Air ratchet for home use

[Lenny5160]

I’ve seriously considered the Milwaukee but for the price and infrequency of use. How many years do people get out of their battery packs before they don’t hold a good charge?

I'm coming up on 5 years since buying the M12 non-Fuel ratchet and the low-end impact driver in a bundle. I have acquired other M12 batteries and tools over time, but I can't tell a difference in lifespan of any of them. I don't use the tools every day, for certain.

That ratchet is by far my favorite tool.

 

[D60]

Yeah you can typically easily get 5-7 years out of M12 packs if you don't work them hard. My wife runs thru charge cycles on 3.0 compacts in the winter (heated gear) like our leader eating scoops in an ice cream parlor and the daily charge/discharge/repeat definitely shortens their life

But for use in ratchets, impact drivers etc you're not typically discharging and charging every single day.

Plus with M12 you can get the underhood light

If I'm not mistaken Watch Wes Work is using the Hercules cordless ratchet from HF. Thing is it seems I always see him running the big-footed batteries and that really hinders access IME

 

[D60]

Also I always thought it was a good idea to hang on to an air ratchet for wet or potentially explosive conditions or working submerged in oil.....yeah, right. In 20+ years of doing mechanical things in some fashion I've never needed that.

I understand some applications require it.....but time has proven it would be extremely rare for me

 

[nthach]

I’ve seriously considered the Milwaukee but for the price and infrequency of use. How many years do people get out of their battery packs before they don’t hold a good charge?

I’m approaching the 6 year mark with one of mine - still works.

IMHO, for the home/DIYer, Ryobi is worth a serious look. Milwaukee and DeWalt buy you better batteries and tougher builds. But for 90% of non-professional use Ryobi fits the bill. The newest refresh of their One+ system now includes brushless motors on select tools and a decently good outdoor lineup.

 

[Astro14]

I don’t use an air ratchet since I got my Milwaukee M12 (in both 1/4” and 3/8”) ratchets. I don’t need a ton of power - or I would‘ve grabbed an impact - and not having an air hose to manage is great.

 

[wtd]

I bought a Milwaukee M12 3/8" ratchet a while back and love it. I like it way better than my air tool ratchet. I used it today when I was changing the transmission fluid in my fiance's car.

 

[jhellwig]

11 years and going on my M18 packs(they use the same cells as m12).

I have an m12 ratchet but just cant figure out how to like using it. I get more use out of the m12 screw driver for zipping screws and small bolts out.

 

[2EHA]

snapon cordless ratchets smack milwaukee hands down. anything else they have is mediocre at best

 

[bunnspecial]

The air ratchets I paid ~$20 or so for at HF a few years ago are still going strong, I don't use any of them a ton, and have not done more with the 1/2" I bought than test it, but my 3/8 and 1/4 get regular use when I need them.

I've had really good luck overall with just the cheap standard line of HF air tools.

 

[D60]

snapon cordless ratchets smack milwaukee hands down. anything else they have is mediocre at best

I'm not incredibly thrilled with the basic, brushed M12 ratchets, although they do have their place. The extended reach Fuel (brushless) is a different matter entirely. More reach, more leverage to break fasteners free, and more power.

I'm not suggesting it's as powerful as SnapOn (I have no experience there), just that there are variations of the M12 offerings.

I might love SnapOn but I've worked to consolidate battery platforms and I'm almost exclusively M12/M18....and I like the relative simplicity of that

 

[2EHA]

I'm not incredibly thrilled with the basic, brushed M12 ratchets, although they do have their place. The extended reach Fuel (brushless) is a different matter entirely. More reach, more leverage to break fasteners free, and more power.

I'm not suggesting it's as powerful as SnapOn (I have no experience there), just that there are variations of the M12 offerings.

I might love SnapOn but I've worked to consolidate battery platforms and I'm almost exclusively M12/M18....and I like the relative simplicity of that

i also made the compromise i have an m12 brushed and had a fuel extendo, sold it immediately for a china special. i’m gonna grab the right angle for when i actually need to break something loose

investing in snapon battery platforms is a no-go i’ve been fooled once already. that being said hands down they have the best cordless ratchets on the market. milwaukee needs to do something about that garbage paddle ASAP

 

[D60]

i also made the compromise i have an m12 brushed and had a fuel extendo, sold it immediately for a china special. i’m gonna grab the right angle for when i actually need to break something loose

investing in snapon battery platforms is a no-go i’ve been fooled once already. that being said hands down they have the best cordless ratchets on the market. milwaukee needs to do something about that garbage paddle ASAP

I don't know why more power ratchets can't just get a finger trigger???? It's like the industry just thinks they have to have a paddle because they always have.

Q: Why do you do it that way?
A: Because we've always done it that way.

Uhhhmmm....ok