I have been keeping my eyes open for a long-pattern flex ratchet for a while. I’m just a DIY’er, so I cannot justify spending big bucks for a brand like Snap-On or MATCO, but I still wanted something USA-made and good quality. I picked up this Armstrong Maxx 11-994 ⅜”-drive ratchet because it appeared to have the specs I was looking for. Plus, it was priced at around $60 (via Harry Epstein), placing it within my budget.

The first thing that struck me about this ratchet is its length; the ratchet is quite long at 11.5 inches.

Taking closer look at the ratchet head, you can see that the joint is held together with an adjustable machine screw. Some people prefer a screw to a pressed pin, as it allows you to tighten the joint if it starts to loosen up. You can also see the locking lever in this picture. You can lock the ratchet head in a total of nine different positions.

The handle has an hourglass shape that fits the contour of your hand. I found it to be quite comfortable.

This ratchet has a 60-tooth mechanism that is held in place with a snap ring. The ratchet head also has a seal around the gear which helps prevent dirt from entering the ratchet.

The mechanism features a single pawl that engages 11 teeth at a time. This is one of the designs used by Apex Tool Group, the parent company of Armstrong. You’ll find a nearly identical design used in other ratchets made by Apex, such as the Craftsman thin-profile ratchets and certain GearWrench ratchets.

The head of the Armstrong ratchet is pretty thin (left), especially compared to another one of my favorite ratchets, the Wright 3490 (right). The Armstrong is about 1 inch thick. At ~1.33 inches tall, the Wright is considerably thicker.

The longer length of the Armstrong ratchet provides extra leverage that allows you to apply a lot of torque when needed. I had no problem removing the lug nuts on my truck, which are torqued to 100 ft-lbs.

The flex-head mechanism comes in handy when you need to access fasteners in tight spaces. I’m not a huge fan of normal flex ratchets without locking mechanisms. I find such ratchets to be too hard to control when I’m really pulling on the handle – a sure recipe for busted knuckles. The locking mechanism on the Armstrong completely fixes that issue. It securely holds the head at the set angle, so you don’t have to worry about the ratchet flexing and slipping when you don’t want it to. You can also unlock the mechanism and use the ratchet like a standard free-flexing head if you prefer it that way.

I used the ratchet while replacing the serpentine belt tensioner on my girlfriend’s VW Beetle. The tensioner is located in a very cramped area in the engine bay of this vehicle, exactly the type of use I bought the ratchet for. The locking flex mechanism made it easy to remove the bolts holding the tensioner to the engine.

The locking mechanism seems quite strong. I was not able to overpower it and slip the joint to the next angle position. A few times I did bump the locking lever on something and unlock the head unexpectedly, but this was a pretty rare occurrence.

The locking mechanism does allow for a small amount of movement back and forth. I made a video to show the movement in the flex mechanism when it’s locked.

At around $60, this is the most expensive ratchet I’ve purchased to date. It has some impressive qualities, including a 60-tooth design, and a sturdy locking mechanism. I think the Armstrong offers a lot of value.  From what I can tell, you’ll likely have to spend considerably more money to find the same quality and features in another brand.

Buy Now (via Harry Epstein Co)
Buy Now (via Amazon)

Comparable locking flex head ratchets

• Matco 88-tooth – $136
• Snap-on FX80 – $133

Note: We searched for but couldn’t find locking flex head ratchets by Blackhawk, Cornwell, Proto, Wright, or Williams.

Ed. Note: Stephen noticed is a bit of play in the flex head, even when locked. We asked Armstrong about this, and they told us that the grooves are machined and that a bit of play is normal. There is a brief discussion about the movements, measurements included, over at the Garage Gazette forum, and it looks like some copies of the ratchet have less play in the joint than the one reviewed. Does a bit of play detract the quality or performance of the ratchet? In our opinion, absolutely not.

Gearwrench is coming out with a whole slew of new low-profile ratchets with 84-tooth gearing. The new models are said to be upgrades from their current 60-tooth ratchets, with the new tooth count providing a 4.3° return swing angle vs. 6°. A Gearwrench rep also makes mention of a 25% increase in strength. This sounds good to us, although we’ve already found Gearwrench ratchets to be quite strong and durable.

We wonder if these new ratchets will be built with the same mechanism as the Craftsman premium ratchets we tested last year. Possibly not, otherwise why take so long to come out with the Gearwrench redesigns?

This also possibly explains the recent fire-sale Sears seems to have had on Gearwrench ratchets, offering huge discounts of 70% and up. If the new ratchets are upgrades, it makes sense that Apex Tool Group/Gearwrench would want to clear out old stock in a hurry.

Also on the way to market are new ratcheting line wrenches and crowfoot wrenches.

Kobalt has come out with a new line of one-size-fits-all universal sockets and wrenches, called Xtreme Access. What’s so special about the Xtreme Access tools? To start, each wrench and socket size has a dual-functional spline profile that fits both SAE inch and metric fasteners. Add on the sockets’ low-profile and go-through design, and you’ve got extreme access capabilities.

There are two 7-piece Xtreme Access wrench sets – metric and SAE. Both wrench sets feature universal combination box ends and differ in that the metric set has metric-sized open-ends and the SAE has inch-sized open-ends.

Each socket and wrench box size fits the following fastener types:

• 6pt (mm)
• 6pt (inch)
• 12pt (mm)
• 12pt (inch)
• spline
• star
• square
• most rounded (damaged)

Plus, the sockets’ pass-through design gives them the reach of shallow and deep sockets. The range includes 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ sizes.

I plan to test one of the pass-through Xtreme Access socket sets in a week or two, and will report back with the results. It will be especially interesting to see how it fares compared to Craftsman’s Max Axess pass-thru socket set.

Buy Now(via Lowes)

Personal Bias and First Impressions

I typically stay away from “universal” type sockets and wrenches. During the winter 2011 holiday season I picked up a Craftsman universal wrench set and a Kobalt Multifit wrench set. The prices were great and I thought that reviews of both sets, and possibly a comparison, would be interesting. However, I never reach for any of these wrenches, and so the reviews have been back-burnered.

What about universal inch-metric combination tools? I absolutely loathe them. Tools like the Kobalt Multi-Drive Wrench - which is currently marketed as the Kobalt 15-piece Wrench Multi-Tool - really soured me towards such designs.

First – how many DIYers and homeowners commonly come across 12pt fasteners? Spline? External Torx? Square?

Second – I still cannot see how a combination wrench or socket size can fit any inch or metric fastener all that well. True, paired sizes are not too dissimilar in dimensions, but separate inch and metric tools will always fit fasteners better.

That all said, the new tools do appear to be reasonably well built. Peeking into the 27pc Xtreme Access socket set that our friends at Lowes just sent over, I feel that the tools and accessories are very well designed. The geometries seem well thought out, and unlike other universal tools I’ve seen in the past few years (*cough* Husky Rotary Wrench *cough*), I don’t think that Lowes rushed to bring these tools to market.

I inherently believe that separate tools are best – 6pt sockets and 12pt wrenches in separate inch and metric flavors to be precise – but am surprisingly not as dismissive of the Xtreme Access tools as I expected to be. While I’m not a fan of the universal one-size-fits-all socket design, I’ll still give the set a fair review. I might even pick up or borrow one of the new wrench sets as well.

Update: Quick video review of the 27pc Xtreme Access socket set

Amazon dropped the prices of most Wera Zyklop and Koloss ratchets and ratchet sets over the weekend. We don’t recall ever seeing prices this low. Several extensions and other drive accessories have been discounted as well.

As with other Amazon price-drops, we have no idea if it is temporary unannounced sale or permanent adjustment. Going by the market price of most Wera Zyklop products, our guess is that this is a temporary sale.

Wera Zyklop Sets
Wera Zyklop 3/8″ Ratchet
Wera Zyklop 1/2″ Ratchet
Wera Koloss 1/2″ Ratchet
Wera Zyklop Extensions

We’re not the only ones watching these tool. One of the ratchets sold out a few hours after the initial price drop and is now only available with a 2-4 week backorder.

Felo is not brand I associate with ratchet and socket sets, but I am a pretty big fan of their ergonomic screwdrivers. Felo’s Ergonic screwdriver handles have a plastic core that is surrounded by a cushioning gel-like material, and the other material is soft and rubbery.

So when Felo announced their new R-Go socket sets with Ergonic ratchets, they definitely hooked my attention. It seems that they may have been inspired by the success of Wera’s Zyklop ratchet and socket sets, but it’s hard to say.

There will be four 1/4″ drive sets available in the initial offering.

• Allrounder, which comes with 13 sockets and 15 screwdriver bits
• Bits Universal, which features 30 screwdriver bits
• The Classic, with 13 sockets
• The Problem Solver, with two handles and 6 M-Tec nut drivers

The ratchet features 72-tooth gearing that provides a 5° ratcheting angle, and it is strong enough to handle up to 100Nm (885 lbs-inch) of torque. Felo will offer a 15-year warranty on these new tools.

Felo Ergonic via Amazon

It has not yet been confirmed whether Felo will be offering these in the US market.

Update: it looks like there’s another Felo socket set already on the market, but with the plain/hard style handles.

We were curious to see how a new 2012 made-in-China Craftsman raised panel ratchet (948807) compares to a 2011 made-in-USA version.

Stephen K, from the GarageJoural Forum, already did a great comparison, and so we asked for permission to use his photos.

Looking at both 2011 and 2012 versions, you can see that the newer import model has a slightly larger head.

The increased thickness around the 1/4″ drive is especially noticeable when you look at the drive-side of the ratchet.

The overall finish looks to have been changed as well, with the newer model sporting what looks to be a brushed treatment.

The mechanism appears unchanged, with the reflections in the USA-made ratchet being due to copious amounts of lubrication around the gears. Stephen reports that the gears are interchangeable, meaning that standard repair kits will work with either ratchet.

Both versions have a similar quick-release mechanism, with the new version featuring an added plunger that extends slightly passed the end of the 1/4″ drive to help eject a socket.

There are slight differences between the gears – the USA version is taller and the teeth appear to have a thicker top land. This might have an effect on the strength and durability of the imported ratchet’s gears, or maybe not. Whether or not there will be less tooth engagement also depends on the design of the pawl.

Craftsman’s raised panel ratchets are not superb by any means, but they’re inexpensive and hugely popular, especially when you consider that these are bundled with most Craftsman mechanics tool sets. The new version is meatier, and the gears are slightly different.

All photos by Stephen K, used with permission.

There is a lively discussion about the ratchets over at the Garage Journal Forum.

We received word that Craftsman is coming out with a new C3 cordless 3/8″ impact wrench. The impact is powered by Craftsman’s C3 19.2V battery platform, and its compact size allows it to fit into tighter spaces than a standard 1/2″ impact wrench.

The new Craftsman impact wrench features a 3/8″ square drive with anvil retention ring, variable speed 0-2500 no-load RPM gearbox, 130 ft-lbs torque rating and it can deliver 0-2500 IPM. There is also a new mid-handle design with over-molded grip for improved comfort, and an LED work light helps illuminate dim work areas.

The impact wrench will be available as a separate add-on tool (32742) or as a kit (32741) that comes with a Ni-Cd battery and charger. MSRP is $80 for the add-on, $130 for the kit. ETA is said to be Q2 2012.

Check it out here via Garage Journal forum

(Remember, our Craftsman Max Axess socket set giveaway ends this Friday. So if you haven’t entered yet, get on over there and do so!)

We’ve been casually testing one of Craftsman Max Axess pass-thru socket sets for a couple of weeks now, and have really grown to like it.

What’s HOT:

• High quality ratchets
• Great build quality all around, perfect finish
• All-in-one system fits in a low-profile carry/storage case that we actually want to keep!
• Ratchets come with adapters for regular 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″ sockets
• Pass-thru sockets can take the place of deep sockets, wrenches, or specialty sockets in many cases
• Low-profile ratchet + shallow sockets = great for limited clearance applications
• Compatible with Gearwrench pass-thru sockets, screwdriver bits, and accessories (at least all the ones we tried)

What can be improved:

• What about a 11/32″ socket? (Yes, we’ve got unusual needs)
• Fit of spinner handle could be a little better
• How about a screwdriver bit adapter?

In all, there’s not much to complain about. As you can see, most of our criticisms are trivial. What we would really like to see come out is a smaller kit that includes the 1/4″ ratchet, a bit adapter, a few screwdriver bits and a storage case as nice as the one this set came with. The regular price of $70 is a little steep, but we feel that sale prices of $55-60 make this a great buy.

Buy Now(via Sears)

The Max Axess set is featured on page 5 of Sears’ 2011 Holiday Catalog.

Don’t forget to use coupon code SEARS2011.

Thank you to Craftsman for providing the sample for this review unconditionally. Review samples are typically returned, donated, or in some cases retained for further testing or benchmark and comparison purposes.

As part of Amazon’s holiday lightning tools deals promo, Wera’s bit-holding screwdriver and Koloss ratchet hammer will go on sale tonight at 10:30pm ET (7:30 PT).

We own and highly recommend the Wera screwdriver kit, which comes with an extendable removable bit adapter, 6 screwdriver bits and a carrying case. We also have a sample of the Koloss 1/2″ ratchet that we use for testing and occasional use. The Koloss is a phenomenally robust ratchet, that is well suited for heavy duty.

Wera Kraftform Kompact Bit-Holding Screwdriver
Wera Koloss 1/2″ Ratchet

The sale prices have not been released yet, but Amazon’s lightning deals are usually pretty decent. The deals will only be valid for a limited time, or until supplies sell-out, whichever comes first.

The screwdriver is currently priced at $35. In our opinion, $25 would be a great sale price. The Koloss ratchet is currently priced at $113 and change. Over at ChadsToolbox, it’s currently on sale for $92 shipped. Anything below $90 with free shipping would be a killer price.

Sears has dropped the price of this Craftsman 118pc dual-marked mechanics tool set to $70 from its regular price of $100. Today’s online-only 15%-off discount takes another $9.75 off the price. Follow-up with a SEARS2011 coupon code, and another $5 drops off the price. Final price is then $55.24 if you select in-store pickup.

Buy Now(via Sears)

Sears has offered to give away a Craftsman MAX AXESS socket set to one lucky ToolGuyd reader! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below. Your comment can be about what you would use it for, who you would give it to, or about your favorite hand tools.

To double your chance to win, peek into this year’s Sears holiday tool catalog, browse around, and tell us in a comment about any tool or tools that catch your interest.

You may combine your two entries into a single comment, or comment right away to submit your first entry and come back later to comment again after you browse through the catalog.

A winner will be selected at random on Dec. 9th. 2011. Only those with contiguous USA addresses will be eligible to win.

Thank you to Sears for sponsoring the giveaway! Here’s a summarized recap about how things went down:

Sears: Hey ToolGuyd, did you check out our holiday tool catalog?
ToolGuyd: Yea, it’s totally awesome! We told all our readers about it when it first came out!
Sears: Oh, cool! What did you like most?
ToolGuyd: Definitely the new Craftsman hand tools and Nextec 12V cordless tools, as well as a couple of the other brands’ new products.
Sears: Glad to hear it! We love your readers and really want to show it. How about a giveaway?!
ToolGuyd: Sounds good! We think that the Craftsman MAXX AXESS set would be a hit with our readers!

Tool/prize info via Sears

Home Depot’s winter holiday tool sale displays went up a little early this year, giving us a chance to see what new tools they will enticing Christmas shoppers with. One of the more interesting tools we came across was this Husky 44-piece open socket set with SAE/inch sizes.

At first glance, the Husky open socket set looks to be heavily inspired by the Craftsman Max Axess and GearWrench pass-thru socket system. But instead of a proprietary ratchet and socket design, Husky went for a hexagonal thread-cutting die-type form factor.

Husky’s ratcheting handle features a flex-head and cushion grip. When looking at the demo model, which has only been on display for a couple of days, we noticed that it was slipping off the ratchet. The ratchet was also a bit short for our liking, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as stubby ratchets have their place can be very useful.

The set comes with 11 inch sockets, 1 bit adapter, 1 double-sided 1/4″ and 3/8″ square drive adapter, and about 30 screwdriver bits if our math is correct and we’re not missing anything.

Testing it out in-store, we found the flex-head to be a little wobbly (nothing a little hex-bolt tightening cannot fix), and the 6pt hex form factor required a little concentration to mate the ratchet with sockets and adapters. This could partially be due to the design of the demo try-me display, but could also be because of the hexagonal form factor.

The ratchet is not reversible, so to change from forward and reverse modes you must flip the ratchet over, as you would do with a zero-offset ratcheting wrench.

A 1/4″ hex screwdriver bit adapter and 1/4″ and 3/8″ square drive adapter is included, allowing the ratchet to be used with standard bits and sockets. There were no price tags on the display and we didn’t have time to check with customer service, but believe the set to be priced in the $20-25 range.

Overall, the 44pc Husky open end socket set looks interesting. From our few minutes testing it out in-store, we concluded that it does not match up well to Craftsman’s Max Axess open socket set. The Husky tools do not seem to be built as robustly, and the omission of metric sockets hurts its versatility.

But at less than half the price of Craftsman and Gearwrench sets, the Husky socket set will still likely sell well as a stocking stuffer or gift item.

Buy Now(via Home Depot)

This GearWrench 39-piece screwdriver bit socket set offers a good selection of hex, Torx, Phillips, and slotted bits. Although designed for GearWrench’s own Vortex and pass-thru ratchets, these sockets can be used with any regular 1/4″ or 3/8″ ratchet, depending on size.

We have a couple of bit sockets of this style, and they are VERY useful. A lot of the time we will also use bit holders that accept any 1″ insert bit, but dedicated bit sockets like these are quicker and easier to use.

GearWrench 39pc Bit Socket Set via Amazon (avg price $45-50)

First, there’s a new 309 piece mechanics’s tool set that includes 201 sockets and 16 full-polish ratcheting wrenches. The regular price is $400, but the set is currently on sale for $200. The list of full contents shows that there is a mix of 6pt and 12pt sockets.

There’s also a 10-drawer ball-bearing storage combo that is on sale for $280. Or you could just pick up either the top chest or rolling cabinet, both are separately discounted.

We double-checked, and the two small socket sets we mentioned the other day are still on sale for 50%-off as well:

Craftsman 10pc standard 3/8″ socket set
Craftsman 10pc metric 3/8″ socket set