favorite ratchet?
06-17-2005, 11:20 AM
#1
favorite ratchet? Ok time to fix the 3/8's drive craftsman again. I want a real peice of equiptment this time(no disrespect to anyone who loves them). I dont use the thing as a breaker bar and really dont understand why it strips out so quick but I'm sick of it. I'm looking for your favorite 3/8 inch drive ratchet. 
Weird, I dont have any trouble with the 1/2 stuff at all ever in 20 yrs!
Weird, I dont have any trouble with the 1/2 stuff at all ever in 20 yrs!
06-17-2005, 11:42 AM
#2
I use Craftsman because the price is agreeable and they replace stuff no questions asked... but if I had the money, I'd jump straight to Snap-On. For quality pieces, that's pretty much tops... anything else out there IMO is either not as good as Craftsman, or only negligably better.
06-17-2005, 12:13 PM
#3
Originally Posted by Tranzor_Z28
I use Craftsman because the price is agreeable and they replace stuff no questions asked... but if I had the money, I'd jump straight to Snap-On. For quality pieces, that's pretty much tops... anything else out there IMO is either not as good as Craftsman, or only negligably better.
06-17-2005, 12:14 PM
#4
Originally Posted by 99blancoSS
Is it a free replacement or a new set of gears to fix it yourself? Seems I remember getting gears, been a while maybe I'm wrong?
06-17-2005, 12:48 PM
#7
Originally Posted by NataSS Inc
Oh yeah, Ebay is a great place to pick up snap on tools. I have picked up quite a bit of snap on stuff from there at HUGE discounts.
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06-17-2005, 12:54 PM
#8
Good kit right here, better hurry though, only couple hours left.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...388383227&rd=1
here is the entire ebay listing for "Snap on ratchet"
http://search.ebay.com/snap-on-ratch...fsopZ1QQfsooZ1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...388383227&rd=1
here is the entire ebay listing for "Snap on ratchet"
http://search.ebay.com/snap-on-ratch...fsopZ1QQfsooZ1
06-17-2005, 02:04 PM
#9
TECH Enthusiast
craftsman professional ratchets are really nice. especially the low-profile ones. I agree snap-on and mac have some nice ratchets but the convenience of getting tools at sears is nice.
they'll give you credit for the price of your stripped ratchet toward a professional ratchet, btw.
Though ebay is pretty good, too. lots of deals.
they'll give you credit for the price of your stripped ratchet toward a professional ratchet, btw.
Though ebay is pretty good, too. lots of deals.
06-17-2005, 02:21 PM
#10
Originally Posted by narcszm
craftsman professional ratchets are really nice. especially the low-profile ones. I agree snap-on and mac have some nice ratchets but the convenience of getting tools at sears is nice.
they'll give you credit for the price of your stripped ratchet toward a professional ratchet, btw.
Though ebay is pretty good, too. lots of deals.
they'll give you credit for the price of your stripped ratchet toward a professional ratchet, btw.
Though ebay is pretty good, too. lots of deals.
06-17-2005, 06:59 PM
#12
TECH Addict
I have pretty much every wratchet known to man. Snap-on, Mac, Matco, an Armstrong or two,4-5 Craftman, and 3-4 ultra cheap made in who knows where. My favorite wratchet is an old snap on flexhead that's about 15 years old and on it's 2nd set of gears. It's almost impossible to hurt this thing without a "cheater pipe" to help you. I can ruin a Craftsman Wratchet on one tight bolt. Of course the warranty is excellent, but I get tired of going to Sears for replacements. You get to the point where you just want the friggin' tool to work period ... and are willing to pay 3x more to make sure it does. A broken tool when you NEED that tool NOW doesn't seem any better at the time just because you can replace it for free "later" 
Craftsman makes pretty decent stuff and the newer professional tools feel much better in your hand than did the older stuff, but the real differance is in the quality of the metal that they're made from. Snap-on wratchets are just plain stronger, and I mean by quite a bit. The internals are much better quality. You may not need this level of quality for the home hobbyest, Snap-on or similiar quality tool represent a major investment so be realistic about what you need. Your $$ will go much further in a Sears store, but if you can afford it I go with snap on for my 1/2" and smaller stuff. Above that size and there's really no benefit to a snap on tool IMO. I use a 1" tire gun on my 3/4" Craftsman sockets on a regular basis and have never broken one. Keep in mind that I work in the trucking industry, and IMO nobody abuses tools like a mechanic in the trucking industry.
Craftsman makes pretty decent stuff and the newer professional tools feel much better in your hand than did the older stuff, but the real differance is in the quality of the metal that they're made from. Snap-on wratchets are just plain stronger, and I mean by quite a bit. The internals are much better quality. You may not need this level of quality for the home hobbyest, Snap-on or similiar quality tool represent a major investment so be realistic about what you need. Your $$ will go much further in a Sears store, but if you can afford it I go with snap on for my 1/2" and smaller stuff. Above that size and there's really no benefit to a snap on tool IMO. I use a 1" tire gun on my 3/4" Craftsman sockets on a regular basis and have never broken one. Keep in mind that I work in the trucking industry, and IMO nobody abuses tools like a mechanic in the trucking industry. 
06-17-2005, 07:53 PM
#14
Well Sears owes me a new one regardless, but I would like a Snap on, on top of it. The 3/8 drive ratchet I have has never been real comfortable in the hand anyway, I always felt it was a little short and digs into my palm. I'm looking for a long soft grip flex head if anyone has one they want to sell. They're on ebay but you know how that can be a pain sometimes and the soft grips are hard to find. If one of you has a used one and wants to upgrade to a new one, now would be a good time to sell it to me 
FHLF936A
FHLF936A
Last edited by 99blancoSS; 06-17-2005 at 08:04 PM.
