ajchien
Well-known member
I keep picking up the SK 40970.
suggest a decent 1/4" ratchet
- Thread starter mech-tech
- Start date
Teeth? TEETH?
Astro Pneumatic 9707 1/4" Drive Mini Gearless Ratchet by Astro Pneumatic Tool Permalink: http://amzn.com/B002YK9UI2
Okay, it's not long enough to use a real ratchet, but when space is tight, and things get fiddly diddly, this is the one you need. No accidentally reversing this one, either.
(You can't reverse it, just push the square hex through with your thumb and mount the socket on the other side.)
Astro Pneumatic 9707 1/4" Drive Mini Gearless Ratchet by Astro Pneumatic Tool Permalink: http://amzn.com/B002YK9UI2
Okay, it's not long enough to use a real ratchet, but when space is tight, and things get fiddly diddly, this is the one you need. No accidentally reversing this one, either.
(You can't reverse it, just push the square hex through with your thumb and mount the socket on the other side.)
tribbles
Well-known member
"The compact size of this tool allows access and operation in the increasingly tight under hood areas of today feets vehicles"
If it cant take some pipe action its not a good ratchet.
And, a 1/4" dr. ratchet that can't take a pipe is of no use in southwest Michigan.
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Look for the the tr72 then. But he said he has no access to a tool truck of any kind. I have a few Kobalt ratchets and the are great for the money. I also have the Craftsman premium and for a US made fine tooth and the price cant be beat. Now this is only for the non truck stuff. I prefer Cornwell for truck brand tools. Better pricing for the most part than the others and grat tools. If USA and fine tooth are requirements then I say Craftsman premium. If non USA and big box for warranty then Kobalt. Way nicer than Husky or china Craftsman.
Mr.Nutcase
Well-known member
Tool abuse.............
crewchief888
Well-known member
the last 2 i broke didnt have a cheater on them,
one i never used.
never had a problem with SK 3/8" or 1/2" dr ratchets.
I have a Craftsman premium, older RP Craftsman, Older MAC and Snap On and the latest addition to my 1/4 arsenal: a Harbor Freight 1/4" roto head ratchet.
Guess which one gets the most use? Too early to tell how it will hold up, but I've had it about 5 months and use it 3-4 times per week. So far, so good.
Guess which one gets the most use? Too early to tell how it will hold up, but I've had it about 5 months and use it 3-4 times per week. So far, so good.
shoturtle
Well-known member
The protos are not fine tooth ratchets, their highest counts are 51t. They are very strong ratchets, but the swing is not ideal for very tight areas.
Armstrong is good if you want a made in the USA. The 88t one is really nice.
The kolbalt 72T thin profile that was posted is a excellent ratchet, and become super smooth once you open it and lube it up. They are sold bone dry.
On the high price end, the craftsman premium ratchet with 84t is really nice as well.
Armstrong is good if you want a made in the USA. The 88t one is really nice.
The kolbalt 72T thin profile that was posted is a excellent ratchet, and become super smooth once you open it and lube it up. They are sold bone dry.
On the high price end, the craftsman premium ratchet with 84t is really nice as well.
chris142
Well-known member
don't get a matco. mine reverses all the time. the plastic HF one replaced it.
cmandp
Well-known member
I like my well used SK (actually marked SK Wayne) 40970, has a nice and light but still crisp action.
The Cman Premium is basically the same mechanism less 4 teeth. All my Matco ratchets are great, switched over to their entire line. Get it replaced instead of repeatedly getting PO'd at a malfunctioning ratchet!
kippieland
Well-known member
I have a hard handled Matco 88 that I absolutely love. I also have a small SO T72....its good but not like the Matco (which is the same as the Armstrong 88.) If you need a budgets I would go with the Kobalt....my mom has one and its a good ratchet (needs lube badly) for the money. Not as smooth as the Matco and SO but its cheaper (got mine off of GJ CL for $45.)
I truly like my Craftsman Premium 1/4 ratchet a lot, the overall design and fit and finish are really nice, but it seems the thing just wont work correctly, the lever reverses all the time and it seems to stick and skip quite often. I have taken apart and re oiled it several times to no avail, after looking at the internals I saw it comes with a flimsy tiny spring and the pawl just kind of loosely slides around on top of the inside of the forward/reverse lever.
Maybe I will try and warranty it I just worry since there is really nothing wrong internally with mine the same thing may happen again with a new one.
As another contributor has said, the rotating styles make a lot of sense in 1/4" drive as spinning low torque fasteners is common, as is adding 1/4" bits for a variety of tasks. For this reason the Wera Zyklop is my go-to ratchet:
Where access is tight I like the Facom sealed pear head as it nice and thin with a smooth and snag-free profile. Hard to tell from the picture, but this thing is tiny:
Where access is tight I like the Facom sealed pear head as it nice and thin with a smooth and snag-free profile. Hard to tell from the picture, but this thing is tiny:
I have an SK and like it, no problems, but I haven't really challenged it. If you use a cheater pipe on a SK, be sure to cushion the handle so it dosen't leave marks, SK frowns on that.
I like the USA Craftsman thin profile.
Also like Wright.
KEH
I like the USA Craftsman thin profile.
Also like Wright.
KEH
JML2
Well-known member
I have the new Facom sealed pear-head, the older-style Facom (with the comfort handle), the slim-profile Craftsman, a pair of other very well-made roto-head Taiwan-made ratchets including a Titan and a sweet locking variant that Great Neck imported, a Proxxon twist-handle (very useful for some purposes), and the Gearwrench roto-head.
The first and last of these are my choices when I open up the 1/4" socket bag. The Gearwrench roto-head is the most versatile, fastest to use, and has the longest effective handle length.
The first and last of these are my choices when I open up the 1/4" socket bag. The Gearwrench roto-head is the most versatile, fastest to use, and has the longest effective handle length.
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