Wera zyklop

[shoturtle]

After account 3 months with my new wera ratchet, I am really loving them.the 72 teeth are nice and smooth. And I am really liking the pivot head. They are pricy but the really are nice.

I do not miss my proto or craftsmen ratchet as they see no uses any more with the wera in my tool box.

 

[e30bradley]

I love mine. I only have a 3/8 drive but its my go to ratchet.. And I have others from SK and Snap on but I like my Wera more.

 

[shoturtle]

Yeah they are great, I have the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. Love my wife she gets me great presents.

 

[e30bradley]

Yeah they are great, I have the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. Love my wife she gets me great presents.

thats awesome. I wish I had a girlfriend to give me cool stuff... how do you like the 1/2 drive? I've heard some say its a little to short. but I think the 3/8 is a tad short to..

 

[shoturtle]

It is shorter then my craftsmen. But it works fine. I never realy break frozen nuts with it, I always used a breaker bar. And I finish off nuts with a torque wrench.

 

[thk2c]

not a fan. Bought the 3/8 set for over 65% off, but ended up returning it. I'll stick to their screwdrivers, their ratchet is not for me.

 

[e30bradley]

not a fan. Bought the 3/8 set for over 65% off, but ended up returning it. I'll stick to their screwdrivers, their ratchet is not for me.

where? and what did you actually pay? I think I paid like $76 for my 3/8 but I could be wrong.

 

[shoturtle]

It take a little to get uses to, but I like that I no longer need to use a universal joint. Hated them.

I really like their kraftform chisel screw driver they complement my wiha precision screw driver set.

 

[RKA]

Haven't warmed up to mine either...I didn't know the handle was that short until it arrived. For some reason I find it awkward to work with it, so it sits unused in the house toolbox. And they used a cheap plastic ring to switch the drive direction. For the price, I would have expected something of higher quality. It's otherwise very smooth and well made.

 

[e30bradley]

Haven't warmed up to mine either...I didn't know the handle was that short until it arrived. For some reason I find it awkward to work with it, so it sits unused in the house toolbox. And they used a cheap plastic ring to switch the drive direction. For the price, I would have expected something of higher quality. It's otherwise very smooth and well made.

I don't like the plastic either.. Thats the worst part about it. I want NO plastic on my ratchet.. all metal

 

[shoturtle]

It looks like the part is powder coated metal. I drop it, and does not look like plastic with the green off.

 

[superautobacs]

For me, the worst part about Wera's socketry stuff is the amount of play on the drive ends. That was a huge turn off for me.

As a specialist in making tools to drive the insides of a fastener, I'll give them credit for coming up with something innovative and unique in their first attempt at producing tools to drive the outsides of a fastener.

 

[canuckian]

I only have the 1/4 and IMO its a great little ratchet. The fact that you can lock the swivel head in place is a great feature. Getting the 3/8 and maybe the 1/2 if I can ever find them at a good price.

 

[american lockpicker]

Is it made in Taiwan or Czech Republic?

 

[shoturtle]

czech

 

[Robbie UK]

I have the 3/8 and 1/4 and it took a while to warm to them but they are now in regular use. I agree with the comments above about the unusual amount of slack between the socket and the ratchet - this is the worst feature of the tool and I can't see why they designed them with so much free play.

German design made in Czech Republic.

 

[shoturtle]

Still an EU made tool, lol

It is funny, when I used a german socket on the ratchet, there is not as much play compare to when I use a US made socket.

 

[woody 73]

Don't you find the handle a bit hard on your hands; looking at them they don't look like they would be very comfortable.

 

[Robbie UK]

Handle is one of the best features!

Which is great for me as my hands and joints are not as good as they used to be.

 

[shoturtle]

That handle is super comfortable, it is the same design as their kraftform screw drivers. Which I actually prefer over the Wiha larger screw drivers.

 

[superautobacs]

Still an EU made tool, lol

It is funny, when I used a german socket on the ratchet, there is not as much play compare to when I use a US made socket.

Can't forget the fact that manufacturers out there have their own tolerance standards. As long as they are conforming to their markets/country standards and tolerance ranges they can market and produce them.
Company "A" might practice strict quality control standards and produce products within a narrower tolerance range. Company "B" on the other hand may have lower quality control standards and produce products with a wider tolerance range.

Company "A" would therefore have socketry items that'll fit with less play than stuff coming out of "B".

Of course, there are a lot of other contributing factors, such as the placement of the indents in the sockets in relation to the location of the ball socket on the male ends.


Anyhow, the handle comfort...

The smiley face says it all I guess.

 

[IndyGarage]

Those who claim it's shorter - did you actually check?

I thought my zyklop 1/2 inch looked short too, but turns out it's exactly the same length as my other 1/2 inch ratchets. Same with the 1/4 inch. I haven't bought the 3/8 yet.

I think they are the best ratchets made right now - I can't imagine anyone saying the handle isn't comfortable - that's the best feature.

They don't really have any plastic structural parts on them. They look a little odd, but they work really well. The only real negative I've found is the size of the head.

I gave one to a friend who's a pro mechanic - snap on guy - and he really liked it. He said he cranked on it pretty good and it didn't flinch.

I think if I were the other tool companies, I'd be seriously considering either reselling the wera's or making a knock off.

 

[Monte]

I think if I were the other tool companies, I'd be seriously considering either reselling the wera's or making a knock off.

one is

 

[shoturtle]

I think some are comparing their 1/2 not to standard but long 1/2 from other brands. Compare to my long old 1/2, it is just a little bit shorter. if they made a long, I am sure they would be close to the same size.

 

[IndyGarage]

one is

]

Wow - even uglier than the Wera.

 

[shoturtle]

That is the wera color of their chisel kraftform screw drives. I have a set. But they are easy to spot. It is not a pretty looking ratchet. But it works well.

 

[Robbie UK]

From the looks of them I thought my Wera were shorter than my regular ratchets but having just checked them 3/8 drive is identical and the Wera 1/4 is 2mm longer (but close enough to 6" to keep the Americans happy). I guess the bulged handle provides a small optical illusion - I use the same excuse on the Wife.

Still think the socket lock-up has too much free play though!

 

[RKA]

IndyGarage is right...just compared it to my F80 and they are virtually the same length. But here is a visual of the issue I have with it. The grip is very short and works well if I keep my fingers next to one another perpendicular to the shaft while holding the ratchet. And notice where the thumb falls. (excuse the teacup pinky thing going on...just wanted to clearly show where the bottom of the ratchet is) This just doesn't feel right. With the F80 you'll see my fingers are at a diagonal with the shaft and therefore spread out over a greater length of the shaft. Somehow the Wera just doesn't feel right. And truthfully, 90% of the time I reach for a long 3/8" ratchet of flex head, not the standard length ratchet...so obviously that's apples and oranges.

 

[shoturtle]

The spinning action really makes putting on bolt fast with either standard socket or hex or torx head socket.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KxgGOiNKdDU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[shoturtle]

Just to put an end to the discussion that the wera is a short ratchet. From left to right 3/8.

My proto, then wera, and my craftsmen RP. The proto is the longest, and Craftsmen the shortest.

 

[gasjockey]

one is

who makes that one

 

[franzdom]

who makes that one

Wera

 

[Monte]

yeah he is right: Wera !
...made for Förch www.foerch.de

 

[bsaint]

What a stupid hokey looking ratchet. The head on that thing is so big, how could you possibly use it to work on anything but a bicycle? I even find normal ratchets to be too large sometimes.

 

[Monte]

Can somebody measure the width of the head ?

 

[shoturtle]

I will the next time I am in Germany, but I do not have any issues with working it on my motorcycles and my car. The head was not that much wider or thicker then my proto. If it is very tight, I would not be using a ratchet and socket. The combo wrenches are what I use.

 

[vintagefan]

What a stupid hokey looking ratchet. The head on that thing is so big, how could you possibly use it to work on anything but a bicycle? I even find normal ratchets to be too large sometimes.

The head is similar in size to other roto ratchets, so it's no different IMO.

A lot of people own roto ratchets, but many of them also own pearheads or roundheads. Every tool is not right for every job. Frankly, if there's that much of a clearance issue, I'm more inclined to go for a regular or ratcheting wrench.

 

[canuckian]

I can see how it looks bigger than, say a snap on swivel head ratchet because the forks are a little thicker but just for arguments sake, I measured it against a snappy thnf72. I only have a 1/4 zyklop so that's all I had to work with. The snap on measured 30.3 and the Wera measured at 31.2, give or take a tenth of a millimeter or 2 (cheapie micrometer). I do agree that swivel head ratchets aren't for everyone and every situation, but I sure do find em handy.
Here's a side by side

Monte.....know of any distributers of the "knock off" version?

 

[Monte]

I can see how it looks bigger than, say a snap on swivel head ratchet because the forks are a little thicker but just for arguments sake, I measured it against a snappy thnf72. I only have a 1/4 zyklop so that's all I had to work with. The snap on measured 30.3 and the Wera measured at 31.2, give or take a tenth of a millimeter or 2 (cheapie micrometer). I do agree that swivel head ratchets aren't for everyone and every situation, but I sure do find em handy.
Here's a side by side

thx for the comparison pic !
the Wera is not as wide as my Koken swivel head for example

Monte.....know of any distributers of the "knock off" version?

yes but not in the US/Kanada
http://www.foerch.de/unternehmen/foerchinternational/

They´re only available through "Forch" distributors/stores/salesmen (similar like "Wurth")

 

[canuckian]

thx for the comparison pic !
the Wera is not as wide as my Koken swivel head for example

No problem...


yes but not in the US/Kanada
http://www.foerch.de/unternehmen/foerchinternational/

They´re only available through "Forch" distributors/stores/salesmen (similar like "Wurth")

dang....denied