Just thought I'd share this, because it's what we do on Garage Journal!
Not too long ago, I ventured into one of my favorite local pawn shops, and found an old Wright 3400 3/8 round-head ratchet in a bin with a bunch of other old, crappy Chinese-made ratchets and sockets. You know, the one with the tootsie roll handle. This one was old enough that it had the single-pawl, 41-tooth design. I've already got more 3/8 ratchets than I really need. But I love every Wright tool I own, and it's a brand (unless you frequent Garage Journal!) that most people don't know about. So, what the heck!
I asked the guy at the counter what he would take for this old clunker. 50 cents!
Deal!
I was impressed by the smoothness and low backdrag of this thing, so I was happy. I posted my find in another thread about favorite low tooth-count ratchets, and another member reminded me that Wright offered rebuild kits if I wanted to upgrade to the new dual-pawl (82 position) mechanism. I thought about it, but those Wright rebuilt kits are pretty dang pricy. Rebuilt kits for SK and even Snap-On were almost half the price. Considering how you can get a brand-spanking new 3400 for less than $40, it just didn't make sense to sink nearly $30 into a rebuilt kit. So I passed.
That is, until I visited another pawn shop, and they had another 3400 with the newer dual-pawl mechanism. Again, in a bin with a bunch of other ****. Curiously, the end of the tootsie roll handle was all chewed up ( metal was showing through the end), but the chrome was in pristine condition. I got it in a $15 haul, so essentially I paid less than $3 for the thing.
Even though the chrome was in better shape on the newer ratchet, I wanted the handle on a ratchet to keep in a car toolkit. So I just swapped the mechanisms. Easy as pie!
I've got a couple of observations, in case anyone wants to chime in. First, I removed the chewed-up handle of the newer 3400. Unlike a lot of other ratchets with "comfort" handles, the steel in the Wright is uniform in thickness until the very end of the handle – instead of a different design to help hold the handle onto the ratchet. I thought about finding some kind of decent driver handle and installing it. But I have to say, I don't hate the feel of the 3400 without the handle. It's both strong and comfy, even if it isn't necessarily contoured to your hand.
Also, if you look at the picture, there is a marked difference in length in the two ratchets. Maybe some tool historians/afficiandos can chime in here.
Wright currently lists the 3400 as a 7" ratchet, but the older ratchet with the handle intact is just about 8" (shy buy about 1/16).
Did Wright ever make the 3400 at a longer length? Or has the handle just slipped down on this particular one to make it appear longer? I wonder because there is absolutely no loss of strength. In fact, I used that older Wright with the handle, before the mechanism upgrade, to do a semi-emergency brake job on my wife's Honda CR-V. I used a lot of torque and banged on it some to get the job done.
So I'm just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.
Lesson – pawn shop owners don't know about Wright Tools. I can think of a couple of wrenches I've bought at amazing prices – got a 1" Wright wrench for $1. It had a tiny bit of surface rust, but it cleaned right up. My 9mm and 11mm wrenches are Wright pawn shop finds. So you might find some of your very best tools if you frequent local pawn shops!
Not too long ago, I ventured into one of my favorite local pawn shops, and found an old Wright 3400 3/8 round-head ratchet in a bin with a bunch of other old, crappy Chinese-made ratchets and sockets. You know, the one with the tootsie roll handle. This one was old enough that it had the single-pawl, 41-tooth design. I've already got more 3/8 ratchets than I really need. But I love every Wright tool I own, and it's a brand (unless you frequent Garage Journal!) that most people don't know about. So, what the heck!
I asked the guy at the counter what he would take for this old clunker. 50 cents!
Deal!
I was impressed by the smoothness and low backdrag of this thing, so I was happy. I posted my find in another thread about favorite low tooth-count ratchets, and another member reminded me that Wright offered rebuild kits if I wanted to upgrade to the new dual-pawl (82 position) mechanism. I thought about it, but those Wright rebuilt kits are pretty dang pricy. Rebuilt kits for SK and even Snap-On were almost half the price. Considering how you can get a brand-spanking new 3400 for less than $40, it just didn't make sense to sink nearly $30 into a rebuilt kit. So I passed.
That is, until I visited another pawn shop, and they had another 3400 with the newer dual-pawl mechanism. Again, in a bin with a bunch of other ****. Curiously, the end of the tootsie roll handle was all chewed up ( metal was showing through the end), but the chrome was in pristine condition. I got it in a $15 haul, so essentially I paid less than $3 for the thing.
Even though the chrome was in better shape on the newer ratchet, I wanted the handle on a ratchet to keep in a car toolkit. So I just swapped the mechanisms. Easy as pie!
I've got a couple of observations, in case anyone wants to chime in. First, I removed the chewed-up handle of the newer 3400. Unlike a lot of other ratchets with "comfort" handles, the steel in the Wright is uniform in thickness until the very end of the handle – instead of a different design to help hold the handle onto the ratchet. I thought about finding some kind of decent driver handle and installing it. But I have to say, I don't hate the feel of the 3400 without the handle. It's both strong and comfy, even if it isn't necessarily contoured to your hand.
Also, if you look at the picture, there is a marked difference in length in the two ratchets. Maybe some tool historians/afficiandos can chime in here.
Wright currently lists the 3400 as a 7" ratchet, but the older ratchet with the handle intact is just about 8" (shy buy about 1/16).
Did Wright ever make the 3400 at a longer length? Or has the handle just slipped down on this particular one to make it appear longer? I wonder because there is absolutely no loss of strength. In fact, I used that older Wright with the handle, before the mechanism upgrade, to do a semi-emergency brake job on my wife's Honda CR-V. I used a lot of torque and banged on it some to get the job done.
So I'm just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this.
Lesson – pawn shop owners don't know about Wright Tools. I can think of a couple of wrenches I've bought at amazing prices – got a 1" Wright wrench for $1. It had a tiny bit of surface rust, but it cleaned right up. My 9mm and 11mm wrenches are Wright pawn shop finds. So you might find some of your very best tools if you frequent local pawn shops!
