Craftsman  3/8 in. Drive Ergo Flex Head Quick Release Teardrop Ratchet

Overall this is a good (not great) ratchet. Extra long handle offers better torque. The plastic handle has a comfortable grip. The flex head offers more access for difficult to reach areas. The gears in this ratchet needed to be cleaned, but worked fine afterwards. This ratchet is made in Taiwan. Don't know how most will feel about it, but I'm not a fan of paying U.S. prices for Taiwan made products. That said, it's becoming more and more obvious thats where the Craftsman products are going. A good ratchet for the tool collection. It's primarily my backup.

great simple ratchet

If you can find an older version, it will have a solid, heavy feel to it. The length and large, round grip help put some serious torque into your work, often negating the need to move up to a 1/2" tool to break a bolt loose. The flexible head allows you to get into tight spaces and still have all of that torque available, making it a stupendous tool that's difficult to live without after 14 years of use. Should I need one now, I will scour the internet looking for someone selling a used one which they know to have been made in the USA. This is because I picked up the new Chinese version yesterday, just to feel a hollow, soft handle in place of the old heavy, dense, American-feeling tool that I've come to love. Shame on Sears.

This is my favorite ratchet.

im a mechanic and i bought this ratchet a few days ago after one of my cheaper ratchets broke. when i first got it i noticed that the handle was pretty slippery and was upset thinking it was gonna slip out of my hand. i was wrong. it holds firm. the grip is very comfortable. the ratcheting mechanism is smooth with very little swing arc. the locking fex head is nice especialy for working down inside engine bays. the quick release holds socket extremely well. the extra length is great for added leverage. overall a great ratchet. i give this ratchet a 4 just because the handle is made out of really hard plastic and is a bit slippery.

I have had to warranty this ratchet twice because I have broke the gears in the head. I wasn't using any extra force other than my own arm strength. They could have made this a nice ratchet if the would have used a quality fine tooth head in it like the older Craftsman ratchets that are no longer available. Size and handle are nice but the ratchet head is terrible. I would not recommend this ratchet unless you enjoy busted knuckles. I'm going to try to get a refund on mine.

Model # 44836 is another member of the 36 tooth teardrop family in the Craftsman Full Polished Line. At 12 inches in length with an ergonomically designed handle and the 0 to 90 degree flex head you may find this ratchet allows you to access some of those hard to reach fasteners. The easy clean finish is just an added extra. You need to remember that it is a 36 tooth ratchet and as such requires a 10 degree swing to engagement. For those of you concerned as to the Country Of Origin of the current offering of this ratchet, there is no need for concern. Prior to the submission of this review I took a close look and found it to be on par with the previous ratchet. Just a reminder; The use of a breaker bar when possible will extend the life of any ratchet.

I just got this ratchet yesterday and I love it. It has a long handle for tightening bolts that need great amount of torque and taking the bolts out. It has a nice flexible head for hard to reach areas. The gears on the Ratchet are very nice and smooth responds and keeps up with the job you are doing. Great for overhauling an engine rotating the bottom crank pulley, changing tires, taking off the motor, mounts, intake manifold, cylinder heads, splitting the engine block in half by unbolting the heavy bolts. I would recommend this to a friend any time in a project or work.

I bought this for my son starting his tool collection. I've had the same one in my box along with the older crftsman socket wrenches. We always grab this one because it's easy on the hands and long enough to get in tight spaces and has more leverage. great tool!!