Craftsman professional thin profile ratchet

TorzJohnson

TorzJohnson

Joined
Aug 4, 2001
Messages
4,973
Yeah, I know - a ratchet, big deal. Everybody's got one of these. But anyway I got this one for Father's day so I've gotta brag on it a little.

Those of you who have regular Craftsman socket sets know that the standard ratchet leaves a little to be desired. They're cheap and they work, but they have coarse teeth and the knob that switches directions is loose and cheesy. The handles are too short to get a good turn going. The other day I was replacing my lawnmower blade, and it worked ok... but all these shortcomings finally got to me. I dropped a few hints and this morning I unwrapped this:

00944995000-dlv.jpg


Fully polished, sleek and fine-toothed... The switch knob is firm and the whole thing is long enough to give you good leverage. 10 times nicer than the standard ratchet. I don't know if it's anywhere near a Snap-On but it couldn't be much nicer for the price.
 
Did you get the 3/8" drive? I've done mechanical work for years and I like some Craftsman tools better than the comparable Snap-On ones.
 
I greatly admired that little item when I saw a commercial for it. May go on my Xmas list.
Each year, I tell my sister-in-law to buy "Whatever Bob Villa is peddling this year".
 
I've got the flexible stubby fully-polished 3/8" ratchet handle. It's great for tight areas around an engine. This new thin handle might have to find a place in my tool bag too.

I've also got the "screw out" damaged screw remover set, and it seems to work as advertised.

Does anyone have the wrenches with reversible ratcheting closed ends? They're pricey, but look really neato. :D
 
FoxholeAtheist said:
Does anyone have the wrenches with reversible ratcheting closed ends? They're pricey, but look really neato. :D
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I had two sets of Gear wrenches©, one with a 15 dergree offset, one without. Both sets were returned. They're not very rugged. Went with the basic Craftsman double ratchet box end set. They're bulkier than the former two but have stood up to abuse better. I carry them but rarely pull em out but for taking nuts of long threaded rods in *semi-tight* spaces (they're coarsely geared). My most used wrenches and the most versatile IMO are flex head wrenches.
http://www.armstrongtools.com/catalog/products.jsp?groupID=135
While we're speaking of ratchet drives, I picked one of these up last week.
http://www.mactools.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNum=XR8PAZ
It might seem a little steep but if you do a lot of wrenchin, it's slicker than owl sh!t on a doorknob. Outstanding handle and a real time saver in tight spots. It's the best I've ever used.
 
Gear Wrenches not rugged? Are you kidding? I've never seen one break. If you really wrench on them (double wrench), they might jam, but a quick tap on a hard surface unjams them. Even if one did break, they are lifetime guarantied. The only complaint I could have about them is that the handles are a little thin. But the ratcheting head part of them is flawless. Every mechanic I know has a set of the originals or one of the versions that came out later (like blackhawk). Each person loves them and again, I've never heard of one breaking. I'd never waste my time, money, or tool box space on those big bulky coarse geared wrenches.

As for the ratchet mentioned in the original post, I saw one at Sears the other day. It is definitely nice. But thin profile, it is not. Maybe in comparison to their normal ones, but its still a thick tool (not that thats a bad thing). I think it was priced around $40 too, which to me is a bit too high. Quality seemed quite nice though. I could see buying one if it was on sale.

I'm a big fan of SK/Facom ratchets, especially for the smaller stuff. I generally stay away from rubber handles because they get slimy in use but these don't really have that problem. And the fine teeth are second to none. I really like these:

http://www.mytoolstore.com/sk/sk03048.html

I've used the newer Mac ball bearing ratchets and think that they are junk.

YMMV. :)

Mark
 
All of my ratchets,6 or 8 between work and home,are Craftsman,good enough quality,but the best guarantee on any product,used for any purpose,anywhere on earth.

At my local Sears at least,I walk up to any register with a broken tool and no receipt and no story on how it got broke and walk out with a brand new tool without any paperwork and with a smile from the salesperson,right then,for life.That is hard to beat.

However,for ratcheting head wrenchs,I prefer Cresent,They have 5 degree gearing and the head pivots 180 degrees.They are real timesavers and amazing for tight spots.The Craftsman wrenchs don't pivot and the pivoting head makes it.
 
12 Gauge Shogun said:
Did you get the 3/8" drive?
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Yep, that's about all I need. Might pick up the 1/4" drive if I get tired of using the adapter.
Minjin said:
I think it was priced around $40 too, which to me is a bit too high.
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They have it for $34 around here, still high but I don't plan to buy another! :)
 
I like mine...

My only complaint is in odd positions the pear shape leaves ya sliding off the wrench... not exactly a comforting feeling!

That being said the ratchet mechanism is top notch, and my abuse (farm equipment...) hasnt scratched it up!

Good tool...

I also like the long handle 3/8ths ratchets put out by craftsman... a little sloppy while ratcheting, but gives ya one more option before reaching for a breaker bar! :cool:
 
I had an aluminum Mnt bike handle bar laying around unused and I cut it in half. A little mashing on each end gave me a pair of 12" handle extenders for my ratchets. The narrow end fits the 3/8 handle and the bulged end fits the 1/2". It works like a charm and I hardly ever need to reach for the breaker bars.
 
Thats hard on the ratchet mechanism...

The old 1/2 inch drive craftsmans can handle 8 feet of pipe by the way...

The heads tend to snap (casing) before the gears slip though! :D
 
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