Silverline lifetime guarantee?

[Hitch]

As Rocketman pointed out, none guarantee things like ratchet mechanisms, not even SnapOn.
You may be lucky if you are on good terms with your tool supplier, and it breaks when virtually new, could claim a manufacturing fault.

I happily use my long handled 1/2" ratchet for tightening and breaking.
If I break the mechanism, so be it, just buy a repair kit and off I go again
It hasnt given up or even slipped once yet, but always keep knuckles out of the way just incase

 

[Rocketman]

And adding to that the only thing I ever seem to break if it's a decent ratchet mech is to shear the nut or bolt head clean off.

Which brings me to raise a whole other can of worms - 6 or 12 point. Thing is this if the nut or bolt hasn't been rounded off previous I can't remember ever rounding a head of a nut or bolt using a decent quality 12 point.

 

[Shox Dr]

The amount of Pawls a Ratchet has makes a big difference to the amount of abuse it will take before it slips.

Spanners typically Ratchet Spanners teeth are smaller to allow a smaller arc of engagement. Not a problem if used correctly.

I once used a Cromwell tools Ratchet Spanner with no pawls at all, it relied on a carbon wheel and clutch, very very nice to use. Had to be treated with respect though

 

[atomant48]

The amount of Pawls a Ratchet has makes a big difference to the amount of abuse it will take before it slips.

I assume the more the better?

6 or 12 point. Thing is this if the nut or bolt hasn't been rounded off previous I can't remember ever rounding a head of a nut or bolt using a decent quality 12 point.

Agreed - i never seem to have any trouble with good 12 points, but i have both and have got into the habit of using 6 point unless i need the extra bit of adjustment. I think all my impact sockets are 6 point so there must be a logic to it.

I guess this thread has gone off topic now!

 

[PhillipM]

If it's rusted, 6 point, otherwise a good 12 is generally fine.

 

[richie00boy]

I assume the more the better?

No, the finer the ratchet the weaker it will be. More pawls gives you a finer ratchet.

To be stronger pawls need to be bigger.

 

[Rocketman]

No, the finer the ratchet the weaker it will be. More pawls gives you a finer ratchet.

To be stronger pawls need to be bigger.

Yes all being equal. But they aren't. You tend to find the higher quality stuff still has fine teeth but are much stronger than a cheap coarse tooth version. So a lot comes down to design and quality of engineering in the tool.

 

[PhillipM]

Pretty much what Rocketman said, most of the low tooth count ratchets are chinese made, low budget pieces of s...
The decent stuff with fine teeth usually has them made of out much better material or even have multiple, simultaneous drive pawls so they're a lot stronger.

 

[steviec_lj]

To be fair to Silverline. As pointed out they are for running nuts on or off. Not cracking off or final tightening. So you didn't use them for their intended purpose. And by your own admission you "gave it a good tug"

So "fit for purpose" doesn't come in to it.

So, if his is the case, how do you give the final tighten, or crack a nut off, where you simply cannot get anything else in the space?

Last I checked, spanners ARE for that purpose!

Silverline are budget, I own a couple, mainly for lending out, although along with Silverline lending tools out is something else I steer clear of.

 

[Shox Dr]

So, if his is the case, how do you give the final tighten, or crack a nut off, where you simply cannot get anything else in the space?

Last I checked, spanners ARE for that purpose!

Silverline are budget, I own a couple, mainly for lending out, although along with Silverline lending tools out is something else I steer clear of.

Oh what did the world use before these things were invented



As you say; use a SPANNER not a "Ratchet Spanner" If you can get in with a Ratchet Spanner then you can get in with a SPANNER.

If not, then you need to remove items so you can, or use something like a Crows Foot.

 

[AndyStobbs]

Think we need to malke a Cad presentation to illustrate the idea of a spanner

 

[MattF]

Are we referring to ratchet handles or ratchet spanners here? I've lost the plot.

 

[Bill Edwards]

It is possible to have fine teeth with a lot of strength - such as some of the Snap-on 1/2 ratchets. They have 80 teeth - even more than the 'ordinary' fine ones with 72 - but you could never call them weak. I think they've around 7 teeth in contact at all times.
It's all about quality. I wouldn't ever expect to break a Snap-on ratchet or ratchet spanner using ordinary hand force - never have yet - but if you stick a decent length of pipe on then things will, or could, change. The cheaper ones shouldn't break with hand force either, but sometimes do.

 

[Farside]

This thread is an interesting discussion. I too was always taught not to use a ratchet (they didn't have ratchet spanners in those days!) for undoing / final tightening but I wonder if things have moved on.

No, the essential hasn't changed, even with better materials available. You don't use a ratchet head or spanner to do the nut-breaking or final tightening, it's only for the thread-run.
Sheesh, had that hammered into my thick skull more than 40 years ago by the bloke whose tools I was using and got my **** kicked if I misused them.

As said above, this is all a good reason not to loan tools out!

Nothing's changed in that regard.

 

[PhillipM]

Maybe him hitting your thick skull with 'em weakened them all?

 

[Farside]

Maybe him hitting your thick skull with 'em weakened them all?

This post of yours...
"But if you buy a decent set the bolt will snap before the ratchet lets go."
Robbed you of any credibility.

 

[PhillipM]

Thanks, I don't need any of your credibility though, I've been using my half-decent ratchets for many, many years in all weathers, and have snapped a few bolts with them along the way, and yet I don't have any of them damaged or even unduly worn/sloppy yet.
There is no reason why a correctly engineered ratchet mechanism cannot be far stronger than the bolt it's designed to undo, none at all.

 

[Farside]

Good for you. Really, I mean it.
Have a coconut.

 

[pedrobedro]

I also pointed out to them that they are advertising a lifetime guarantee but not telling anyone that you have to contact them after purchase to get it or you have no guarantee. They say they will look into it.

It's like my Chinese wristwatch with the lifetime guarantee, when the mainspring breaks it slashes your wrist.

 

[Flapdisk]

Well I had a phone call from Trading Standards and they told me that a company issuing a piece of paper that you have to give back to them to get their "Lifetime Guarantee" are doing that for no other reason than in the hope that you don't do it and lose the guarantee, and that it's irrelevant in this country anyway as in this country anything that is sold has to be fit for purpose, and the purpose of a spanner is to loosen or tighten a nut and bolt, if it breaks doing that, it is unfit for purpose. They said that they will be speaking to their head office, as Silverline is just a trading name.