What are your favourite ratchets

[normspanners]

Terrible mate. Did you get yourself set up again since ?

sorry missed that Yes I have had to buy all new gear again that is why I have steered away from snap-on still go on the van and get the odd thing but the quality of cheapish tools has advanced to the point that quality is nearly equal and good enough for me at 64, they will all be going to a charity shop soon unless I start repairing wheel chairs in the 'home'
but was annoying to lose a 40 ft freezer trailer half full of tools and gear. I suffered night terrors, still do on bad days coz I was killing people in my sleep.
I had more tools than most people/ garages I know, if I struggled to do something the next week I bought a snap-on tool to do it.

 

[Cobbler]

They took the trailer complete? Was it ever found?

 

[Ruffian]

I know exactly what you mean,
And it's not just the bought tools,

It's the personal made tools that don't cost nowt but are absolute life savers.
If I have to use a tool twice I want one for my own tool box.

 

[normspanners]

They took the trailer complete? Was it ever found?

no,they made a hole in the roof, wrecking the 8k tool boxes to get in them they helped themselves when ever they could, it was in storage whilst I had my bad period , got a little back poss 3k worth, two small crates full with a little help from a local bad(ish) boy that I have helped over the years, he knew where some had been sold. turned out a mates garages lads had bought some from the scrotes.

 

[JohnH]

Heres mine. Two 1/2" Eloras and a 3/8" Snap-on.

I bought the Snap-on at a car boot at least 25 years ago for pence. I had no idea who made it until a couple of years ago. Its got no markings other than AT-8022 on it. Apparently its a Snap-on from a Packard Merlin tool kit, so that makes it 70 years old. The thing I like about it is the grease nipple for lubing the ratchet. I use it most days, apart from the 3 months of winter!

 

[Rocketman]

It doesn't matter where a tool is made. It does matter where the Quality Control department is however.

Talking about USA on tools, doesnt mean they are made in the USA unless it actually says "Made in USA". it could just mean that its a tool supplier based in the USA. You have to watch these yanks as they are slippery barstewards. The same goes for the Germans. I used to buy a lot of Elora tools and it always said Made in W.Germany on them. More recently it only says Germany on some of them. When you look at the box they come in it now says "Elora a German tool company" or some such. Not quite the same thing. Gedore are the same with their Carolus brand. No mention of where the tool is made when its not being sold in Germany, just a load of talk that Gedore is a German company, implying that Carolus is also German, but of cause we know they are not, especially as when they are sold in Germany their local regulations insist on full disclosure so it says "Carolus, designed for Gedore, Made in Taiwan".

Gedore makes virtually all there tools in Germany and beyond that it's Europe. (which is nice after the pre 80s India experiment)

No big secret Carolus use the far east how on earth would they meet the price point otherwise? They never say all Carolus tool are made in Germany or Europe. BUT...... there are quite a few bits and bobs of Carolus that are made in Germany and are virtually identical to the Gedore versions but cheaper - torque wrenches, punches, centre punches, some spanners I know of for sure.

Fundamentally one of the problems is importing steel into China. I have been involved in tooling in China since the 90s and tax put on imported steel makes it difficult to use and very expensive - they just don't want it in the country. So you use the local steel and you will here from virtually everyone their equivalent grades are inferior - you know we used to test it when tools came back and a hardness tester showed up the problem pretty quickly.
So the position is that on virtually every specification I have seen for mould tools made in China test certs and importation docs are required for the mould plates or the tools will not be accepted. (Though you are screwed when a tool turns up made out poor steel and it simply need to run or the project is dead - a lot of swear and then it's chucked on the mould machine)
So the question is there can you really see China importing steel for cheap hand tools? I can't.

 

[Turbo]

The bottom 1/2" ratchet is from my draper expert set, one of the first things I bought when I started working. This was 27 years ago when the draper expert stuff was made in Germany & it cost me nearly a weeks wages! I think it's all made in China now & the quality has suffered!

The 3/8" & 1/4" ratchets are from a nutool professional set I bought in Makro 20 years ago. I have seen the identical set branded as Sealy professional so it's decent stuff. It has certainly stood up to many years of abuse yet still works perfectly.

This is the only separate ratchet I have ever bought new, a 1/4" sidewinder. When you wind the red handle on the end the drive turns - very handy in tight spots. It was bought to do the coil packs & plugs on a flat 4 Subaru engine, a very difficult job.

This ratchet & extension came with some tools I bought at auction. It may look like a 1/4 drive but it is actually a 7mm square drive! There's a crows foot on the extension so it may be for some military purpose.
It's no use for sockets but it happens to fit the myford chuck on my lathe so it lives there now.

 

[JohnH]

View attachment 126766

. It may look like a 1/4 drive but it is actually a 7mm square drive! There's a crows foot on the extension so it may be for some military purpose.
It's no use for sockets but it happens to fit the myford chuck on my lathe so it lives there now.

9/32" you often find them filed down to 1/4".

I've got the 3/8" and 1/2" as well. I never use them, just curios.

 

[Brad93]

I’ve got snap on dual 80 ratchets and find them brilliant.

 

[Brad93]

I bought this ratchet about 8 weeks ago. Snap on USA stamped on the head and handle. This years date stamp. Can off my local snap on guy.

 

[atomant48]

I bought this ratchet about 8 weeks ago. Snap on USA stamped on the head and handle. This years date stamp. Can off my local snap on guy.

I was looking at them on the truck today. They’re in the January brochure so not sure if there’s a deal coming. Hope so.

 

[Brad93]

Pay cash. Always be cheaper than the deals. Sometimes I do like to have a receipt though

 

[Richard.]

I prefer the steel handles to the comfort grips. Weight distribution is just nicer and more balanced. I’ve got a new flex head with the plastic handle and it’s nice and comfortable but the balance on my steel handles are much nicer imo.

 

[Rocketman]

I prefer the steel handles to the comfort grips. Weight distribution is just nicer and more balanced. I’ve got a new flex head with the plastic handle and it’s nice and comfortable but the balance on my steel handles are much nicer imo.

Yeah I'm with steel handles on ratchets it just always feels better to me and much easier to clean.

 

[Richard.]

Yeah I'm with steel handles on ratchets it just always feels better to me and much easier to clean.

Yeah that’s a good point. Plastic and rubber is a pain to keep clean.
I find them too top heavy as well with the light weight handles. There is also the movement restriction to contend with in super tight spaces. A narrower metal handle will get that extra vital click when the bigger plastic handle hits the restriction point.

 

[normspanners]

Ya'all dont work outside then ? I prefer the soft handles, find it easier on my old hands, spanners are SO cold when you get them out at -2 deg and I dont really suffer from cold hands, but hey ho each to their own eh

 

[Welderpaul]

These are my favourite - Britool don't make these any more so i've just bought a second hand one of ebay. Very nice solid tactile tool to use and cater with some abuse.

 

[Richard.]

Ya'all dont work outside then

90% of my tool usage is outside or in stone cold buildings on site. Still prefer a metal handle personally. Gloves tend to fix the problem if you suffer handling cold metal. It’s never bothered me. Give it a few minutes in your grip and they soon warm up.

 

[normspanners]

I dont even wear latex cant bear them, I have tried and tried, they annoy me to hell. IMO you need the feel, but having jcb buckets for hands doesnt help, they are seemingly starting to make gloves to fit humans of late, i have noticed the v of the fingers are getting close to my knuckles of late, rather than halfway between the knuckle and middle bone it appears.

 

[Richard.]

but having jcb buckets for hands doesnt help,

Lol
One of my oldest dearest friends and ex colleagues is like that. He’s a monstrous Scott. Human forklift we called him because if he couldn’t move it there was only the forklift left that could. He had mittens that could swallow tools. Impossible to buy gloves for him. He made me laugh one night shift (dunno if he was joking or not) but he told me his Mrs was into spanking till she she met him. Ha ha ha. I’m Not surprised poor girl it’d be like getting walloped with a wardrobe door ha ha ha.