CRAFTSMAN V-SERIES 3/8 DRIVE FLEX-HEAD RATCHET,IS IT OVER PRICED, MY THOUGHTS 

Thanks. I have a lot of 70s and 80s Craftsman wrenches, ratchets, sockets, screw drivers etc. It's too bad Craftsman is no longer what it was.

I still love my craftsman ratchets and sockets from the 80’s & 90’s

I miss having tools that can be rebuilt, but I still like this V Series. Thanks!

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!

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.

Got my dad’s Craftsman ratchets from the early 70s. And love them. Now I am not a pro wrencher just a knock around the house DIYer

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!

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…

Not a bad looking ratchet... Love the show!!!!

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!

Kind of funny how similar the handle is to the Proto 90 tooth handle. One would think it's all one company or something.😉

The handle design allows you to get a hold of it.

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.

Craftsman was my go too for a long time. When sears went away I haven’t given them much thought. Maybe I should look again

Thanks for giving a review Jeff. It looks busy design wise

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.

Definitely a good looking ratchet! Unfortunately it is not my style. Thanks Jeff for another amazing review!

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.

Thank you for going through that I agree I think a nonserviceable head is not a good thing

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.

Great review as always. Not wild about it being sealed.

I was at Lowe's earlier and you had me looking at ratchets. No reason to buy just checking them out hah

I got the 1/4 version long handle and got to say that I love it. Got it for $30 new on eBay

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 just wish their USA plant could have worked out. It’s a shame the quality was poor and they shipped the manufacturing to Taiwan

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

Kinda looks decent but not for me... Jeff congrats on 6k subs already!

Awesome video. Wish craftsman was still us made. Sad what the iconic American brand has become

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.

I think they look like a solid ratchet but I'm like you Jeff I don't care for the head not being serviceable.

It's to bad there not serviceable I find it's a good advantage to be able to take them apart and lube them

Still miss Sears

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

My only gripe with the new V series is that you can't service them

Thanks, Jeff!

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I thank at the price point and not serviceable that there are better options out there.

It's a good 👍 one

That's a nice ratchet

It looks nice but being a sealed head is a turn off plus I think they are asking too much money for it.

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Looks like you would have to soak it in oil or atf to keep it lubricated like the handle though

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It’s lifetime warranty ?

The ICON ratchet is better and half the price. Crafsman is was over priced. Even the Pittburg ratchet is great.

Do you really need all those geese?

That handle is to,to short! Especially for a 3/8 ratchet.

I don't like that price point.

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 😢

Sealed head, nope…….

These ratchets are junk!

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