I have 3 of those ratchets that I got though a Air Force auction, FOD ratchets are primarily made for aviation fields where FOD (Foreign Object Damage) is a concern. Little background I have been a aircraft weapons system technican for the last 17 years and FOD is always a major concern. Basically something could get sucked into an aircraft engine and ruin it (FOD Out the motor) The ratchet utilizes rivets because they will almost never come out so thus not creative any FOD problems. In all of our tool boxes (99% Snap on) any tool that has screw like a tape measure gets coated in a epoxy so that the screws won't fall out. Hell we have magnetic bit adapters that they pull the damn magnets out of just because there afraid of them falling out, anoying as hell when you are trying to pull off a panel that has 50 fasteners and your standing over it, damn bit is always falling out which is stupid as hell to me because there you go FOD hazard. Basically anything that could possibly fall out or come apart gets double bubbled in place to prevent that. I just swapped my 3/8 FOD out for an 80 mine was a 36 tooth i think and I didn't like it at all, the 80 is 10X smoother. I have 2 36t snapon 1/4 FOD ratchets and I dont really care for either, doubt I could break them but there not smooth at all. I would sell them but since there pretty much unserviceable with the rivets no one really wants them. Only way you could tear those ratchets apart is to grind off the rivets.
I haven't seen a actual FOD ratchet used in years they fazed them out years ago when they started putting the 80's in new tool boxes, but as soon as they get a brand new 80 from snap on they put the damn epoxy over the screws, doesn't make a damn bit of difference to us since we dont ever service the tools if they mess up we just turn them back in and get new ones.
