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Worlds best ratchet???

tommyr said:
X2 on the Craftsman 1/2in. Use a 3 ft cheater on it all the time for hub nuts and it has never failed. However, don't try any cheater on the 3/8th, it will break.
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Just broke a craftsman 1/2'' breaker bar, and ratchet trying to get hub nuts off last night. Sheared the square drive right off both times.:smsoap:
 
souske said:
Just broke a craftsman 1/2'' breaker bar, and ratchet trying to get hub nuts off last night. Sheared the square drive right off both times.:smsoap:
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been there. but to be fare i broke a snapon breaker bar right before the craftsmen on the same bolt
 
That's really strange, here in the rust-choked north I took a really gross hub nut off with a crappy Husky breaker bar and a 3 foot cheater.

I released about a half pound of rust chunks when I started removing the U-joint from the same shaft, then realized with that much rust coming off the shaft was probably not anywhere near as strong anymore and stopped bothering.
 
souske said:
Just broke a craftsman 1/2'' breaker bar, and ratchet trying to get hub nuts off last night. Sheared the square drive right off both times.:smsoap:
Click to expand...

Now you are going to jinx me, since I've had the ratchet for many years and have removed many hub nuts. I just know the next one I do will break it :cry:
 
tommyr said:
X2 on the Craftsman 1/2in. Use a 3 ft cheater on it all the time for hub nuts and it has never failed. However, don't try any cheater on the 3/8th, it will break.
Click to expand...
I can and have used a cheater on my 3/8 snap on, without any problems, I have broken 1/2 craftsman without one (granted with my size, I can put a hell of a lot of force on it)
That and once you have used a snap-on ratchet, craftsman ratchets feel horrible. I cant stand the feel of their mechanisms, the "fine tooth" ratchets even have a ton of slop in them new compared to what I am used to

About the best cheap ratchet I ever had was one I got at napa, a stubby 3/8-1/4 combo that held up to everything I threw at it
 
gambit4000s said:
Another company I like is BETA...
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Beta makes some realy nice torque wrenches too. I bought one of their 0-20 NM wrenches for bicycle maintinance. I got a deal for $100!
The other manufacturer I like is SK Tools. Made in the U.S. of A. and very well built. I'd say my SK tools are good for a lifetime.
 
Made in the U.S. of A. and very well built. I'd say my SK tools are good for a lifetime.
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Not any more :( They used to be partnered with Facom, and made in the USA. Now that they've split I believe it's all from Taiwan...
 
im reading a few of you have broken your tools. well we all do it, but any brand will break when you abuse them. shearing a 1/2" drive breaker bar is almost rediculous IMO. if you have a bolt/nut THAT stuck, you need to use alternative measures. penatrating oil, heat, ect, even to a point of cutting the nut off. but yes even then there are times when you just need to use brute force.(which may have been the case). i understand that for the professional wrench (mechanic), time is money. so waiting around for the penetrating oil and heat to do its magic, can be quite costly in time. but in my opinion it is worth it. most bolts are designed to stretch to some degree. if one is stuck that bad to were you will actually break the tool trying to remove it, you risk breaking the bolt with the threads stuck inside. now we ALL know how much more time it takes to remove those. all that said, i have been useing mostly craftsman tools for most of my wrenching life. (30 years, im 45 now). and some are my originals from when i was a teenager. as far as ratchets go, the craftsman are a good unit, but you NEED to take them apart and clean the cogs real well, then LUBE them. they are basically dry from sears. thats why they feel so notchy and dont mesh completely. once youve done the cleaning and greasing youll be amazed how much better they feel and work. the little ball and spring is a bit tricky at first, but once youve done a couple you get the feel for it and reassembly is a snap. i do have a limited amount of snap on tools and yes the 3/8" snap on swivel head is my favorite, but the craftsmans feel pretty darm good after the cleaning and lubing trick.
 
but you NEED to take them apart and clean the cogs real well, then LUBE them. they are basically dry from sears.
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Yea this is the first thing I always do. After the first one broke I took the next apart just to see how all the internals works, and lubed it up real well.

After reading some of these hulk hogan diesel sheering breaker bar stories, I must agree, they are pretty ridiculous. If my IR gun can remove 750ft/lb (rated:rolleyes: ) I'm sure as heck gonna use that and not a 5 foot cheater bar on my half inch breaker. Time is money is one good motto. Another is work smart, not hard haha.

So I'm not looking for something that can withstand a 14ton breaking force, just something that isn't going to wear out prematurely. Something Craftsman's tend to do. I think I'm going to end up with the SnapOn. Corporate monopoly? Yes. Overpriced? Yes. Over-rated? Maybe. But damn do their 80 tooth ratchets feel nice, and the guy comes by the shop literally everyday. I found some on ebay for about half the listed price, and not having to drive for replacements is a big plus. Still looking towards Hazet for some wrenches though :)
 
DanMan2k06 said:
After reading some of these hulk hogan diesel sheering breaker bar stories, I must agree, they are pretty ridiculous. If my IR gun can remove 750ft/lb (rated:rolleyes: ) I'm sure as heck gonna use that and not a 5 foot cheater bar on my half inch breaker. Time is money is one good motto. Another is work smart, not hard haha.
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I agree with you to a point, but you cant always get a gun on the bolt.
Another point you made isnt always true. Think about this, a 5 foot bar, and someone my size (275) you can put a hell of a lot more than 750 ft/lb of force into it, and sometimes you just need to do it. You cant always heat everything, and when something is just plain tight, not rusted on, penetrating oil wont do you much good.

Congrats on the snap on ratchet btw, dont be afraid to put some pressure on it, you can trust it to hold
 
I've broken Snap-on, Mac, Craftsman, S-K, Matco and some cheap knock off stuff. I also broke an Ingersol-Rand, Chicago-Pneumatic & whoever makes blue point impacts. I belive the only work more rusted and corroded than a transit bus is probably a street sweeper.

The snap-on feel balanced in my hands and the guy bringing the tool shop to me is convienent
 
Think about this, a 5 foot bar, and someone my size (275)
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Well there's the clincher haha. At a little over half your weight I'd need twice the breaker bar for the same bolt. But I agree, there are some things are are just dang tight and require ungodly persuasion.

I belive the only work more rusted and corroded than a transit bus is probably a street sweeper.
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I'm surprised you even see rust out in Petaluma ;) Where exactly are you from? My entire family lives there
 
Lower east side. One street from Casa Grande HS.

I work for Muni in San Francisco, but had worked at the DPW yard on street sweepers also.
 
Oh ok I've got family a little more towards the west side. Some live right next to Oak Hill Park, and others off of Magnolia Ave. I was out there over Christmas :)
 
Looked at some of their wrenches, and they seems solid. Them and Hazet seem to be the German standard. A lot of Euro techs like their stuff, but you have to buy it off of an independent truck, and if it breaks it could be a little while til you get another.
 
As a tech I use many tools every day. The round head 3/8" snap-on ratchet and the small flex handle 1/4" ratchets are my favorite hand ratchets. Both were posted before:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...4&group_ID=228&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=21944&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


This is the one I use every day on just about every job. By a wide margin the best ratchet on the market right now.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19894&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
 
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