[Mr.NutCase]

what is a good ratchet?, but cheap $$ and not like the craftsman regular?

[Canadian Charlie]

I have a few Gray ratchets which are Canadian made while I have a few Snap On ratchets which both feel just about the same in the palm of my hand. My Snap On's I got from E Bay

[RCastle]

Cheap ratchets are ok,forminor work.If you are going to spend any extended time working on cars,trucks or anything invext in a decent set of tools.Lowes,Home Depot and Sears all three will be able to help you out. I would not recommend Snap-on sets to people who do not use them alot,unless they HAVE the money for them,as they do get pretty expensive for just the occasional user.As far as any torque reading instrements,stay away from the cheap torque wrenches.Suck up and buy a good quality tool.Also if you get a torque wrench,get the "click" style,not the needle sweep type.

[k-star]

For me personally if money was not an object every tool in my box would be snap-on.....

But back to reality... My rule is....i buy it in craftsman and if i ever break it i will buy it in snap on....

My box is about 60 percent craftsman, 30 percent snap-on and the last 10 percent assorted........

Invest in good quality tools and you will never be sorry for it.....

Keith

[1931 steve]

If you don't want a Craftsman ratchet, IMO Craftsman is the best for the cheap money. If you want just a good quality tool you cant go wrong with Matco, Snap On, or Mac. Check on Ebay for these, And I can assume that you are looking for a 3/8th drive. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. I think Matco is the BEST for the money.

Steve

[pmeisel]

I used to buy mostly Craftsman but the people at the local store here ticked me off.......

Lately I have been buying Evercraft at NAPA when I need something, they are also guaranteed. No problems yet....

[Gearhead forever]

[QUOTE=Mr.NutCase]what is a good ratchet?
[/QUO

One that doesn't break the first time you use it. Lifetime guarantee means nothing if it breaks on the job all the time. (Like my Craftsman combination square....the white metal locking pin has broken at least 8 times) Sears....figure it out and quit using pot metal.

[RCastle]

Sears Professional line is the same as MATCO. Regular Craftsman ratchets are extremely uncomfortable to the palms of your hand if you have to use them for an extended amount of time.

[1931 steve]

Originally Posted by RCastle

Sears Professional line is the same as MATCO. Regular Craftsman ratchets are extremely uncomfortable to the palms of your hand if you have to use them for an extended amount of time.

I hope you mean that Craftsman feels the same as a Matco tool, the quality is not the same. IMO not even close. Craftsman is good for the weekend warrior (don't get me wrong some professionals use them also just not as often).

Steve

[RCastle]

They are identical.Same maufacturer.I have sets at work and here at the house.Snap-On makes a better ratchet than the Matco, and MAC has a zero turn ratchet that has the tightest turn tolerance of any ratchet.There is no slack before it grabs to turn.They are pretty expensive though.



As far as the quality of the Matco or Craftsman Professional.I have personally launched both brands across the shop at a cinder block wall,with pissed off mechanic velocity and neither one of them have broken yet.

[oldred]

There are good tools and junk tools, Craftsman falls somewhere in the middle but IMO they are over-hyped by a good ad campaign and if you are going to make a living with your tools they just do not make the grade. If you use Snap-on, Mac, Proto, etc. for a while the difference becomes apparent in short order. If you are using your tools to repair lawn mowers and bicycles then about anything will work but if you do machinery or serious auto work that "lifetime" warranty wont mean much when you are in the middle of a job with a busted socket or worse yet busted knuckles because that lousy ratchet slipped or the fastener rounded off when the wrench spread a little or that u-joint adapter broke or ******** The bottom line is your tools should be able to do what you expect of them and last a life time WITHOUT having to exchange broken ones, at least not very often.

[schnitz]

Originally Posted by Mr.NutCase

what is a good ratchet?, but cheap $$ and not like the craftsman regular?

In terms of cheap, but good, I had a Popular Mechanics 1/2" drive that was awesome...until the directional pawl broke. Been in my toolbox for over 12 years now. It was hands down the best $12.99 I ever spent at Waldo-Mart. But, it broke and now they won't stand behind it. And I will not take that Stanley ratchet in it's place. Buy the good stuff, keep it in good repair, and just about any ratchet will last a lifetime, IMO.


In a while, Chet.

[1931 steve]

Unless I'm stuck on stupid or missing something the Craftsman and the Matco tools are not the same. Please if they are the same give me proof and I can start saving money. Is it they are made by the same manufacturer, just a difference in quality? Or are the identical???

Steve

[chrisn]

the professional line, not the normal line of craftsman. i don't have any matco so i can't compare.

i had a cheap $3 socket set. the sockets suck (and broke) but the ratchet is pretty nice. most tool stores have ratchets so you can feel them.

[Fresh469]

what about the tools that autozone sales? duralast i beleive......they looked decent when i was in there looking around today.....