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Upgrade Your Diy Toolkit With The Best Ratchets

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Last Updated: May 3, 2024, 1:06 p.m.

Whether you’re a car mechanic, a skilled craftsman, or you simply like doing DIY projects around the house, there’s one tool that you must have: a ratchet. For years, ratchets have been the go-to tool for loosening and tightening up bolts and nuts. With the advent of technology, more advanced alternatives — like electrically powered socket spinners or pneumatic machines — have somewhat replaced this tool, but nothing is quite as slim and handy as a classic ratchet. It fits where no other electronic ratchet would, making it a must-have tool in every workshop and DIY toolkit.

But with a ton of different sizes, types, and styles, it’s a daunting task to choose the right ratchet. Don’t worry! We’ve shortlisted our favorite ratchets of 2023 and we’ve prepared a detailed buyer’s guide to help you make your decision.

Buying Guide: Ratchet

We’ve gone over some of the highest-quality ratchets that you can find today. But everyone has a unique set of needs to tend to with this tool, which is why the market offers it in many sizes and types. Ratchets differ in terms of their handle length, teeth count, and grips. So, how can you find one that’s a perfect match for your personal preferences? Well, that’s what this buying guide seeks to help you with. Let’s walk through each of the major differentiating factors to ensure that you invest your money in the right place. After all, this ratchet is going to live in your toolkit for years to come!

What Size Ratchet Drive Do You Need?

Ratchets come in a variety of drive sizes, which refers to the diameter of the tool’s anvil (where the socket is supposed to attach). If you’re a car mechanic or you need a ratchet for your personal garage, you most likely need one that’s 1/4-inch or 3/8-inch in size. For automotive repair work, the amount of torque you get with these sizes should be more than sufficient. You can also get a 1-inch ratchet with more torque, but that’s only required in heavy-duty scenarios like construction work, industrial settings, rail yards, and factories. The right size for you depends on what you plan on doing with it. Smaller ratchets (like the 1/4-inch) might not have sufficient torque to rip age-old lug nuts free, but they’ll be narrow enough to fit in even the tightest spots for automotive work. Similarly, a 1/2-inch or 1-inch ratchet can provide impressive torque, but at the expense of being unusable in narrow settings. You’ll need an efficient blend of both qualities, which is often found in the 3/8th-inch ratchet drive size.

What Ratchet Head Style Should You Choose?

Ratchets can be categorized into two primary styles, mainly due to differences in their head shapes. After all, that’s what determines the ratcheting mechanism they offer. You can either get a pear head ratchet or a round head one. A pear head ratchet comes with a relatively smaller selector switch that you’ll find near the head’s base, while the round head ratchet often has it mounted as a knot on the back. Round ratchets are generally bulkier than pear head ratchets, making them slightly more suitable for heavy-duty work. Things get a bit more complex from here, because these two classifications have further subcategories. Let’s discuss them.

Swivel, flex, or fixed head

Both round head and pear head ratchets can be found with fixed or flexible heads. If you plan on using your ratchet in narrow, hard-to-reach spots, you’re better off with a flex head ratchet since it comes with a built-in pivot to improve reachability in tight spots. With flex points integrated into the design, the head’s angle doesn’t have to be aligned with the rest of the handle and you can adjust it as needed along those points. Fixed head ratchets lack this feature and aren’t as adjustable. Flex head ratchets aren’t as sturdy as fixed ones when it comes to heavy-duty use. That’s because an angled flexed point could be the weakest link that acts as the failure point for the entire tool, especially in high-torque scenarios. Since flex head ratchets are more expensive to produce, they’re often more expensive than fixed head ratchets. Most car mechanics still like to have both types lying around their shop so they can handle a wider variety of situations. The third orientation consists of ratchets with a swivel head. These are affixed to the ratchet to offer a drive rotation at a 270-degree angle. They’re bulky, but often necessary in certain conditions where a flex head ratchet fits, but lacks power.

What Other Features Should You Consider?

Ratchet tooth count

Another factor to consider is the tooth count of your new ratchet. The higher the tooth count, the less its handle needs to be moved to engage the next tooth. More teeth are ideal for tight situations where there’s not much space for larger swings because you’re able to loosen or tighten bolts or nuts with very little handle movement. A high tooth count for ratchets falls between 72 to 160 teeth. The lowest tooth count is around 20 to 40 teeth, which might be sufficient for DIY needs and casual repair work. For most people, a standard 36-tooth ratchet should work just fine.

Standard vs. quick-release ratchets

Ratchets with a button at the top of their head are called quick-release. These allow you to get rid of the currently-attached socket at the press of a button, triggering a ball detent to release it. With standard ratchets, you need to pull the socket off manually since there’s no quick-release button. Sometimes, you might even need to use a screwdriver or both hands to yank tighter, stubborn sockets off the ratchet. This takes more time and energy, making quick-release options superior — though they’re higher priced. Some traditionalists stick with standard ratchets because with a button on the head, you’re always at risk of accidentally pressing it. This leads to your socket popping out and dropping to the ground, which is frustrating and sometimes also damaging to your equipment.

Handle length

You can get ratchets in a variety of different handle lengths. They mostly come in three ranges: long, standard, and stubby. The longer the handle, the more torque it can produce, allowing you to take things apart more easily. To understand the importance of handle length, open a door and try closing it by pushing it at a spot near the hinge. Then try closing the door by pushing it near the knob. The former requires you to inflict a lot more force than the latter due to a massive difference in torque. The downside is that longer handles aren’t great for cramped nooks and crannies. Strike a balance between handle length and handiness based on your personal priorities, needs, and preferences.

Ratchet grip styles

Ratchet grip is something that has divided mechanics and DIY workers. Some prefer ratchets with shiny chrome handles, while others prefer comfortable, grippier handles. Not all grips are alike. There’s a wide range of materials used to create a comfortable grip, including rubber, plastic, and soft padding. They all have the same benefit of preventing you from feeling the cold steel of the ratchet’s chrome handle. They’re also significantly more comfortable to hold and offer a more secure grip, which is important for mechanics who work long hours. The only downsides are that they’re harder to clean and they age more quickly than their chrome counterparts. Chrome ratchets develop nothing but scratches over time and maybe some rust if they’re low-quality. Cleaning is a breeze and they look more high-quality than a plastic-handled ratchet.

Top Picks

Best Overall: Neiko Ratchet
Most Variety: Duratech Ratchet
Most Affordable: Sata Ratchet
Best Set: Gearwrench Ratchet
Best Flex-Head: Capri Tools Ratchet

Reviews

Best Overall

Neiko Ratchet

Pros	Cons
Very high tooth count Premium build quality Quick-release button on its head	The tag is hard to remove

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Most Variety

Duratech Ratchet

Pros	Cons
Provides lots of versatility Easy to store in included storage box Great for narrow and inaccessible spots	High turning torque Unsuitable for one-handed use

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Most Affordable

Sata Ratchet

Pros	Cons
Secure purchase backed by a lifetime warranty Comes in versatile 3/8-inch size Great value for the money	May break under high-torque situations

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Best Set

Gearwrench Ratchet

Pros	Cons
All-inclusive package Covers all loosening and tightening conditions Lots of head size and shape versatility	Ratcheting mechanism could be stronger

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Best Flex-Head

Capri Tools Ratchet

Pros	Cons
Flex-head design for enhanced maneuverability Can switch directions with a thumb flip Relatively lightweight at 0.9 pounds	Not for heavy-duty use

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FAQs

Why is it called a ratchet wrench?

It’s called a ratchet wrench because it’s based on a ratcheting mechanism that lets you pivot it back and forth to turn the socket and tighten or loosen a nut instead of repeatedly having to remove and reposition it like with a regular wrench.

Should I buy a torque wrench or a ratchet?

If you do automotive work and regularly need to have a precise torque setting to handle challenging scenarios, a torque wrench makes the most sense. Regular ratchet wrenches specialize in tightening and loosening bolts, which you’ll commonly come across even in car repairs, so you might also need one of those in your toolkit.

What’s the minimum number of teeth that my ratchet should have?

Technically, a ratchet doesn’t need to have a toothed surface, which means the answer could be zero. For a toothed ratchet, the lowest tooth range is 20 to 40 and the highest tooth range is 72 to 160.