Which 1/4 Inch Ratchets Brand Wins?

claims a 5 degree arc swing, made in China, weighs 153.8 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, teardrop-shaped head for instant socket removal, made in China, weighs 173.4 g

claims a 5 degree arc swing, teardrop low-profile head, flush-mounted directional switch, made in China, weighs 106.4 g

claims a 5 degree arc swing, chrome alloy steel construction, made in China, weighs 108.5 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, claims to be one of the strongest ratchets on the market, made in Taiwan, weighs 104.29 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, claims increased strength for heavy-duty use, slim profile with flush directional lever, made in Taiwan, weighs 145.5 g

double-stack pawls alternately engaging a 60-tooth gear, claims a 3 degree arc swing, made in Taiwan, weighs 105.67 g

gear-to-gear mechanism, claims a tight 4 degree arc swing, polished chrome finish, made in Taiwan, weighs 139.78 g

(far more than any other ratchet tested), claims a 2.5 degree arc swing, alloy steel, low profile head, product of Taiwan finished in mainland China, weighs 114.12 g

slim/compact design, 72 teeth, claims a 5 degree arc swing, ultra-strong five-pawl ratchet mechanism claimed, made in Czech Republic, weighs 111.75 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, claims up to 120 Newton meters (88 foot-pounds) of torque capacity, made in Germany, weighs 79.95 g

ratcheting mechanism appears to have around 22 teeth, made in Japan, weighs 90.47 g

designed for a 4.5 degree arc swing, slim handle, quick-release lock, made in Germany, weighs 87.23 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, compact head design, made in USA, weighs 132.09 g (heavier than average)

gold-colored premium-brand finish, made in Japan, weighs 112.55 g

claims a 4 degree arc swing, knurled grip bands, made in USA, weighs 207.48 g, the heaviest ratchet in the lineup

claims a 5 degree arc swing, six teeth in contact with the gear via dual-pawl design, made in USA, weighs 94.12 g

prototype, titanium 3D-printed knurled switch, fully machined titanium body, carbon fiber handle, designed for very low back drag and tight square-drive tolerance, targets around a 5 degree arc swing, made in USA, weighs 54.68 g, the lightest of all the purchasable ratchets tested

printed entirely of carbon fiber nylon including the internals, designed for only 3 in-lbs of torque, weighs 38.5 g, the lightest item in the entire video

performed well for the price at over 70 foot-pounds; main drive was the source of failure; pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape afterward

main drive was the source of failure; pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape

drive snapped just under 74 foot-pounds; main drive was the source of failure; internals still in good shape

quick-release drive gave up at 74.31 foot-pounds; pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape

the best (highest) failure load of all 18 ratchets tested; solid drive; pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape

third-best of the field (close behind GearWrench 90 and Mac Tools); solid drive; teeth in great shape but small amount of damage to the pawl

moved into third position at that point; dual pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape

gave up early at only 67.88 foot-pounds; when the pawls broke there was a lot of damage to the teeth on the main gear

quick-release drive (inherently less strong than a solid drive); both pawls and main gear still in good shape

quick-release drive broke at 73.66 foot-pounds; pawl and main gear teeth still in great shape

pawl broke and the main gear experienced a lot of damage

gave up early at only 66.08 foot-pounds; pawl and main gear experienced a lot of damage

quick-release drive let go at 73.6 foot-pounds; teeth and pawl still in great shape

close second-best of the entire field (behind only the GearWrench 90); solid drive; internals in great shape

quick-release drive not designed for high torque, broke at 66.24 foot-pounds; internals still in great shape

fourth-best of the field; solid drive; internals still working properly and in good shape

solid drive; dual-pawl internals still in great shape with no visible damage

no numeric failure figure given; the quick-release drive itself survived the failure-load test, but the gears did not - the teeth on the main gear and one of the pawls experienced damage

gave up before registering any torque on the torque meter in the failure-load test

or just over half a pound

even more force required than the $8 product above

best result up to that point in the video

almost as good as the SATA

the best result up to that point

very easy to work with

or almost a pound, even more force than its own back-drag stiffness would suggest

continuing to perform very well, almost the same as the GearWrench 90

more effort than average

more force than average

described as requiring a very light touch

about 150 g higher than average

not quite as effortless as some other brands

or about a pound, even more force required than the Icon

very smooth, among the lightest-touch results of the field

a little more force than average

the lightest of the entire field

extra-wide handle, very sloppy 90-tooth gear set, about 8.5 degrees of progress per pass, 40.9 passes to complete 360 degrees

much more refined gear set than DuraTech despite the same tooth count, 23.9 passes (about 40% more efficient than DuraTech), moved into the lead at that point

more refined than the SATA, over 10 degrees of progress per pass, 22.3 passes, moved into the lead at that point

performed by far the best yet at that point, about 20 degrees of progress per pass, only 18 passes

a little more gear slop and a wider handle than the GearWrench 90, but still good enough for 22.6 passes, second position at that point

not quite as efficient a gear set as the GearWrench 90 despite more teeth, 18.6 passes, still very good

of progress per pass, 22.6 passes, tied with the Milwaukee

of progress per pass, 17.6 passes, took the lead; the final leaderboard states the Husky came out on top overall for working arc swing at 17.4 right-to-left passes

half the teeth of the Husky, about 15 degrees of progress per pass, 24 passes

very large handle but an efficient, well-designed 90-tooth gear set, 22.5 passes, moved into fourth position at that point

the gear set was not able to advance within the 30 degree test space at all - effectively failed this specific test, no completed pass count given

efficient, well-designed 80-tooth gear set, 23 passes to complete 360 degrees

of progress per pass, 21 passes, better than average

large-diameter handle uses up valuable work space, but still 23 passes, a little better than average

of progress per pass, very good for a 90-tooth ratchet, 19.8 passes, moved into fourth position at that point

only 72 teeth but a very efficient dual-pawl design, 19.6 passes, barely edged out the Proto (19.8 passes) to take fourth position

of progress per pass for a 72-tooth ratchet, 23.8 passes

even more back drag than the $8 product above

about the same as the $8 Der Erwachte

the lowest (best) back drag recorded up to that point

a little stiff, noted as an area for improvement

by far the best result up to that point; tied for third place overall in the final back-drag ranking (with Wera)

a little better than the GearWrench 90's 288 g

the stiffest in the lineup up to that point

described as a great result

tied with Milwaukee for the best result at that point (tied third overall in the final ranking)

almost as stiff as the DuraTech

moved into the lead over Milwaukee and Wera, finished second overall in the final back-drag ranking

even more back drag than the Icon (411 g), the stiffest of the field

well below the video's informal 200 g target

even better than Mac Tools

a very good result

a very good result alongside a good working arc swing

by far the least back drag of the entire field ('only requires a feather's touch')

shortest front-to-back head profile of the field, just over 9 mm

front-to-back, pretty compact

side-to-side profile right at 22 mm, among the most compact

best combined average of all 18 ratchets: 1st place for working arc swing and 5th place for back drag, for a combined average finish value of 3 (the best/lowest average in the field)

second-best combined average of all 18 ratchets, with an average finish value of 5.5

tied for third place in the combined average ranking (average finish of 6, tied with GearWrench 120XP)