Been looking at armstrong as a reasonably prices USA made ratchet and wondered what you all think of this model?
Any Experiences with Armstrong 11-992 ratchet
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A few years ago I bought a long handled flex head 1/2" Armstrong for about $70. It took my technicians about 3 weeks to break the cheap pop metal direction lever. We got about 1-1/2 years use out of it after that using a 1/8" screwdriver to change directions. Then the head broke clean in half, not even at the flex joint.
We have used Craftsman's cheap Microtooth/Microtork ratchets for 8 years and have never broken one yet. Out of 8 we have had 2 that were lost/stolen and zero breakages. They just need to be cleaned, lubed and have part of the direction disk filed for clearance about once a year.
So I guess I would say that Armstrongs don't hold up to the abuse in my shop but cheap Craftsmans do
We have used Craftsman's cheap Microtooth/Microtork ratchets for 8 years and have never broken one yet. Out of 8 we have had 2 that were lost/stolen and zero breakages. They just need to be cleaned, lubed and have part of the direction disk filed for clearance about once a year.
So I guess I would say that Armstrongs don't hold up to the abuse in my shop but cheap Craftsmans do
They were quite good tools, based on the same designs used in MATCO and some other brand ratchets.
However, APEX seems to have botched some factory decisions recently and they're now discontinuing the brand.
I would avoid Armstrong ratchets for this reason. Some people complained of quality issues recently. The ones I bought in past years had no quality issues, but I wouldn't buy tools from a brand that's going under unless you don't care at all about warranty service.
I'd buy something like an Armstrong wrench, because it's pretty hard to break a wrench. But with ratchets, you may not even be able to get rebuild kits soon and would be left trying to get other Apex brand kits to work.
Article here on Apex discontinuing Armstrong:
http://www.thestate.com/news/business/article126068444.html
However, APEX seems to have botched some factory decisions recently and they're now discontinuing the brand.
I would avoid Armstrong ratchets for this reason. Some people complained of quality issues recently. The ones I bought in past years had no quality issues, but I wouldn't buy tools from a brand that's going under unless you don't care at all about warranty service.
I'd buy something like an Armstrong wrench, because it's pretty hard to break a wrench. But with ratchets, you may not even be able to get rebuild kits soon and would be left trying to get other Apex brand kits to work.
Article here on Apex discontinuing Armstrong:
http://www.thestate.com/news/business/article126068444.html
That Armstrong ratchet is a DO NOT BUY. I went through a phase a couple of years ago where I bought 40-50 different ratchets to try out and see which ones I prefer. I HATED that Armstrong ratchet. Reason being, look at the handle. Look how much metal is there. Metal is heavy. And it wasn't very ergonomic, mostly due to how heavy it is. Its not a fun or easy to use ratchet.
I would not buy that ratchet.
The Home Depot Husky ratchets are also made by Apex tool group, and are much lighter and much more ergonomic. I much prefer them, and actually use them most often, even though I have much more expensive ratchets.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Full-Polish-72-Tooth-Ratchet-H38FPRAT/202923413
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Flex-Head-72-Tooth-Ratchet-H38FPFRAT/202923412
I would not buy that ratchet.
The Home Depot Husky ratchets are also made by Apex tool group, and are much lighter and much more ergonomic. I much prefer them, and actually use them most often, even though I have much more expensive ratchets.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Full-Polish-72-Tooth-Ratchet-H38FPRAT/202923413
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Flex-Head-72-Tooth-Ratchet-H38FPFRAT/202923412
Originally Posted By: 2James1
Been looking at armstrong as a reasonably prices USA made ratchet and wondered what you all think of this model?
As others have posted I would be concerned about repair/rebuild kits, it does not matter how good it is if you cant maintain it.
Look on ebay for a good Snap-ON, Prot, Facom, Hazet, etc this one is okay for the money if you don't want QR, plenty of used ones also.
https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=192168622739&lpid=82&&&ul_noapp=true&chn=ps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Proto-Tools-5249XLHS-3-8-Drive-Aerospace-Pear-Head-Ratchet-8-5-Long-NICE-/232299028574?hash=item361619e05e:g:ZRgAAOSwdGFYw0jO
This Facom is nice and they want less than 2 bucks shipping from the UK.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Facom-JL-171-3-8-Drive-Quick-Release-Ratchet-/311411671477?hash=item48819501b5:g
R0AAOSwT6pVtkM0#shpCntId
Been looking at armstrong as a reasonably prices USA made ratchet and wondered what you all think of this model?
As others have posted I would be concerned about repair/rebuild kits, it does not matter how good it is if you cant maintain it.
Look on ebay for a good Snap-ON, Prot, Facom, Hazet, etc this one is okay for the money if you don't want QR, plenty of used ones also.
https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=192168622739&lpid=82&&&ul_noapp=true&chn=ps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Proto-Tools-5249XLHS-3-8-Drive-Aerospace-Pear-Head-Ratchet-8-5-Long-NICE-/232299028574?hash=item361619e05e:g:ZRgAAOSwdGFYw0jO
This Facom is nice and they want less than 2 bucks shipping from the UK.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Facom-JL-171-3-8-Drive-Quick-Release-Ratchet-/311411671477?hash=item48819501b5:g
R0AAOSwT6pVtkM0#shpCntIdDon't let the others discourage you. I bought this ratchet a couple years ago and I love it. Hands down one of my favorite ratchets. In fact after hearing about the fate of Armstrong I went out and bought the 1/4" and 1/2" ratchets to complete the set (was meaning to for a while but never got around to it). As for repair-ability it isn't really an issue. You can get the repair kits from Matco. In addition I believe the gearwrench repair kits will work too (although you drop down to 84t). Although I don't really see it as too much of an issue. Worst case if you cant find the kit when it breaks down you are out a whopping $30.
I did not realize they were discontinuing the brand. So it is just a matter of time until Armstrong website is gone?
If you want it buy it with a couple of replacement mechanisms that way if you really like it you know you can keep it. If you don't you can always sell them.
I would assume the website will go away soon if they have discontinued the brand.
I would assume the website will go away soon if they have discontinued the brand.
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