I have used most tools except for mac and matco. I would have to say my top 3 fav. ratchets would have to be...

1.Craftsman Professional Thin Profile
2.Kobalt 3/8 and 1/2
3.Husky Microtough 3/8 and 1/2

Whats yours?

 

couple unheard of brand i use and wouldnt trade are williams, bahco and martin

 

I have that professional thin profile from sears and I like it for the price (I think it came with a socket set or somethign I don't remember)

For tight spaces auto work I couldn't live without my 3/8 drive Snap-On swivel head ratchet. I paid a small fortune for it but it's a wonderful thing.

 

I really like the Craftsman. Not the base one that they sell in their boxed sets, but the one that sells for $26. It has good weight and is slightly longer.

 

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the "standard" craftsman ratchets that come in most of there sets (the ones that look like they were shaped by a bench grinder). I always have problems with the selecter switch poping out of place. But I seem to like the rest of there ratchets.

 

Snap On.
Tried the Pro-style Craftsman 3/8 drive, it stripped out .
I also like the Old SK ratchets. I have one 3/8 ratchet thats 15 years old, no problems with it.

 

Was it the thin-profile ratchet that you stripped out?

 

Yep, it was one of the new thin line Pro-Series ratchets. Bought a 3/8 dr. and a 1/4 dr. at the same time. I still have the 1/4" drive.

 

For me, it's Snap On, hands down, no contest!

Have a great day,
Doc

 

I've owned Snap-on, Craftsman, Mac, and Proto rachets. I love my Snap-on rachets. I've never had a problem with them. The base style craftsman ones, I wouldn't give you a nickel for a box car full of them! Now maybe the thin-line ones are better. But after the slop i'm used to from craftsman, i'm leary of trying them.

 

Are Proto ratchets on par quality wise with snap-on and mac?

 

They're not bad. On par i'd say no, they don't feel as firm. A little more slop than the snap-ons. But if your just going to be wrenching around the house occasionally. I'd go for them.

 

Is it true that the army and even NASA uses Proto?

 

I like SK, Kobalt, Proto, Craftsman, Snap-on when I can. Inherited some. Bought some. Favorites are the ones that I find lying on the street where some poor soul lost it off the hood of their car as they drove off. That's one of the benefits of riding a bike--- you can find some neat stuff sometimes. Don't worry freebies are kept with the same good care as all my tools.

 

I don't know about that. But when I was in the Air Force, my squadron used whatever they could get their hands on. We had a mix of everything!