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Socket Wrench Survey

snapmom

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
3,512
Location
Florida
There are rats with two sizes built in. Also rats with diff length handles you can interchange. Also on the questions, I think most of the people here have more than 10 rats.
 
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67King

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Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
561
Location
Friendsville, TN (Knoxville area)
......only way it will be taken semi seriously is if it is made in the USA. Otherwise, it will be considered another gimmicky homeowners tool from China/Taiwan that will fill the shelves of big box stores.

I'm actually of the opposite perspective. It sounds like a clever device for folks who need fewer occasional use tools. Those are the kind of folks, IMHO, who will not pay a premium for USA stuff. It also sounds like it will inherently be a compromise type of wrench. I don't think a small body/handle will apply enough torque for larger fasteners, and a large one will break fasteners. I think those who'll pay a premium get that, and as such would prefer multiple "right sizes" wrenches.

That said, to the OP. I appreciate the willingness to create and launch products. I've tried 4 times. 2 failures, 1 success, and 1 remains a small, kind of floundering business. It is hard, and the only way to learn how to do it is to have failures. Arthur Blank used to live 2 houses up from my grandmother. He had about 5 failures, and my father had to tell him he couldn't honor his paychecks at the bank......before he founded the Home Depot. Keep at it.
 

Gmonkee

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2010
Messages
2,712
The real glory any ratchet will achieve is the ability to resist failures of all types.

After that ergonomics and other details come into play. Finish is what grabs the eye, ergonomics keep us using it until it blows up. Depending on how many miles we put on it we may buy another too.
Or not if it was short lived or another new shiny widget catches more eyes than yours.
 

PureLeaf

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Messages
1,417
So is the purpose of this for in the car/on the go emergency work/repairs? Because in my garage, with my huge tool boxes where I have 15 ratchets, 9 different wrench sets, etc and all the speciality tools to make specific hard jobs, easy, theres no real concern about space, or lowering the amount of tools, and I can't say I've had any complaints about current tools...
 
OP
C

C0FFIELD3

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Messages
12
Hello, were an engineering team composed of highschool seniors tasked with improving the socket wrench we are looking for feedback and would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to answer our anonymous 12 question survey (multiple choice).

Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...eQJkV7o-w/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

If you are interested we will post the results on 9-18-16

Here are the Results of the survey, the image is too large to upload directly

Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B84G4YIXFbhBaEdQOHJwejJldWc/view?usp=sharing

At a Glance:

52.3% use a ratchet daily

55.2% own 10+ ratchets

21.6% believe that there is lack of versatility

11.5% found owning many ratchets in the same drive size to be an inconvience

the Top 3 Brands were
1) Snap-On
2) Craftsmen
3) Other

32.3% pay $50-100 for a ratchet

Most people look for Durability and Quality in their ratchets

55.7% use ratchets professionally
 

creativecars

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
4,300
Location
Indiana- where horse and buggies still roam
Here are the Results of the survey, the image is too large to upload directly

Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B84G4YIXFbhBaEdQOHJwejJldWc/view?usp=sharing

At a Glance:

52.3% use a ratchet daily

55.2% own 10+ ratchets

21.6% believe that there is lack of versatility

11.5% found owning many ratchets in the same drive size to be an inconvience

the Top 3 Brands were
1) Snap-On
2) Craftsmen
3) Other

32.3% pay $50-100 for a ratchet

Most people look for Durability and Quality in their ratchets

55.7% use ratchets professionally

Okay, So now what???
How do you guys plan to turn this into something useful? So many times someone will do a survey or gather data and think they have done something, but it reality just identifying something means very little. Not trying to bust your chops and I assume you are getting a grade for this, but now what?
 
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Corndoggeh

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2016
Messages
1,198
Chem engineering student here, I enjoy the fact that your teacher is getting you guys geared towards real life problem solving/designing early on, I didn't get into anything like that until junior year. However, unless this was an assigned topic I don't feel that trying to reinvent the wheel is going to work out too well. The ratchet is an extremely simple "machine" that has already had 100+ years of development. Not to mention that the niche I found for ratchets has already been made (extendable ratchets). However, what I would care to see is a chroming process that produces a durable coating and doesn't produce extremely hazardous waste that the current and old chroming processes used. Or maybe even developing a stainless steel ratchet or such? I would care far more about the quality of the steel, chrome, or even reducing the waste created from manufacturing rather than a jack of all trades, master of none type ratchet.

Maybe there should be more focus in being able to reduce the arc between teeth on a ratchet or even increase the strength of the mechanism or even designing a drive that handles more torque than square drive.
 
OP
C

C0FFIELD3

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Messages
12
Chem engineering student here, I enjoy the fact that your teacher is getting you guys geared towards real life problem solving/designing early on, I didn't get into anything like that until junior year. However, unless this was an assigned topic I don't feel that trying to reinvent the wheel is going to work out too well. The ratchet is an extremely simple "machine" that has already had 100+ years of development. Not to mention that the niche I found for ratchets has already been made (extendable ratchets). However, what I would care to see is a chroming process that produces a durable coating and doesn't produce extremely hazardous waste that the current and old chroming processes used. Or maybe even developing a stainless steel ratchet or such? I would care far more about the quality of the steel, chrome, or even reducing the waste created from manufacturing rather than a jack of all trades, master of none type ratchet.

Maybe there should be more focus in being able to reduce the arc between teeth on a ratchet or even increase the strength of the mechanism or even designing a drive that handles more torque than square drive.

This was our assigned topic, and our group members have very little chemical/metallurgical background. So redesigning the materials or manufacturing process would be out of our skillset.
 
OP
C

C0FFIELD3

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Messages
12
Okay, So now what???
How do you guys plan to turn this into something useful? So many times someone will do a survey or gather data and think they have done something, but it reality just identifying something means very little. Not trying to bust your chops and I assume you are getting a grade for this, but now what?

You're correct in assuming this was for a grade, honestly none of the results came as a surprise.

We intend to post a one question survey asking you to tell us what YOU want to see in a ratchet and then make up a list of your responses and see if what we can do.
 

R_einan

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
461
Location
Eastern WA
Interested to see where this leads... Personally, I have a fair number of ratchets, and I am always looking for that one perfect one that will do most of everything I need it to. Obviously, the different drive sizes makes that near impossible, but that hasn't stopped me from trying!
 
OP
C

C0FFIELD3

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Messages
12
Hello, were an engineering team composed of highschool seniors tasked with improving the socket wrench we are looking for feedback and would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to answer our anonymous 12 question survey (multiple choice).

Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...eQJkV7o-w/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

If you are interested we will post the results on 9-18-16



We realized that we were going about our survey all wrong, you guys know far more about ratchets and what you want then we do. We have made a quick (1 question) survey for you to tell us what you want in a ratchet.

Survey link

We are also looking to get in touch (PM) with any machinist out there to talk about how we would manufacture a prototype.
 

M6erfan

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
10,170
Location
'Merica!
Replied to the link.

Basically, there is no "ideal" but I shared my thoughts...

Good luck!
 

Al Bundy

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
2,026
Location
Upstate NY
This seems like an exercise in futility. There is no perfect ratchet the same as there is no perfect woman. As long as they turn your nuts and don't hurt you, they're all great. And everyone has a different opinion as to which one looks the best.
 
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