TempesT68

iTrader: (1)

I've got the soft grip handle duralast ratchet and it is a quality piece and a for sure knock off of the snap on. It's not quite as nice, but not near the price either and works great for the average person.

SuperSport346

iTrader: (2)

Are Duralast made in the States? That is one reason I buy Craftsman.

Most of my tools are Craftsman, and while I'm only a hobby mechanic, I've only had one or two tools break on me. I've never had a problem with a Craftsman ratchet except for their size. Snap on ratchets and torque wrenches are smaller and fit in places Craftsman won't.

If you buy Craftsman hand tools on sale (especially on black Friday) nothing beats them for the money.

castajc82

New to the forum but as a professional technician i can say that snap-on has its ups and downs. I have a wide assortment of snap-on tools and have no real complaints. Im am fortunate to have a dealer that knows how to take care of his customers and stand by his product. I have a lot of duralast tools at my home garage and for the money and quality you really cant beat em. the sockets and ratchets work great. Sockets grab like they should and ratchets feel just as tight as the snapon 936 series. I have all 80 tooth at work but the duralast do what i need them to do at home. The price point is better than craftsman professional in my opinon.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (6)

Most of my tools ate Craftsman, but I bought most of them 15+ years ago. 5 or so years ago I bought their smooth (professional series?) ratchets and I'm happy with them. Newer craftsman stuff is getting cheap, and they're moving most of it overseas. As a result, I've gone elsewhere for most of my newer stuff. I like SK stuff, but lately I've been getting a lot of harbor freight stuff. I don't use it in critical or high torque situations, but so far for normal use it's holding up fine.

99'CajunFirehawk157

iTrader: (57)

FWIW: just like anything built today, since we’re all trying to find the lowest price, everything pretty much made today is not what it used to be, everything goes to the lowest bidder = junk pretty much. Tools made 10-15 years ago and further back were much better than today’s stuff.

Speaking of ratchets;
Looking for a good, long handled, 1/4" flex ratchet...any recommendations, Damain does Duralast make that in 1/4 drive?

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (6)

I just picked up a Gearwrench 1/4" flex ratchet. It's very similar in style to my older 3/8" Craftsman flex ratchet that I love, except that the 1/4" I just bought has a straight handle instead of the angled handle. I've used it a few times, and so far I'm very happy. The build quality seems very good, and I freed some pretty tight bolts with it and it felt very solid. It's made in Taiwan, not China. Some may not distinguish when choosing stuff, but generally I've found that Taiwan tools tend to be pretty good, especially compared to most china stuff.

Here's the one I bought:
http://www.tooltopia.com/gearwrench-81012.aspx

I bought it at amazon. It was a couple bucks more, but with the free shipping, it worked out better.

blackonblacksls

iTrader: (1)

I do god awful things to 3/8s ratchets. And the best one I have ever had ever is some swivel/rachet handle one that I got from Walmart . Stanley brand. And before anyone says anything. I probably have 3 broken craftsmen ones. And a decent snap on one. And maybe one or two other craftsmens that work.