Speedgraphic

I just finished an exhaust system upgrade on my fourteen year old Camaro. In the process of removing the manifolds and replacing them with my new headers I encountered tight spots where a deepwell socket was required but there was not enough space to get it in place to do the job... I also encountered spaces where it was not possible to bring a standard socket and ratchet to bear on the problem.

I found a tool that helps with these problems. I even used it for putting in spark plugs in a couple of the hard to get places behind my headers.

The Tool - (Actually a set) - GearRatchet. They are made by KD tools which is a familiar brand with a reputation for well made tools. The following is a cut/paste from "Thetoolstore."
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KD Tools, the maker of the Famous GearWrenches, has just introduced the New and Patented GearRatchet Vortex Socket System. This set is identical to the Armstrong Eliminator set but at a fraction of the Eliminator price. This is a “Pass through” socket system which eliminates the need for deep sockets. You will truly be impressed with this set and, as always it carries the KD Tool Lifetime Warranty.
Details

The ultra thin vortex pass-thru socket and extension design will reach into deep recesses making deep sockets obsolete.

The unique GearRatchet drive configuration increases torque strength by as much as 40% and needs as little as 5 degree of arc.

The vortex thin wall socket design has the same torque strength as an ordinary socket. Over all height is reduced by as much as 50%, width by 20%.

The GearRatchet handle quickly converts to a conventional ¼ or 3/8 ratchet for standard sockets by using the two included adapters.

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What makes it a useful tool? The ratchet and sockets allow a long bolt to pass right through. Because the socket fits into the ratchet it allows you to get into tight places where an ordinary socket+Ratchet will not go. As an example immagine a ratcheting boxed end wrench on the end of a spark plug wrench. That's pretty close except the end of the socket is open and a long bolt would pass right through. Heres a link so you can see what I'm talking about. http://www.thetoolstore.us/show_Product.asp?ID=954

This set really saved my bacon on this job so I thought I would pass the info along. I bought mine at the local NAPA store. I bought both the metric and SAE sets - total about $64...

Good luck with your projects!

JRoy91RS

I got a set of the craftsman ratcheting combo wrenches last christmas that are great for the same types of situations. They especially work great on tranny bolts.

OMINOUS_87

Very nice!!!

A set of both would be like a double serving of butter in a baked potato.

Justins86bird

That set looks familar. The 5 deg ratchet is a nice feature when you can't get much of a swing in a tight spot.

Kontrax

be careful with gear ratchet stuff, it tends to brake real easy. my suggestion would be to use a wrench to loosen the nut or bolt 1st... i work as a tech in a local shop and some of the guys including myself bought some of their tools and broke almost all of them. they strip out real easy.

ede

yeah gear wrench stuff breaks pretty easily. snap ons gear wrenches are repairable, unlike most others. as for the gear ratchet i think i'll pass. there are semi deep sockets for places like you described and have the advantaged of not being limited to one handle or driver.

Speedgraphic

I've not tested it recently but KD Tools offers a Lifetime warranty on their tools.

A long time ago I worked at a NAPA Distribution center. KD and NewBritan (now NAPA Tools) were replaced no questions asked. I once saw a 1" ratchet that looked like it must have been bent using a six foot cheater bar that was replaced.

I am sure you can buy better sets(at a higher cost). If you are making your living using these tools then you would certainly want the best you can get. You write off the expense. To the average shadetree mekanik like me, the KD tools or Craftsman is good enough.

I found something that worked for me. It did things that I need it to do on a specific job and saved me time, frustration, and probably money. I was just passing the information on to others.

If ANYBODY has time saving tools or tips they are always welcome. If you have a better source or better example of this tool by all means share the wealth!

Speedy

Kontrax

most tools have the lifetime promise attached to them. i replace wrenches at sears when they get old, dont have to be broke. the ratchet box wrenchs shouldnt be used to break bolts loose anyways, craftsman, snap-on or any of them. always use a reg. old wrench to break the bolt lose.

JRoy91RS

I used my craftsman 3/8 ratcheting wrench this weekend. It works perfect when trying to reach that distributor hold down bolt. In fact, it works better than anything else I've ever used. I just used a 12-pt 3/8 intake bolt instead of the stock one.

HamSpiced

I work at a sears hardware and ive sold tons of those gear ratchet sets and ive seen more then half of them come back cause they are crap and people just buy Craftsman's equivilant....

ronterry

You mean replaced

I played with one in the store, and I can clearly feel there not for high torque operations. It's a nice time saver, but I wouldn't use anything over a 9/16 wrench size or over a 3/8 bolt size.
I didn't have a chance to feel the Professional versions, or if there is one?

I'm sure with enough exchanges, Craftsman will beef it up with a better material forging.

Ron

HamSpiced

Craftsman is fun and all for conveinence but it is in no way professional.....


Snapon my friend

ede

yep it's hard to better than snap on. i bet i can count on one hand the times i've broke something from snap on. right now i have 7 snap on boxes i work out of in the garage with mostly snap on tools, so i do own a lot of their stuff.

i have a couple sets of craftsman professional series wrenches, not used tham all that much but the sure look and feel good.

ronterry

Sure Snapon is nice in all, but unless you want to take a second mortgage, forget it.
The quality is not worth the premium of admission.
Look at the cost for (5) deep offset wrenches - 193 bucks!!!
My set of 5 Craftsman Pro's only set me back 40 bucks...
My 5 piece pro flare nut wrenches cost 30 bucks, Snapon 150 bucks???

I still don't understand there pricing model, I mean OK they cold forge there tools, while Craftsman might use heat forging. That still doesn't explain there huge price tag. They even have a very low overhead (i.e. adds, storefront, etc.), so WTF...
Do those guys even comprehend micro/macro economics?

Hell, even the 24 karat gold plated wrench set Craftsman offers as a limited series deal is cheaper then Snapon regular wrenches!!!!WTF



Ron

HamSpiced

the gold plated wrench set craftsman oiffered was a joke. the gold flaked off. Saw ALOT of them come back....


i personally love snapons ratchets, you cant mess with those, worth every penny, such a fine tooth ratchet....

wyclefsirocz

snap on makes great tools, it all depends on what you plan on doing with them. genral repairs and mods to your own car, craftsman will do the trick. and so will snap on. now if i was a prfessional mechanic i would have a huge snap on box, instead i have huge crafts man box w/ i porbly paid around a $1500 for.
craftsman works just fine for me and will usally do the trick, but i have a snap on 3/8" rachet and its kewl tool. i like the 3/8" craftsman professional rachet better.

Kontrax

both have the lifetime tag on them so there is no need for snap on unless you dont mind spending the money or like their design better. they say they are forged different, but if they both have the lifetime tag on them who cares? i like the craftsman wratchets and sockets better because of the design, but i like the snapon wrenchs better because they are longer. but if you buy the craftsman pro series wrenchs, there is no difference. like i said, i work for sears so i stick with the craftsman. plus i get 35% off the tools

gearwrench isnt made by craftsman btw and i dont think the gold wrenchs were made for real use, just kinda like a show thing. i dont know why anyone would want to use a gold wrench anyhow. but like i said, lifetime tag on them so bring em back and get a new one.

Kontrax

Hey hamspice, you seen the new thinline wratchet from craftsman? i think those will make you think twice about the snap-on. i bought the set and they are absolutly amazing.

JRoy91RS

I agree that Snap-On and, to a certain extent, Mac, make great tools, but unless you use tools every day for 8+ hours a day, their cost is hard for me to justify. I understand that if you work on cars for a living, it would be a royal pain to have to return tools every couple of weeks, but if you're just a casual mechanic (like most of us here), it would take many months or years to put in the same amount of usage-hours on your tools as if you worked on cars for a living. For the money, for most people, Craftsman is hard to beat, but you would be laughed at if you worked in a shop and had a box full o' craftsman tools (trust me, I've seen it first hand). Personally, I've never had to return any tools to craftsman, which for me, speaks highly of their quality. One thing I do like about the snap-on sockets is that the walls are thinner, which makes them easier to squeeze into tighter places, and they seem to bite just as good if not better than most sockets. This speaks well of their manufacturing tolerances. If I could afford it, there would only be a few tools I would buy from snap-on. Otherwise, I'm sticking with craftsman for most of my work.

Kontrax

i work on cars for a living and i have a box full of craftsman, most of the mechs at my place do and no one laughs at us...........

JRoy91RS

Yeah, I don't mean it as a slam against the guys who use craftsman tools, but more against the tool snobs who laugh at those who do! It's good to see that snobbery isn't the norm where you work. Apparently, in the Austin, TX area, it is. I have a good friend who is a Lexus tech, and he's told me stories.

James

zupmanZ28

we have a battle going between snap on and craftsman at school (i'm in the auto tech program at Delaware Tech), and so far craftsman is up 3-2. We broke 2 snap on sockets on a bolt, the craftsman held. We broke a craftsman rachet, the snap on seems fine(both were under similar loads for similar amounts of time). We broke a snap on screwdriver using it as a prybar, and a similar sized craftsman screwdriver held it (which is totally suprising cause craftsman screwdrivers like to bend..in my experience anyway). We were prying on an exhaust, had the tip in the clamped together joint trying to break it loose btw... i can't remember what we doing when the sockets broke, it was something in the front suspension of a jetta.

Now mind you, this is nowhere near scientific, and in no way under perfectly controlled conditions. this is also not saying snap on, or craftsman is in any way better than the other, just that the snap on stuff seems to break just as much as the craftsman. And being that i can run to sears right quick for a replacement, versus having to call and have a snap on rep come visit me, i use craftsman. I'm not saying it'll stay that way, but for right now, craftsman is my tool of choice.

Eric

JRoy91RS

Another good point about the craftsman stuff, zuppman--you can replace it quickly if you break it.

Speedgraphic

We can debate the merits of Craftsman, SnapOn and MAC until we are blue in the face. IMHO the pro tools are justified if you are a professional mechanic working full time. BUT, if you are an enthusiast just doing mods or keeping the family car on the road then it would be hard (for me) to justify the extra expense. I have had very few Craftsman tools break.

What about the cheap stuff. Husky, and such.

I refuse to buy cheap tools. If it doesn't come with a lifetime warranty I will not buy it no matter the cost.

Several years ago I was given as a christmas gift a set of two adjustable wrenches that were made in China. I threw them in the tool box with everything else. The first time I used the smaller wrench I broke it. When I got around to using the larger of the two I could not get the jaw to stay put. After nearly rounding off a nut beyond hope I took that wrench into the shop. I put it into a vice and kept bending the handle until it broke. I did not want someone to find that wrench in the trash and think they had found something...

Bottom line - Buy GOOD tools and quality will pay for itself. Buy cheap crap tools and it will cost you in lost time and frustration.

Kontrax

FYI... MAC makes STANLEY tools. its all prefrence really. i think they are the same quality, its just what you think looks and feels better. i like craftsman polished wratchets better then snap-ons but i like snap-on wrenchs better then craftsman because they are longer. still its pretty much the same.

Lance Donlon

I don't like snap-on wrenchs or the pro craftsman to sharp off edge if you have to pull hard

I work on tractors with mostly craftsman and use the h--- out of them but have things of other brand to like my beastest impact
1/2 drive ingersoll-rand 2135TI Titanium case 1000 Ft-lbs of torque or my John Deere 1/2 drive 12v impact that is all better then snap-on's 18v water buffalo and very over priced to

Save your money and shop for a good buy not a brand name show

The things I buy are brand name just not all the same

cgb

This debate is as old as time...funny the first thread I reply to is this...

I was a proffessional knuckle bleeder for a few years at a high volume GM dealership ( who hasn't been lol ) and I used a pretty crazy collection of different tools.

Snap On sells so much because they come by the shop on Monday, when you're young and broke, and they offer that "Take it out of your next paycheck" ploy. If more people had to pay cash up front for Snap On tools, I bet they would sell half as many LOL

Husky proffessional line is okay....Craftsman works etc etc

It's all personal opinion...

MY fav 3/8 ratchet is an old Craftsman, with the shorter handle...my 1/2" is an old S-K that will not die...

Most of my wrenches are S-K or Craftsman w/ the occasional odd ball Mac or left over Snap on in some weird size I "had to have"...

Sockets I"m particular about.... When I screw together my engines, I use a certain set of S-K that are rated way beyond the torque rating of my Snap On torque wrench... ( BTW.. it's the old twist adjustable style, it's been crapped on, beat on, pried on, rained on ETC..got it checked last spring for calibration by a tool guy trying to brag on the new digital Snap on he had...turns out mine was dead on.. LMAO )


MAC and OLD craftsman for deep well sockets...they have thinner walls for tighter quarters..


So it's all personal preference. Isn't that what this whole "hobby" ( my wife calls it a sickness ) is about?


I got a set of the gear wrenches for Xmas last year...haven't even opened 'em up yet. Guess with my ******* upbringing, when I hit a tight spot, I usually already have a tool "modified" for that particular job, since I've done it over and over....lmao

TOOL TIP #519

Wanna tighten those header bolts alot easier? Take the appropriate size wrench, cut it down, and bend the handle over a bit for a fingerhold.... works like a charm.

Same topic... wanna make spark plug changes easier w/ headers? Take a spark plug socket and cut half of it away, making sure not to cut into the hex portion where the plug pushed against...

And people wanna know how I used to change the plugs so fast at the track w/ my old 383 powered Vega......w/ headers... lol


Later

Speedgraphic

CGB

Welcome to ThirdGen.org!

HamSpiced

lol... i hope your jokin... i had the slimline ratchet and the Laser Etched Ratchets back in june before they were released to the Public...