2022 test18 productsHand Tools
Which 3/8 Inch Drive Ratchets Brand Wins?
We compared 18 3/8 inch drive ratchets options head to head. GearWrench came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
GearWrench
Price shown in test: $34
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Runner-up
Icon Pro (Harbor Freight)
Price shown in test: $40 (Harbor Freight)
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Budget pick
SATA
Price shown in test: $13
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Working Arc Swing Test | Back Drag Pressure Test | Directional Lever Stiffness | Failure Load Test | Head Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GearWrench$34 | about 20 degrees of progress per pass, tied for second place at 18 passes for a full 360 degree rotation | 209 g, very good | 181 g, the easiest to work with of all ratchets tested | 286.2 ft lb, third place overall, drive broke but gear and pawl stayed in great shape | shortest front to back head profile of all ratchets at just under 11 mm, and the slimmest side to side profile at 25 mm |
| 2Icon Pro$40 (Harbor Freight) | about 20 degrees of progress per pass, tied for second place at 18 passes | 669 g, did not perform as well as GearWrench on this test | 326 g, about the same as Williams | 284.5 ft lb, fifth place, described as up there with Husky and GearWrench | not tested |
| 3SATA$13 | over 17 degrees of progress per pass, moved into the lead among early brands at just under 21 passes | 288 g | 227 g | 258 ft lb, drive broke, gear and pawl held up fine | 12.8 mm front to back, one of the more compact head sizes |
| 4Zero Degree 0 degree gearless quick release$31 | over 20 degrees of progress per pass, won the working arc swing test outright at 17.5 passes | 298 g, performed great, tied with Wera | 446 g, about 1 lb of pressure | 250.9 ft lb, drive/pin mechanism was the source of failure, some damage to plastic components | not tested |
| 5Mac Tools$150 | over 19 degrees of progress per pass, 18.5 passes, a little better than Wera | 398 g, lower pressure than Snap-on | 408 g, about 100 g less than Snap-on | 251.3 ft lb, broke, but other than the broken handle the ratchet held up fine | not tested |
| 6Wera$53 | just over 19 degrees of progress per pass, about 18.7 passes, performed almost as well as Icon Pro and GearWrench | 298 g, performed very well, tied with Zero Degree | 364 g, a little more force than Icon Pro | 202.7 ft lb, the weakest failure load of all ratchets tested despite being very compact | 13.5 mm front to back, one of the more compact head sizes, under 30 mm side to side |
| 7SK Tools$90 | over 16 degrees of progress per pass, 21.7 passes | 609 g, pretty high pressure | 970 g, by far the stiffest directional lever of all ratchets tested | 267.9 ft lb, close to average | 13.4 mm front to back, one of the more compact head sizes, under 30 mm side to side |
| 8Snap-on$129 | 18 degrees of progress per pass, performed better than average at 20 passes | 499 g, almost identical to Williams | 503 g | 295.4 ft lb, second place overall behind Milwaukee | not tested |
| 9Milwaukee$35 | around 16 degrees of progress per pass, 22.5 passes | 499 g, stiffer than average | 226 g, pretty easy to work with | 312.9 ft lb, won the failure load test outright, by far the strongest ratchet tested | not tested |
| 10Williams$36 | just over 15 degrees of progress per pass, 23.7 passes | 497 g, about the same as Milwaukee | 314 g | 273.5 ft lb, drive snapped, gear and pawl held up fine | not tested |
| 11Tekton$36 | around 16 degrees of progress per pass, 22.5 passes, tied with Milwaukee | 278 g, a lot better than Williams or Milwaukee despite a similar arc swing result | 421 g, pretty stiff | 273.8 ft lb, almost identical to Williams, some gear tooth damage | not tested |
| 12DeWalt$31 | about 15 degrees of progress per pass, 24 passes, the slowest of the standard ratchets tested at that point | 799 g, the stiffest back drag pressure recorded at that point in testing, even stiffer than Craftsman | 611 g, about as stiff as Husky | 230.8 ft lb, about 55 ft lb less than Kobalt | not tested |
| 13Kobalt$28 | about 17 degrees of progress per pass, tied with SATA at 20.8 passes | 388 g, the highest back drag pressure recorded up to that point in testing | 217 g, easy to work with | 285.9 ft lb, fourth place, very difficult to beat at that point in testing, directional switch ejected on failure but gear and pawl stayed in great shape | not tested |
| 14Craftsman stubby$30 | over 18 degrees of progress per pass, the best yet at that point, took the lead at 19 passes | 729 g, very stiff | 431 g, about twice the pressure of most other ratchets | 262.1 ft lb, the presenter accidentally damaged some already-worn teeth with an angle grinder during inspection; the pawl also experienced some damage | not tested |
| 15Husky$30 | around 18 degrees of progress per pass, 20 passes, just one more than Craftsman | 389 g, much less than Craftsman despite a similar arc swing result | 653 g, extremely stiff, about 1.5 lb of pressure | 283.4 ft lb, came up a little short of Kobalt | 13.7 mm front to back, one of the more compact head sizes |
| 16ARES$12 | about 13 degrees of progress per pass, took the lead among the weaker early brands at 27 passes | 238 g, very low pressure, described as feeling very loose | 199 g, about the same as Pittsburgh, easy to work with | 267.2 ft lb, 21 ft lb better than Pittsburgh | not tested |
| 17Pittsburgh Pro$10 (Harbor Freight) | only about 10 degrees of progress per pass in a 30 degree space, took the lead from Performance Tool at 36 passes, described as very loose with an oversized handle | 148 g, the lowest (loosest) of all ratchets tested | 187 g, very easy to work with | 246.5 ft lb on the first attempt (handle bent), 239.4 ft lb on a second attempt when the drive broke, gear and pawl held up fine | not tested |
| 18Performance Tool$7 | the worst of all ratchets tested, 39 back and forth passes for one full 360 degree rotation | 698 g | 1,561 g (almost 3.5 lb of pressure), by far the stiffest directional lever of any ratchet tested | 58.4 ft lb, by far the weakest of all ratchets tested; the ratchet head is made of soft metal and stretched significantly before the drive broke | not tested |
How it was tested
- working arc swing test measuring back and forth passes needed for a full 360 degree rotation within a 30 degree space
- back drag pressure test using a 7/8 inch socket, fishing line, and a scale
- ratchet head size measurement, front to back and side to side
- directional lever switching stiffness test
- failure load test using a Proto torque wrench tester accurate to a tenth of a foot pound
“the GearWrench easily won this showdown, earning an A+ in every category...If I had to buy just one ratchet, the GearWrench would definitely be it.”