2025 test13 productsHand Tools
Which Hand Tools Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 13 hand tools options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Ranked first
Snap-on new/modern 3/8 in drive ratchet (claimed 100-tooth gear)
Price shown in test: $147
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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 | Sub-category | Arc swing test (right to left passes for one full 360 degree rotation, fewer is better) | Back drag test (grams of force to advance the gear, lower is better) | Directional switch force (grams to change direction, lower is better) | Head size (front to back x side to side, narrator's own multiplication method) | Failure load / breaking torque | Weight | Jaw capacity | Jaw slop (up/down x side/side) | Vibration back-off test (jaw opened under impact-wrench vibration) | Torque test, smaller coupling nut | Torque test, larger 5/8 in coupling nut | Failure load | Vibration back-off test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Snap-on new/modern 3/8 in drive ratchet (claimed 100-tooth gear)$147 | ratchet | 20.2 passes, best of all 6 ratchets tested | 472 g | 356 g | 23.5 mm x 30.54 mm, about 1 percent smaller than the vintage Snap-on head, smallest of all 6 ratchets | 298 ft lbs when the internal gear mechanism broke | 320.03 g, handle 2 in longer than the vintage Snap-on | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Snap-on vintage, approximately 100 years old | ratchet | 21.2 passes, 2nd best, only 20 gear teeth vs 80-100 on modern ratchets and even missed a tooth on one attempt | 246 g, best of all 6 ratchets tested | 80 g, best of all 6 ratchets tested | 23.05 mm x 31.47 mm, 2nd smallest of all 6 ratchets | 122.4 ft lbs first direction, 122.8 ft lbs on a retest in the opposite direction; both main gear teeth broke | 217.24 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3SK Tools vintage, built approximately in the 1980s | ratchet | 24 passes, tied for worst with SATA | 312 g, 2nd best | 304 g, 2nd best | 33.11 mm x 35.56 mm, described as way too large to fit into tight spaces | 108.2 ft lbs when the drive snapped; gears found badly worn from many years of use | 284.63 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4SATAaround $15 | ratchet | 24 passes, tied for worst with vintage SK Tools | 366 g, 3rd best | 352 g | 24.4 mm x 32.01 mm, about 7 percent larger than the new Snap-on head, called compact for a budget ratchet | 268.4 ft lbs when the main drive broke; pawl still in good shape | 267 g, 2 in longer handle than the vintage ratchets | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Challenger vintage, built between roughly the 1950s and 1970s | ratchet | 22.4 passes, 3rd best | 564 g | 306 g, 3rd best | 33.37 mm x 35.23 mm, about 38 percent larger than the new Snap-on head | just under 25 ft lbs, by far the worst of all 6 ratchets; found completely wrecked with pre-existing internal wear/damage on the main teeth | 260.2 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6GearWrench 120XP | ratchet | 23.9 passes | 678 g, worst of all 6 ratchets tested | 414 g, worst of all 6 ratchets tested | 25.06 mm x 31.98 mm, described as almost as compact as the SATA | 301.9 ft lbs on first attempt (did not break), broke on a retest at 296 ft lbs; main gear and both pawls still in good shape | 324.04 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Milwaukee 10-in adjustable wrench$33 for two wrenches | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1.43 in, largest of the new (non-vintage) wrenches | 0.4 mm x 0.76 mm, 2nd best up/down, 3rd best side/side | opened to 19.15 mm; final ranking on the change-in-opening version of this test placed Milwaukee 2nd at 0.22 mm behind vintage Signet | 1,182 in lbs, best of all 7 wrenches tested | 1,547 in lbs, 3rd best; lower jaw stretched slightly | approximately 867 lbs; the transcript phrase describing this as 'the most for sure' is ambiguous caption phrasing and is not treated as a literal claim of the highest failure load, since the vintage Ford (1,133 lbs) and the vintage Pexto/Peck Stow wrench (1,620 lbs) both failed at higher loads | not tested |
| 8Craftsman wide-opening jaw adjustable wrencharound $19 | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | advertised at 1 3/8 in, measured at 1.36 in | approximately 1.0 mm x 0.86 mm | not tested | 1,004 in lbs, 2nd best behind Milwaukee | 1,654 in lbs, best of all 7 wrenches tested; lower jaw did not stretch | just over 800 lbs; lower jaw was the point of failure | backed off 0.3 mm to 19.23 mm |
| 9Pexto Pexto Co. Girard, vintage, built approximately in the 1920s | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1.89 in | 4.33 mm x 1.8 mm, sloppiest of all 7 wrenches tested | not tested | 668.4 in lbs on first attempt, 676.2 in lbs on a repeat attempt | 1,249 in lbs; the transcript names this result to a brand called 'Channellock,' which was never introduced as a product anywhere else in the video. By process of elimination against the description's/video's 7-wrench lineup (Craftsman, Pexto, SK Tools, Signet, Milwaukee, Ford, Proto all otherwise accounted for in this test) this figure is resolved as the Pexto's result, not a genuine 8th brand | 1,620 lbs, best of all 7 wrenches tested; the transcript refers to this wrench as 'the Peck Stow' at this point rather than 'Pexto.' Peck, Stow and Wilcox was the historical maker of the Pexto brand, so this is very likely the same wrench being named two different ways in the transcript, not a distinct product; test ended by narrator for safety before full failure | jaws opened to 19.4 mm, a 0.47 mm change from unloaded |
| 10SK Tools adjustable wrench, cobalt base coating$41 | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1.26 in | 0.91 mm x 0.75 mm | not tested | 963.6 in lbs, about 40 in lbs less than the Craftsman | 1,472 in lbs | just over 600 lbs when the wrench escaped the tester; worm drive left frozen/seized afterward | jaws opened to 19.34 mm |
| 11Signet Signet Manufacturing Company, vintage, built approximately in the 1920s or 1930s | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1.18 in, least of all 7 wrenches tested | 0.08 mm x 0.29 mm, best (tightest) of all 7 wrenches tested by a wide margin | not tested | 272.1 in lbs, worst of all 7 wrenches tested; lower jaw appeared slightly bent | 435.1 in lbs, worst of all 7 wrenches tested; bent lower jaw cited as the cause | just over 200 lbs, worst of all 7 wrenches tested; lower jaw was already bent going in and continued bending/cracking under modest force | jaws did not open at all under vibration, best of all 7 wrenches tested |
| 12Ford vintage, exact build date unknown, guessed pre-1950s | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 2.07 in, largest of all 7 wrenches tested | 0.92 mm x 2.41 mm, described as pretty sloppy | not tested | 860.2 in lbs | 1,252 in lbs, barely ahead of the Pexto's 1,249 in lbs result | 1,133 lbs, 2nd best of all 7 wrenches tested behind the Pexto/Peck Stow wrench; lower jaw suffered catastrophic damage | jaws opened to 19.38 mm |
| 13Proto vintage, guessed built in the 1960s or 1970s | adjustable wrench | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1.23 in | 1.21 mm x 1.99 mm | not tested | 968.7 in lbs, made the top-three list for this test | 1,566 in lbs, 2nd best behind the Craftsman | 635 lbs; lower jaw was the point of failure | jaws opened to 19.19 mm, a 0.26 mm change, 3rd best behind Signet and Milwaukee |
How it was tested
- ratchets: arc swing test, right-to-left passes required for one full 360 degree rotation within a 30 degree working space
- ratchets: back drag test, grams of force needed to advance the gear one tooth measured with a scale and fishing line on a suspended socket
- ratchets: directional switch force, grams of force needed to move the directional lever
- ratchets: head size, front-to-back and side-to-side caliper measurements multiplied for a square-millimeter comparison
- ratchets: failure load, torque applied via a torque wrench calibration tester until the ratchet's drive or gear mechanism broke
- adjustable wrenches: jaw opening capacity, measured against manufacturer claims
- adjustable wrenches: jaw slop, up-and-down and side-to-side play measured with a caliper
- adjustable wrenches: vibration back-off test, jaw opening measured before and after a burst of vibration from a compact impact wrench
- adjustable wrenches: torque test on a soft coupling nut sized for the standard wrench opening, measured in inch-pounds
- adjustable wrenches: repeat torque test on a larger 5/8 in coupling nut, measured in inch-pounds
- adjustable wrenches: failure load, torque applied via a torque wrench calibration tester until the wrench's jaw or worm gear failed