwrench said, it does not really matter what I think, its how you like them, SK ratchets are not for everyone. Also not one ratchet type is best for all situations, and it pays to have some variety, both in style and brand.

I for one, really like them, and have been purchasing more and more versions. I think I'm up over 15 at the moment.

Picture below is what I have at work, as you can see while I like the SK a lot, I have quite a mixed bag of ratchets. Rest of the SK collection is at home.

 

[Fedwrench]

Actually they are saying on the SK facebook page they are going to expand the ratchet line and add another style soon so we will see what they add fairly soon.

OK and SK has been talking about releasing a high tooth pear head ratchet for over two years now. SK even brought out a couple of prototypes at the last SEMA show that were far from impressive. Their rep mentioned the drop in cartridge update for existing round head ratchets but, had no idea how long it would take to bring to market. I wish SK would get their research, engineering. and development sections together but, given the time it took SK to work out the bugs with their X Frame wrenches, my hopes aren't high.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be one of the first in line to buy a new style ratchet from SK but, I just don't see that happening anytime soon. SK's facebook manager needs to quit posting pictures of products no longer available too while we're at it.

 

[Askme42]

I love their 1/4 ratchets and 3/8 in 1/4 body. They are very smooth. The 1/2 is a little too bulky for me. I prefer my Armstrong locking flex head in that size.

 

[Hiball]

My opinion is that people put Way... way... Too much thought into ratchet head thickness/tooth count. I get it... Everyone has seen the little advertising boxes where the manufactures slip a ratchet head/socket into the clearance box and show how "there" ratchet is the only one that can complete the task. Blah.... I suspect there are very few locations even on today's cars where that situation is replicated, of course there will always be personal consumer justification, also expect lots of: "Well you never replaced a waterpump on a Kia whatever model", A Sk ratchet could never accomplish that task. Blah Again.... I own Snap on, Cornwell, Sk, Wright, Apex designs, Genius, HF/Ez red and most of the time I grab my Sk green master sets and a Cornwell rat < oh the horror a 30 tooth rat. The Sk rats aren't really considered coarse tooth, 40-60 +\- depending on model. The round head directional is something one must get used to, one must actually be able to decipher direction physically without simply looking at a lever, it's not for the faint at heart, it also requires some demanding motor skills to accomplish, muscle memory with lots off training is required to perfect the switch.

Of course there is a lot of sarcasm above, its all personal preference, to me the reliability and knurled grip puts them over the top.

 

[bonneyman]

The 3/8" 45170 roundhead is absolutely perfect. The overall weight, balance end-to end, round knurled handle, medium tooth count - it's been my constant companion since the early 80's. The lack of one-hand reversing, superhigh tooth count, and fairly big head were never detriments to me. (The 1/4" is a bit short for my hand, the 1/2" is too heavy and bulky).

The Tuff 1 styles are wearing on me, too.



Though, that doesn't stop me from accumulating them!

 

[zkling]

Awesome, especially the 1/4" version.

 

[dchawk81]

And here I am with Kobalt...

 

[morgaj1]

After going through the new, high tooth-count ratchets from Snap-on, Armstrong and Gearwrench, I realized that I don't like the feel of them. High backdrag ruins it for me everytime. I sold off all those ratchets and am now back to using my old SK and Cornwell ratchets exclusively. Both designs are old as the hills, but just work.

 

[onarant]

My favorite ratchet without a doubt.

 

[KEH]

Perhaps someone on here could discuss the double pawl arrangement in the SK which makes it seem much more fine toothed than it actually is. SK set the standard for smoothness for many years. The only other RH ratchet that I am aware of from the early days is the old Williams

I too am a big fan of one handed reversing.I was spoiled in that regard by having a Thorsen open gear ratchet back in the day. However, with a well broken in, well lubricated SK one can do one handed direction changes with a little practice.

KEH

 

[Brownsfan]

My 2 favorite ratchets to use are my SK 3/8 long handle flex head and my Cornwell 1/4 drive flex head. Then my Cornwell 30t 3/8 in a 1/4 body. Old design but bulletproof. I do own some snap on dual 80s but reach for the old school designs first. Just what I prefer.

 

[shamrock12]

I have all of S-K standard length ratchets as mentioned by the OP. They are my go-to ratchets and get used daily. I actually like them so much that I recently bought a set of their long length ratchets (40971, 45179 and 40170) from Harry J Epstein

My dad has the 42470 (1/2 drive standard length) that is 40 years old which just got rebuilt last week. It was used on the farm for most part of its life, so there were quite some dirt inside which could be abrasive on the gears. I cleaned it up & popped in the rebuild kit and it's as good as new again. This vintage ratchet actually is running smoother than the new factory ratchet as I didn't skim on the grease

They're still being made today for a reason. They're just that bulletproof.

 

[mikebaker1129]

I happen to be a big fan of the SK ratchets in 3/8 and 1/4 ,ijustpurchased a 1/4 flex head
from HJE during SK days.
I really wish they would bring back the little green metal boxed sets.

 

[shoggoth80]

They are tough pieces of work. I've got a 1/2" long handle flex head that I use working on semi-trailers a lot. It also does road-call tire duty for the small trucks. Lots of leverage, pretty smooth. The smaller/shorter round heads... I've got a couple at work. I don't use them as much. I like longer handles, and lower profiles, but it is all relative to what you expect to be working on. As far as build quality, I cannot fault them.

 

[lilcraigford]

Actually they are saying on the SK facebook page they are going to expand the ratchet line and add another style soon so we will see what they add fairly soon.

Oh yeah! There was mention of a new ratchet early last year. I dug up this thread from the end of May. I've been holding off on purchasing a set of Proto "Classic" ratchets to see what SK rolls out: S-K Tear drop ratchet

I've used my friend's 3/8" SK round head a few times. Its a pleasure to use and I really like the simple knurled handle (as with the Proto ratchets). I've just never warmed up to the round head style. As others have mentioned, the SK round heads have a reputation for being rugged.

 

[Banshee365]

I just received my SK 40972 1/4" drive flex head. I have been drooling over it for a few years and finally pulled the trigger. The only thing I was turned off by was the 100 year old look of the thing. But, now that I've held it in my hand and used it I'm blown away. It's like a jewel. The chrome is fantastic and the mechanism is super smooth with very low back drag. I'm sold on SK!

 

[bonneyman]

Perhaps someone on here could discuss the double pawl arrangement in the SK which makes it seem much more fine toothed than it actually is. SK set the standard for smoothness for many years. The only other RH ratchet that I am aware of from the early days is the old Williams

I too am a big fan of one handed reversing.I was spoiled in that regard by having a Thorsen open gear ratchet back in the day. However, with a well broken in, well lubricated SK one can do one handed direction changes with a little practice.

KEH

S-K roundheads - the classic style - have a single "see-saw" pawl. At 45 teeth in the head, that makes it fine enough for most work. Though not as fine as the more modern 72 and 84 tooth rats.

Bonney and Craftsman used the dual see-saw pawls, which effectively doubled the tooth count while halving the wear on each pawl.

Here's the S-K gear and the Bonney gear.

 

[454ragtop]

I have ratchets made by most of the big companies, and lots of SK's in 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and even 3/4 drive and like them a lot. The only complaint I have is with a long (20" ?) 1/2" drive that I use all the time to do a final torque check on lug nuts after putting tires back on. I'm thinking the small number of teeth aren't up to the task in the 1/2" drive. I lube it all the time, but it has failed at least 4 times. A tool seller that used to come around warranteed the whole ratchet for me once, and I've put at least 3 kits in it. Now I keep a spare kit on hand, just know it's only a matter of time till it fails again.
Jim

 

[Rickster]

i use the SK 3/8dr Roto-head - it's nice, not as nice as my Snap-on roto but I still grab for the SK every now and then. I have a couple of their 1/4dr rats, they've got a really good fine tooth 1/4dr ratchet but I like the ones with some wear on them as they seem smoother. Tried but don't like their 1/2dr ... bulky, large and the 3/8dr I find OK but too short.

 

[davethorik]

I have a few SK rats. I bought a vintage SK-Dresser 1/4 and 3/8 set, which I believe is what brought me here to GJ. The only problem I have is that I prefer Wright's offerings.

Now, I wanted to get a bent handle flexhead. The only way you can get the Wright version is with their rubber grip. I vastly prefer knurled, so when I found some new SK 45875, I jumped for it.

I do think SK's 1/4 rat is the best out of their classic line. Never used the 3/4, though. It's finer tooth than the 1/4 if memory serves.

All that being said, I have a SK in a diamond roto that was well used, and it feels nicer than my 45170s. Probably wore in. One of my favorite 3/8 rats.

 

[rapid robert]

Ratchets are a personal choice...I have a bunch of SK ratchets and I like them all...my two favorites are a 3/8 roto and a 3/8 in 1/4 body...love them.

There is no clear answer to which ratchet is best...the best one is the one you like to use...for me my 3/8 SK roto is one of my go to ratchets.

 

[areyouanywhere]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience everyone so far... glad to hear SK is working on making something new and hopefully they always keep the classic one around. If they do make a ratchet based on their new ratcheting wrench mechanism that sounds awesome, I would have to get one.

 

[Deej]

I might just be weird, but I think it's easier to change the ratchet direction one handed on the sk vs my snap on ratchets

 

[Deej]

I love my sk ratchet. I love my snap on ratchets too, but anymore, I'm usually reaching for the 45170

 

[Exceller8]

I have several S-K ratchets and their 3/8" stubby is my favorite.

 

[Hootbro]

I have several S-K ratchets and their 3/8" stubby is my favorite.

Their so called 3/8" drive "stubby" is about the biggest stubby of any brand I have seen and used. Almost to the point of not being practical as a stubby IMHO.

 

[Hiball]

Their so called 3/8" drive "stubby" is about the biggest stubby of any brand I have seen and used. Almost to the point of not being practical as a stubby IMHO.

Eh... It's not really much bigger than anyone else's stubby, the snap FK ratchets are pretty huge also, Mac and Matco are all based off there bigger brothers head size. I don't find myself using a stubby ratchet very often, but there true purpose is only to reduce swing arc, a really don't use my 3/8 in 1/4 head rats either, but I have all of them... Just in case. Lol

 

[sk farmer]

sk ratchets? use them all the time. some over 30 years with very few issues. the new ones will work as well as the older i am sure but bring the old style knurling with a little grip to it. that light crosshatch on them now should be saved for cylinder walls........just sayin.

 

[twertsy]

The 3/8" 45170 roundhead is absolutely perfect. The overall weight, balance end-to end, round knurled handle, medium tooth count - it's been my constant companion since the early 80's. The lack of one-hand reversing, superhigh tooth count, and fairly big head were never detriments to me. (The 1/4" is a bit short for my hand, the 1/2" is too heavy and bulky).

The Tuff 1 styles are wearing on me, too.



Though, that doesn't stop me from accumulating them!

I know the feeling Bonneyman! And these are only the ones that I picked out because they had date codes!

 

[bonneyman]

sk ratchets? use them all the time. some over 30 years with very few issues. the new ones will work as well as the older i am sure but bring the old style knurling with a little grip to it. that light crosshatch on them now should be saved for cylinder walls........just sayin.

A little honing on that handle?

Wonder how many pennies they saved by not deeply knurling the steel.