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@@ThingsMen well, it could be that my only experience so far is with the ICONs. Kinda like shooting trap with a benneli clone vs an actual benneli. But they seem too finnicky when adjusting, the graduations are off by an ⅛ of inch, and the SAE graduations are on the opposite side of the button.
@@FerociousSniper I’ll say they aren’t right for all applications. Especially tight areas. When you are in larger openings then these are handy for quick fixes. The Knipex versions are a little better but they are far superior to traditional crescents. Give it some time they might grow on you. 👍🏻
@@ThingsMen I will. Wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened. I used to despise using shortcuts like using a cream whipper to make hollandaise. 6 months of making it by hand from scratch everyday changed my mind. I'll keep using them, and see how things go.
That's all stuff that I really need to keep more of. There's been a few times I've been in a situation that calls for something small and specific like that, and it seemed like finding the one I needed wasn't going to happen soon, I'd have almost paid any price for it. There's been a couple of times an o-ring has fixed an automobile sensor that was thought to be bad, and it was just a vacuum leak around it, or it wasn't lining up right because of a missing or bad o-ring. They can be almost worth their weight in gold sometimes. Many of the cheaper cost companies all use the same manufacturer for stuff like that. Most of it is all the same or very similar quality.
Good deal, you never need them until you do and the parts stores are all closed. A set of these will last me along time. As usual, nice review and heads up.
I refuse to buy Gearwrench just because the way they sell them having each store only sell a couple versions of what they make. I expect to go into a store and see the entire product line.
I have that same GW ratchet and the 3/8 Quinn that I got earlier this year, but the internals are more similar - for example the pawl in my Quinn is a lighter color and matches the GW. So, hard to judge if it's a Quinn vs GW issue versus an issue of timing (when manufactured).
@@ThingsMen Old or late models would be a big help I used it on my 2022 Ram 1500 4wd Limited The master cylinder is the problem you also need a Gearwrench 3/8" drive 6Pt magnetic swivel spark plug socket #80546 Amazon because you must first wiggle in the socket then attach the ratchet having the release button and direction lever really make the difference combined with the THIN flex head is the game changer the only other add I wanted was a torque wrench with all the above spec's but dreams don't always come through I go by the feel of the crush washer you can't get a torque wrench in that area is why on youtube they only show the passenger side installs IMO this tool could cut 3 hours out of 5 hours to finish the passenger side only takes 30 minutes job I saved over $500 doing the plugs myself and most of all I know all the plugs were replaced. I got it on sale at Harbor Freight for $29 reg $76 The right tool is so important. Also you will need to oil the lever its a little tight at first. Thank you for your video I didn't know it until I saw your video great job!!!
Kraft. I could not tell for absolute sure if it was plastic or aluminum. I had to choose to either keep and maybe need to exchange over months or years or return unused within 30 days. I returned it and did not test scratch the black selector surface with a scribe. If it is aluminum, it should have a silver line after scratching it.
One of the T8 screws is stripping on the cover plate of my 3/8 flex head. Do you have any info where I could purchase some replacements. I just don’t know what specific T8 screws they are. I know I could exchange it for a new one, but this one happens to be really smooth. Like a lot of people, my only complaint is the floppy head. I appreciate your time and any info you might have. I’m new to your channel and love your videos. Great info and tutorials!
@@bradbrunnett6015 that’s a good question. I don’t see them listed on their site. You might check a local hardware store, online, or swap out the whole thing. I appreciate you watching the channel 👍🏻
@@ThingsMen Thank you for looking into it! I might take a screw out and take it to the hardware store to find a replacement. If I do, I’ll post it here for any others looking for them. I’m new to taking apart ratchets, and this was my first one. Mine didn’t have a wave washer, but honestly, this one is so smooth and I don’t want to mess it up. Thanks again!
We established over a year ago that Alex tools made these. Just like husky ratchets are the same as gear wrench. The just do more milling ok the gear wrench. They milled it down more on gearwrench you can always see the dimple on the back of the head on the gear wrench it is cut down more on the gearwrench to make the head thinner and the gear is milled down more on hearwrenxh for the thinner head. The stalk is a little smaller on the gearwrench due to more machine work so it will fit in tighter areas. The 84 tooth craftsman pro ratchet is the same internals as the gearwrench 84 but the cast a different handle design and it always has quick release. No one copied gearwrench the company that owns gearwrench made them for harbor freight. Apex makes tools for a lot of companies for rebrand there are a few videos on RU-vid discussing this.
@@empiesidbury1573 yes apex tool made these for HF. Some argue that the quality is the same as Gearwrench and some say the are minor changes that make it less.
The Harbor Freight is modeled after gear wrench. But they're not the same in any way. They may look similar, but they're not the same. Not one part is shared. Different weight very different hardness. Different dimensions. different tolerances. Just because two things look similar doesn't mean they're the same. I love your videos. But in this instance you're completely wrong. You're just assuming. When you say something's virtually identical. Doesn't mean that they're identical even the Finish is different.. I'm not the only one saying this other people in the comments are as well. I think you should just delete this video or apologize for your mistake
Not sure what got you so upset; look Apex tool has been making ratchets for others for decades now. They made the old Craftsman 84t's, Duralast, Husky, Matco, and plenty for their own companies ofc. They definitely make certain pliers for the Doyle line even (that 7" needle nose is a real Crescent rebadge if I've ever seen one) HF sources from manufacturers like this all the time and this is no exception. These are coming right off the same lines, likely just a hair less picky on the QC side of things. Generally speaking in terms of torque handling the majority of Apex built ratchets tend to be in the same range in tests too. It's wildly consistent, even the cheap ones. These won't be any different and for the price (and lifetime warranty), it'd be insane to buy the Gearwrench equivalent. These are going to be functionally the same or within 95-98% anyway, just with a nice easy warranty and a much lower entry price. I'm gonna guess you're taking this one personally because you paid full price for Gearwrench? (We're talking sub-$20 taiwanese ratchets here and you're acting as upset as a Snap-on fanboy it's a little sad)
Just get a smaller impact. Gonna be much more beneficial. That size difference will hardly change anything in most cases. They weight less too, which negatively affects torque actually.
Was just in my local harbor freight and all the ratchets felt dry, the thing that surprised me the most was the Pittsburgh 3/8 ratchet, best backdrag I’ve seen in a while.
I'd be careful ins saying they are the same. Same basic design, made in same factory, and nearly interchangeable parts do not equate to same quality. Important details concerning metallurgy like exact material composition, hardness, etc. can result in a huge difference in durability and strength. The pawl color differences are a clue towards that end. Also, there may be nearly microscopic differences in the tooth profile and finish of the pawl. I also saw in the video that the ball detent was located slightly further from the pawl base on one. I know the more time a component spends being machined or finished the more the final product will (should) cost.
@@C2Installations metallurgy can change from batch to batch or year to year. Point wasn’t to take it that far. However you can swap all the internals between them and it would work the same. I do appreciate you commenting and appreciation to detail. 👍🏻
I said the same thing I don't know how this guy can think they're the same. Just because they look similar. They're totally different could he normally has good videos but this one is obviously he's wrong
@@ThingsMen Metallurgy doesn’t change if the manufacturer is following a specification. That’s the whole point. I work for a US manufacturer and know about batches, bins, QC, tolerances, acceptable ranges, and so on. If the lookalike is less money, where do you think they saved? I’ll tell you…they saved in places the consumer can’t see, check, or test.
@@ThingsMen again, work for a manufacturer, and we not only make items under our name, but oem for numerous others… to their spec and QC requirements. I’m aware of margins, NIBT, and more. I also know it costs more to mold a soft grip handle with three colors, vs two. I’m just saying if you think HF isn’t cutting corners somewhere to cut cost, well… Gotta factor in that they are not losing money on coupons and constant sales. Plus they are the only reseller, so cutting out middle men likely means they are making more margin on a less expensive to procure item. Seems like you’re on the “they are the same” bandwagon but how sure are you that they are the same quality? I guess my issue is you’ve done no conclusive testing but render your opinion as fact. Now you’re digging in instead of just acknowledging that there could be differences that are not apparent, or did I miss that in the video? Appreciate the video either way.
Gearwrench gets first run of the machines whereas the Quinn gets the second (or third) run after things get sloppy. Have to maximize value out of the mold and machinery. Additionally, Gearwrench will usually get more premium metal, heat treating and finishing and expect better tolerances. They're similar, but the Gearwrench is made to a higher spec. This is common with tool manufacturing.
@@ThingsMen same same 90T ratchet, it appears they've just changed a few aesthetic dimensions and qualities. Interesting that they bothered to change the anvil, who are they fooling? haha If you don't care about everything matching (compact and locking flex etc you have to buy the overpriced gearwrench version) or the silly name (some wealthy exec name the range after their silver-spoon-fed kid or something?), the Quinn ratchets appear to be a decent option. If you don't like the slim format gearwrench comfort grips and prefer something meatier that's a bonus!
@@ThingsMen i have, what id really like to see is take a 30$ ratchet and turn it into a 180$ with a few tweaks. Kinda like the matco head swap on the Pittsburgh braker. Maybe swap out some internals like the icon tekton swap or the snapon hack for the diehard
Hello again, Things Men Thank you for another Great Video 👍 I enjoyed watching today's video. I also enjoyed the learning from everyone's experiences. The only Harbor Freight Ratchets I have is the Pittsburgh Pro Roto Head Ratchets. I've only used them a couple times. They did the job, I even loaned them out and got a good report. Again thank you 👌
I didnt hear or see if you compared the finish. I was probably flapping my thumbs in the comments. Id like to get a quinn to compare closer myself but from a quick glance at the store the machining or maybe just the chrome on the quinn didnt seem near as nice as gearwrench. I haven't been a fan of the tool trucks the last several years so im kind of a gearwrench fan boy now.
Those pawls look to be made of different materials, too. The Quinn looks like the regular steel pawl that most middle of the road companies use, and the Gearwrench may be made with chrome-moly because of the darker color. I've made an effort to study different types of steels and their properties, colors, etc., but it's only my observation from the video, so don't hold me over the fire for it. The Gearwrench is probably only "a little" better quality. I always open, clean, and lube every new ratchet I buy anymore. Too many low and mid-quality companies are rushing ratchets through quality control to save a little money. As a result, most of them don't have enough, if any lube. Some have a small amount of leftover machining debris in the head from a too rushed cleaning step before assembly. Or, in the case of Icon flex-heads (which I own 4 of), some have a missing wave washer from between the retaining plate and anvil/gear. Just my thoughts.
@@shadow7796 I think you might be onto something as the colors are different. Almost appears as a coating though. I have several videos on the wave washers in the icons if you haven’t watched already. 👍🏻
I prefer some of the Pittsburgh over icon. I have both in 1/4" flex. Pittsburgh is much smoother with less back drag. The icon had to be returned 2 or 3 times before it even touched a fastener. I wont bother returning it again. Ill use it as a junkyard tool until it breaks and leave it there for the next guy to find and warranty.
The Quinn ratchets are made for Harbor Freight by Apex Tool. Apex owns Gearwrench and manufactures Duralast and Husky ratchets. There are slight nuances between the variants with Gearwrench being the flagship line. I'd like to see Harbor Freight expand the Quinn ratchet line to include flex heads.
Flex head would bite into Icon sales. I've thought the same thing. Probably same reason we don't see SATA soft handle flex head. Gearwrench probably has an agreement with SATA.
@@KosmicHRTRacingTeamhow can Gearwrench have an agreement with sata? They are both owned and manufactured by apex. Also Pittsburgh pro has flex heads and I think they are phasing out Pittsburgh pro and slowly rebranding the pp line to Quinn. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put out Quinn flex head ratchets to replace the Pittsburgh pro ones next year. But I guess we will see at this years sema show
I just picked up 2 Quinn master sets (3\8 and 1\4) open box nothing missing in either set. I got both for $50! I was very surprised by the ratchets. I did put some super lube in them both and have been using them every day. I gotta say they are amazing for the price. Best value (even at full price) ratchet on the market as long as they hold up, which I think they will.
I have these same 2 ratchets been using both for a little while but the Quinn doesn't sound as smooth. I cleaned them both and used the same oil in both when they were new.
I have doubles of the GW 90T versions, QC isn't amazing, every ratchet feels slightly different, but they all work without issue Has to be a downside vs paying SnapOff prices
I bought one about 16 years ago when I built my house, I don't remember the brand. It's not that fancy but it got the job done especially doing the porcelain tile flooring. It would have been difficult to do without it. Thats a nice unit. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Just curious, I own a few red laser products and they all have warning labels about vision damage if pointed directly at the eye. Is the same true with green lasers? Although I thought the video was great and informative, I cringed every time the laser was pointed directly at the camera!
They are literally some of the best ratchets you can get, They make the 90tooth version for cheaper but these imo Reign supreme over almost Everything else!
