Real Tool Review

My Favorite Tools #1 – 1/4″ Stubby Ratchet and 1/4″ Drive Handle

 

This review is about two of my favorite tools to use when wrenching. These are not tools that most would think of as something to invest in. For me, it took years before I understood my need for these in the toolbox.

First, is a set of stubby ratchets. When I started working on my Mini Cooper, I found that space around the throttle body was very tight and there wasn’t the swing for a normal length ratchet handle. I originally used the thumb drive from Harbor Freight. They worked fine for me, with the exception of getting good torque to break loose or tighten. I would still use a standard ratchet for that last or first ¼ turn.

 

One day I purchased a set of ¼” and 3/8” stubbies. Didn’t take long before I knew they were a must have. Now I could get enough leverage to break loose and tighten fasteners in tight spaces and get full swings of the ratchet. The set I use is the Powerbuilt 640927. They feel good in my hand, because they have a little bit of weight to them. With the kneeling grip and end knob, I’m able to pull on it with my fingers or push with the palm of my hand and be secure. Both stubby sets have 72 tooth ratchet gear for those tight locations.
This is a twofer review because I have a companion tool to use with the stubby ratchets. When I was growing up my dad, for some reason, always had the Craftsman nut drivers around. I’m a fan of nut drivers, but I always have a difficult time finding the right size. Enter the ¼” drive handle. Again, this is a tool most don’t think about. For me, grabbing three sockets and hoping one of them will fit is easier than three nut drivers. My favorite socket driver is the Williams M-106A for a bunch of reasons. This tool feels good and has some good weight. I can see that clear blue handle on my project tool pile quickly. The thing that is most important to me with this tool is that it has a ¼” female drive on the end. Because again, the issue of torque with breaking some stuff loose or not feeling like I can get tightening torque. I use the ¼” Powerbuilt stubby with the Williams driver as an extension all the time. This combination of tools is great for many of the things I work on. With me working on so many cars away from home at the Rittman garage. I ordered a set of these for car repairs there. Since I work on so many cars at 2 different garages, I ordered a set of these for the Rittman Garage also.

This is a good combination of tools for many of my projects. They can fit into the magnetic parts tray or in my jeans back pocket. This is the setup I used for removing the dash on my Mustang for a heater core replacement and also for removing the throttle body bracket. Around $30 to have a go to setup of tools in my mind was worth it