xtremek
Well-known member
I love my flex head, bent handle SO. I bought it over 30 years ago and it's still my go to, never leave home without it, got to have it, favorite ratchet.
What Is The Best 3/8ths Ratchet?
- Thread starter Bobcat753
- Start date
cassidy
Well-known member
I've seen these bent handle ratchets, been wrenching for 20 years, never tried one. What's the appeal for the bent handles, I've never really understood them
Murphy4570
Well-known member
My go-to ratchet is my Snap-On F936. Older 36 tooth ratchet, standard length. I have a bunch of the 80 tooth ratchets too, bu for general work I grab the 936.
rlitman
Well-known member
You've pointed out many of the things I look for in a good ratchet. In my order of preference:
1) low back drag
2) tight drive side fit
3) reasonably high tooth count (more is better, less than 60 is worthless to me in a 3/8" ratchet)
4) repairability
5) strength vs warranty ratio
1) Back drag on ratchets drives me nuts. With cheap ratchets, I feel like my arm is putting more work into the mechanism than into what I'm trying to turn.
NOTHING I've seen beats the back drag on my Bonney T707 ratchet. My F80 comes relatively close, but still isn't there.
2) If it doesn't fit right, its ****. Plain and simple. Sorry Craftsman. Sorry, most Asian imports (my Stahlwille torque wrench has a great fit, so I'm still ok with imports, just not bad ones).
3) I can't stand the 36 tooth F936. I'll put up with 36 teeth in 1/2" drive, but it's just too coarse in a 3/8", and the F936 has a lot of back drag to go with that, due to the sealed mechanism. I actually prefer the old US made Craftsman RP to these.
I actually really like my Titan gearless mini ratchets. But they're not made for high torque.
4) My Bonney T707 (and A707 1/2" drive version) ratchets are not serviceable at all. I'd be really upset if I broke one. I got a second A707 on eBay, and it was not in working condition, so I popped it open. It looks to actually be stronger than an F80 inside, but I still relegate these to lighter duty uses and put the hard work on my Snap On stuff.
5) If it's really strong, I don't care much about a warranty I won't use. If it's super light and high performance, but made of glass, I'd be ok with that too, so long as it is painless to get replaced when, and not if it breaks.
jwsia
Well-known member
THe Bonney A707 I have is crazy smooth
Xenocide
Well-known member
I like my FLF80 but tbh any long handled high tooth count flex headed ratchet would be good. It's just so damn usable
Brandon_Lutz
Well-known member
Mine is my Armstrong 60 tooth ratchet. I use it on about everything I work on. 
BFR128LFTG 3/8 88 tooth, 12 inches long is good leverage, I want to get a stubby flex eventually.
Just saw that same picture used in an eBay ad.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321479275247
lol.
One more thing from me:
I love stubby ratchets, especially for engine work. I've got plenty of hand and arm strength to break a dozen fasteners free for the one job I might or might not do in a week. (Read: my approach may not work for pros who need to conserve their strength over the course of a long strenuous day).
Once the fastener is loose, all that beautiful hard handle, or polished chrome is just slowing me down. One could argue that best utility would be a 3/8" 18V impact gun and a stubby, or a long flex head and stubby. Here's the one I have;
I love stubby ratchets, especially for engine work. I've got plenty of hand and arm strength to break a dozen fasteners free for the one job I might or might not do in a week. (Read: my approach may not work for pros who need to conserve their strength over the course of a long strenuous day).
Once the fastener is loose, all that beautiful hard handle, or polished chrome is just slowing me down. One could argue that best utility would be a 3/8" 18V impact gun and a stubby, or a long flex head and stubby. Here's the one I have;
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rice rocket
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 3,175
Probably the same guy, he spams the classifieds w/ his Matco ad as well. Not sure what the forum policy is on dealers leveraging the forum for their own gain without being a paid advertiser, but so it goes.
I've seen that same pic posted in about 10 different threads here recently. Not saying a guy can't be proud of his tools but if it's to generate interest in his online business that's not right. Smart... But not right.
Wayfastwhitie440
Well-known member
Anything snap on 
abvw
Well-known member
My daily beaters:
Snap-on FLL80, FHLF80 and TF72 that I use em like breaker bars
What I have in the drawer:
Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk
Snap-on FLL80, FHLF80 and TF72 that I use em like breaker bars
What I have in the drawer:
Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk
bigdav160
Well-known member
Just piling on. Yes, the SnapOn 80's are nice. I still like my old round head SK 43875
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
His for sale add is a huge side hustle.
raiderhillbilly
Well-known member
I like the one they designed in 1939 and still make it 80+ years later. That would be S-K. You can not sell the same design for 80 years and it not be awesome. My number 2 choice would be the RHFT variants.
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SASORacing
Well-known member
Do you have the rubber grip version? I think I heard it's basically snap on but is the quality there? How's the 1/4in?
woody 73
Well-known member
I bought a used box of tools some back and inside was a 3/8 ratchet made overseas marked bench top (sold in K-mart); What a sweet ratchet a real joy to use.
I also use an old 3/8 ratchet from NAPA that is also very nice; I guess what I am trying to say is that the op should try as many as he can until he finds one that becomes his go to ratchet.
I also use an old 3/8 ratchet from NAPA that is also very nice; I guess what I am trying to say is that the op should try as many as he can until he finds one that becomes his go to ratchet.
SASORacing
Well-known member
That's very true, I have a soft spot my heart for quick release ratchets. Like when I'm working fast and get a nice mechanics flow going with cman raised panels, vintage Stanley, kobalt even! It feels great to push a button drop a socket and put another on with one hand.
I used to adore QR but after getting used to Snap-On it's really tough going back. It seems best to use one or the other, it's tough switching back and forth, and grabbing one with a QR and forgetting to push the button while trying to take the socket off.
That said, non-QR ratchets do a lot better with stepped sockets so you have something to grab.
That said, non-QR ratchets do a lot better with stepped sockets so you have something to grab.
same! For the money, they are ridiculous.
ZOA NOM
Member
I've gotten more use out of my twist handle ratchet with a wobble extension than any other tool. I'm amazed how many tight places you can get to.
