Why does nobody talk about how much time you save with a cordless ratchet?

I finally picked up a cordless ratchet last week at the Harbor Freight near my shop after years of using a manual one. Three years ago I would have laughed at spending $80 on one, but now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. I was swapping out a starter on a 2015 F-150 and it cut the job from 45 minutes down to maybe 20 because I didn't have to break the bolt loose by hand each time. The tight spot near the bell housing was a nightmare before, but the ratchet just zipped through it. Has anyone else made the switch and found a job it really shined on?

2 comments

2 Comments

piper_dixon456d ago

Drag your impact driver in there and tell me how it fits behind a bell housing on a tight clearance job. That’s the whole point. Impact drivers are bulky and you need two hands half the time. A cordless ratchet slides in where a socket wrench barely fits, and you don’t break your knuckles when the bolt finally lets go. For a starter swap on a tight engine bay, I’d take the ratchet every time over an impact that can’t even get in the spot.

lopez.brooke6d ago

That $80 Harbor Freight one though, I've heard mixed things about durability on those. I just can't see a cordless ratchet saving me that much time when I've already got an impact driver that does the same job.