
BEST HEAVY-DUTY: Ares ½-Inch Drive Ratchet.BEST LIGHT-DUTY: Tekton ¼-Inch Composite Offset Ratchet.BEST ELECTRIC: ACDelco Power 12V ⅜-Inch Cordless Ratchet.

BEST HANDLE: Neiko ⅜-Inch Drive Extendable Ratchet.BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Ares ⅜-Inch Drive Ratchet.BEST OVERALL: DeWalt ⅜-Inch Quick-Release Ratchet.This shopping guide will give shoppers the 411 on these essential devices and detail why the models here rank among the best on the market for a tool box or garage. Plus, as any professional builder or mechanic knows, there’s a big difference between a high-end ratchet and a low-quality model. One pawl, when engaged, tightens the nut or bolt, while the other pawl is used to loosen a fastener as the user turns the handle.īasic as these hand tools may be, they’re definitely not one-size-fits-all, so a DIYer will want to reach for the ratchet (aka socket wrench) that best suits the task. A ratchet has a rotating gear inside its gear head and two levers (known as pawls) that catch the gear’s teeth.


Don’t get it twisted: Anyone who may be doing repairs around the house or on their car needs a ratchet-a wrench with a fastener component used to tighten or loosen nuts and bolts.
