Best 3/8 ratchet?

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

So for years I’ve felt like my old 1970s craftsman ratchets were the best their is. I’ve worked on countless cars, tractors and whatever else with them. Until I found a few 1/4 drive snap-on ratchets at a yard sale… they put all my craftsman tools to shame. Now, I’m unwilling to pay snap on prices, but I also feel like it’s time for a shiny new 3/8 ratchet. What is your favorite?

[8ntruck 7,011]

I've had SK and Craftsman ratchets.  The reversal 'switch' on both ratchets have gotten kind of flaky with age and use - 25 or 30 years worth....

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

1 hour ago, 8ntruck said:

I've had SK and Craftsman ratchets.  The reversal 'switch' on both ratchets have gotten kind of flaky with age and use - 25 or 30 years worth....

Yeah, my old craftsman ratchets are starting to do the same. They also seem to like just dropping whatever socket I put on them.😅

[ClassicTractorProfessor 5,314]

The old Craftsman ratchets were great, I remember using Dad's and Grandpa's as that is all they would buy when I was younger. When I quit driving and went back to turning wrenches about 4 years ago, I started buying more tools, as I didn't want to take all the tools from home to work and not have what I needed to fix things at home. Naturally I went with Craftsman, remembering the quality tools my Dad and Grandpa used for years. I was NOT impressed with them at all, the quality has completely tanked since moving their production overseas. The Chinese made Craftsman wrenches aren't bad, though they are considerably lighter weight than their older USA made counterparts, but the ratchets are complete garbage. I bought one in each size (1/4, 3/8, and 1/2) as well as a long flex head 1/2...all 4 of them were loose and sloppy, the 1/4 would drop a socket the minute you let go of it, and I stripped the teeth out of the flex head the second time I used it. All four of them are somewhere deep in the back of the barn in the scrap pile if anyone wants to come and get them LOL. 

 

If you want quality I hate to say it but Snap-On is the way to go. That being said for average use I have been super impressed with the Pittsburgh Pro and Icon lines from Harbor Freight. Most of my tools at work come from the Snap-On dealer, but I buy cheaper stuff to carry on my welding/service truck. Doesn't hurt as badly when you lose a Harbor Freight socket out in the middle of a wheat field during harvest as it would if you lost a Snap-On socket. All I carry on the truck ratchet wise are the Pittsburgh Pro, with the exception of one long handle flex head 1/2" Icon. They have a fine tooth count head, and have held up amazingly well considering the fact that they get used in the dustiest and dirtiest of conditions, and then get thrown into a box on the back of a flatbed truck that is just as dusty and dirty as the job they just completed. The ONLY complaint I have with them is the selector switch is backwards from my Snap-On ratchets, or any other ratchet I have used for that matter. 

 

These are the ones I am referring to

 

[ebinmaine 67,546]

We picked up a 1/4" drive impact driver several years ago. 

Then another.  

 

Now I hardly ever even grab a ratchet. 

With the rare use a ratchet gets around here now I'd likely just grab a couple (yes I wrote 2 for when one breaks) of the HF or Lowes or HD samplings.  

 

IIFF it was commercial usage?

Snap-on, Mac, whatever tool truck you have good access to.  

[SylvanLakeWH 25,589]

Mostly craftsman…

 

Just replaced several ratchets at lowes under warranty. Noticed quality difference… but they work…

 

I’ve picked up old ones at garage sales and get new ones under warranty. New ratchets, tools etc. for pennies on the dollar…

[rmaynard 15,492]

Back in 1968, I was pulling parts at a pick-a-part car junk yard. I found a well-used, 3/8" Snap-on ratchet wrench on the floor of a 1962 Chevy II. I still have it and it still works great. However, for an old retired wrencher like me, the price of Snap-on is way too high. I still like Craftsman. I recently took two old Craftsman wrenches with broken ratchet switches to my local Lowes where they were replaced with no questions asked. That being said, for reasonably priced tools I still like Craftsman.

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

@SylvanLakeWH That's the way I usually do it. Nothing in my toolbox is from a single matching set its all yard sale stuff that was made between 1960-1980. 

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Yeah I would hit up antique/thrift stores and look for something old in good user condition.  I got an old one made in Japan for $2 and it is the stoutest one I have ever used and the clicks are so precise and crisp you wouldn't believe.  I have a modern craftsman one and it broke trying to free a bolt.  They did replace it for free. But I have gone way crazier on that old Japan one and you would never know it.  Hold out for an oldie but goodie is my vote! 

[Handy Don 12,232]

I'll add here that I've got a Craftsman ratchet that was a gift for my 13th birthday. It was starting to slip a while ago. I suspected it was simply worn out but I dreaded having to see it go. Curious, I wondered how it was assembled and found it was easy to take apart. Inside the xx year old grease had hardened and was jamming the pawls. Cleaned up and with a lite coating of "Lena" grease and it was working like new!

[rjg854 11,373]

Check out Tekton tools, lifetime guarantee, reasonably priced.  I've been using them for a while now and quite happy with them.  They're USA made.  Sure beats that mish-mash tools I had been using. 

[C-85 681]

I have S-K and really like them, but what is the status of S-K these days?  No one in our area has them anymore and I had heard that that they've gone out of business, and if that's true that's very sad! 

 

C-85 

[lynnmor 7,307]

Just over a year ago several members here bought Craftsman sets that were on sale for about $99 at Ace Hardware.  I decided to buy a set as well for down in the barn.  A couple of weeks ago I used the 3/8" ratchet and sockets for the first time.... what junk!  The 13mm socket fell numerous times in a hard to reach area, so back up to the house for the good old stuff.  I then checked all the sockets and found six with no detents allowing them to fall.  Took them back to Ace and all they would do was hand me a phone number.  Lowe's gave me the same deal.  So I contacted Craftsman (the website is a joke), and the only way that works is to send them a message.  Well they did get back to me and sent six new sockets but the 13mm falls off the ratchet.

 

I will buy Harbor Freight in the future, it can't be any worse and I know where to take it if there is a problem.

[WHX?? 48,823]

14 hours ago, Ifixoldjunk said:

ow, I’m unwilling to pay snap on prices,

Same here Junk unless I am putting bacon on the table with it. Horror Fright for the hobbyist I guess. I do have a 3/8 snap off I lucked out and got at the bottom of a box of garage sale crap that is my go to. 

 

33 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

"Lena" grease and it was working like new!

[ol550 830]

Can't say anything about the 3/8 drive but I've had a Carlyle (NAPA) 1/4 flex head ratchet  that I have abused daily for a few years now.  Was afraid of the small head, smaller than SnapOn, but keeps clicking.

 

 

[ACman 7,618]

Funny I watched these yesterday . I bought a Crescent brand set last year and so far from my observation they’re really nice . It does seem that Apex has been switching from the Crescent to Gearwrench . If I were to start over I think I would go with Tekton as more and more of there stuff is being made in the USA .
 

 

 

[squonk 41,133]

I have  or have had, Snappy on, Mac, Proto, Craftsman no name Chinese and Horror Fright Pittsburgh. My go to now is my Pitts 3/8 1/4" dual ratchet with the extendable handle.

 

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

@ACman Thanks, I’ll definitely need to watch those now. I’ve been away from the tool store so long I don’t even recognize those names😅

[WHX?? 48,823]

Got a dual drive like that Squonky.... think I picked it up off one of those special bins at ACE. Woulda never bought it but they damn near give it to me so I am a sucker. Actually pick it up alot and not the worst. 

[Lee1977 6,663]

The 3/8: SK I bought new in a set in 1962. The 1/4" Snap on was issued to me in 1967 in Vietnam. The 3/8" and 1/2" were bought from Military Surplus around 50 years ago.  I also have some Sears from the 70's

 

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

@Lee1977 can’t beat the old snap on ratchets. I’ve been keeping an eye open at yard sales but no luck so far