I've had one of these for over three years and it's still going strong. It's great for those long thread bolts that take an age to wind out or in by hand. The mistake a lot of YT mechanics make with these is that they expect them to be able to undo everything from scratch.
Right. You have to break the bolt and loosen it a little first. Also, I try to avoid putting the bolts back in with power or air tools. Don't wanna cross thread the bolt.
Hey Clive! Thanks for the shout out! Yes our guys definitely put tools through some heavy work and warranty is a big thing. Loved the tear down of this ratchet. Wonder if they chose that color for a reason ;)? If you ever want us to test a particular tool in the field to see if it survives our kind of work let us know too. Cheers from everyone at THD!
@@davelowets - the copycats usually try to make it fit, so my guess is it does; Clive might be able to take physical measurements if he doesn’t have a real Milwaukee 12V tool to try it in.
The part I think most likely to break when handed to a gorilla is the racheting mechanism inside the head that you weren't able to get to. When ran manually the mechanism with the pin on it doesn't actually take any load, that is only engaged when the motor is on. There is a little one-way gear/pawl type thing inside the head that prevents it from rotating backwards, usually the teeth on that pawl are what get stripped.
I don't know about this rachet but my M12 broke when my buddy used it as a breaker bar. And it was exactly that crankshaft(reciprocating pin, as this video calls it).
@@countbaker5595 I mean, I'm sure it can happen, but the way they're designed that's not the part that takes the load. Also, that's why I no longer lend out my tools. ;)
@@countbaker5595 I thought it was a Milwaukee at first. I've been fixing a fair bit of milwaukee tools and other things on my channel, but not done an M12 rachet yet.
@@jimmyb1451 I think that part actually does take the load ultimately. with the pin removed the whole head just rotated all the way around so you could see the gubbins. The ratchet stops the socket connection rotating in the ratchet mechanism but the pin stops the whole ratchet mechanism rotating in the tool. They both end up loaded when using it manually.
Big Clive, serious question. I just bought the newest DeWalt cordless 12v 3/8" ratchet. It is insanely weak... The "circuitry" turns the motor of when applying about 5ft.lbs of torque. Question is, if I pay shipping both ways will you tear it apart and work a little magic to "bump up" The current limiting device in side this thing? 😏
Hey it's SMA. If it's a brushless maybe a bigger motor controller might do it some good? If it's brushed maybe bypassing the variable speed trigger with a momentary switch so that it gets full beans immediately might help it.
I bought the MAC version 10 years ago. It's is good for at least 30lb/ft and will over tighten smaller bolts if yer not careful but the variable torque trigger is quite controllable
@@bills6093 that's what I just found also, the xtreame says 60. I'm on mobile so couldn't see if there is a variable power setting somewhere but I'd doubt it if SMA is asking this so I'd have to assume it's defective also.
I have been using one of these for the last ten months and so far its holding up okay. For a bit of context my main work is small engine repair so no doubt it gets an easy life, I'm sure if I gave it to one of the commercial boys it would die in short order.
@@billynomates920I believe there's long neck versions out there, at least for brand name ones. My setup is an open box milwauke i got around 5 years ago, a used charger and a few knockoff batteries.
Cheap tools definitely have their place, Clive. I wanted to cut brick to put a metal wall-box in for mounting a large powerpoint array. The only tool that was suitable for the job, was a multitool. Not quite meant for cutting brick, but it was compact. So I purchased a cheap sacrificial one, rather than use my Bosch Blue unit. It cut the brick extremely well, so long as it was used within its limits. It still works to this day. Cheap tools aren't all bad.
Why would you purchase a cheap tool instead of using the premium tool you already own?? 😕 Every tool I own is from Snap-On, and I use the shit out of them, that's what they are for. There's really no point in buying premium tools just to look at them. Use 'em..
@@davelowets The multitool isn't meant for cutting brick, that's why I purchased a cheap version of the tool for that specific job. I had no idea, until I started cutting, if the brick was going to damage the tool and these bricks were over-fired and very hard. The Bosch was new at the time, I wasn't going to waste that on a job it was not meant for.
5:55 Just last week, I learned why ratchet spanners have an open end spanner (or ring spanner) of the same size at the other end. You never put full force on the ratchet. The fixed spanner is for the undoing. The ratchet is for the spinning. 😊
Almost like a Milwaukee, hahaha! Fun mechanical teardown, and I wasn't expecting a BMS reverse engineering. You wouldn't be you if you didn't go over some electronics.
Yes definately has a milwaukee look about it. The milwaukee M12 batteries don't have a BMS in them, it's done in the tool. I've been repairing quite a few milwaukee tools on my channel.
Many are made in the same factory in China. The Milwaukee ones are made in the same factory as the cheaper Devon brand , even Ryobi, but not using the exact same parts. . I use both in my shop . The Devon brand is half the price of Milwaukee, but buy no means half the quality . My Devon impact gun has been a beast , coming up to 3 years and no problem and it's undone some wheel nuts the Milwaukee wouldn't. Maybe a power limiting battery protection system in the Milwaukee that the Devon doesn't have ?
I have this exact ratchet but in blue I got it on Amazon for $30 I specifically got it just to see how much it can handle and every single bolt no matter how tight it is you can simply handbrake it and ratchet It off... 3 years later it's still doing its job and I do not use this thing lightly 😂 it just keeps on going and going super durable for a cheap Chinese ratchet 🤷🏽♂️
I have a similar model, from Lidl. It stands up to my light duty - the switch button itself broke at the hinge but a strategically-placed cable-tie returned it to service. The battery is different, with an external charger. Thanks to this video I now understand that it is not a chain-drive mechanism.
Here in the US, Harbor Freight Tools sells Chinesium tools like that. I have a few and they're okay for light duty. But long ago my employer was himself employed by Douglas Aircraft, which was bought by Boeing. The tools he got from work (from their surplus store😁) were some of the best, and working with those for a decade teaches one about quality including ergonomics. Nowadays these are often compromised in order to cut costs. One thing that's really annoying is cordless tools have to be heavier due to the battery pack. The worker who has to use these tools up high or overhead will tell you how important the weight is! Thanks for the great video, Clive.
Harbor freight isn't bad for a homeowner just trying to do a job around the house. None of that crap holds up to daily use on a jobsite. And the price shows. Lots of ppl think they can pay 30 bucks for a cordless tool then crap on it when they abuse it. It ain't milwaukee or Dewalt lol.
6:00 No, that pin is the rotary mechanism that inserts into the dog that wobbles across the gear of the ratchet head. All the force and torque will be applied against the ratchet dog as in any other ratchet.
Notice that once that pin was removed, the rotary mechanism swung out. This means that the pin is keeping the mechanism from swinging. The pin takes zero or almost zero rotational load from the mechanism, but it takes all of the side load.
Hey Clive, definately has a Milwaukee vibe about it. I've been repairing a fair bit of milwaukee stuff on my channel recently. Have a look if you get the chance.
I have been using similar ones like this for a while, just a couple of points of note, the head is basically a normal ratchetting head, so when you use it like a normal ratchet, so the force is handled by the ratchet not the pin. however under to much force you snap the plastic mounts off the motor end. The battery indicator is weird, it basically rpm based, so as the ratchet slows down the meter drops. so basically it stays green until its almost dead. The 12V battery is used by another tool company here in Australia called OZITO. they have been using that battery style for many years. even the same battery model and bms board. and they interchange perfectly fine, except they only charge from a dock. but it makes replacement easy. also on the charger, here they used that exact same charger, pulled the pins out, superglued a plastic plate over the front and added 2 spiked pins pushed into the plastic and soldered the wires from the original pins. as soon as you pull the plug out of the wall the pins stay in the socket. also for whatever reason i have a 12V (mine came with 2), 18V and 24V units,, all use the same batteries and chargers, but have different screen printing on them... so watch out for that. now as for longetivity, i average around a year or so (in a small engine workshop) and generally its the plastic 4 bolts around the head they chew out. but for $30 i dont care. they are not super powerful, but strong enough for the average handy man. Thanks for making learning fun Clive.
Most of these ratchets are only rated for 30-40lbft. They basically are only meant to be used as time and wrists savers for running down fasteners in places that a normal driver cannot reach. If you need more low-effort tightening in a ratchet-like form factor to run high-friction fasteners in/out, get an angled impact driver.
I'll add that the full-torque industrial/assembly line version of this is called a nutrunner. They have torque and angle sensors for precise feedback control, can automatically detect cross-threads and stripped threads, and even log data in case e.g. your car needs a recall. The assembly line torque-controlled version of an impact wrench is called a pulse tool.
"only" - 30 ft lbs/50 nm is a huge amount of force and will readily strip the crap out of anything m10 and smaller! It will also smash your wrist against everything if youre not alert. I have ryobi ratchets, most powerful one is 80nm, mid is 50nm and a small 8nm one. Guess which one I like to use the most, especially when doing things up? The 8nm one - because I can safely do up most fasteners and know they are not stripped but snug, and ready for a final torquing pass. Doing stuff up with a 50nm tool on anything m10 and smaller is asking for trouble. The best combination is a high power tool to help you break stuff loose (50-80nm), then a low power tool when putting it back on. Don't use a 50nm tool, especially one without a speed control, to do up a small fastener!
When I got mine I noticed that the ratcheting gizmo on the end was very cheap. It fell apart after a few uses. Amazon sells a replacement for about $20 delivered with Prime. It's in transit and this video shows me how to fix it! Can't wait to get the wrench back in my toolbox.
Hi! I have one of these and i work in factory in nordic country. I have had it for a half year now and i wouldn't toss it. It is super handy for M6 and M8 bolts. Only thing it needs to be, is that you have to use a loose wrist when using, so your hand works as a fuse for overloading. And when tightening too tight, it will shut down. There might be some overload protection. I have never measured that how tight it can turn itself, but M6 A4 bolt won't get dethreaded, so it is quite weak, but strong enough to tighten M8 bolts. There is one crucial thing that ratchet needs and it is that control button is at wrong side, so long sockets or extension bar are quite necessary. Only maintenance that i do, is lubricating that spinning pin once a week with small drop of WD40.
As you explained around 16:00 the danger of one cell being out of balance, precisely this happened to me and my Baofeng radio. I had it stored for maybe 2y and when I tried to charge the pack, It charged in like 2 minutes, I have put it in the radio and radio turned of in like 5 minutes. So I charged it again, again 2 minutes of charge to full (charger reported that) but it did last only few minutes again. So I have opened up the pack and found one battery was at ~4V and the other at 2.75V. So I manually charged them both separately with my hobby charger, put it back together and its running fine. I was very close to throw the pack away, luckily my curious brain stepped in and saved it :D . Anyway, thank you for the schematic and explanation, now I know this is kind of normal problem for these balancing circuits, not being able to actually balance while charging the pack.
Thanks for posting the detailed examination of the tool. The mechanism is similar to my old Black & Decker power ratchet with ni-cad cells. It is interesting that they put the charger inside the pack. What is not clear is how they are monitoring the pack temperature. They should shut the tool off if the pack overheats.
The rotating pin is not likely to break first. At most, it will be rotated minimally until the pawl in the head engages with the teeth of the square drive. In these cheap ratchets, the failure point when using a lot of force to break a fastener loose is the plastic body.
Probably true about the failure point but no mechanic with more than 2 brain cells would use such cheap tool to break loose stuck nuts, they'd use a breaker bar.
I bought one of these for £24 Quite impressed with it in all honesty, makes little jobs much easier. I've got an actual impact for bolts, this is just a runner, or say valve cover bolts, or such.. I've had it a year and it's still going well!
Some companies sell rebranded Chinese ones in India, not a lot of power but a bunch of different tools using the same infinitely repairable/replaceable/rebuild able battery packs and innards. Kind of useful for low income blue collar professionals looking to make their work easier.
I got one of those as a gift a year ago, mine came with 2 batteries, a charging stand, some sockets and a carry bag. I looked it up on Amazon and it was $60 at the time. I was pleasantly surprised, I've pretty much rebuilt the interior of my old Jeep with it and it worked great. Not for heavy duty use, but for light duty it's been great.
Always love seeing planetary gearboxes! Thanks for this Clive, never needed a powered ratchet, but nice to know how they work! I think the piece with the pin IS replaceable; just keep the other parts of the new one you bought in case you need them in future!
I have two of these, I`ve had no problems with them, they are very handy in confined places & save time (a lot of time if you are in a really confined space that you can only get a few degrees arc on a normal ratchet). I always break the bolts off with a proper ratchet or breaker bar first, then use this. They do bog down on really rusty old bolts, but I`d expect them to. For the price, they`re brilliant, as long as you use them correctly... I`d happily buy another.
I've never had a battery powered one. I've always used a pneumatic air ratchet I bought second hand from one of my classmates in my high school auto shop class. I'm 38 now and it's still going strong after regular use. I just oil it whenever I use it and take it apart once a year to clean it and remove and replace the old grease.
These originally appeared as air powered tools. Being fairly new things back then, they didn't have much torque but were really good with unwinding those harder to reach fasteners that were a little 'tight' but loose enough to be undone. Seeing them appear as battery powered units comes as no surprise and as you say Clive, they're not torquey and instead are meant for those fasteners that require a mechanics time - they make great time saving devices. Thanks for going to the trouble for this one.
Amazing time, and forearm saving devices. For those long threaded bolts they're just lifesaving. I have a Kobalt brushless ratchet but these cheapies can get into places the bigger ones cannot.
Mine is very similar to that, but a different switch and I love the thing. Had it for nearly 4 years now, built engines with it, swapped blowers, and it hasn’t failed me once. It’s not the strongest thing, but if you manually break bolts loose and torque them down, it works perfectly.
Hi Clive, great breakdown, as i started as a vehicle mechanic, and part time factory dogsbody / apprentice toolmaker, all the tools were pneumatic, my trusty old Blu-spot saved the day by being able to drill holes in a class 1 EX environment, like a hydrogen gas or ethanol installation. We used spark-free BRONZE tools that weighed a ton. I would LOVE TO SEE you tear down a Nest thermostat, as i beleive their 'smart ir' may be an actual camera and not just a smart IR sensor array. Having worked in the industry for many years, i am convinced that this needs to be looked at, but i am not willing to sacrifice my own Nest, they cost a bloody fortune :)
I was incredibly surprised the first time I saw a large lithium pack that got charged by a "wall wart" with a barrel connector. I'm so used to seeing a massive hunk of ABS plastic that the idea never even crossed my mind that the battery could be charged from a simple power brick.
I have a 24volt lithium tire inflater that has a large removable battery pack. The charger for the pack is a large wall wart with a barrel jack on it that plugs directly into the battery pack. I though that it was some kind of cheap fuckery also, so I took the pack apart to see what was going on inside. It ended up that there was a full charger circuit built inside that simply used the wall wart as a power supply for it. The circuit board inside had all the typical lithium charger features such as c.c.to c.v. for a charging routine and cell balancing. Kind of odd to manufacture a battery that way, with the entire charger minus the power supply, built into it. 🤷🏻
@@davelowets I don't think it's that odd. You're going to need like 90% of the circuitry for the over discharge protection anyway, so for the cost of a diode and really small MOSFET you can just eliminate the charger.
For anyone who got their hands on one of these, the cases make for GREAT induction bolt heaters. an extra $30 and you can save yourself a few hundred. Anyone who's dealt with rusty bolts in areas where you cant use a torch knows how lovely these are.
@@dangitbobby7887 I'd strip out everything above the battery system, and go from there. keep your on/off switch, make sure the coil kit is compatable with your battery voltage and you're good.
@@dangitbobby7887 Depends on how much power you want to run, the higher obviously, the faster it'll heat up. That said you can get quite an oomph from batteries, it's just not great for the cells so cheapo ones like ebay tool packs work fine.
That eccentric pin won't snap off. Only the energy of the motor can go through that pin. The ratcheting top part works just like a normal ratchet with all the energy going through a latching cog. I've torn apart the pneumatic ones 1,000's of times and they are all built just like that. Curved snap ring pliers works great on those circle clips. Curved for inside and straight for outside clips.
This design has been around for ever as a pneumatic tool, the electric ones just replace the air motor with an electric one. Very handy in tight spaces. This kind of tool is really not built for torque, the idea is you use another tool (or just manual force on this one) to break loose and tighten the fastener and this only spins it out or in. Many of those battery management chips actually will balance the cells if the charger is left connected for a long enough time after the light goes green. The balancing current of the chip's internal circuitry is very low though, something like 50 mA, so it takes a long time to balance the cells if there's any significant difference. Also, there's no indication of when the balancing is done.
Precisely--these things are very handy in tight spaces where working with a traditional manual ratchet wrench would be a real problem. I've got a no-name Chinese on with 20V lithiums that does the job without me needing to wrestle with a pneumatic one and the accompanying air hose. For higher torque needs, one uses an impact wrench (either electric or pneumatic).
I can't believe that Clive didn't know the stuff about how it reverses direction and was even more shocked that he thought it was an impact because of the noise. He's pretty familiar with tools, but I guess that he's just never seen one of these.
Huh. I'd heard of power ratchets but not really "got" why they were needed. The tight-spaces explanation makes perfect sense. Also, seconded about the balancing capability. I was floored when Clive said that "it can't balance". Reminds me of when I manually balanced a battery for my FPV goggles, as it was so far out of balance that I was getting a severe loss of runtime, it didn't have a balancing lead, and I hadn't known about this slow self balancing. (I had just scraped off some of the shrink wrap to expose the contact between the cells.) I was always told to disconnect the battery immediately once the light turned green to avoid over-charge.
@@FerralVideo In most cases a ratcheting box wrench will suffice, but this tool will cut minutes off a job with a few bolts. MANY minutes when you have almost no room to swing the end of a hand wrench. Most guys seem to use this tool for bolts accessable by actual impacts. I use those when I can because this type of tool will wear out faster.
@@hydrocarbon82 An impact can easily damage fasteners or the bolt holes. I would use the ratchet in place of an impact anytime I can. I'll only use an impact on very large fasteners or lug nuts. If you start using an impact for things like water pump replacements on automobile engines, you're going to run into issues.
Hey Big Clive, thanks for this video. Watched it and had a look at one of these I bought a while ago, with a "dud" battery. Took it apart and found the K3918 mosfet really badly positioned and only 1 leg soldered in place! (Incidentally, the mosfet was a P75N2LDG) Part ordered off flea bay and awaiting repair.
I bought an identical unit in April (slightly different pattern in the black plastic). I soon found that the ratchet only worked anti-clockwise and the drive would slip when tightening. After much back and forth the vendor sent me a replacement and said to keep the original. Once it was mine I used my never-before-used circlip pliers to open the ratchet head. Inside I found a rocking pawl with three teeth for each direction. The clockwise pawl was not lifting high enough to engage the ratchet teeth. With a dremel I "adjusted" the limits on the direction selector. I haven't put it back together yet as there are two tiny spring loaded ball bearings pressing on a washer under the circlip and I need to fashion a special tool to push down on the assembly while I reinsert the circlip. I'm going to cut down the aluminium body of a marker pen. Once it's repaired I'll gift it to my neighbour who helped me with my lawn tractor repair. You can't argue with the price. The working unit is excellent. I would send photos but I don't know how we can do that here.
I've got something that looks eerily similar, but branded Sealey. The first one broke within a day but the second had lasted over two years. I've no doubt this would last about as long as a prawn sandwich on a hot day in professional hands, but as a hobby mechanic I don't use it every day so the investment was worth it for me.
@@Alexander_l322 Sealey tools are rebadged cheap generic tools ,sourced from Chinese factory’s at very low price . You see the same tools ,in other colours with budget logos on them ,for 2 or 3 times less the cost .
That’s trying it’s best to be a Milwaukee 3/8 ratchet. The biggest cost savings they get out of those is in the batteries. I’ve looked them up and they’re only rated for a hundred cycles.
@@rolfs2165 Could just buy some good brand 18650 cells that are a good mix between capacity and amps! Then you can just pop the battery apart, swap the cells and you're good to go!
@@rolfs2165 Can probably buy the batteries separately. Either way the ratchets don't yse a lot of juice. My milwaukee lasts me easily an entire day of use as an auto mechanic
These cheap plastic gadgets are for the Western export market. I can assure you the Chinese have really good tools & testing equipment which they use to build nuclear weapons, fighter jets, space stations, aircraft carriers, etc.
The resistor in parallel with the discharge mosfet (in the schematic) is for self resetting of the overcurrent trip. So the bms resets itself when you disconnect the pack. I had used other bms that does not have that resistor and you have to connect a charger or psu to it to reset it.
That's how air powered ratchets work & have for years! I purchased my first air ratchet ~20 years ago for only ~$20 because it's a copy of something that was good 20 years before that.
I bought one of these earlier this year and took it along to my car club. We were unanimous regarding it's usage, especially as it's cheap (£30!). Used as a glorified nut/bolt runner for awkward situations, leave the tight undoing and torquing up to more 'serious' tools. If you buy one as a replacement for a ratchet handle you WILL be disappointed, madness lies there!😁
Bigclive, believe you've seen Eric O. He's all about giving it the beans. Also, does a good job of breaking down electrical wiring diagrams, theory, with a pinch of scope work. Always encouraging his audience to try. If he reached out pretty sure he's looking for bragging rights and heirloom tool status. Anyways, my 2 cents. Thoroughly love your content from Isle of Man, to Boone, NC. 👍👏😉🇺🇸
I like your videos. You have a very methodical approach to things. I've just had a funny thought...In an alternative universe you say "One moment please" and the camera pans back to a bloody mess with a your hand in bandages! Slight fight with the screwdriver.
Very interesting. That gearbox actually looks straightforward to put back together. Also that appears to be driven by an eccentric. That part is at least easy to make. You would need a rotary table to make the triangular drive though.
I took apart a cheap cordless screwdriver I got from B&M. I took all the screws out and stupidly turned it upside down. Planetary gears everywhere. Managed to get it back together after replacing the 4 650mAh NiMH cells with 1900mAh ones. And I was left with a little metal pin about 6mm long and 2mm wide. Seems to work fine without it, though. Use it all the time and the battery has still not gone down from green on the indicator.
I think the head is the same design as the 3/8 air rachets. I bought one recently and used it for removing and refitting bolts in an automatic gearbox pan. Very useful when laid on your back in the road.
The purpose of Rpd across the bottom of the schematic is to provide a low-current path for the full battery voltage to the terminals. When the battery pack is removed and plugged into a charger (instead of the little wall-wart), it provides a way for the charger to measure the voltage of the pack even when the circuit board has either MOSFET turned off.
I bought the Harbor Freight model a couple of years ago for vehicle work but where it really shines is assembling DIY furniture and propane barbecue grills. Bags of machine screws and nuts. No heavy work that these power ratchets can't handle. Cuts assembly time by 30 minutes
Iv used the these before but the were powered by air. So very powerful. As for these battery operated ones, we'll I suppose if get a good one could be OK. Ya still can't beat the air ratchet especially if you work around cars in a garage. GOOD VIDEO CLIVE. VERY INTERESTING 👏🙂
I have 3 of the 18V versions & they have a micro on a PCB in the tool to control motor speed, they have survived 18mths of pretty severe abuse so far including loosening very tight bolts & retorquing them also lots of drops n throwing in my toolbox. I charge mine from a bench power supply & they don't appear to have any current protection as I can charge them at up to 5A for short periods with no cut off which isn't good, typically I charge is 1A current n voltage limited.
I've got one of these and tbh it's been pretty good for the money all my other power tools are Makita or DeWalt. It;s pretty useful and has held up well for a £40 bit of kit.
Everything Clive puts out deserves two big thumbs up, I'm not arguing to the contrary... but on my screen this video has 760 views and 833 thumbs up?? Whatever counter youtube is using must of been made in China.
I bought that same one on Amazon on sale with a case and two batteries. Works great for simple tasks. Mine is branded Silvel cordless electric ratchet.
I bought a knock off battery Makita impact gun/wrench about 3 years ago for £35. I’ve hammered the hell out of it at work in the garage and it’s done sterling service. Whilst I accept that not all the Chinese stuff is amazing, some of it ain’t half bad given the cost
I bought a proper MAC power ratchet. Not cheap @ £280 featuring variable torque trigger. But I've used it every day professionally for the last 10 years ! Very powerful machine and the 2 original Lithium Ion batteries still work well. My motto is it's worth paying for quality !
I am trying to convert an on ald Black and Decker 1/4" ratchet from the 3 x 2/3 C NiCad to 18650s... Looks like the best way is to use batt packs with on board circuitry. Thank you very much for this and all your videos!
I have one of these that was a deal too good to resist. Being a 3/8 drive common sense is required if you want it to last a reasonable length of time. Speaking of time, the amount of time this simple little tool has saved me has paid for itself in the couple of months I've owned it. Much of my work is on classic motorcycles but I do also workon Land Rovers too. If it breaks I might shell out on a Milwaukee but I never buy Snap On as their power tools are just cheap rebadged stuff at extortionate prices. A good little tool 👍
Snap on sourced some of their tools from China . They can afford to give lifetime guarantee ,& replace broken or faulty tools as they charge rip of prices for them . They have thousands of vans visiting workshops all over the world ,& have regular £10 or $ 10 coming in each week from millions of trade mechanics buying on the never never . They know that even if a certain proportion of grease monkey men abuse & break these tools several times & replaced on warranty . The rip off prices & regular world wide corporate income plans ,more than covers any losses ,due to warranty replacements & the fact thousands of punters ,retire or move on ,without finishing paying their Snap on account.
@@maskedavenger2578 I thought, abate using fewer words, that is what I said. And, in the UK Snap On or Snap in two as we used to call them don't simply exchange tools anymore here in the UK since they changed the structure of their warranty system and made the peddlers of overpriced tools responsible. I was one of those bright eyed mechanics/victims wandering around the van of dreams and buying spanners on the drip. I overheard the Snap On man chatting to my boss about his two or three Rolls Royces. Wake up time and moved over to Britool 😁
@@PurityVendetta Britool tools are far superior ,if you can get hold of them . Sometimes you could pick them up ,at boot sales after old mechanics & engineers had passed on . I don’t know any mechanics that ever finished paying for snap on tools ,from the visiting snap on vans. I have still got a Japanese socket set I purchased in 1975 from Halfords that cost £8 ,I have used it on countless motorcycles ,cars ,& even washing machines ,the tin is battered with no paint left ,but the ratchet ,sockets & assorted extensions plus spark plug wrench are still as good as new. & still get used regular .
@@maskedavenger2578 Most of my important tools are Britool. I have a set of combination spanners that I can't actually remember how many years I've owned. A 1/2" drive metric/AF socket set, A 3/8" metric/AF socket set. Many other Britool tools. Many of the tools I have have been collected over the last 40 years. I only bought Snap On stuff for about a year until I realised I didn't like the feel of their slimline spanners and thieving hands can't resist them. I've just managed to complete my Whit spanner and socket sets as they're getting rather rare these days. Also I have various 1" and 3/4" drivers, t bars and breaker bars for specific jobs like Land Rover hub nuts.
@@PurityVendetta Yes the imperial size tools are getting rare ,me myself only have a few ,as I very rarely spanner old classic Brit bikes & never touch Harley’s . I tend to spanner Japanese bikes & the odd car now & then . I am a retired joiner ,but started tinkering with push bikes at around age 7 ,& progressed to motorcycles a few years later. One of my grandfathers was a mechanical engineer & the other one very good at carpentry ,so mechanics & Carpentry is in my blood . You never stop learning both of them trades ,always something new to learn . Good to see more ladies taking an interest in mechanics 👍
big clive keeps dissasemblying things i buy. I have been working on my car for 80! hours for last 7 days. And have been using this tool. It works. I did get milwaukee sockets. Works perfect for DIY. I do have 18V version which I recommend over 12v version.
Mine is blue and called "DayPlus"... And you made my day without intention, thanks to your video I rediscovered the charger for the triangular battery in the pile of such chargers I have (from all kinds of electr(on)ics that are long since gone) I had searched for a socket charger, because my Dremel power tool also has an (sadly almost) identical triangular battery, and that HAS a receiver socket for the pack. And my Milwaukee charger has also a socket for a triangular battery. Of course the connectors for all three variants are different, so that they are NEVER interchangeable... (some fun about engineers. In my opinion an imprtant function engineers are paid for is to LISTEN. I had a colleague, from time to time he asked for my advice, I went over with him to his desk, sat beside him, he explained his (solftware) problem to me, found the answer, made the correction, and I could go back to my desk, not having said a single word. But without me sitting beside him, him having to stand back and think of a way "How can I explain that problem to someone else?" he would have struggled for hours". To have a similar break, I used to go to the toilet, others do a cigarette of coffee break.)
Addendum: finally had an opportunity to use it, worked fine removing 38 plastic nuts from under the car, where the "transverse" layout was ideal in the confined space and the turning by hand would have really been tedious. Torque was no problem, plastic nuts are no masters of torque anyhow. Only annoying issue is that it is rather loud.
I have a small Bosch cordless drill/driver that has a similar three-cell battery. When the first of the two original batteries died, I took it apart and was a bit surprised to see that there is no cell balancing nor even individual cell monitoring! And it is a Bosch blue series (pro) device! I have a similar size Metabo drill/driver of about the same age and although is seems to be only two cells (marked as 7.2 V Li-ion, but I have not opened the batteries because they are still good), judging by the number of pins of the battery to the charger it seems to have at least cell monitoring, but probably cell balancing as well since the batteries have lasted so long.
This one looks to be an unabashed clone of the Milwaukee M12 ratchet line. Milwaukee makes both brushed and brushless ("Fuel") versions of their 12V tools. Very impressive, and expensive, stuff!
I kept waiting for you to comment on the ratchet drive, since it is a Scotch Yoke. ;) I had an old HP tablet that I found NOS batteries for, but the capacity was awful until I opened them up and balanced them.
I bought one of these, because it, with the two batteries and charger, was cheaper than a replacement anvil for my broken Milwaukee one. Here in the UK at least. I do miss the variable control of the Milwaukee and was surprised when the cheap one arrived and I discovered it just had a simple on/off button with no speed or torque control. Anyway, it's been a good tool and you can't really complain for less than £30 with two battery packs.
I have a couple of Casals VBLI12 compact cordless drills, that battery seems compatible, it has the charging contact on the other side but also uses a charger with a barrel connector but thinner, I think it's only 3.5 mm On xmas 2020 I put them in the wrong toolbox and then my dad put that toolbox away and I ended up finding them on last xmas when I was going to get other thing out of that toolbox 😓 The batteries didn't seem to have self-discharged too much in a year, they weren't fully charged when I put them away because we had been using them to build some shelves, and when I found them again the 3 LED indicator was still slightly lighting up the amber LED with the clutch slipping on the highest setting, I actually continued to use them with the remaining charge and didn't notice any loss of capacity or power.
R_pd looks something like a precharge resistor to limit inrush current when the switch closes. It could also act as a pseudo snubber when the switch opens while the motor is running since the circuit itself is still closed, but with much higher reistance.
Great video Big Clive. I don't know if you would consider, but a series of videos comparing lower and higher brands batteries and how their electronics stack up would definitely be interesting. I don't know how easily available Screwfix is over in the IoM but they have a good range of refurbished tools and batteries now which is being expanded all the time.
I have the first version Milwaukee made and they are great for speeding up disassembly and reassembly. It does what I expect of it so I'm happy. The overmolding does come off the case over time and it gets some wear but a new case is only $7 and then the tool looks nearly like new again. There are others on the market that work well and are a good deal. I want the longer version but there is one from a US store Harbor Freight that is a long version and far cheaper and a perfectly good tool.
I have had one of these for about a year with no issues great for nut running just don't expect it to substitute for an impact wrench. Main downside is very slow recharging so batteries must be kept topped up.
That chip can (in theory) perform some battery balancing because it can ground (or apply V+) combinations of the VS pins between the batteries. Because each pin has a 1k resistor that will apply a 4 mA balance current, depending which pins are grounded or powered.
Looks like the Massimo "brand". I have a cordless screwdriver and an impact driver, not an amzing quality but since purchasing them 5 yrs ago, they still work.
I got a Milwaukee 3/8ths one. Surprised by how much I use it. Especially good for changing my 5 spark plugs. Get them loose with a spark plug wrench then use this to turn them out. Not really necessary for a hobby mechanic but I like to have my toys to play with! Btw, I think you would love the Milwaukee M12 SI201-C cordless soldering iron. It's a little miracle.
Well, I'm a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the late 1600s to trade with the Native Americans. In fact "Milwaukee" is an Indian name. Actually it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que," which is Algonquin for, "the good land."
I have something like that but smaller and with selectable torque. It is handy when you need to torque something like cylinder heads or other things that need a very specific torque. Not for common screws but comes in handy, especially when similar ones from like Proxxon or Bosch are pretty pricey.
"So let's start taking it to bits, that's what we're here for....I'll just start randomly taking screws out...and see at what point it just disintegrates..." LMAO. Nice work, thanks Clive.
Yep, these are designed really for fast assembly of new products , not the attempted undoing of things work hardend or rusted together. Ideal for small screws too ( scratch guards on guitars etc)
I wonder what the weight is of the cells. A nominal cell is about 45g. I've seen 18650's as low as 15g, which were also labelled 12000mAh (yes, 12Ah). They might as well had said they had infinite capacity. Turns out they held 350mAh.
I have a 9ah "9000mAh" 18650 that came with a cheap chinese laser, and it really only had 200mAh capacity. The cell was very light, and had something moving around inside when I shook it, and the cylinder the cell was in felt like plastic instead of the usual metal. Out of curiosity I cracked it open, and inside the plastic shell was a tiny (what looked like a disposeable e-cig cell) connected to the terminals, and the rest of the space inside was filled up with SAND! WTF?? I've never seen fuckery like THIS before... 😕
I've seen these on AliExpress for £30 with free postage. Not sure if I should buy one. I've seen the Milwaukee one for £138 but I can imagine it's allot better quality. Plus I like the idea of having an impact wrench from the same m12 range that would accept the same batteries.
We call the cell losing capacity 'walking out of balance' and we used to have to open the pack up and manually balance it. Not so easy on a vehicle traction battery but had to be done.
I had one of these in the 90’s, it had a 3 volt nicad battery that was wrapped in brown paper for some reason, the mechanism on it worked like an electric toothbrush
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I've had one of these for over three years and it's still going strong. It's great for those long thread bolts that take an age to wind out or in by hand. The mistake a lot of YT mechanics make with these is that they expect them to be able to undo everything from scratch.
Right. You have to break the bolt and loosen it a little first. Also, I try to avoid putting the bolts back in with power or air tools. Don't wanna cross thread the bolt.
They are great for doing water pumps.
How about a cordless ratchet from Amazon? Low cost too! ua-cam.com/video/o8rV1L4Jf4k/v-deo.html
A bad workman always blames his tools
We have Milwaukee in our tool rooms. New employees doesn't know it ratchets and blames on the tool when it can't break 80ft lb of torque.
"I'll just randomly start taking screws out and see when it disintegrates" - the mark of a true professional!
Hey Clive! Thanks for the shout out! Yes our guys definitely put tools through some heavy work and warranty is a big thing.
Loved the tear down of this ratchet. Wonder if they chose that color for a reason ;)? If you ever want us to test a particular tool in the field to see if it survives our kind of work let us know too.
Cheers from everyone at THD!
Color... Yep, Ripped off from Milwaukee.
Is the 12V battery shape similar / identical to Milwaukee? Would that battery fit in a 12V Milwaukee tool?
@@stevebabiak6997 Looks close from the video, but I couldnt tell exactly.
@@davelowets - the copycats usually try to make it fit, so my guess is it does; Clive might be able to take physical measurements if he doesn’t have a real Milwaukee 12V tool to try it in.
@@stevebabiak6997 I am aware that some of the Harbor Freight series of batteries fits on DeWalt tools with minor modifications.
The part I think most likely to break when handed to a gorilla is the racheting mechanism inside the head that you weren't able to get to. When ran manually the mechanism with the pin on it doesn't actually take any load, that is only engaged when the motor is on. There is a little one-way gear/pawl type thing inside the head that prevents it from rotating backwards, usually the teeth on that pawl are what get stripped.
Came here to point this out.
I don't know about this rachet but my M12 broke when my buddy used it as a breaker bar. And it was exactly that crankshaft(reciprocating pin, as this video calls it).
@@countbaker5595 I mean, I'm sure it can happen, but the way they're designed that's not the part that takes the load.
Also, that's why I no longer lend out my tools. ;)
@@countbaker5595 I thought it was a Milwaukee at first. I've been fixing a fair bit of milwaukee tools and other things on my channel, but not done an M12 rachet yet.
@@jimmyb1451 I think that part actually does take the load ultimately. with the pin removed the whole head just rotated all the way around so you could see the gubbins. The ratchet stops the socket connection rotating in the ratchet mechanism but the pin stops the whole ratchet mechanism rotating in the tool. They both end up loaded when using it manually.
Big Clive, serious question. I just bought the newest DeWalt cordless 12v 3/8" ratchet. It is insanely weak... The "circuitry" turns the motor of when applying about 5ft.lbs of torque. Question is, if I pay shipping both ways will you tear it apart and work a little magic to "bump up" The current limiting device in side this thing? 😏
Hey it's SMA. If it's a brushless maybe a bigger motor controller might do it some good? If it's brushed maybe bypassing the variable speed trigger with a momentary switch so that it gets full beans immediately might help it.
Newton/meters AHEM
I bought the MAC version 10 years ago.
It's is good for at least 30lb/ft and will over tighten smaller bolts if yer not careful but the variable torque trigger is quite controllable
The website claims 60 ft/lbs of torque, so maybe it's defective?
@@bills6093 that's what I just found also, the xtreame says 60.
I'm on mobile so couldn't see if there is a variable power setting somewhere but I'd doubt it if SMA is asking this so I'd have to assume it's defective also.
I have been using one of these for the last ten months and so far its holding up okay. For a bit of context my main work is small engine repair so no doubt it gets an easy life, I'm sure if I gave it to one of the commercial boys it would die in short order.
I have the same one and it's great for light duty work. Even took a gearbox out with it, a godsend for zipping out bolts in hard to reach places
how does it do with such a short neck? looks great for taking pc cabinets or server racks apart but engines?
@@billynomates920 works fine
@@billynomates920I believe there's long neck versions out there, at least for brand name ones. My setup is an open box milwauke i got around 5 years ago, a used charger and a few knockoff batteries.
Worst part about my Wisconsin branded tool is the inability to change the rotation direction if you get stuck. I've gotten into real pickles
Cheap tools definitely have their place, Clive. I wanted to cut brick to put a metal wall-box in for mounting a large powerpoint array. The only tool that was suitable for the job, was a multitool. Not quite meant for cutting brick, but it was compact. So I purchased a cheap sacrificial one, rather than use my Bosch Blue unit. It cut the brick extremely well, so long as it was used within its limits. It still works to this day. Cheap tools aren't all bad.
Why would you purchase a cheap tool instead of using the premium tool you already own?? 😕
Every tool I own is from Snap-On, and I use the shit out of them, that's what they are for.
There's really no point in buying premium tools just to look at them. Use 'em..
@@davelowets The multitool isn't meant for cutting brick, that's why I purchased a cheap version of the tool for that specific job. I had no idea, until I started cutting, if the brick was going to damage the tool and these bricks were over-fired and very hard. The Bosch was new at the time, I wasn't going to waste that on a job it was not meant for.
@@channelsixtysix066 They're meant for cutting whatever you want to cut.
@@davelowets So are they multi purpose then?
Take them back after breaking to Harbor Freight.
5:55 Just last week, I learned why ratchet spanners have an open end spanner (or ring spanner) of the same size at the other end. You never put full force on the ratchet. The fixed spanner is for the undoing. The ratchet is for the spinning. 😊
Almost like a Milwaukee, hahaha!
Fun mechanical teardown, and I wasn't expecting a BMS reverse engineering. You wouldn't be you if you didn't go over some electronics.
Yes definately has a milwaukee look about it. The milwaukee M12 batteries don't have a BMS in them, it's done in the tool. I've been repairing quite a few milwaukee tools on my channel.
Almost… but it’s actually AvE’s favorite brand, WilFuqYe! 🤣
I think this is a copy from Milwaukee. maybe the contents of milwaukee are the same but with stronger metal quality
Many are made in the same factory in China. The Milwaukee ones are made in the same factory as the cheaper Devon brand , even Ryobi, but not using the exact same parts. . I use both in my shop . The Devon brand is half the price of Milwaukee, but buy no means half the quality . My Devon impact gun has been a beast , coming up to 3 years and no problem and it's undone some wheel nuts the Milwaukee wouldn't. Maybe a power limiting battery protection system in the Milwaukee that the Devon doesn't have ?
I have this exact ratchet but in blue I got it on Amazon for $30 I specifically got it just to see how much it can handle and every single bolt no matter how tight it is you can simply handbrake it and ratchet It off... 3 years later it's still doing its job and I do not use this thing lightly 😂 it just keeps on going and going super durable for a cheap Chinese ratchet 🤷🏽♂️
I have a similar model, from Lidl. It stands up to my light duty - the switch button itself broke at the hinge but a strategically-placed cable-tie returned it to service. The battery is different, with an external charger. Thanks to this video I now understand that it is not a chain-drive mechanism.
Ive never seen a single cordless tool that is chain drive.
@@davelowets Agreed. The shape of the head rules out a conventional gearbox but prior to this video I could not think how else it might work.
Here in the US, Harbor Freight Tools sells Chinesium tools like that. I have a few and they're okay for light duty. But long ago my employer was himself employed by Douglas Aircraft, which was bought by Boeing. The tools he got from work (from their surplus store😁) were some of the best, and working with those for a decade teaches one about quality including ergonomics. Nowadays these are often compromised in order to cut costs. One thing that's really annoying is cordless tools have to be heavier due to the battery pack. The worker who has to use these tools up high or overhead will tell you how important the weight is! Thanks for the great video, Clive.
Hehe Hobo freight!
Harbor freight isn't bad for a homeowner just trying to do a job around the house. None of that crap holds up to daily use on a jobsite. And the price shows. Lots of ppl think they can pay 30 bucks for a cordless tool then crap on it when they abuse it. It ain't milwaukee or Dewalt lol.
As in McDonnel Douglas?
@@ravensnflies8167 Even Milwaukee or especially dewalt Isnt necisarily what you think it is.
@@rimmersbryggeri and what do i think milwaukee and dewalt is?
6:00 No, that pin is the rotary mechanism that inserts into the dog that wobbles across the gear of the ratchet head. All the force and torque will be applied against the ratchet dog as in any other ratchet.
Yes, I was going to point that out.
Notice that once that pin was removed, the rotary mechanism swung out. This means that the pin is keeping the mechanism from swinging. The pin takes zero or almost zero rotational load from the mechanism, but it takes all of the side load.
Hey Clive, definately has a Milwaukee vibe about it. I've been repairing a fair bit of milwaukee stuff on my channel recently. Have a look if you get the chance.
I have been using similar ones like this for a while, just a couple of points of note, the head is basically a normal ratchetting head, so when you use it like a normal ratchet, so the force is handled by the ratchet not the pin. however under to much force you snap the plastic mounts off the motor end. The battery indicator is weird, it basically rpm based, so as the ratchet slows down the meter drops. so basically it stays green until its almost dead. The 12V battery is used by another tool company here in Australia called OZITO. they have been using that battery style for many years. even the same battery model and bms board. and they interchange perfectly fine, except they only charge from a dock. but it makes replacement easy. also on the charger, here they used that exact same charger, pulled the pins out, superglued a plastic plate over the front and added 2 spiked pins pushed into the plastic and soldered the wires from the original pins. as soon as you pull the plug out of the wall the pins stay in the socket. also for whatever reason i have a 12V (mine came with 2), 18V and 24V units,, all use the same batteries and chargers, but have different screen printing on them... so watch out for that. now as for longetivity, i average around a year or so (in a small engine workshop) and generally its the plastic 4 bolts around the head they chew out. but for $30 i dont care. they are not super powerful, but strong enough for the average handy man. Thanks for making learning fun Clive.
"Universal Chinese Surface Schmoo" hallmark of inexpensive consumer tools. I think they use it more to remove rattles than reduce friction.
Most of these ratchets are only rated for 30-40lbft. They basically are only meant to be used as time and wrists savers for running down fasteners in places that a normal driver cannot reach. If you need more low-effort tightening in a ratchet-like form factor to run high-friction fasteners in/out, get an angled impact driver.
I'll add that the full-torque industrial/assembly line version of this is called a nutrunner. They have torque and angle sensors for precise feedback control, can automatically detect cross-threads and stripped threads, and even log data in case e.g. your car needs a recall. The assembly line torque-controlled version of an impact wrench is called a pulse tool.
For anyone else who needs to look it up: that's about 40-55Nm.
"only" - 30 ft lbs/50 nm is a huge amount of force and will readily strip the crap out of anything m10 and smaller! It will also smash your wrist against everything if youre not alert.
I have ryobi ratchets, most powerful one is 80nm, mid is 50nm and a small 8nm one. Guess which one I like to use the most, especially when doing things up?
The 8nm one - because I can safely do up most fasteners and know they are not stripped but snug, and ready for a final torquing pass.
Doing stuff up with a 50nm tool on anything m10 and smaller is asking for trouble.
The best combination is a high power tool to help you break stuff loose (50-80nm), then a low power tool when putting it back on.
Don't use a 50nm tool, especially one without a speed control, to do up a small fastener!
When I got mine I noticed that the ratcheting gizmo on the end was very cheap. It fell apart after a few uses. Amazon sells a replacement for about $20 delivered with Prime. It's in transit and this video shows me how to fix it! Can't wait to get the wrench back in my toolbox.
I have had a similar 18v model for about 18 months. Its remarkably good and strong. For a home mechanic its really a worth while purchase.
I bought a, "42V Cordless Ratchet'' not used it yet, but quite encouraged by Clive's look at one
Hi! I have one of these and i work in factory in nordic country. I have had it for a half year now and i wouldn't toss it. It is super handy for M6 and M8 bolts. Only thing it needs to be, is that you have to use a loose wrist when using, so your hand works as a fuse for overloading. And when tightening too tight, it will shut down. There might be some overload protection. I have never measured that how tight it can turn itself, but M6 A4 bolt won't get dethreaded, so it is quite weak, but strong enough to tighten M8 bolts. There is one crucial thing that ratchet needs and it is that control button is at wrong side, so long sockets or extension bar are quite necessary. Only maintenance that i do, is lubricating that spinning pin once a week with small drop of WD40.
As you explained around 16:00 the danger of one cell being out of balance, precisely this happened to me and my Baofeng radio. I had it stored for maybe 2y and when I tried to charge the pack, It charged in like 2 minutes, I have put it in the radio and radio turned of in like 5 minutes. So I charged it again, again 2 minutes of charge to full (charger reported that) but it did last only few minutes again.
So I have opened up the pack and found one battery was at ~4V and the other at 2.75V. So I manually charged them both separately with my hobby charger, put it back together and its running fine. I was very close to throw the pack away, luckily my curious brain stepped in and saved it :D .
Anyway, thank you for the schematic and explanation, now I know this is kind of normal problem for these balancing circuits, not being able to actually balance while charging the pack.
@9:27 And they are PINK!! And Clive rejoices! 🧨🎊🎉🔧
Thanks for posting the detailed examination of the tool. The mechanism is similar to my old Black & Decker power ratchet with ni-cad cells. It is interesting that they put the charger inside the pack. What is not clear is how they are monitoring the pack temperature. They should shut the tool off if the pack overheats.
The rotating pin is not likely to break first. At most, it will be rotated minimally until the pawl in the head engages with the teeth of the square drive. In these cheap ratchets, the failure point when using a lot of force to break a fastener loose is the plastic body.
Probably true about the failure point but no mechanic with more than 2 brain cells would use such cheap tool to break loose stuck nuts, they'd use a breaker bar.
My boss had the same ratchet I used it to crack off a 6mm ecu bolt and the metal bit broke off the very top of the ratchet.
Thanks for the concise breakdown of the charging circuit, really enjoy your thorough analysis
I bought one of these for £24
Quite impressed with it in all honesty, makes little jobs much easier. I've got an actual impact for bolts, this is just a runner, or say valve cover bolts, or such..
I've had it a year and it's still going well!
Some companies sell rebranded Chinese ones in India, not a lot of power but a bunch of different tools using the same infinitely repairable/replaceable/rebuild able battery packs and innards. Kind of useful for low income blue collar professionals looking to make their work easier.
I got one of those as a gift a year ago, mine came with 2 batteries, a charging stand, some sockets and a carry bag. I looked it up on Amazon and it was $60 at the time. I was pleasantly surprised, I've pretty much rebuilt the interior of my old Jeep with it and it worked great. Not for heavy duty use, but for light duty it's been great.
I have same one but blue. Surprised how good it is. I use it often.
Always love seeing planetary gearboxes! Thanks for this Clive, never needed a powered ratchet, but nice to know how they work!
I think the piece with the pin IS replaceable; just keep the other parts of the new one you bought in case you need them in future!
I have two of these, I`ve had no problems with them, they are very handy in confined places & save time (a lot of time if you are in a really confined space that you can only get a few degrees arc on a normal ratchet).
I always break the bolts off with a proper ratchet or breaker bar first, then use this. They do bog down on really rusty old bolts, but I`d expect them to. For the price, they`re brilliant, as long as you use them correctly... I`d happily buy another.
Have just bought one and stumbled on this video, great to see how they're put together, ok for light work at home.
I've had that exact ratchet for around three years, love it and it's still going strong. At the price it doesn't really matter if it breaks 😉
I've never had a battery powered one. I've always used a pneumatic air ratchet I bought second hand from one of my classmates in my high school auto shop class. I'm 38 now and it's still going strong after regular use. I just oil it whenever I use it and take it apart once a year to clean it and remove and replace the old grease.
These originally appeared as air powered tools. Being fairly new things back then, they didn't have much torque but were really good with unwinding those harder to reach fasteners that were a little 'tight' but loose enough to be undone.
Seeing them appear as battery powered units comes as no surprise and as you say Clive, they're not torquey and instead are meant for those fasteners that require a mechanics time - they make great time saving devices.
Thanks for going to the trouble for this one.
Amazing time, and forearm saving devices. For those long threaded bolts they're just lifesaving. I have a Kobalt brushless ratchet but these cheapies can get into places the bigger ones cannot.
Mine is very similar to that, but a different switch and I love the thing. Had it for nearly 4 years now, built engines with it, swapped blowers, and it hasn’t failed me once. It’s not the strongest thing, but if you manually break bolts loose and torque them down, it works perfectly.
Hi Clive, great breakdown, as i started as a vehicle mechanic, and part time factory dogsbody / apprentice toolmaker, all the tools were pneumatic, my trusty old Blu-spot saved the day by being able to drill holes in a class 1 EX environment, like a hydrogen gas or ethanol installation. We used spark-free BRONZE tools that weighed a ton. I would LOVE TO SEE you tear down a Nest thermostat, as i beleive their 'smart ir' may be an actual camera and not just a smart IR sensor array. Having worked in the industry for many years, i am convinced that this needs to be looked at, but i am not willing to sacrifice my own Nest, they cost a bloody fortune :)
I was incredibly surprised the first time I saw a large lithium pack that got charged by a "wall wart" with a barrel connector.
I'm so used to seeing a massive hunk of ABS plastic that the idea never even crossed my mind that the battery could be charged from a simple power brick.
I have a 24volt lithium tire inflater that has a large removable battery pack. The charger for the pack is a large wall wart with a barrel jack on it that plugs directly into the battery pack. I though that it was some kind of cheap fuckery also, so I took the pack apart to see what was going on inside. It ended up that there was a full charger circuit built inside that simply used the wall wart as a power supply for it. The circuit board inside had all the typical lithium charger features such as c.c.to c.v. for a charging routine and cell balancing. Kind of odd to manufacture a battery that way, with the entire charger minus the power supply, built into it. 🤷🏻
@@davelowets I don't think it's that odd. You're going to need like 90% of the circuitry for the over discharge protection anyway, so for the cost of a diode and really small MOSFET you can just eliminate the charger.
@@uzlonewolf Its definitely not a quick charging scheme like a proper charger would be.
For anyone who got their hands on one of these, the cases make for GREAT induction bolt heaters. an extra $30 and you can save yourself a few hundred. Anyone who's dealt with rusty bolts in areas where you cant use a torch knows how lovely these are.
@@dangitbobby7887 I'd strip out everything above the battery system, and go from there. keep your on/off switch, make sure the coil kit is compatable with your battery voltage and you're good.
@@dangitbobby7887 Depends on how much power you want to run, the higher obviously, the faster it'll heat up. That said you can get quite an oomph from batteries, it's just not great for the cells so cheapo ones like ebay tool packs work fine.
That eccentric pin won't snap off. Only the energy of the motor can go through that pin. The ratcheting top part works just like a normal ratchet with all the energy going through a latching cog. I've torn apart the pneumatic ones 1,000's of times and they are all built just like that.
Curved snap ring pliers works great on those circle clips. Curved for inside and straight for outside clips.
This design has been around for ever as a pneumatic tool, the electric ones just replace the air motor with an electric one. Very handy in tight spaces. This kind of tool is really not built for torque, the idea is you use another tool (or just manual force on this one) to break loose and tighten the fastener and this only spins it out or in.
Many of those battery management chips actually will balance the cells if the charger is left connected for a long enough time after the light goes green. The balancing current of the chip's internal circuitry is very low though, something like 50 mA, so it takes a long time to balance the cells if there's any significant difference. Also, there's no indication of when the balancing is done.
Precisely--these things are very handy in tight spaces where working with a traditional manual ratchet wrench would be a real problem. I've got a no-name Chinese on with 20V lithiums that does the job without me needing to wrestle with a pneumatic one and the accompanying air hose.
For higher torque needs, one uses an impact wrench (either electric or pneumatic).
I can't believe that Clive didn't know the stuff about how it reverses direction and was even more shocked that he thought it was an impact because of the noise. He's pretty familiar with tools, but I guess that he's just never seen one of these.
Huh. I'd heard of power ratchets but not really "got" why they were needed. The tight-spaces explanation makes perfect sense.
Also, seconded about the balancing capability. I was floored when Clive said that "it can't balance".
Reminds me of when I manually balanced a battery for my FPV goggles, as it was so far out of balance that I was getting a severe loss of runtime, it didn't have a balancing lead, and I hadn't known about this slow self balancing. (I had just scraped off some of the shrink wrap to expose the contact between the cells.)
I was always told to disconnect the battery immediately once the light turned green to avoid over-charge.
@@FerralVideo In most cases a ratcheting box wrench will suffice, but this tool will cut minutes off a job with a few bolts. MANY minutes when you have almost no room to swing the end of a hand wrench.
Most guys seem to use this tool for bolts accessable by actual impacts. I use those when I can because this type of tool will wear out faster.
@@hydrocarbon82 An impact can easily damage fasteners or the bolt holes. I would use the ratchet in place of an impact anytime I can. I'll only use an impact on very large fasteners or lug nuts. If you start using an impact for things like water pump replacements on automobile engines, you're going to run into issues.
Hey Big Clive, thanks for this video. Watched it and had a look at one of these I bought a while ago, with a "dud" battery. Took it apart and found the K3918 mosfet really badly positioned and only 1 leg soldered in place! (Incidentally, the mosfet was a P75N2LDG) Part ordered off flea bay and awaiting repair.
You wouldn't want to hand tighten anything too much with a tool made like this. You'd snap it in two. Thanks for sharing!
I bought an identical unit in April (slightly different pattern in the black plastic). I soon found that the ratchet only worked anti-clockwise and the drive would slip when tightening. After much back and forth the vendor sent me a replacement and said to keep the original.
Once it was mine I used my never-before-used circlip pliers to open the ratchet head. Inside I found a rocking pawl with three teeth for each direction. The clockwise pawl was not lifting high enough to engage the ratchet teeth. With a dremel I "adjusted" the limits on the direction selector. I haven't put it back together yet as there are two tiny spring loaded ball bearings pressing on a washer under the circlip and I need to fashion a special tool to push down on the assembly while I reinsert the circlip. I'm going to cut down the aluminium body of a marker pen. Once it's repaired I'll gift it to my neighbour who helped me with my lawn tractor repair.
You can't argue with the price. The working unit is excellent.
I would send photos but I don't know how we can do that here.
I've got something that looks eerily similar, but branded Sealey. The first one broke within a day but the second had lasted over two years. I've no doubt this would last about as long as a prawn sandwich on a hot day in professional hands, but as a hobby mechanic I don't use it every day so the investment was worth it for me.
I have added that prawn sandwich analogy to my vocabulary forthwith.
Funny you say that because as I’ve heard and understand Sealey tools are just rebranded cheap Chinese tools like this cordless ratchet.
@@Alexander_l322 Sealey tools are rebadged cheap generic tools ,sourced from Chinese factory’s at very low price . You see the same tools ,in other colours with budget logos on them ,for 2 or 3 times less the cost .
That’s trying it’s best to be a Milwaukee 3/8 ratchet. The biggest cost savings they get out of those is in the batteries. I’ve looked them up and they’re only rated for a hundred cycles.
i knew youd be here
Is that some standard size of battery where you could buy a decent (possibly even name brand) one that lasts longer?
@@rolfs2165 Could just buy some good brand 18650 cells that are a good mix between capacity and amps! Then you can just pop the battery apart, swap the cells and you're good to go!
@@Guggu3d True, but I like to have a spare battery as well, so I don't have to wait for the charger.
@@rolfs2165 Can probably buy the batteries separately. Either way the ratchets don't yse a lot of juice. My milwaukee lasts me easily an entire day of use as an auto mechanic
Right angle socket drivers have worked like that since forever, including air driven at least 50 years ago.
These cheap plastic gadgets are for the Western export market. I can assure you the Chinese have really good tools & testing equipment which they use to build nuclear weapons, fighter jets, space stations, aircraft carriers, etc.
The resistor in parallel with the discharge mosfet (in the schematic) is for self resetting of the overcurrent trip. So the bms resets itself when you disconnect the pack. I had used other bms that does not have that resistor and you have to connect a charger or psu to it to reset it.
That's how air powered ratchets work & have for years! I purchased my first air ratchet ~20 years ago for only ~$20 because it's a copy of something that was good 20 years before that.
They do get rotational motion from air, not angry electrons, but the mechanical drive after that input is similar.
I bought one of these earlier this year and took it along to my car club. We were unanimous regarding it's usage, especially as it's cheap (£30!). Used as a glorified nut/bolt runner for awkward situations, leave the tight undoing and torquing up to more 'serious' tools. If you buy one as a replacement for a ratchet handle you WILL be disappointed, madness lies there!😁
Bigclive, believe you've seen Eric O. He's all about giving it the beans. Also, does a good job of breaking down electrical wiring diagrams, theory, with a pinch of scope work. Always encouraging his audience to try. If he reached out pretty sure he's looking for bragging rights and heirloom tool status. Anyways, my 2 cents. Thoroughly love your content from Isle of Man, to Boone, NC. 👍👏😉🇺🇸
I like your videos. You have a very methodical approach to things. I've just had a funny thought...In an alternative universe you say "One moment please" and the camera pans back to a bloody mess with a your hand in bandages! Slight fight with the screwdriver.
Very interesting. That gearbox actually looks straightforward to put back together. Also that appears to be driven by an eccentric. That part is at least easy to make. You would need a rotary table to make the triangular drive though.
I took apart a cheap cordless screwdriver I got from B&M. I took all the screws out and stupidly turned it upside down. Planetary gears everywhere. Managed to get it back together after replacing the 4 650mAh NiMH cells with 1900mAh ones. And I was left with a little metal pin about 6mm long and 2mm wide. Seems to work fine without it, though. Use it all the time and the battery has still not gone down from green on the indicator.
I think the head is the same design as the 3/8 air rachets. I bought one recently and used it for removing and refitting bolts in an automatic gearbox pan. Very useful when laid on your back in the road.
Got the exact one of these with 2 batteries off ebay for £15 best purchase ive ever made, extremely robust still going strong!!!
The purpose of Rpd across the bottom of the schematic is to provide a low-current path for the full battery voltage to the terminals. When the battery pack is removed and plugged into a charger (instead of the little wall-wart), it provides a way for the charger to measure the voltage of the pack even when the circuit board has either MOSFET turned off.
Good work on the disassembly .Ave would be proud
I bought the Harbor Freight model a couple of years ago for vehicle work but where it really shines is assembling DIY furniture and propane barbecue grills. Bags of machine screws and nuts. No heavy work that these power ratchets can't handle. Cuts assembly time by 30 minutes
“Jesus clips.” You made my day. God, I love this man!
Or "Jeslus" if you're AvE
Iv used the these before but the were powered by air. So very powerful. As for these battery operated ones, we'll I suppose if get a good one could be OK. Ya still can't beat the air ratchet especially if you work around cars in a garage.
GOOD VIDEO CLIVE. VERY INTERESTING 👏🙂
I have 3 of the 18V versions & they have a micro on a PCB in the tool to control motor speed, they have survived 18mths of pretty severe abuse so far including loosening very tight bolts & retorquing them also lots of drops n throwing in my toolbox. I charge mine from a bench power supply & they don't appear to have any current protection as I can charge them at up to 5A for short periods with no cut off which isn't good, typically I charge is 1A current n voltage limited.
I've got one of these and tbh it's been pretty good for the money all my other power tools are Makita or DeWalt. It;s pretty useful and has held up well for a £40 bit of kit.
I have one of these, basically identical but blue.. not had a problem over a few years, but it's basically only used has been used to car interiors
6:09 That is why Breaker bars and Impact wrenches exist.
Everything Clive puts out deserves two big thumbs up, I'm not arguing to the contrary... but on my screen this video has 760 views and 833 thumbs up?? Whatever counter youtube is using must of been made in China.
I bought that same one on Amazon on sale with a case and two batteries. Works great for simple tasks. Mine is branded Silvel cordless electric ratchet.
I bought a knock off battery Makita impact gun/wrench about 3 years ago for £35. I’ve hammered the hell out of it at work in the garage and it’s done sterling service. Whilst I accept that not all the Chinese stuff is amazing, some of it ain’t half bad given the cost
Any branding on it or model number?
@@Cheordig DTW285Z
I bought a proper MAC power ratchet.
Not cheap @ £280 featuring variable torque trigger.
But I've used it every day professionally for the last 10 years !
Very powerful machine and the 2 original Lithium Ion batteries still work well.
My motto is it's worth paying for quality !
Thanks Clive, was looking at buying one as I would only use it once a week,
Top video as always
They're good for zipping on wheel bolts (torque on with a real Tq wrench after of course), brake jobs, bits and bobs. I love mine.
I am trying to convert an on ald Black and Decker 1/4" ratchet from the 3 x 2/3 C NiCad to 18650s... Looks like the best way is to use batt packs with on board circuitry. Thank you very much for this and all your videos!
I have one of these that was a deal too good to resist. Being a 3/8 drive common sense is required if you want it to last a reasonable length of time. Speaking of time, the amount of time this simple little tool has saved me has paid for itself in the couple of months I've owned it. Much of my work is on classic motorcycles but I do also workon Land Rovers too. If it breaks I might shell out on a Milwaukee but I never buy Snap On as their power tools are just cheap rebadged stuff at extortionate prices.
A good little tool 👍
Snap on sourced some of their tools from China . They can afford to give lifetime guarantee ,& replace broken or faulty tools as they charge rip of prices for them . They have thousands of vans visiting workshops all over the world ,& have regular £10 or $ 10 coming in each week from millions of trade mechanics buying on the never never . They know that even if a certain proportion of grease monkey men abuse & break these tools several times & replaced on warranty . The rip off prices & regular world wide corporate income plans ,more than covers any losses ,due to warranty replacements & the fact thousands of punters ,retire or move on ,without finishing paying their Snap on account.
@@maskedavenger2578 I thought, abate using fewer words, that is what I said. And, in the UK Snap On or Snap in two as we used to call them don't simply exchange tools anymore here in the UK since they changed the structure of their warranty system and made the peddlers of overpriced tools responsible.
I was one of those bright eyed mechanics/victims wandering around the van of dreams and buying spanners on the drip. I overheard the Snap On man chatting to my boss about his two or three Rolls Royces. Wake up time and moved over to Britool 😁
@@PurityVendetta Britool tools are far superior ,if you can get hold of them . Sometimes you could pick them up ,at boot sales after old mechanics & engineers had passed on . I don’t know any mechanics that ever finished paying for snap on tools ,from the visiting snap on vans. I have still got a Japanese socket set I purchased in 1975 from Halfords that cost £8 ,I have used it on countless motorcycles ,cars ,& even washing machines ,the tin is battered with no paint left ,but the ratchet ,sockets & assorted extensions plus spark plug wrench are still as good as new. & still get used regular .
@@maskedavenger2578 Most of my important tools are Britool. I have a set of combination spanners that I can't actually remember how many years I've owned. A 1/2" drive metric/AF socket set, A 3/8" metric/AF socket set. Many other Britool tools. Many of the tools I have have been collected over the last 40 years.
I only bought Snap On stuff for about a year until I realised I didn't like the feel of their slimline spanners and thieving hands can't resist them. I've just managed to complete my Whit spanner and socket sets as they're getting rather rare these days.
Also I have various 1" and 3/4" drivers, t bars and breaker bars for specific jobs like Land Rover hub nuts.
@@PurityVendetta Yes the imperial size tools are getting rare ,me myself only have a few ,as I very rarely spanner old classic Brit bikes & never touch Harley’s . I tend to spanner Japanese bikes & the odd car now & then . I am a retired joiner ,but started tinkering with push bikes at around age 7 ,& progressed to motorcycles a few years later. One of my grandfathers was a mechanical engineer & the other one very good at carpentry ,so mechanics & Carpentry is in my blood . You never stop learning both of them trades ,always something new to learn . Good to see more ladies taking an interest in mechanics 👍
big clive keeps dissasemblying things i buy. I have been working on my car for 80! hours for last 7 days. And have been using this tool. It works. I did get milwaukee sockets. Works perfect for DIY. I do have 18V version which I recommend over 12v version.
Mine is blue and called "DayPlus"...
And you made my day without intention, thanks to your video I rediscovered the charger for the triangular battery in the pile of such chargers I have (from all kinds of electr(on)ics that are long since gone)
I had searched for a socket charger, because my Dremel power tool also has an (sadly almost) identical triangular battery, and that HAS a receiver socket for the pack. And my Milwaukee charger has also a socket for a triangular battery.
Of course the connectors for all three variants are different, so that they are NEVER interchangeable...
(some fun about engineers. In my opinion an imprtant function engineers are paid for is to LISTEN.
I had a colleague, from time to time he asked for my advice, I went over with him to his desk, sat beside him, he explained his (solftware) problem to me, found the answer, made the correction, and I could go back to my desk, not having said a single word.
But without me sitting beside him, him having to stand back and think of a way "How can I explain that problem to someone else?" he would have struggled for hours". To have a similar break, I used to go to the toilet, others do a cigarette of coffee break.)
Addendum: finally had an opportunity to use it, worked fine removing 38 plastic nuts from under the car, where the "transverse" layout was ideal in the confined space and the turning by hand would have really been tedious.
Torque was no problem, plastic nuts are no masters of torque anyhow. Only annoying issue is that it is rather loud.
I have a branded one of these. Completely rocks. Takes off majorly tight nuts.
I have a small Bosch cordless drill/driver that has a similar three-cell battery. When the first of the two original batteries died, I took it apart and was a bit surprised to see that there is no cell balancing nor even individual cell monitoring! And it is a Bosch blue series (pro) device! I have a similar size Metabo drill/driver of about the same age and although is seems to be only two cells (marked as 7.2 V Li-ion, but I have not opened the batteries because they are still good), judging by the number of pins of the battery to the charger it seems to have at least cell monitoring, but probably cell balancing as well since the batteries have lasted so long.
This one looks to be an unabashed clone of the Milwaukee M12 ratchet line. Milwaukee makes both brushed and brushless ("Fuel") versions of their 12V tools. Very impressive, and expensive, stuff!
I kept waiting for you to comment on the ratchet drive, since it is a Scotch Yoke. ;)
I had an old HP tablet that I found NOS batteries for, but the capacity was awful until I opened them up and balanced them.
I bought one of these, because it, with the two batteries and charger, was cheaper than a replacement anvil for my broken Milwaukee one. Here in the UK at least. I do miss the variable control of the Milwaukee and was surprised when the cheap one arrived and I discovered it just had a simple on/off button with no speed or torque control.
Anyway, it's been a good tool and you can't really complain for less than £30 with two battery packs.
I have a couple of Casals VBLI12 compact cordless drills, that battery seems compatible, it has the charging contact on the other side but also uses a charger with a barrel connector but thinner, I think it's only 3.5 mm
On xmas 2020 I put them in the wrong toolbox and then my dad put that toolbox away and I ended up finding them on last xmas when I was going to get other thing out of that toolbox 😓
The batteries didn't seem to have self-discharged too much in a year, they weren't fully charged when I put them away because we had been using them to build some shelves, and when I found them again the 3 LED indicator was still slightly lighting up the amber LED with the clutch slipping on the highest setting, I actually continued to use them with the remaining charge and didn't notice any loss of capacity or power.
R_pd looks something like a precharge resistor to limit inrush current when the switch closes. It could also act as a pseudo snubber when the switch opens while the motor is running since the circuit itself is still closed, but with much higher reistance.
Great video Big Clive.
I don't know if you would consider, but a series of videos comparing lower and higher brands batteries and how their electronics stack up would definitely be interesting.
I don't know how easily available Screwfix is over in the IoM but they have a good range of refurbished tools and batteries now which is being expanded all the time.
big clive hi-end anything.... i dont think so lol
I have the first version Milwaukee made and they are great for speeding up disassembly and reassembly. It does what I expect of it so I'm happy. The overmolding does come off the case over time and it gets some wear but a new case is only $7 and then the tool looks nearly like new again. There are others on the market that work well and are a good deal. I want the longer version but there is one from a US store Harbor Freight that is a long version and far cheaper and a perfectly good tool.
I have had one of these for about a year with no issues great for nut running just don't expect it to substitute for an impact wrench. Main downside is very slow recharging so batteries must be kept topped up.
That chip can (in theory) perform some battery balancing because it can ground (or apply V+) combinations of the VS pins between the batteries.
Because each pin has a 1k resistor that will apply a 4 mA balance current, depending which pins are grounded or powered.
Looks like the Massimo "brand". I have a cordless screwdriver and an impact driver, not an amzing quality but since purchasing them 5 yrs ago, they still work.
I got a Milwaukee 3/8ths one. Surprised by how much I use it. Especially good for changing my 5 spark plugs. Get them loose with a spark plug wrench then use this to turn them out. Not really necessary for a hobby mechanic but I like to have my toys to play with! Btw, I think you would love the Milwaukee M12 SI201-C cordless soldering iron. It's a little miracle.
Well, I'm a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the late 1600s to trade with the Native Americans.
In fact "Milwaukee" is an Indian name. Actually it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que," which is Algonquin for, "the good land."
@@ClintMaas I was not aware of that! 🤣🤣🤣
@@royevans4581 Does this guy know how to party or what!
@@ClintMaas🤣🤣🤣
I have something like that but smaller and with selectable torque. It is handy when you need to torque something like cylinder heads or other things that need a very specific torque. Not for common screws but comes in handy, especially when similar ones from like Proxxon or Bosch are pretty pricey.
This was amazing - you put it back together.
"So let's start taking it to bits, that's what we're here for....I'll just start randomly taking screws out...and see at what point it just disintegrates..." LMAO. Nice work, thanks Clive.
Yep, these are designed really for fast assembly of new products , not the attempted undoing of things work hardend or rusted together. Ideal for small screws too ( scratch guards on guitars etc)
I wonder what the weight is of the cells. A nominal cell is about 45g. I've seen 18650's as low as 15g, which were also labelled 12000mAh (yes, 12Ah). They might as well had said they had infinite capacity. Turns out they held 350mAh.
I have a 9ah "9000mAh" 18650 that came with a cheap chinese laser, and it really only had 200mAh capacity. The cell was very light, and had something moving around inside when I shook it, and the cylinder the cell was in felt like plastic instead of the usual metal.
Out of curiosity I cracked it open, and inside the plastic shell was a tiny (what looked like a disposeable e-cig cell) connected to the terminals, and the rest of the space inside was filled up with SAND! WTF?? I've never seen fuckery like THIS before... 😕
I've seen these on AliExpress for £30 with free postage. Not sure if I should buy one. I've seen the Milwaukee one for £138 but I can imagine it's allot better quality. Plus I like the idea of having an impact wrench from the same m12 range that would accept the same batteries.
Had to smile at the pink batteries and the purple socket.
*The 18v variant (with the lever action) has the identical planetary gears and oscillating drive pin etc* 👍
We call the cell losing capacity 'walking out of balance' and we used to have to open the pack up and manually balance it. Not so easy on a vehicle traction battery but had to be done.
I had one of these in the 90’s, it had a 3 volt nicad battery that was wrapped in brown paper for some reason, the mechanism on it worked like an electric toothbrush
Usually when I expect something to spring off I dismantle or assemble the object inside a transparent plastic bag