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44 Karma

Review on πŸ”§ High-Performance ARES 42000 Ratchet Set for Men: 3-Piece 90-Tooth Full Polish Design in Chrome Vanadium Steel with Low Profile Reversible Function and 4 Degree Swing by Andrew Britton

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Looks very nice but 3/8 jammed on first use.

These are nice ratchets and maybe it was just a mistake but the 3/8 ratchet jammed on first use. I didn't really do anything with it, just unscrewed a few timing belt cover bolts and all of a sudden it just stuck and wouldn't move in any direction. I clamped the chuck in a vise and pulled it slightly towards the ratchet and it came loose. Haven't used it since, maybe it was just a small mistake in breaking and won't happen again. I'll try again over the next few weeks on break and see what happens. I note that this is a fine-toothed, two-pawl mechanism similar to that used in the new Harbor Freight Icon series, and the Harbor Freight had the same mechanism. the problem is right on your doorstep. Perhaps this mechanism tends to jam? In fact, it may be the same manufacturer. If you google "Ratchet Recall with Icon" you will see the exact problem I was having. I wish I could give them a higher rating, but when something gets blocked like that, it's no good. This has never happened to any other ratchet in 40 years of ratchet use. Update: Although my 3/8 ratchet jammed the first time I used it, I was able to disengage the mechanism and have used it a number of times since then with no problems, hence increasing my rating to 4 stars. The only remaining gripe is that it's easy to accidentally flip the selector switch when using the tool in tight spaces, but this isn't uncommon with ratchets so I don't want to complain about that.

Pros
  • Socket
Cons
  • Cable is shorter than other picks