For the curious …
Technically, this is known as a double pawl ratchet. They can also be made with a single pawl; cheap ratchets often are.
In school I wanted a rachet back in 1968. It was a choice of Wards or Sears. Both had a lifetime warrenty but I liked the rubber grip on the Wards. Of course after Wards went belly up, I put too long a pipe on it and broke it. Had to buy a Sears.
So how do they make the open ratchets that have recently come out? Different type of pawls, or new technology?
flip the pawl to the other side, and make the toothed part free wheeling (not counting, of course, the pawl), and you’d have a ratchetwrench.
@ firekingb So how do they make the open ratchets that have recently come out? Different type of pawls, or new technology?..
Some have a thumb lever that is flipped and others have a single direction pawl. To reverse one must flip the tool over to go the opposite direction. These tools have been out for years but when Gearwrench introduced theirs they seemed to get real popular.
Bing —
In school I wanted a rachet back in 1968. It was a choice of Wards or Sears. Both had a lifetime warrenty but I liked the rubber grip on the Wards. Of course after Wards went belly up, I put too long a pipe on it and broke it. Had to buy a Sears.I bought my first car, a Nash Rambler, in 1959 and immediately went searching for tools. I grew up in Baltimore, and at the time Wards had a distribution center in Baltimore; the nearest Sears distribution center was in Philadelphia. I bought from the catalog and so, to avoid shipment costs, all of my first tools were Wards PowerCraft. I still have their combination wrenches. Too bad they are not metric.
Later I bought Sears Craftsman. They were good tools, back in the day. Not as good today, but their Craftsman Professional class and premium grades are still good value for the money. The premium grade Craftsman are not normally found in their stores, but must be bought on-line.
Later in my life I found I could afford, ahem, Snap-On, so all of my hand wrenches, ratchet drives, torque wrenches, tool chests, as well as a lot of specialty tools are Snap-On. I am retired now and my Snap-On days are over. I gave my wife instructions what she do with my tools when I buy the farm; I pity the pall-bearers.
If I could recommend one American tool-maker, it would be Wright Tools in Ohio. All of their tools are 100% American made; even the steel they use is American. If you are searching for a better-than-Craftsman, American-made ratchet or torque wrench, give Wright Tools a look-up on Google.
S-K tools were bought by a company whose name eludes me. Now all S-K (I believe) are made in the USA one factory being in Sycamore IL.
meaneyedcatz —
S-K tools were bought by a company whose name eludes me. Now all S-K (I believe) are made in the USA, one factory being in Sycamore IL.S-K changed hands a number of times in the last 10-15 years, including, I think, a bankruptcy. I believe they still have the factory in Sycamore.
I live now in Lisle, IL, and Sycamore is about 35 miles west of me. At one time S-K had a sales office in Naperville, IL, about 5 miles west of me, where they brought modestly damaged tools (usually damaged in transit) to be sold for ridiculously low prices. I got some bargains there.
Their tool boxes were (are?) made in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, by a company now called SPG International. I called them last week to order some replacement keys, and they answered in French! Fortunately, they quickly switched to English.
To call a tool company nowadays probably requires a knowledge of Chinese.
Very informative thank you!
Most of my tools hand tools are Craftsman…I have a few Snap-on ratchets…and even a couple by Husky. I have a Husky ratchet set that’s 40+ years old…and it’s been abused beyond belief…and still works fine.
Craftsman is GREAT for the home mechanic…They work and have a life-time warranty…If I worked as a mechanic though…I’d probably by Snap-on. My Snap-on 1/2" ratchet is really built like a tank. But it cost almost 3 times what my Craftsman 1/2" drive ratchet cost. I love Sears christmas tool sales…Can’t be beat…And in all my years of working on cars…I only had to use the lifetime warranty ONCE…So I’m very happy.
MikeInNH — "Craftsman is GREAT for the home mechanic...They work and have a life-time warranty..."The problem with Craftsman tools is that they are no longer consistently great as they were in the past. And not all Craftsman tools carry a lifetime warranty anymore, as a story I relate below testifies.
I was recently looking for an inexpensive torque wrench to throw into my trunk in case I had a flat on the road. Yes, I know that is overkill, but I enjoy buying a tool, any tool, once in a while. I went to Sears on-line and came upon this model:
Craftsman Microtork® Torque Wrench, 20-150 ft. lbs., 1/2 in. Drive
Out of 87 reviews from Sears customers, 46 rated it 2 stars or less out of 5. Among the reviewers comments,
- 9 said the locking ring broke;
- 7 said the ratcheting mechanism broke;
- 6 said it was of poor quality; and
- 3 called it a piece of junk.
A typical review was:
I'd give this zero stars if possible. — April 25, 2011 "I bought this a couple of years ago and put it in my tool chest for 'when the time comes.' Well, that time came and I needed to tighten some head bolts on an engine. When I opened the original case it was filled with thick oil that had leaked out of the wrench. I put a socket on the head and tried to turn the ratchet head to tighten the bolts and the plastic wheel (don't know what else to call it) just spun around and around. The ratcheting head was broken and I had never even used the wrench. Looked at the manual and saw it only came with a year warranty so I was s.o.l. Don't do what I did - CHECK YOUR PURCHASE WHEN YOU GET HOME. I trusted Craftsman quality yada yada yada but was mistaken."That being said, last week I bought three Craftsman Professional Grade wrenches, 8, 10, & 12 mm, to keep in my car for emergency use. They look like Snap-On wrenches. They are thin, well-balanced, and fully polished. And they carry a lifetime warranty. But they cost $8 - $10 apiece.
As far as my search for an on-the-road tire removal tool, I’m going with an old Sears Craftsman breaker bar and a 10-inch Craftsman ratchet. I bought them both in the 1960’s. The ratchet is still performing well after all those years, and it carries a lifetime warranty. My lifetime, I suppose.
I too have a macho-sized breaker bar with a 6-pt deep socket to loosen the lugs. I also have the cross wrench (whatever it’s called) to spin the nuts off and on and a bar-type torque wrench to retorque them. I may be guilty of overkill.
I have a Husky 3/8" drive socket set with a ratchet that I “bought” about 45 years ago with S & H green stamps. It came in a red case. Along with a few other simple tools, it has been the most valuable tool I own. If I can’t fix something with the Husky set, I hire someone to do the work.
Thanks for the diagrams of the ratchet mechanism.
If I was married I would show my wife how to change a flat & would get her a cheap 3/4" drive sliding tee handle with a pipe and a step down adapter if necessary for the socket in question. I would tell her to tighten the lugs back up without the pipe. Or maybe actually get her a torque wrench. If I was younger, anyway!
I have a John Deere branded 3/4" drive set comprised of 7/8" to 1-13/16" 6 pt chrome sockets, breaker bar, ratchet, & 2 extensions. $165 in 1993. On a par with Craftsman, but they were a little cheaper. Recently I added a Snap On sliding tee handle, 3/4" drive: $112!
I was in one of the McParts stores one December and a 40ish lady and her friend were looking at tools and held up 2 sets of combination wrenches. One was a no name set for less than $10 and the other were the Duralast brand for over $40. One of the ladies asked me why there was so much difference in the prices when they were obviously the same tools. I asked her if she would appreciate a cubic zirconium ring as much as a diamond. They took the Duralast to the check out.
Mike brought up a good point…Craftsman is GREAT for the home mechanic…They work and have a life-time warranty…If I worked as a mechanic though…I’d probably by Snap-on…
When I was swinging wrenches for money I bought Mac/Matco/Snap On. I no longer use tools to earn a living and even thought I see the mobile guys every week I get a Craftsmen when I need to. The point being buying a M/SO is overkill if you push a pencil by day.
Craftsmen sockets, wrenches, etc., are or were made by Danaher Tool Group which is part of KD Tools and Matco. They may not be of the same quality but they are still good tools.
BUT…I would never buy a Craftsmen power tool as in drill, table saw or anything. The quality is fair at best, often accessories that fit everything will not fit the Craftsmen and they just don’t last IMOO. Designs change often and getting replacement parts on a fairly new tool might not be possible. Sears does not make the tools but they are built to Sears specs. Their old p/t’s were great. My dads all metal Craftsmen drill is better then 50 years old and still works. He has had newer Craftsmen that could not make it 4-5 years.
I never expected to get a single response to my original post. I guess guys like to talk about tools.
the same mountainbike — “I too have a macho-sized breaker bar with a 6-pt deep socket to loosen the lugs. I also have the cross wrench (whatever it’s called) to spin the nuts off and on and a bar-type torque wrench to retorque them. I may be guilty of overkill.”Overkill excused. I’ve always liked those spinner cross wrenches — made me feel like I was working the pits at Indy. They don’t come with new cars anymore.
Triedaq — “I have a Husky 3/8” drive socket set with a ratchet that I “bought” about 45 years ago with S & H green stamps. It came in a red case. Along with a few other simple tools, it has been the most valuable tool I own. If I can’t fix something with the Husky set, I hire someone to do the work.“Just think what you could have done with a 3/4” drive Husky. You would have been rebuilding Caterpillars.
karl sieger — “If I was married I would show my wife how to change a flat & would get her a cheap 3/4” drive sliding tee handle with a pipe and a step down adapter if necessary for the socket in question. I would tell her to tighten the lugs back up without the pipe. Or maybe actually get her a torque wrench. If I was younger, anyway!“I have a problem getting my wife to help me bleed brakes. “Down — Up — Down — Up — …” “How many more times do I have to do this, Honey?”
karl sieger — “I have a John Deere branded 3/4” drive set comprised of 7/8” to 1-13/16" 6 pt chrome sockets, breaker bar, ratchet, & 2 extensions. $165 in 1993. On a par with Craftsman, but they were a little cheaper. Recently I added a Snap On sliding tee handle, 3/4" drive: $112!"Yes, that’s Snap-On for ya. My wife claims I get a near orgasm fondling Snap-On tools. Actually, now that I’m retired, I wish I had some of that money back that I spent on Snap-On.
Rod Knox — “I was in one of the McParts stores one December and a 40ish lady and her friend were looking at tools and held up 2 sets of combination wrenches. One was a no name set for less than $10 and the other were the Duralast brand for over $40. One of the ladies asked me why there was so much difference in the prices when they were obviously the same tools. I asked her if she would appreciate a cubic zirconium ring as much as a diamond. They took the Duralast to the check out.”Quality is always the best buy. Tools, like diamonds, last forever (or at least for a very, very long time).
I’ll have to kick-off another random thread like this some time. Thanks for the responses.
@ Mechaniker…I never expected to get a single response to my original post. I guess guys like to talk about tools.
Did you learn something here? GUYS LOVE TOOLS!!! ( :
Favorites of mine are in no particular order
woodworking
automotive
knife, fork, spoon, fire
meaneyedcatz — Did you learn something here? GUYS LOVE TOOLS!!!!!!!!! ( :I meant to get back to ya. First, not all Craftsman hand tools carry a lifetime warranty anymore. Read the warranty first before you buy.Craftsman is GREAT for the home mechanic…They work and have a life-time warranty.
Favorites of mine are in no particular order
woodworking
automotive
knife, fork, spoon, fire
Second, I used to talk to many tradesman when I was working. For portable drills, Panasonic was considered the best buy. For routers, Porter-Cable was considered best. These recommendations are about 10 years old. I own both tools. I would be interested in hearing your opinions.
I can handle any knife/fork/spoon combination.
I like seeing the Snap-On truck in the Sears garage…