Yeah I've been pleased with most of their stuff.
I've got a good mix of tools and they're IMO a decent upper mid-range tool.
Project Farm Tests - 3/8 " Socket Wrenches
- Thread starter Warstud
- Start date
I've got a good mix of tools and they're IMO a decent upper mid-range tool.
I have a lot of ratchets and the Williams in both 3/8 and 1/2 are some of my favorites, the long ones are especially nice, they will make you 20 years younger.
I think this video is a tad nutty. I’m not physically capable of subjecting my tools to this amount of stress.
As @Trav mentioned the longer ratchets make me feel like a young man. So I reach for the 12” Tekton, Milwaukee, Craftman 3/8” drives first.
My Williams/SO ratchets have so much back drag that I find them annoying. I’ll probably sell them.
My new Ko-Ken has so little back drag its startling.
As @Trav mentioned the longer ratchets make me feel like a young man. So I reach for the 12” Tekton, Milwaukee, Craftman 3/8” drives first.
My Williams/SO ratchets have so much back drag that I find them annoying. I’ll probably sell them.
My new Ko-Ken has so little back drag its startling.
I’m not sure “amazing” is how I would describe it.
Although, the benefit to the imported tools is they are generally decent quality for the money.
Just out of curiosity, have you tried relubing the SO ratchet? I have an old 1970s vintage SO 1/2" course-tooth ratchet that had heavy back drag. After disassembling and applying Super Lube, it has some of the lowest back drag I have seen.
Yes. I soaked them in 0W20 overnight. Wiped off the excess.
Opened them up, drained the excess oil and added a small amount of all purpose grease.
Put a socket on them and spun the ratchet a few hundred times. I’m sure the neighbors thought I’d lost it, finally.
Very little improvement.
The Williams/SO lever is so hard to move it hurts my thumb. Most of the time I have to rotate the drive to get the lever to swing.
The contrast with my new Ko-ken 3/8” drive, 24 teeth ratchet, is night and day. I am not exaggerating; Night and Day. The Ko-ken shift lever moves like butter, engages with an audible click and tactile detent.
I don't understand the Williams/SO allure.
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I'm surprised they didn't benefit from fresh lube. At least the neighbors were entertained...
Agree.
Why spend more than needed to get the job done?
If I have an issue with a Tekton or Ko-ken tool I send them a photo and they send me a new one. I seriously doubt I’ll live long enough for this to happen.
Which Williams is this? The round heads are very smooth 72t have little back drag and switch very easily.
I’ll send pictures in the morning.
I’ve always oiled my ratchets. And I’m not a fan of breaking tools….like requiring a 3/8 to do the same job as a 1/2.
I agree, there's no point in breaking a tool by intentionally working it well beyond it's limits. If I need a 1/2" ratchet or a breaker bar I grab one.
Overall i like ratchets but, in recent times, I have found myself reaching for the it less and less. Instead I grab the 1/4 or 3/8 breaker bar. As long as I have a clear approach, I break it loose and then flip the tool vertical and use it as a nut runner, without having to switch the socket between tools.
Of course, if clearance is really good I just use the 1/4 impact and finish in a few sec...
Then clearly you need roto head ratchets. My 1/4" Carlyle is probably my favorite 1/4" ratchet.
In 3/8" and 1/2" they get a little too wide for my liking but for some reason 1/4" is great.
The only GearWrench that I own are the SAE and metric ratcheting combination wrenches. I’ve used them on things ranging from my antique Lawn-Boys to removing the top mounting nuts on strut assemblies. No issues whatsoever except for sometimes I miss the offset that regular wrenches have.
L8R,
Matt
Plus if you snap it like I did I love the fact you can walk right in and grab another no questions asked.
Just curious, are the Carlyle versions better than the Pittsburgh Pro versions? I just checked the Napa pricing for them, and they have gone up drastically.
I havent tried the Carlyle but, based on their other stuff, i would expect it to be a solid product. I own a Snap On 1/4" with the square handle and all sizes of the Pittsburgh which have oval handles. My only complaint for either brand is the handle shape; I dont really like the square, and oval took a while to get used to. Round (like the Carlyle) would be ideal. However, if I were to buy a new one I would probably get a Gearwrench because they have round handles at half the price of Carlyle.
