On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 10:53 PM, Wayne <cornerexit@gmail.com> wrote:
> For all my life I ve used low quality (craftsman) ratchets for my wrenching.
> At one time I had one high quality SK but I lost it in a move one year. The
> craftsman ratchets I have are junk. They take 600 degrees of movement to
> ratchet one click, and they are not durable at all. I m tired of having to
> take them to sears only to have sears give me another one with a rebuild
> kit in it that is just the same junk.
>
>
>
> I am going to replace my <, 3/8, and = drive craftsman ratchets with
> something of higher quality and precision. I want a ratchet that doesn t
> require half a football field of movement just to ratchet ahead one click.
> I want to buy fixed head version and flex head versions, but I don t want
> the typical flex head design that pivots outside the perimeter of the head.
> You probably know the type, many of them end up as floppies which won t
> hold a position and have no means of tightening the pivot.
>
>
I've got this ratchet:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=81186&group_ID=20864&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
(I've actually got a set of three, one each drive size). It has a set
screw that lets you adjust the tension. It's also got a locking
mechanism, that holds the handle in the position you set it. It's got
10 or 12 positions, over a bit more than 180 degrees. I like them
quite a lot. My favorite flexing handle ratchet is this one:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=&item_ID=81185&group_ID=20864&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
Mine's old, and doesn't have a tension adjustment. I believe new ones
do. I complained that it had gotten floppied to the Snap-On guy. He
drove the pin out, whacked the yoke with a hammer, put the pin back,
and it's better than new. This one has a bend in the handle, which
gives your knuckles a bit of clearance. It also makes it possible to
use the ratchet as a spinner. Current production ones have 4.5
degrees per click.
I've also got and use a MAC "zero-degree" ratchet. It's not a
ratchet, really, but it's got a mechanism that allows you rotate it
any amount, with zero back-lash. I don't particuarly like it, but
it's very useful for some low clearance fasteners. Some people I know
love them. MAC now make flex head versions, too.
--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt@gmail.com
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