2023 test16 productsHand Tools
Which 3/8 Inch Flex Head Ratchets Brand Wins?
We compared 16 3/8 inch flex head ratchets options head to head. Olsa Tools came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Olsa Tools
Price shown in test: $121
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Runner-up
GearWrench 90
Price shown in test: $67
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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 | Tight space arc swing (passes per 360deg, fewer is better) | Back drag (grams) | Handle to head slop (inches) | Directional switch force (grams) | Head size (front to back) | Failure load (ft-lb) | Spec claims | Head size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Olsa Tools$121 | 18.1 (2nd place behind Craftsman) | 219 g | 0.017 in (tied 2nd best with Nepros, behind Wera) | 589 g, described as a little stiff | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2GearWrench 90 90 tooth$67 | 18.2 (tied for 1st place with ICON) | 296 g | less than 1/10th of an inch (no exact figure given, better than average) | 238 g | 12.15 mm, the most compact front to back of all 16 | 276.50 ft-lb | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Duratech$18 | 24 | 215 g | garbled in transcript ("almost a[?] inch of slop"), a fraction digit was dropped by captions | 338 g (about 3/4 lb) | not tested | not tested | 72 teeth, claims 5 degree arc swing, claims handles up to 195 ft-lb, 6 flex positions 30 degrees apart, made in China, weighs 41.2 g | not tested | not tested |
| 4DeWalt$24 | 20.5, took the lead from Duratech | 396 g | 0.03 in, described as 90 percent less slop than Duratech | 788 g (1.7 lb), described as very stiff | not tested | 269.50 ft-lb, drive failed at the 3/8 in drive point | 72 teeth, 5 degree arc swing claim, 180 degree rotation, low profile directional lever, made in Taiwan, weighs approx 42.89 g (transcript garbled as "4289 G", likely a dropped decimal) | not tested | not tested |
| 5Crescent$27 | 24, same as Duratech | 226 g | about 8x DeWalt's slop, transcript garbled as "almost a/4 in", likely close to 0.24 in | 204 g, described as very easy to change directions; confirmed again in the category recap sentence | not tested | transcript says 22.8 ft-lb, which is roughly 10x lower than every neighboring result (160 to 300 range); almost certainly a dropped caption digit, likely intended as 228 ft-lb, kept verbatim, do not silently correct | 72 teeth, 5 degree arc swing claim, teardrop head, 9 flex positions at 20 degree spread, made in Taiwan, weighs 48.3 g (heaviest at that point) | not tested | not tested |
| 6Kobalt 81747$35 | 20.5, tied with DeWalt | 192 g, moved into the lead at that point | 0.17 in | 322 g, about the same as Duratech | not tested | transcript garbled as "169 5 foot lbs", likely 169.5 ft-lb; weakest failure result recorded up to that point in the video, attributed to its very compact size | 90 teeth (more than the first four brands), claims 4 degree arc swing, 180 degree rotation, 7 preset flex positions, made in Taiwan, weight garbled in transcript ("333.com"), likely intended near 33 g given it is described as very light | most compact side to side of all 16; 12.2 mm front to back (2nd most compact); most compact overall combined dimension | not tested |
| 7ICON$44 | 18.2, took the lead from DeWalt and Kobalt | 298 g | 0.11 in, 2nd place behind DeWalt | 297 g, 2nd place behind Duratech | not tested | 287.4 ft-lb, moved into the lead for torque strength at that point | claims 92 tooth gear mechanism, claims 4 degree arc swing, low profile 180 degree flex head, made in Taiwan, weight approx 43.94 g (transcript "4394 G", likely dropped decimal) | not tested | not tested |
| 8Tekton$50 | 19, 2nd place behind ICON | 389 g | 0.126 in, 3rd place behind ICON | 588 g, described as pretty stiff | not tested | transcript garbled as "2658 ftlb", almost certainly 265.8 ft-lb with a dropped decimal point given every neighboring failure value sits in the 160 to 300 range | claims 92 teeth, claims 4 degree arc swing, 180 degree flex head in 9 positions, claims reduced head height/width/length, made in Taiwan, weight approx 43.39 g (transcript garbled "433.9") | not tested | not tested |
| 9GearWrench 120XP 120XP$52 | transcript garbled as "101 point5", likely intended as approximately 20.1 passes | 266 g | 0.124 in, close to Tekton's result | 199 g, moved into the lead, later tied with Wera per the category recap | not tested | transcript reads "27 7.9 ftlb" (stray space), read as 277.9 ft-lb | claims 120 positions and a 3 degree arc swing via double stack pawls, claims 180 percent of ASME torque performance, made in Taiwan, weight garbled in transcript ("443.10") | not tested | not tested |
| 10Wera$67 | 36, the worst of all 16, attributed to a handle described as too bulky for tight spaces | 194 g, 2nd place behind Kobalt | no exact figure given; described qualitatively as finishing on top of this category, designed to prevent slop between handle and head | 199 g, tied for the lead with GearWrench 120XP per the category recap, described as easy to rotate | not tested | transcript garbled as "2561 ftlb", likely 256.1 ft-lb with a dropped decimal, let go a little sooner than average | 72 teeth (approx 5 degree arc swing by the same math as other 72-tooth ratchets), swivel head locks into 5 positions at 0, 15 and 90 degrees left and right, made in the Czech Republic per the transcript, weighs 32.6 g | not tested | not tested |
| 11Craftsman$75 | 16.3, the single best/most efficient result of all 16 brands tested | 686 g, by far the worst back drag result of the test | 0.083 in, edges out GearWrench 90 | 396 g; the transcript literally attributes this reading to 'the Crescent' a second time, but Crescent's directional force was already given as 204 g earlier and reconfirmed in the same category's closing recap sentence, and this second mention falls in testing-order sequence right after GearWrench 90, exactly where Craftsman belongs; reassigned to Craftsman per testing-order resolution, flagged here | not tested | closing leaderboard recap states Craftsman came in on top at 295.2 ft-lb (highest of all 16); the mid-video failure segment itself is internally inconsistent, reading 'snapping at 295.27 at 279.50 ftlb' in the same sentence, both figures recorded here, flagged | 96 teeth (highest tooth count in the test), claims 3.75 degree arc swing, enclosed ratchet head to prevent dirt infiltration, made in Taiwan, weighs 49.33 g | not tested | not tested |
| 12Stahlwille$142 | 19.5 | 289 g | 0.054 in, better than average | 263 g, described as pretty easy to work with | not tested | transcript says 22.2 ft-lb, roughly 10x lower than neighboring results in the 160 to 300 range; almost certainly a dropped caption digit, likely intended as 222 ft-lb, kept verbatim | claims a 4.5 degree arc swing, head locks into 4 positions, made in Germany, weight garbled in transcript ("357.00"), unclear digit count | not tested | not tested |
| 13Mac Tools$165 | 17.7, 2nd place at that point behind Craftsman | 447 g | 0.15 in, described as a little too loose for a premium tool ratchet | 488 g | not tested | 206 ft-lb, described as giving up a lot sooner than expected, and its handle pivot pin broke and the handle bent | 90 teeth, locking flex head with 11 positions, approx 180 degrees of flex, claims 4 degree arc swing, made in USA | not tested | not captured; the transcript sentence about Mac Tools' weight is cut off before any number is given |
| 14Snap-on$173 | 20, performed well but not enough to lead | 299 g | 0.078 in, slightly better than Craftsman and GearWrench 90 | 534 g | not tested | 292.50 ft-lb in the failure segment; the closing recap states 292.00 ft-lb for Snap-on, a minor discrepancy, both figures recorded | 80 teeth, dual 80 technology with 7 teeth in contact with the gear, made in USA, weighs 43.45 g; transcript claims an arc swing of "42 degrees" which is roughly 10x every other brand's single digit arc swing claim, almost certainly a dropped decimal for 4.2 degrees, kept verbatim | not tested | not tested |
| 15Nepros$183 | 21.5, described as the handle being too large to work efficiently in a tight space | 296 g | 0.017 in, tied for 2nd best with Olsa Tools | 829 g, the worst result in this category, described as really struggling | not tested | 231.50 ft-lb, described as failing a lot sooner than most of the competition | claims 90 tooth gear (transcript garbled as "9 to ratchet"), claims 4 degree arc swing, approx 180 degrees of flex range, made in Japan, weighs 36.78 g | not tested | not tested |
| 16Proto$226 | 18, performed very well | 333 g, slightly more than Snap-on and Nepros | 0.075 in, slightly better than Snap-on | transcript garbled as "48", almost certainly missing one or more digits given every neighboring value is in the 200 to 830 range; likely intended around 480 g, kept verbatim, do not guess the exact figure | not tested | 263.50 ft-lb | 90 tooth pair head flex head, claims a 4.5 degree arc swing, textured grip bands on the handle, made in USA, weighs 49.6 g; explicitly called out as the most expensive brand tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- tight space working arc swing (back and forth passes needed for one full 360 degree rotation within a 30 degree space)
- handle to ratchet head slop / build construction (dial indicator, inches)
- back drag (fishing line and scale, grams of resistance)
- directional switch force (grams of force to change direction)
- head size / compactness (side to side and front to back, mm)
- failure load under torque (ft-lb until the ratchet broke)
“so which ratchet is the best and the Ula tools dominated The Showdown with an average finish of 4.8 it's a very good ratchet and and offers a complete package”