Still think newer composite tools are better than metal ones

I used to swear by those modern composite ratchets for working in tight engine bays. After about 6 months of daily use on Boeing 737 landing gear, the handle started flexing and the socket release gave out. Went back to my old Snap-on metal ratchet that's been going strong for 8 years. Has anyone else found composites don't hold up under real heavy torque day after day?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_thompson671mo ago

8 years on a metal ratchet is no joke, what brand was the composite one that gave out on you? Composites seem great for weight savings until you actually need to reef on something stubborn. Maybe the material just isn't ready for the kind of abuse real mechanics put tools through yet.

grant.jason1mo ago

Ha! Yeah no joke about composites. I had a Harbor Freight composite ratchet last me about six months before the head just split right open. Wasn't even torquing hard on a rusted bolt or anything. Thing just gave up. But I'll tell you what, that plastic handle on my old Craftsman metal ratchet? That's what finally went after all those years. Not the gear mechanism. Just the grip disintegrated into sticky goo. Had to wrap it in electrical tape to keep using it. Ended up buying a full metal set after that. No plastic, no composite. Just steel and some rubber grip. Way heavier but I can actually lean on it without wondering if it'll snap. Composites might be fine for light duty stuff though.

the_miles1mo ago

Buddy had one explode in his hand. Plastic shards everywhere. Metal all the way after that.