Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
After a few weeks of pondering what 3/8" drive in 1/4" body ratchet to buy, I finally bit the bullet and bought a Wright 3430 off of Ebay for $30.99.
Primary Use:
-Servicing accessibility and mobility equipment (scooters, wheelchairs, llift equipment, etc.). My service tool kit consists of a Napa Professional 3/8" drive shallow/deep SAE/MM socket set with a standard length ratchet. often times I find myself wanting a shorter ratchet or a lower profile ratchet. I use every size socket in the set, and I didn't want to carry around an additional 1/4" drive set.
My Criteria:
-Made in USA
-Good reputation for quality
-Low profile head
-Price (willing to pay for quality, but not wanting to break the bank)
Ratchets Considered:
-Snap On FC72 $73
-Wright 3430 $31
-SK 45173 $32
Thought process:
-I love Snap On Dual 80 ratchets, but they are damn pricey. I really didn't want to spend $73 on this ratchet, and I couldn't find one on Ebay used at the time. Ultimately, the cost was the main factor, but also the head is quite a bit bigger than the Wright.
-I have no experience with Wright ratchets, but I have a breaker bar from them that is a work of art for what it is. From all of the positive reviews, I knew this ratchet would be of good quality, especially for the price. Also, it's obvious it has a much smaller head than the Snap On.
-I have a complete set of SK standard length round head ratchets. While I think they are a very durable ratchet, they aren't the smoothest or most refined. The 1/4" drive is rather smooth, but the fit and finish isn't on par with other ratchets. In general, I'm not a big SK guy.
Review
I obviously don't have a 3/8" small body ratchet from each manufacturer, but I do have a 1/4" drive Snap On T72 and SK 40970 on hand for comparison purposes.
Size Comparison:
-Snap On .543 head thickness (including the selector), .907" Wide, 4.516" Long
-Wright .523 head thickness (including the selector), .828" Wide, 4.73" Long
-SK .63" head thickness (including the selector), .956" Wide, 4.49" Long
Smoothness:
-Snap On feels like a Rolex, smoothest of the group and very little backdrag. The epitome of a quality ratcheting action with 72 teeth. Snappy selector allows for one hand direction changes.
-Wright had the lowest tooth count (I think 45), and the most pronounced action of the group and has the most backdrag. To be fair, the action and backdrag are perfectly smooth, you just feel every "click" more than the other ratchets (due to the much lower tooth count). The selector, like other roundhead actions required two hands for me to operate.
- The SK has 60 teeth and has about the same smoothness and backdrag of the Snappy, but the "clicks" don't feel as refind. Really, a great action for a roundhead. The selector was comprable to the Wright.
Fit and Finish:
-The Snap on has beautiful chrome, a small profile handle, but the largest profile head of the group. Head size was a factor in my criteria, and the pearhead is just flat out larger than the round heads.
-The Wright has buy far the largest handle, but is rather ergonomic and has beautiful chrome (like all other Wright tools). Handle size wasn't a factor for me, but could be for others who are looking at size or grip comfort.
- The SK has lower quality chrome than the other two, but it offers knurling on the handle. I have to say that the knurling works well, but wasn't the best executed I have ever seen. The handle is a good in-between size when compared to the Snappy or Wright.
Conclusion
I'm happy with my purchase and I think I made the "wRight" choice. The ratchet fits my criteria very well. While it's not the smoothest, it's still very nice and nothing to complain about. I was super impressed with how small the head is and the beautiful chrome. I'm spoiled by my Snap On Dual 80 collection, so I'm pretty critical on ratchets. I'm not brand loyal, but I really prefer Snap On ratchets in general. In this case, I can honestly say that the Wright suits me the best and I can highly recomend it.
Now on to some crappy cell phone pics:
I carefully lined them up to get a length comparison.
I wasn't able to get a good head thickness pic, but here is my best attempt.
Wright vs Snappy head profile.
Wright vs SK head profile using pennies as a stacked picture doesn't due the Wright justice. The SK is slightly large in diameter.
Hope this helps some of you in the same boat!
Primary Use:
-Servicing accessibility and mobility equipment (scooters, wheelchairs, llift equipment, etc.). My service tool kit consists of a Napa Professional 3/8" drive shallow/deep SAE/MM socket set with a standard length ratchet. often times I find myself wanting a shorter ratchet or a lower profile ratchet. I use every size socket in the set, and I didn't want to carry around an additional 1/4" drive set.
My Criteria:
-Made in USA
-Good reputation for quality
-Low profile head
-Price (willing to pay for quality, but not wanting to break the bank)
Ratchets Considered:
-Snap On FC72 $73
-Wright 3430 $31
-SK 45173 $32
Thought process:
-I love Snap On Dual 80 ratchets, but they are damn pricey. I really didn't want to spend $73 on this ratchet, and I couldn't find one on Ebay used at the time. Ultimately, the cost was the main factor, but also the head is quite a bit bigger than the Wright.
-I have no experience with Wright ratchets, but I have a breaker bar from them that is a work of art for what it is. From all of the positive reviews, I knew this ratchet would be of good quality, especially for the price. Also, it's obvious it has a much smaller head than the Snap On.
-I have a complete set of SK standard length round head ratchets. While I think they are a very durable ratchet, they aren't the smoothest or most refined. The 1/4" drive is rather smooth, but the fit and finish isn't on par with other ratchets. In general, I'm not a big SK guy.
Review
I obviously don't have a 3/8" small body ratchet from each manufacturer, but I do have a 1/4" drive Snap On T72 and SK 40970 on hand for comparison purposes.
Size Comparison:
-Snap On .543 head thickness (including the selector), .907" Wide, 4.516" Long
-Wright .523 head thickness (including the selector), .828" Wide, 4.73" Long
-SK .63" head thickness (including the selector), .956" Wide, 4.49" Long
Smoothness:
-Snap On feels like a Rolex, smoothest of the group and very little backdrag. The epitome of a quality ratcheting action with 72 teeth. Snappy selector allows for one hand direction changes.
-Wright had the lowest tooth count (I think 45), and the most pronounced action of the group and has the most backdrag. To be fair, the action and backdrag are perfectly smooth, you just feel every "click" more than the other ratchets (due to the much lower tooth count). The selector, like other roundhead actions required two hands for me to operate.
- The SK has 60 teeth and has about the same smoothness and backdrag of the Snappy, but the "clicks" don't feel as refind. Really, a great action for a roundhead. The selector was comprable to the Wright.
Fit and Finish:
-The Snap on has beautiful chrome, a small profile handle, but the largest profile head of the group. Head size was a factor in my criteria, and the pearhead is just flat out larger than the round heads.
-The Wright has buy far the largest handle, but is rather ergonomic and has beautiful chrome (like all other Wright tools). Handle size wasn't a factor for me, but could be for others who are looking at size or grip comfort.
- The SK has lower quality chrome than the other two, but it offers knurling on the handle. I have to say that the knurling works well, but wasn't the best executed I have ever seen. The handle is a good in-between size when compared to the Snappy or Wright.
Conclusion
I'm happy with my purchase and I think I made the "wRight" choice. The ratchet fits my criteria very well. While it's not the smoothest, it's still very nice and nothing to complain about. I was super impressed with how small the head is and the beautiful chrome. I'm spoiled by my Snap On Dual 80 collection, so I'm pretty critical on ratchets. I'm not brand loyal, but I really prefer Snap On ratchets in general. In this case, I can honestly say that the Wright suits me the best and I can highly recomend it.
Now on to some crappy cell phone pics:
I carefully lined them up to get a length comparison.
I wasn't able to get a good head thickness pic, but here is my best attempt.
Wright vs Snappy head profile.
Wright vs SK head profile using pennies as a stacked picture doesn't due the Wright justice. The SK is slightly large in diameter.
Hope this helps some of you in the same boat!
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I can say the wiggle isn't enough to bother me or effect the performance of the ratchet, but I understand what you are saying. I don't have access to a Cornwell guy, so they didn't make my shortlist.
