You probably dont give a damn but does any of you know a way to log back into an Instagram account?? I stupidly lost my account password. I love any tips you can give me.
The differences in strength seem negligible to me. Essentially I think it comes down to feel and comfort and features offered that separates tools today. Fit and finish as well. Because the truth is that most everything made today is gonna do the job and last.
Should’ve been smoother with the cheater bar. Jerking on it will cause extra stress that can’t be exactly duplicated for each test. Treat it like you’re using a torque wrench. Steadily increasing until you hear a click or in this case something breaks.
I really like the recent torture testing of ratchets but I would like to see the regular 1/4" ratchet from harbor freight that isn't composite and how the professional one that isn't quick release will do.
120 tooth ratchets are never as strong as the lower teeth count so I’d say the gunmetal was damn solid. For what it’s worth, I really like the Taiwanese Craftsman stuff. It’s damn solid for the price and easier to get than Gearwrench. Great for building trail toolboxes or when I want a set of wrenches/ratchets to abuse.
All of those numbers seem fair. The issue I have is that ANSI standard is 37.5 for 1/4 drive ratchets, and as seen here, you can pass that by hand quite easily (approx 45). It is my belief that the manufacturers should attempt to double the standard, making the rating goal of 75. The ratchets you tested seem to at least come close to my expectations, best being 69.7 (or 70). I wonder at what point damage happens to the ratchets... you took those ratchets to failure quickly capturing only the peak torque at the break point, which is not really so accurate. At what point does the ratchet start its failure process? That is the point that it will fail you in use.
I would like to see a non-composite Pittsburgh. But it will probably be the same. The biggest problem with a test like this is that you are only testing one ratchet from each type. It gives you an idea, but it doesn't tell you the standard deviation. They could all be the same and within each standard deviation. One thing to note is that without the cheater bar, you had a hard time going over 45 ft-lbs. Good video.
Anything over 30ft-lbs its time to switch to either a long handle or better yet a 3/8” drive ratchet. I’m hoping to get all the HF ratchets tested. I believe a tooth broke and then striped out the pawl on the HF
It would be nice to include some backstory here..... Craftsman was always just a marketing name by SEARS so they just outsourced from many different companies over the decades but for sockets and ratchets they were mostly made in USA by EASTCO in Maryland later after SEARS ended their dealings and switch over to TTI around 2010 (YES the TTI that owns Ryobi, Milwaukee, HEART etc) it lead to EASTCO going in to deep trouble and they had a number of mergers and buyouts and it's ghost is now owned by APEX TOOLS. The new Craftsman stuff is of course made by Stanley which at least is the actual tool maker themselves so for the first time Craftsman is actually no longer just a marketing name but owned by the tool maker directly so big thumbs up for that.
on the last one it looked like he was jerking the cheater bar. probably skewed teh results. the top 2 were pretty much the same, all 3 craftsman had the same failure mode. i would say all of the craftsman were pretty much exactly the same with one showing lower breaking point due to the jerking of the bar. and i would say that it is a well engineered tool, as they made the handle too short to put enough torque into it to break it, unlike the hf.
Any one of those ratchet are serviceable for a long time. I have a 1/4 Craftsman raised panel bought in 1992 that still see regular use . and several other 1/4 ratchet. I doubt any of my 1/4 inch ratchet ever see more than 20 foot pound when tightening with just my wrist. After the this test . I'm thinking of buying a set of those Polymer ratchet just as throw around go anywhere ratchet. It would not hurt my feeling when those polymer ratchet get slide across concrete floor to my garage repair buddy . :)
Ratchets were never Craftsman’s strength, at least they were affordable and made in the US. I’ve got some of the old round head fine tooth craftsman ratchets and they are wayyy better than the teardrop versions.
You should do the same type of test with some Craftsman 1/4" sockets to see if there are big differences between them and other brands. I have wanted to do it myself, but I hate destroying things even though when I worked for the Sears Home office I could get sockets pretty inexpensively
Gunna have to agree with the majority here,you would never use a 1/4 ratchet to do a 3/8's or 1/2"s job why would you try to remove you cars lug nuts with a 1/4" ratchet with a reducer/adapter socket?
dannyo66 well,...17 years so far using Snap-On products on the flight line working on F-16’s and AGE,....snap on isn’t what people think. They break every day.
Definitely amazed me. I would've never believed the China wrench would score well. I was sure the USA-made craftsman would've skunked the others. BTW, where in the world did you get a new USA-made Craftsman socket wrench?? I was under the impression they haven't been made in the USA for quite some time.
1/4 inch is for small and space limited tasks. I never would subject my tools to any where near these torques. Whats more important to me is the low back drag of the H.F. ratchets.
I still think the gunmetal ratchets are well worth the extra cost over the Chinese ones, the fit and finish along with tooth count are really nice for the price point they occupy. I've put my 3/8 through hell and the gunmetal sockets held up fine for light impact wrench use (not at all recommended though) Also I got a kit with the 72 tooth ratchets of the same style and the labels say made in Taiwan
Before the torque test it would have been nice if you just compared how each one looks and feels, and how tight and firm the switch mechanism was, how tight or loose the socket is held in place... etc. etc.etc.
I just today warranty returned two 1/4 drive USA ratchets I've had since1990 for two China ones. They were both slipping. I'm now sad. At least they work now.
HF was too busy yesterday and they swapped it out so quickly I couldn't even video it. They were like okay, thanks and bye. One I swapped out with at Ace Hardware, not sure how the video turned out, haven't checked it yet. No promises on the others, but I will see if I have time.
They hold up because they have to meet a spec. It isnt much but that much torque shouldnt be applied to them. AvE has a stress test and he tests backdraw
For the older USA made ratchets rebuild kits are still available, though I'm not sure if they include the lug mechanism. Otherwise, the warranty replacement ratchet you get by returning it will either be made in China or Taiwan... it's a damned shame. I've still got the same 86pc boxed set of Craftsman sockets & ratchets I bought when I got my first car in 1990 - never given me a bit of trouble.
I have one of those composite Pittsburgh 1/4" that I have traveled around the world with, it works and is light (helps keep the luggage weight down too)! I just use it for light duty stuff on IT/Comm equipment but it hasn't failed and works incredibly well for the price point. My got to 1/4" in my home box is a Matco 88 I can't stand those coarse tooth Craftsmans.
This was a torture test. In the real world though, maximum torque failure doesn't mean a damn thing. In the real world, a respectable working mechanic would have recognized he was pushing his tool beyond normal working specs and would have immediately stopped, to prevent bodily injury and possible damage to client vehicle, to reassess and proceed accordingly. There is always the correct way and the lazy idiot's way. All those tools lasted well beyond normal operating specs, therefore, the best of the lot would have to be the least expensive one. I want to know the brand of the socket he was using. That's the real test. I thought the socket would have been the weak link. I was expecting a knuckle-busting rounding of the socket but it bit and hung on throughout the test. Very well done ClientGraphics.
I still have all my old Craftsman stuff that the kids will get to start using here. In a 1 1/2 year I'll have a 16yr old so that means a project car, tools and work! Hopefully
I've never broke a tool in my life, in the real world you would never put that much torque on a 1/4 " ratchet so really it's not a good test. Do the same test with a 3/8 and a 1/2 drive ratchet, those sizes are made for that kind of torque.
3/8" test is being done tonight and sould have that in the next few days. 1/2" drive should exceed the max of the Quinn digital torque meter from Harbor Freight but we shall see in the next video.
Yes and too bad for the usa made craftsman. The rebuild kits are harder and harder to find. You sir just messed up a good piece of American history lol
I disagree. Seeing the max torque still proves the ultimate strength and durability of the tool. Even pushing the tool a bit beyond the normal use indicates how the tool will wear during typical use.
1/4 inch quick release ratchets did quite well. Broke at the obvious weak point. QR means a good size hole in the anvil. Not much thickness to the remaining metal.
Idk bro it's not a good test on a half inch 1/2 drive yes I'd see reasoning to test to these measures but 3/8 and 1/4 drives naw if you know your going to give it more torque than necessary switch to a bigger drive. I think that's a rule of thumb everyone knows
That was a fun video! I guess I have to say I’m not surprised the Chinese one was the strongest. I know they make cheap things but every once in a while they get something right. Lol great video!
Well done test just to see the limits of each ratchet, hurt a little to see a made in U.S.A. Craftsman ratchet destroyed. I wonder if B&D would honor the warranty on those ratchets.
Overseas factories can make whatever you want to whatever specs companies give them. Generally if the product is crap, or weak, it’s cause that’s how the company designed it or the specs they gave the manufacturer. This is in regards to US brands manufacturing overseas, not overseas homegrown products…
There were some flaws to this test. First off you broke certain ones fast with me the cheater bar and broke other ones slower with my the cheater bar. This can cause some major differences. Should have just slowly broke them with my the cheater bar from the beginning instead of using some more than others then expecting them to have a valid test
This test proves one thing. Use a cheater pipe on your old Craftsman ratchet to break bolts loose and use your favorite fancy ratchet for rest of your job. I thought gun metal version would do better.
Nice But what about Kobalt 337308 I bet it would not bust and the S-K 42470. They are tough and heavy headed. Like to see a battle or torture test My money is on these two.
I will stick with gunmetal if I buy any modern craftsman. I suspect the gunmetal will be the best reliable long-term under proper use. The vintage USA craftsman sears is superior. I am guessing that the modern USA made under craftsman Stanley was used in this video.
Went to sears a couple weeks back, exchanges a 1/4 and 3/8 broken craftsmans i had. The junk they exchanged for them were the worst rachets i have ever seen or used, lock up while using or just switch directions, the first ones lasted 20 plus years, being hit, standing weight all kinds of torture. Thess cant make it a week
We had an argument with my friend about this issue, the ratchet before the break, which is made in the USA, is not the same as the pipe you installed. There's a trick here
Wow good catch. Yah it looks different because it was a different one but it still was a USA one. I actually had two Craftsman USA 1/4” ratchets they both failed nearly identical and it looks like I mixed up the footage between the two.
Wasn’t initially planing on it, but I have 2 more USA ones and the one that made the sacrifice did a fine job with amazing reading. You could add in margin of error and it’s always a Winner in my book!
ClientGraphics rebuild kits for those USA- made Craftsman ratchets are a $10-$15 purchase on eBay. I rebuilt both of my 3/8” drive ratchets. I’ve had them both for almost twenty years. I’ve used both ratchets dozens of times. They weren’t stripped or broken, I just reckoned to put fresh innards in ‘em.
I will never know ! If I have to go to a cheater bar, I step up to a bigger tool, all my cheep tools are 30, 40,50 years old and still going strong, the biggest problem I have with tool needing to be replaced is from them being stolen or barrowed and not returned .
Really no need to break a nice craftsman ratchet like that. There's people that would like to have nice tools like that but can't afford them. Seems like a waste to me.
@@ClientGraphics for lug nuts, a 1/2" breaker is my choice. I've got a Kobalt breaker with an impact socket in my truck for exactly that reason. I also keep a 30" cheater pipe with it because mechanics tend to put the nuts on with stupid high torque wrenches. I bought the Kobalt breaker because the slimmer handle fits into the cheater pipe easier than the craftsman.
It doesn't matter if it's made in USA or China , What matters is quality control .. The Chinese junk with no quality control will have wire or hoses passing thru holes in metal with no rubber grommet or wire loom ..
I don’t really see this test as very valid at all because of the fact not all of them used a cheater bar and didn’t have the same pull, notice your kids jerky pulls on the craftsman ratchets
I have never said this about a video before. You should be ashamed of this video and take it down. Comparing a COMPOSITE ratchet against a bunch of metal ones? Talk about apples and oranges!!! This video is totally WEAK!!!
