I made the mistake of putting grease in my Tekton and it did bind it up. Tekton recommended that I clean it out and use a lighter oil to lubricate. Never had an issue since. So I essentially sabotaged my own ratchet and Tekton was still willing to send me a rebuild kit. I’m a fan of multiple brands and the argument of who’s the best is open for debate but Tekton is probably the best in customer service and warranty process.
I just got a Craftsman ratchet from Lowes a few days ago. It's the 3/8 non flex model cmmt99442. I took it apart to see the internals about an hour after watching this video. The Craftsman is a Tekton. The ball detent below the switch, the spring for the pawl, the pawn (but with different number) and the same gear. The back plate is the same and it screws in like this Tekton. The head is different in shape in the smallest ways. The Tekton and Craftsman are not full clones, but internally they are exactly the same.
I have had trouble with the torqs screw retained covers with screws coming loose and falling out and loosing the screws which lead to binding up and levers switching directions on their own whim and I used to use a lot of husky rachets back in the day for the ease of replacement after breaking them since I didn't have a lot of money growing up as a kid and young adult and replaced many and have since been able to buy some nicer higher tooth count rachets now that I'm in my early 40s and have a 12yr old boy following in my footprints thankfully and was at the home depot a few weeks ago and realized that they switched their whole ratchet line up to alot slimmer style and noticed they switched finally from the screw retainer to the snap ring and seeing that all my old husky ratchets were missing at least one screw I returned them all and got the better newer style ratchets for free after 20yrs and now I'm passing the new ones on to my kid and putting together my very first snap on tool chest that I got when 18 and loading it up with lots of my old tools to be sure to keep the spirit alive and keep the tradition and fixing everything on your own mentality alive in my boy it's hard to ask for much more in life in my opinion learning from my dad at an early age and never having to pay someone to fix my own stuff no matter what it is a smile on my face 😊😁
If you ever have issues with small screws like these backing out, you should really try threadlocker. Blue is for serviceable screws, red is for screws you don't ever want to come out. You apply it like a kind of glue to the threads, and they help prevent them from backing out.
Glad I watched this video before lubricating my Tekton ratchet... I was about to use white lithium grease in it, but then I saw some comments and I'm going to get some machine oil instead. I just wish I had watched this before I went to get the grease.
My non swivel tekton sounds different from the swivel tekton on all 3 the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. The non swivel clicks a bit louder. Louder 'ting' sounds, even after oiling with 3 in 1. not sure if they use a different material in the paws, but the gear i believe is the same
My only complaint with the tekton ratchets is with the push button release. You have to depress the button pretty deep to get it to release a socket. Bring that it’s a flush button in its resting state, I ended up supergluing a 1.30mm motorcycle valve shim to the button release. Makes it much easier to operate. It seems like Such a stupid thing to complain about...
I was checking out some of the new flex head kobalt ratchets over the gearwrench and tekton and honestly I'm a big gearwrench guy but the new kobalt flex heads for under 30 bucks lifetime no hassle warranty is so buttery smooth compared to gearwrench as much as I hate to say it and tekton I'm going to be purchasing some real quick like and looking forward to using them and besides who doesn't have a Lowe's fairly close that they can exchange it within the day and also their also lifetime warranty comfort grip pliers are also some really reasonably priced comfortable beyond the normal well priced pliers for the money and no hassle warranty it's hard to go wrong honestly
Curious. Do they just swap it for you right there at the store, or do you receive store credit? I've swapped at Harbor Freight, and that was painless. I've heard Gearwrench/Apex can be a pain.
Great film, Triple-T. I enquired from Tekton if their new 90-tooth mechanism would work in my older 1/4” drive, 72-tooth ratchet. Sadly, I was told “no”. The ratchet internals are different.
Great Video Tony. Okay, I know you and I talked a few months ago in the comments of one of your videos and I said that I wasn't going to buy any of the new GearWrench 90T ratchets because I had too many ratchets already. . . . well call me a liar, I ended up buying them anyway. (it was like I couldn't stop myself). . . . I bought the comfort grip set with the flex head. I tried to make a FrankenRatchet by putting the 3/8 anvil gear inside the 1/4 body ( I had seen Koon Trucking do that with Matco ratchets in one of his videos). . . Well, it almost worked. The 3/8 anvil gear is just too large. . . my ONLY gripe with the new GearWrench 90T ratchets is that for price I paid for them I feel like they should have a lock on the flex head (like Snap-On and Mac does). Aside from that one minor gripe, I absolutely love the new 90T ratchets.
Hahaha very nice. Well that would have been cool to see. And ya they are releasing some locking ones now as well so keep waiting on those lol. Coming real soon 👍👍👍
Im so torn between these two brands of ratchets. I love my gearwrench tools, but tekton has a better price and warranty. Definitely going to buy some tekton ratchets at some point. A little more affordable to me.
Look up the video where ClientGraphics did a competition between all the ratchets, 3/8" drive. The Tekton was the only one who actually did as well as the Snap-On and the failure torque was 292 ft. lbs. All of them did very well and exceeded the ANSI spec for a 3/8" drive ratchet. Even Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Pro did very respectably. I was actually surprised that the Tekton ratchet exceeded what Harbor Freight's new Icon ratchet did, it failed at 272 ft. lbs., still very respectable. Since the Tekton offered me a far better price point for all three ratchets I ordered those instead of going to HF and going with the Icon. Had HF offered 20% off coupons on the Icon I would have got those. Seems HF is doing away with the coupons so I will be venturing to other sources on tools. It is handy to just go to the store and get the tool replaced instead of waiting on it in the mail. Speaking of that, I ordered the 1/4" drive Tekton socket set and it came with a duplicate socket, which left me missing another one. I emailed them with a picture of the issue and they rectified it very fast for me, so they are very good about standing behind their warranty. That made me feel better about ordering the three ratchet set from them. I hope you find this to be helpful, or someone else looking into Tekton tools.
Yeah, good advice on the lube. I have made the mistake more than once of using assembly lube or lithium grease in those fine tooth ratchets. Almost always makes them skip or change directions during use. Also, how do you like the Tekton snapring pliers? I have become unenamored with my Channelock ones.
Ya I found that out also lol. I like the snap ring pliers but unfortunately I don't think they sell them anymore. I'm going to ask and see if they are releasing new ones
I bought a matco, and immediately sold it when I saw what I could get the three pack of locking flex heads for what I got one matco, warranty? May be difficult now but hopefully will get better with time. If not, I’ll buy another three pack and sell the other two for 80 each and get my replacement for free ha.
Don Antonio. Degrease completely and dose with an RCH of Perma gray anti-sieze. Trust me on this. No mo goopz ! The things aren't spinning 1500 RPM ! Tech. Look at the screw mounts. Torquing should make no difference. If so, the plate is wrong. Loctite blue is yer friend. No oil.
Hello Tony thank you for the tear-down. You use 3-in-1 oil in your ratchets? Doesn't it 'leak thru the backing plates"? I have used grease and yes have had a few times the ratchet would bind/get hung up. Was thinking of 90 wt gear lube so it wouldn't "leak thru" the plates? Thank you!
No leaking issues. You don't have to use much. Just enough to coat the pieces. No puddles or anything. Almost like putting a few drops on it and rub it in with a rag. 👍
Hmm now thats a tough one. Both are great Ratchets. I think it depends on the one I want to use. If I want comfort grip I would go with gearwrench. If I was going for standard grip I would go tekton.
Ace Bustillos looks similar: www.harborfreight.com/Precision-Snap-Ring-Pliers-8-Pc-63841.html Or actually, these made by Astro Pneumatic may be identical: www.jbtools.com/astro-pneumatic-94220-7-4pc-internal-external-cr-v-snap-ring-pliers-0-050/
Both have similar designs done differently. Tekton screws it's bottom plate on ass backwards. GW design is weak and too thick in the head diameter. I honestly don't care for my GW, Matco, or "rough" Craftsmans. Fine Craftsmans, Proto, and SO are what I turn to daily. SO especially. The bottom plate is threaded but not always available. None are perfect. Tekton should lube it's ratchets better. And be available someplace besides "online".
I'm confused as to how the tekton is screwed on wierd. It seems normal to me. And your right none are perfect but I think tekton did a good job with the lubrication. Ratchets really don't need to be greased heavily. You won't get alot of debris inside and they aren't moving at a high rate of speed. And ya I wish tekton was sold more places but they are actually available in other locations as well. Some auto parts stores, some Lowe's and home Depot depending on location, then tractor supply company, kmart and Meijer sells them as well 👍 and as far as the gearwrench I just did a video on the design and how they have slimmed down the design. It is actually thinner then alot of brands now. It is actually a decent difference from before
@@TonyTheTechnician The body of the ratchet is threaded, not the bottom plate. To repair bad threads that small is almost impossible, but bottom plates are replaceable. A well sealed ratchet will never get trash in the grease. It doesn't need to be heavy or thick, but well sealed which neither of these were at all. I don't mind occasional ratchet maintenance but my totally sealed ratchets have recieved nothing in decades of daily hard use. The finer the tooth count, the more important sealing them is. Both were honest high tooth count instead of double pawl trickery, though.
@@upsidedowndog1256 I understand the gearwrench not being sealed the best since the plate is so thin and held in by a snap ring but the tekton ratchet is sealed very well and held together the exact same way as snap on. I know the design your talking about like my Carlyle runs through the front and threads into the backing plate but either one is fine I would probably say not many people are destroying the threads on ratchet backing plates. If so I'm sure it's just best to get it warrantied. But I have never had that issue with any design ratchet. I would be so upset if I did that lol. But these plate screws do not take much to snug them up.
@@TonyTheTechnician I agree with most of what you are saying here. My honest opinion is "lifetime warranties" are useless if a company is no longer in business. Or bought out, sometimes. Sometimes you either have to fix it yourself or buy new. I love my early 80s Craftsman sockets and ratchets better than anything made today except for my SO stuff. SO has been in business for a few weeks but they have the HD syndrome of charging waaaaay too much. When Tekton has proven themselves after a few decades I may retire my Craftsmans. I liked some Kobalt tools but now that is a mess too. I will seek out new brands to replace my sockets instead of trying to figure out the damn Craftsman thing. No failures in almost 40 years.
Ya I know what you mean. Kobalt had something going on that was good then it wasn't going so well lol. And ya Craftsman used to be amazing and a great price. Now they want to produce tools of half the quality but still charge top dollar. Cherish those old Craftsman tools lol. Those were built so well. And ya SO is amazing but your absolutely correct. That stuff is spendy.
I know this is old but just wanted to let you know people still appreciate your video. Thanks again.
Thank you. I appreciate it 👍
I made the mistake of putting grease in my Tekton and it did bind it up. Tekton recommended that I clean it out and use a lighter oil to lubricate. Never had an issue since. So I essentially sabotaged my own ratchet and Tekton was still willing to send me a rebuild kit. I’m a fan of multiple brands and the argument of who’s the best is open for debate but Tekton is probably the best in customer service and warranty process.
Agreed and that's awesome to hear and ya I made the same mistake and had to do the same thing. Glad it is very easy to do 👍
Does it have to be oiled once bought before use or they usually come prelubed? (Tekton)
If I remember it comes pre lubed but it's very light. I just did a couple more drops.
Professional mechanic here, Tekton has most of my box and I have yet to be disappointed with them. Great tool for pros and amateur alike.
Very nice. Great to hear!! 👍 Thanks for sharing your thoughts
I just got a Craftsman ratchet from Lowes a few days ago. It's the 3/8 non flex model cmmt99442. I took it apart to see the internals about an hour after watching this video. The Craftsman is a Tekton. The ball detent below the switch, the spring for the pawl, the pawn (but with different number) and the same gear. The back plate is the same and it screws in like this Tekton.
The head is different in shape in the smallest ways. The Tekton and Craftsman are not full clones, but internally they are exactly the same.
Nice touch using the Tekton snap ring pliers on the GearWrench ratchet. 😂 😉 NICE DROP on the GearWrench backing plate when reassembling!
Lmao wow I am impressed with you noticing both of those haha. I don't think I could do that again with the backing plate. Haha. Thank you for watching
Both of those ratchets are top notch and are world class as far as I'm concerned
Agreed 👍👍👍
I have had trouble with the torqs screw retained covers with screws coming loose and falling out and loosing the screws which lead to binding up and levers switching directions on their own whim and I used to use a lot of husky rachets back in the day for the ease of replacement after breaking them since I didn't have a lot of money growing up as a kid and young adult and replaced many and have since been able to buy some nicer higher tooth count rachets now that I'm in my early 40s and have a 12yr old boy following in my footprints thankfully and was at the home depot a few weeks ago and realized that they switched their whole ratchet line up to alot slimmer style and noticed they switched finally from the screw retainer to the snap ring and seeing that all my old husky ratchets were missing at least one screw I returned them all and got the better newer style ratchets for free after 20yrs and now I'm passing the new ones on to my kid and putting together my very first snap on tool chest that I got when 18 and loading it up with lots of my old tools to be sure to keep the spirit alive and keep the tradition and fixing everything on your own mentality alive in my boy it's hard to ask for much more in life in my opinion learning from my dad at an early age and never having to pay someone to fix my own stuff no matter what it is a smile on my face 😊😁
If you ever have issues with small screws like these backing out, you should really try threadlocker. Blue is for serviceable screws, red is for screws you don't ever want to come out. You apply it like a kind of glue to the threads, and they help prevent them from backing out.
Glad I watched this video before lubricating my Tekton ratchet... I was about to use white lithium grease in it, but then I saw some comments and I'm going to get some machine oil instead. I just wish I had watched this before I went to get the grease.
Oh nice. Ya I'm glad you found out before doing it. Machine oil is definitely the best. As long as you don't use anything tacky. 👍
@@TonyTheTechnician I ended up using some air tool oil instead, just to try it out since it is a very thin oil. Seems like it works well.
I think that would work fine as well. 👍
I own both and it is a tie for me. I love both, Both great prices and very reliable. I use them more than my matco. Keep up with the great content 🔥
Very nice great to hear. Thank you!!
As always....great review, Tekton has some great gear! Well done...
Thank you I appreciate it 👍
The new Gearwrench sounds and looks great.
They have been so far 👍👍
My non swivel tekton sounds different from the swivel tekton on all 3 the 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. The non swivel clicks a bit louder. Louder 'ting' sounds, even after oiling with 3 in 1. not sure if they use a different material in the paws, but the gear i believe is the same
My only complaint with the tekton ratchets is with the push button release. You have to depress the button pretty deep to get it to release a socket. Bring that it’s a flush button in its resting state, I ended up supergluing a 1.30mm motorcycle valve shim to the button release. Makes it much easier to operate.
It seems like Such a stupid thing to complain about...
Good review. I use a little white lithum grease.
👍 thank you
I was checking out some of the new flex head kobalt ratchets over the gearwrench and tekton and honestly I'm a big gearwrench guy but the new kobalt flex heads for under 30 bucks lifetime no hassle warranty is so buttery smooth compared to gearwrench as much as I hate to say it and tekton I'm going to be purchasing some real quick like and looking forward to using them and besides who doesn't have a Lowe's fairly close that they can exchange it within the day and also their also lifetime warranty comfort grip pliers are also some really reasonably priced comfortable beyond the normal well priced pliers for the money and no hassle warranty it's hard to go wrong honestly
Curious. Do they just swap it for you right there at the store, or do you receive store credit? I've swapped at Harbor Freight, and that was painless. I've heard Gearwrench/Apex can be a pain.
Darn hvac systems.... might as well have to loan you my compressor and pump🤣👍 good comparison between the 2 especially the internals
Hahaha 👍 thanks and ya both are good ratchets. Thanks for watching brother
I have a sneaking suspicion that tekton makes harbor freights icon flex ratchets. The internals look identical.
Sneaking? How humble? Remove that word my dude, they are, indeed, precisely and literally, the SAME.
Great film, Triple-T. I enquired from Tekton if their new 90-tooth mechanism would work in my older 1/4” drive, 72-tooth ratchet. Sadly, I was told “no”. The ratchet internals are different.
Thank you and ya unfortunately the design is different
Carefull with that Gear Wrench/Sata paul. It's not simetrical. It needs to be reinstalled the same orientation it came out.
Great Video Tony.
Okay, I know you and I talked a few months ago in the comments of one of your videos and I said that I wasn't going to buy any of the new GearWrench 90T ratchets because I had too many ratchets already. . . . well call me a liar, I ended up buying them anyway. (it was like I couldn't stop myself). . . . I bought the comfort grip set with the flex head. I tried to make a FrankenRatchet by putting the 3/8 anvil gear inside the 1/4 body ( I had seen Koon Trucking do that with Matco ratchets in one of his videos). . . Well, it almost worked. The 3/8 anvil gear is just too large. . . my ONLY gripe with the new GearWrench 90T ratchets is that for price I paid for them I feel like they should have a lock on the flex head (like Snap-On and Mac does). Aside from that one minor gripe, I absolutely love the new 90T ratchets.
Hahaha very nice. Well that would have been cool to see. And ya they are releasing some locking ones now as well so keep waiting on those lol. Coming real soon 👍👍👍
Im so torn between these two brands of ratchets. I love my gearwrench tools, but tekton has a better price and warranty. Definitely going to buy some tekton ratchets at some point. A little more affordable to me.
Very true and both of these have been great. I think you would enjoy either 👍
Look up the video where ClientGraphics did a competition between all the ratchets, 3/8" drive. The Tekton was the only one who actually did as well as the Snap-On and the failure torque was 292 ft. lbs. All of them did very well and exceeded the ANSI spec for a 3/8" drive ratchet. Even Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh Pro did very respectably. I was actually surprised that the Tekton ratchet exceeded what Harbor Freight's new Icon ratchet did, it failed at 272 ft. lbs., still very respectable. Since the Tekton offered me a far better price point for all three ratchets I ordered those instead of going to HF and going with the Icon. Had HF offered 20% off coupons on the Icon I would have got those. Seems HF is doing away with the coupons so I will be venturing to other sources on tools. It is handy to just go to the store and get the tool replaced instead of waiting on it in the mail.
Speaking of that, I ordered the 1/4" drive Tekton socket set and it came with a duplicate socket, which left me missing another one. I emailed them with a picture of the issue and they rectified it very fast for me, so they are very good about standing behind their warranty. That made me feel better about ordering the three ratchet set from them. I hope you find this to be helpful, or someone else looking into Tekton tools.
Great info thank you for sharing that's all great to hear. I appreciate you sharing your experience and helping others
Yeah, good advice on the lube. I have made the mistake more than once of using assembly lube or lithium grease in those fine tooth ratchets. Almost always makes them skip or change directions during use. Also, how do you like the Tekton snapring pliers? I have become unenamored with my Channelock ones.
Ya I found that out also lol. I like the snap ring pliers but unfortunately I don't think they sell them anymore. I'm going to ask and see if they are releasing new ones
I bought a matco, and immediately sold it when I saw what I could get the three pack of locking flex heads for what I got one matco, warranty? May be difficult now but hopefully will get better with time. If not, I’ll buy another three pack and sell the other two for 80 each and get my replacement for free ha.
Will you ever review tekton torque wrench. More specific the 1/2 drive ones
I have already done a review on the 3/8 awhile back. I may wait for an updated version before reviewing the torque wrenches
Shouldn't be able to "over torque" the tekton, the shim should be designed to space the gear
Is there a functional difference between the snap ring vs screws to hold the backing plate down? One better than the other?
No not really just a tool brands preferred method of sealing the ratchet
Don Antonio. Degrease completely and dose with an RCH of Perma gray anti-sieze. Trust me on this. No mo goopz ! The things aren't spinning 1500 RPM ! Tech. Look at the screw mounts. Torquing should make no difference. If so, the plate is wrong. Loctite blue is yer friend. No oil.
Hello Tony thank you for the tear-down. You use 3-in-1 oil in your ratchets? Doesn't it 'leak thru the backing plates"? I have used grease and yes have had a few times the ratchet would bind/get hung up. Was thinking of 90 wt gear lube so it wouldn't "leak thru" the plates? Thank you!
No leaking issues. You don't have to use much. Just enough to coat the pieces. No puddles or anything. Almost like putting a few drops on it and rub it in with a rag. 👍
Thank You Tony!
If you had to choose between Tekton and Gearwrench, which one?
Hmm now thats a tough one. Both are great Ratchets. I think it depends on the one I want to use. If I want comfort grip I would go with gearwrench. If I was going for standard grip I would go tekton.
Man i wish Tekton still sold their snap ring pliers.....
Want to sell them? 😄
Haha I know right. And no I'm not. Sorry lol
Ace Bustillos looks similar: www.harborfreight.com/Precision-Snap-Ring-Pliers-8-Pc-63841.html
Or actually, these made by Astro Pneumatic may be identical: www.jbtools.com/astro-pneumatic-94220-7-4pc-internal-external-cr-v-snap-ring-pliers-0-050/
Both have similar designs done differently. Tekton screws it's bottom plate on ass backwards. GW design is weak and too thick in the head diameter. I honestly don't care for my GW, Matco, or "rough" Craftsmans. Fine Craftsmans, Proto, and SO are what I turn to daily. SO especially. The bottom plate is threaded but not always available. None are perfect. Tekton should lube it's ratchets better. And be available someplace besides "online".
I'm confused as to how the tekton is screwed on wierd. It seems normal to me. And your right none are perfect but I think tekton did a good job with the lubrication. Ratchets really don't need to be greased heavily. You won't get alot of debris inside and they aren't moving at a high rate of speed. And ya I wish tekton was sold more places but they are actually available in other locations as well. Some auto parts stores, some Lowe's and home Depot depending on location, then tractor supply company, kmart and Meijer sells them as well 👍 and as far as the gearwrench I just did a video on the design and how they have slimmed down the design. It is actually thinner then alot of brands now. It is actually a decent difference from before
@@TonyTheTechnician
The body of the ratchet is threaded, not the bottom plate. To repair bad threads that small is almost impossible, but bottom plates are replaceable. A well sealed ratchet will never get trash in the grease. It doesn't need to be heavy or thick, but well sealed which neither of these were at all. I don't mind occasional ratchet maintenance but my totally sealed ratchets have recieved nothing in decades of daily hard use. The finer the tooth count, the more important sealing them is. Both were honest high tooth count instead of double pawl trickery, though.
@@upsidedowndog1256 I understand the gearwrench not being sealed the best since the plate is so thin and held in by a snap ring but the tekton ratchet is sealed very well and held together the exact same way as snap on. I know the design your talking about like my Carlyle runs through the front and threads into the backing plate but either one is fine I would probably say not many people are destroying the threads on ratchet backing plates. If so I'm sure it's just best to get it warrantied. But I have never had that issue with any design ratchet. I would be so upset if I did that lol. But these plate screws do not take much to snug them up.
@@TonyTheTechnician
I agree with most of what you are saying here. My honest opinion is "lifetime warranties" are useless if a company is no longer in business. Or bought out, sometimes. Sometimes you either have to fix it yourself or buy new. I love my early 80s Craftsman sockets and ratchets better than anything made today except for my SO stuff. SO has been in business for a few weeks but they have the HD syndrome of charging waaaaay too much. When Tekton has proven themselves after a few decades I may retire my Craftsmans. I liked some Kobalt tools but now that is a mess too. I will seek out new brands to replace my sockets instead of trying to figure out the damn Craftsman thing. No failures in almost 40 years.
Ya I know what you mean. Kobalt had something going on that was good then it wasn't going so well lol. And ya Craftsman used to be amazing and a great price. Now they want to produce tools of half the quality but still charge top dollar. Cherish those old Craftsman tools lol. Those were built so well. And ya SO is amazing but your absolutely correct. That stuff is spendy.
🤟🏻😈👍🏻 🍻
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