Well, after years of service, I finally managed to break my favorite ratchet 
Husky CB-43, rest in pieces. I went out and got another Husky, because I liked my old one so much...but the new one blows. The old ratchet made a nice click-click-click noise, and a nice tight feel when you turned it, with no play in the mechanism. Great for close quarters. *sniff* I miss it already.
The new one, on the other hand, makes more of a clank noise, the drive mechanism wobbles like crazy and has lots of play in it, and the head is bigger, making access to tight places tougher. Forget about using it in close quarters, or with limited movement - the excessive play in the mechanism and wide arc between teeth make it all but useless in these situations. It has the feel of those cheap Chinese wrenches you get in the bargain $5 throwaway sets. Ugh.
So, I counted the clicks to one full rotation for each, just "on a hunch"...sure enough. The old ratchet took 60 clicks for one full rotation, the new one just 41! WTF??
So who makes a GOOD 3/8" fine tooth ratchet these days that you can pick up in a store for a decent price? I'm looking to spend maybe $15 - 20 on the wrench alone, but want to be able to get it locally. I want one like my old wrench, not this new bullshit.
I don't really like the "pear head" wrenches that seem to be so popular now - it's a PITA trying to fit a huge fucking wrench head on a bolt with limited clearance. I don't understand why everyone thinks these are so great.
So, with this in mind, does anyone have any recommendations? Pic of old wrench for reference.
Husky CB-43, rest in pieces. I went out and got another Husky, because I liked my old one so much...but the new one blows. The old ratchet made a nice click-click-click noise, and a nice tight feel when you turned it, with no play in the mechanism. Great for close quarters. *sniff* I miss it already. The new one, on the other hand, makes more of a clank noise, the drive mechanism wobbles like crazy and has lots of play in it, and the head is bigger, making access to tight places tougher. Forget about using it in close quarters, or with limited movement - the excessive play in the mechanism and wide arc between teeth make it all but useless in these situations. It has the feel of those cheap Chinese wrenches you get in the bargain $5 throwaway sets. Ugh.
So, I counted the clicks to one full rotation for each, just "on a hunch"...sure enough. The old ratchet took 60 clicks for one full rotation, the new one just 41! WTF??
So who makes a GOOD 3/8" fine tooth ratchet these days that you can pick up in a store for a decent price? I'm looking to spend maybe $15 - 20 on the wrench alone, but want to be able to get it locally. I want one like my old wrench, not this new bullshit.
I don't really like the "pear head" wrenches that seem to be so popular now - it's a PITA trying to fit a huge fucking wrench head on a bolt with limited clearance. I don't understand why everyone thinks these are so great.
So, with this in mind, does anyone have any recommendations? Pic of old wrench for reference.
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