Harbor Freight Reviews

Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: 3-Piece Thumbwheel Ratchet Set
Item number: 94011
Retail price: $7.99
Frequent sale price: $4.99
Target price: $3.99
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These thumbwheel ratchets are used for driving your sockets in very tight spaces where a regular ratchet or even one with a swivel extension simply won't work. The set comes complete with 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drives, so it will cover most home and automotive work that you're likely to encounter. Of course if they are just the tool you need one day to get you nuts out of a tight spot, they're worth the full retail price at the moment. But we prefer to find this nifty little set of thumbwheel ratchets at our target price of $3.99 and stock'em before we actually need them. (Ah, "I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw," that's why they're on the Hot Buys list -- those are things you buy at the 'right price' BEFORE you actually need them!) They're not a bad buy at their sale price of $4.99 either.

The mechanism is stiff and this has been a complaint of some online reviewers. We're more sympathetic to this inexpensive little tool set, figuring that just turning the round driver and forgetting about the racketing (if it's too stiff for you) is sufficient for the job where no other tool will work. If we were silly enough to pay the full retail price of $7.99 we might grumble at bit too, but at our target price of $3.99, they're a good-value for the money!

If you have a special application where you regularly need this type of tool, you will probably be much better off to invest in a more expensive set. For most people, however, who are likely to only occasionally encounter a situation where a thumbwheel ratchet is needed, this is the set to buy.

We've even added the set to our list for RVers. Their compact footprint makes them easy to store and hey, you never know when you're going to discover that tight nut or bolt on your RV for the first time out on the road. Keep them in the RV or auto for that unforeseen roadside emergency and you can always bring them 'inside' as needed. And at the target price of $3.99 or even the frequent sale price of only a dollar more you might find two sets are on your buy list this month.

Bottom: A good value at our target price; priceless if you find you need them in the middle of a project. Don't expect them to feel like professional-level tools, but then how often are you going to use them?