amzn.to/4caxk0G craftsman V-SERIES flex-head ratchet. I am a particpant in the amazon associates program and receive a small fee when you buy a product through my direct amazon link
Its a nice ratchet,chrome,design,weight it solid!! nice tooth count,tight joint which you can tighten!! but the handle is different,some backdrag,non servicable head ,price point might be deal breakers for some folks!! its all about options and thats what i try to show and do on the channel!! thanks for your thoughts!!!
I have the V-Series set of 3 extended flexhead with comfort grip...they are overpriced, but I'll tell ya they're damn nice!. I haven't started using them much yet because I still always grab my old stand-by's. Even As expensive as they are, I'd still buy them again. Thanks for the review, Jeff! Much appreciated!
Thanks my friend for sharing your opinion!!i think there really nice looking,well built ratchets!! if it was serviceable they would be fantastic!! ill do a follow up this summer!!!
I agree with you Jeff. It is a nice looking ratchet, but at that price I'd prefer that it was serviceable. Sooner or later it will need servicing, and not being able to do that is a bit of a deal breaker for me.
If this ratchet performs half as good as it looks I'd be a happy camper with it and that would definitely make it into my box so on that note have a good day Jeff
I agree, it $ucks that they’re not serviceable, I have one of each in the fixed head, 1/4, 3/8, and the 1/2 inch is a comfort grip. They’re ok but I like ratchets that you can service. Eventually these will get dirty inside and cease up, then you will have to warranty it instead of clean and oil it. Some of the old ratchets I’ve brought home didn’t turn, but after I cleaned and oiled them, they worked like new. I don’t know why craftsman went this route on these ratchets, but for all the hype they’re getting, they’re not one of my favorites. Thanks
The V Series ratchets are really nice looking. They look very similar to their Stanley Black and Decker Mac and Proto cousins. They are much less expensive. I just feel that SB&D kind of missed the mark with the V Series ratchets. The lesser Craftsman ratchets are serviceable, yet SB&D chose to make the flagship V Series non serviceable. Both the Proto and Mac versions can be disassembled for periodic maintenance. Another sore point I have is lack of availability. Both Ace Hardware and Lowe's are retail partners of the Craftsman brand, however, not all of the aforementioned carry the V Series in stock. Neither my local Ace or Lowe's carry the V Series. I feel that there are better options out there at a lesser price point.
Cant argue with any of that my friend!! you can buy these on amazon!! there not cheap!! like you said,why would you have your top line of ratchets,non seviceable!!! all ratchets need service in there lifeapan at some point!! so there throw aways basicly!! crazy!! thanks my friend for your thoughts!!!
Jeff, I have mixed feelings on the V- series. I agree with you on the price, serviceability etc. I do like the handle, it reminds me of my new Proto 90T. As far as the knurling. I like the knurling, it is grippy & well placed. It is well made with good materials. The warranty is ok if you don't mind waiting a couple of weeks. Like you always say in the end, "it's all about options & having more tools in your arsenal." Good review Jeff!
Hi don,even if we didnt trade i would of bought these eventally,i just love ratchets!! i do wish they had a serviceable head!! but being i have so many ratchets already it will never get tons of use!!! i think the rotating handle one is neat!!! i love the snap on wrench,that the first one i ever had in my hands!!! thanks don,as always!!!
Great review, Jeff! I like the look of these newer V-Series ratchets, but they are 25-30% pricier than need be. The back drag and non-serviceable issues are their downfall, not to mention pricing. They are a thing of beauty, but…
Totally agree!! boy i have shown alot of different brands,and there are so many i havent shown,its crazy!!! when i finish the 3/8 series will take a long break away from the 1/2 ratchets!! focus on USA made series!!!
I adore the look of these, but after having a good feel for them at Lowes, I cant justify the price tag. Like you said, a "professional" tool should be serviceable. And, I think that level of backdrag is inexcusable for the kind of money theyre asking. If they could make it serviceable, lower the backdrag, and shorten the head height a little bit, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I love the honest tool reviews!
I've picked up 4 of these, all comfort grip, 2 reg head,reg length & 2 flex extra long. Back drag is tough on them, but they have a good feel in the hand, they feel substantial, like you got a hold of something. And they have worked well so far. But overall, they're still middle of the road, behind some much cheaper ratchets, including several HF's and all my GR 90-tooth.
At the start I really liked it even the handle but it not being serviceable and at $65 I still think Craftsman is overpriced and they are using Nostalgia to sell tools. I have always loved Craftsman tools and have a bunch of them and I have to open every ad from them. Great video Jeff thank you enjoy your Sunday Sorry about rambling on.
I haven’t used a new craftsman in a long time so can’t offer an opinion on quality or experience, but it looks like a nice ratchet if the gear mechanism is solid.
I have this ratchet but not flex head. I really like it. They are very nice and well built. I like the feel and the weight of it. Seems to be a strong well built ratchet. I am a fan of the V-series tools, but again they are a little overpriced, but when you find them on sale or second hand they are good tools. Thanks for the video Jeff.
the 80s were great time to walk into sears and admire all there tools!!! today i dont know what to think about them!!! some is junk,and some is ok,but very little is fatastic,just my thoughts!! thanks for joining in!!!
With enough lube, EVERYTHING is slippery 😂 Yeah I’m not sold on the V Series ratchets. Drag seemed heavy too. But they are peerrrttttyyyyy And I largely agree with you on the tooth count. Seems like more than 90, most have too much slop to take advantage of the increased number of positions. Though like you said, the new 120xp seems to be good. And I’d say the Husky ratchets seem to manage alright. That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to have a closer look at Carlyle.
I'd think that the warranty at Lowes is pretty good with those, but i just dont like that it's not serviceable. That was the only thing that kept me from buying one. They're probably a great ratchet. I really dont mind some backdrag on the anvil if it's a high-quality tool. I usually like to throw a spinner between my ratchet head and the socket when there's room for one anyway.
I think a detent on the flex joint belongs on locking flex heads. This is a professional non locking flex. Snap on doesn’t have detents but now too many budget brands have detents on their non locking flex heads and it’s annoying as all funk. I want to see a video on the long handled comfort grip v series ratchet set. The 1/4” has a short comfort grip handle everyone bitches about but it’s definitely an intentional feature to reduce the amount of torque applied since the king handle on a 1/4” could lead to shearing off bolt heads if you’re not careful and out too much leverage into the handle. But I hear the comfort grip on the v series ratchets is very nice and has a tire like tread texture on it. I’m aiming to get either the long handled 1/2” or the set of 3 when I can spare the dough. The 3 pack is still cheaper than a long handled 3/8” snap on ratchet but they are pricey for craftsman branded product.
Jeff, I have the 1/4 dr V series craftsman and the back drag is the worst thing I have ever seen. I am talking about a metric ton. But I do like the length. I was looking for a standard length flex head which very few people make.
Dont let the display fool you when you go to turn the ratchet with your fingers, it may feel like unacceptable backdrag but when i actually have a socket on the v series ratchets and use them the backdrag is not much more existant than snapon ratchets……… great ratchet, definatly overpriced tho. But so are snapons. These work just as well as snapon ratchets too.
Its a nice quality ratchet. Sealed ratchets don't bother me. But its only because my work has made me get used to them(A&P mechanic). Beeing honest, once i started using them, it no longer matter to me 😅. Where this ratchet went wrong, was the odd choices they made. Small handle, its tiny lol. 96t gear, it has so much backdrag. Funy thing the new snap on F100 has the same issue. For some reason the only tool stanley decided to not rebrand was this. Facom has a similar ratchet that inspired this one. Except that ratchet, has a excellent buttery smooth 72t gear, the handle fits nicely in your hand. Its non serviceable, but its for a reason. Its mostly marketed for the aviaton industry.
I am a little concerned about that handle, it seems like it might be uncomfy after a while but I'm curious to hear the follow up in a while when you get to use it. Could you possibly look at the vim tools flexhead rachet?
I think after using mine for 3 or 4 days the back drag started losing up on my 1/2 the 3/8 didn't have much from the get go. Craftsman now have a new ratchet 25 % smaller
Goofy ratchets. Looked at them the other day. They need to be serviceable, scale down the head and work on the handle. Stanley B&D is doing some great things and some wacky things with the Craftsman line. The Overdrive combi wrenches are fantastic (very, very close to their sister brand’s MAC RBRT profiles), but it bugs me that they skip sizes that are useful. I picked up the metric and SAE set, as they are phenomenal value, but it’s irksome about the skips. Nevertheless, Craftsman has never put out game changing tools, (like your double box end set), they just need to tweak to make it perfect.
Definitely overpriced in my opinion and the fact that I cannot be serviced is a real deal breaker maybe a good homeowner ratchet that doesn't get used frequently great content and comparison as always thanks for sharing my friend
@@jefftovani5535 you're welcome Jeff I try to watch as much as I can of your videos when I can been on kind of a hectic schedule lately still feels like I still have my welding helmet on that's how much welding I've been doing lately 😂
@@Donthetoolman I think your a fantastic subscriber my friend,I do understand people have very busy life's!! Your much appreciated no matter how much you have time to watch!!
Ratchets, you can get by with a few ratchets!!! i buy them to do reviews on to show you guys the pros and cons of said ratchets!! and let you guys decide what rite for you!!! if i keep the ratchet i do a folloe up after long use!! some ill give away!!! thanks for watching!!!
@ShawnC8030 Yep! It was supposed to be dumb. If I don't have anything to say about the video at hand, I just leave a comment because it's good for the channel. Now you fell in my dumb little trap.
Few things keep me away from craftman. They skip sizes and still want "made in USA" money for China and Taiwan tools. That ratchet being non-servicable is horrible. Sad what craftman has become 😢
All valid points shawn!!! if it wasnt for my channel,i doubt i would buy any new craftsman tools!!i just lost my passion for the brand when they sold us out, by making china crap!!! thanks shawn for joining in!!!
At the start I really liked it even the handle but it not being serviceable and at $65 I still think Craftsman is overpriced and they are using Nostalgia to sell tools. I have always loved Craftsman tools and have a bunch of them and I have to open every ad from them. Great video Jeff thank you enjoy your Sunday Sorry about rambling on