# Thinking buying Husky 3/8" cordless ratchet, 34 socket, case, lithium battery $79



## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

*Thinking buying Husky 3/8" cordless ratchet, 34 socket, case, lithium battery $79*

I'm thinking of buying this tomorrow. Why? I have a lot of bolts to remove to replace the auger belting on a Honda single stage. I thought it would make it easier and faster besides using it for other things.

Husky 3/8" cordless ratchet
12-Volt Lithium-Ion 3/8 in. Drive Cordless Ratchet W/ 34 Piece Socket Set, Battery, Charger, and Carrying Case

The price is right, $79, you get the 3/8" cordless ratchet, charger, and case with 34 sockets, SAE & Metric, short and deep sockets. 2 year warranty

For the occasional user, backyard mechanic, DIY, seems to be a better buy than the Milwaukee M12 for twice the money.

Husky
12-Volt Lithium-Ion 3/8 in. Drive Cordless Ratchet W/ 34 Piece Socket Set, Battery, Charger, and Carrying Case

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1...ess}:rt+dln:{563007}+qu:{ratchet+cordless}:qu


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Looks interesting. 8 reviews and all 5 star. :thumbsup:

If you get it please use it for a week or two and let us know what you think of it.


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

You appear to be a little more than a back-yard or occasional tool user. And while i can not specifically speak on the quality OR longevity of the Husky Branded tool, I will say that the Milwaukee is a much better tool. Has great torque and speed at a reasonable price. Coupled with the fact that once you buy into the 'system', you can expand the tool line-up, by purchasing the tool only and swapping batteries. I get the extended life batteries. I hammer my cordless tools daily. Batteries last years. And I have multiples of each tool..... 1/4" impact shaft drive, ratchet and impact gun. As well as the 3/8" tools and impact line-up. Make snowblower repair that much more fun and profitable. Don't forget about the Milwaukee Battery powered Jackets and Hoodies.....A must have !!!!

Disclosure: I do not work for Milwaukee, nor receive compensation for them. I'm a tool Junkie and support ALL the name Brand tools.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

That's interesting, I wasn't familiar with these. At 30 ft-lbs, the torque seems a bit low to me, but I guess depending on what you're working with, maybe that doesn't matter? It sounds like you can apply up to 150 ft-lbs if you shut off the motor, and use your arm. So maybe to break loose a tight item, or finish torquing something, you could do that manually, while using the motor to spin the item the rest of the way? 

Versus a cordless impact driver, is the main benefit the ability to fit down into small areas, like a normal ratchet? An impact driver would have more torque, but of course requires more-direct access to the fastener you're working on.


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## toms (Nov 17, 2017)

FYI, they are now $49.00 I may have to get one for that price


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## cpchriste (Jan 19, 2014)

I have a similar tool. I find the low torque is nice for working with the small fasteners usually found on blowers. It's too easy to strip them out when they're screwed into sheet metal. The right angle end is easier to get into tight spaces too.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

toms said:


> FYI, they are now $49.00 I may have to get one for that price


I bought it today for $79! I'm bringing back the receipt. Thanks for the update.

I used it to day to remove the rubber auger from a single stage, 24 bolts. It did a great job, saved me a lot of time. It tighten to the perfect tightness that I did not have to turn it with the ratchet.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Cordless is way easier to just grab-n-go, of course. But I have a cheapie Harbor Freight pneumatic air ratchet. I should use it more often. Of course, dealing with the noisy compressor, and waiting 5-10 minutes for it to charge, is not as nice as just grabbing a cordless version. 

Quality tools do certainly offer benefits. A friend recently bought a Milwaukee M12 drill and cordless impact. Despite it being 12V, he said it took off his car's lugnuts without trouble. By contrast, I have a Craftsman cordless impact, originally 18V, now modified to 22V lithium. They claim about 130 ft-lbs, but even with the upgraded battery, it was unable to take off any lugnuts on the 2 cars I tried it with. Then my bought-heavily-used pneumatic Ingersoll-Rand 2130 took them off effortlessly, when my compressor had only charged to maybe 60-70 psi. 

The wise thing for me to do would probably be to pony up for some decent Milwaukee/DeWalt/whatever versions of some of these tools. "Buy once, cry once." Oh well, for now, I have my assortment of stuff, one of which will usually get the job done.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

For $49 you can't go too wrong. I would just see what the replacement batteries cost may be. that is usually the straw that breaks the camels back. I have scrapped a few chordless tools when the batteries went because of cost.



I too have the the Milwaukee M12 chordless ratchet. Rated at 35 Ft. Lbs. So far I love it. For small engines and ODPE the torque is fine. Most all of the bolts I use it on are 3/8 (M10) and smaller. It is more about the time saved and the stress it takes off of your wrists if you have a bunch of screws to remove. If the screws are tight you can usually free them up with one manual push and then use the power of the motor to remove. I also have a 1/4" impact I use to use, but now I pretty much only use this. The Rt. Angle and low profile allow me to use it in more places. The battery life is good and it works well in the cold. My only gripe so far is that the LED light is not directed on to the bolt if you use a deep socket or an extension. The light is a big help in some cases. It was $120 on a Black Friday sale. I would have tried this Huskey for $49 if it was there at the time. Mil$waukee has a newer version of this that is about 55 ft. Lbs and has a bit longer reach and maintains a low profile. They are selling it as having better access. Of course it is more $. If you spin wrenches all day it is probably worth paying up for it.



Good Luck with it.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Toro-8-2-4 said:


> For $49 you can't go too wrong. I would just see what the replacement batteries cost may be. that is usually the straw that breaks the camels back. I have scrapped a few chordless tools when the batteries went because of cost.
> 
> I too have the the Milwaukee M12 chordless ratchet. Rated at 35 Ft. Lbs. So far I love it. For small engines and ODPE the torque is fine.



From what I see, the Husky battery is built-in. So it's probably not something that most people would consider replaceable. 

Thanks for the info on yours! That does sound pretty cool. I don't do enough of this to really justify one, but it does sound like a nice thing to have available.


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

Pretty sure it's not an impact as well. But for 50 bucks, the alarm should go off as you walk out the door. The nice thing about thos one is you won't be committing to another battery platform. Also technology has been changing so rapidly with cordless tools I wouldn't be too concerned with the buy once cry once method. My Snap On cordless is now outdated and being out powered by Milwaukee M18 platform at half the price.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

guilateen02 said:


> Pretty sure it's not an impact as well. But for 50 bucks, the alarm should go off as you walk out the door.


That took me a minute, but I think I get it  It's a steal. 



> The nice thing about thos one is you won't be committing to another battery platform. Also technology has been changing so rapidly with cordless tools I wouldn't be too concerned with the buy once cry once method. My Snap On cordless is now outdated and being out powered by Milwaukee M18 platform at half the price.


 Newer & better stuff will always come out. But buying good tools the first time would probably help at least ensure a quality product, that lasts, and has support. One thing that concerns me about Harbor Freight cordless tools, for instance, is their multiple lines/brands, and whether you'll be able to get replacement batteries in 5+ years. I don't really worry about that with Milwaukee, DeWalt, etc. 

I don't replace this stuff very often, I guess. My Ryobi 18V drill is not fancy, and is 13 years old. It's been useless for years, due to the failed NiCD battery, and I wasn't going to invest further in the same crappy battery technology. But after modifying it to lithium, it's useful again. Tools that started out as lithium would be even better, of course, but this cost me almost nothing (I had the 6S LiPo batteries), and was a fun little project.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

i have a craftsman that has been working great for 2 years. bought an extra battery.

valuable tool for old hands and arthritis.


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

Regarding the Husky.... if the battery dies, is the ratchet useless until the built-in battery is charged again?


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

db130 said:


> Regarding the Husky.... if the battery dies, is the ratchet useless until the built-in battery is charged again?


No, fully functional as a ratchet. If you have a tough bolt/nut and the power doesn't move it, you free it using the ratchet wrench then use the power.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I like the idea of the cordless so it's portable but also so I don't have to fire up the air compressor. 

Have you used it yet ??

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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I used the 3/8" Husky cordless lithium ratchet wrench on Saturday to remove and install the rubber paddles on a Honda single stage snowblower. I've always wanted one but never could justify the price as most bolts are not repetitive. You remove 2-4 bolts and then move on. I'm glad I waited until there were lithium batteries on the market and a company such as Husky came out with one, and Home Depot offered it at a fantastic price, $49!

I still wouldn't have bought one if it wasn't for the 24 10mm bolts on the rubber paddles, hard to turn, limited space to turn the ratchet, and 4 bolts were in an area where it was impossible to turn a ratchet, I would have had to use a box wrench, plus there were the 6 10mm bolts on the belt cover, I would still not have bought one! BUT it's terrific and a time saver. It worked flawlessly. It had strength, power, the perfect speed, not too fast, and definitely not too slow, you could see bolts or nuts turning. The lever was in a comfortable position to press. One negative, the disk on the ratchet head to switch rotation, clockwise/counterclockwise, is small, even tiny, impossible to turn with gloves on and not even easily turned with bare fingers. 

Before I bought the cordless wrench, I wanted to see how hard and how long it would take me using a 1/4" ratchet. They were hard! Not lubed, even a drop of oil did not help. And it took too long. I almost gave up after the first bolt, tried two others. The bolts were too hard to turn, they wouldn't spin off, and the space to work was limited. Screw this, I don't have time for this. I left to buy the Husky cordless wrench knowing it was there for $79 from Black Friday. To my surprise it rang up at $49!

Returning, the bolts spun off as nothing, like they were not tight, not having any lubrication did not matter. Two of the bolts did not turn, I had to give them a little nudge using the cordless as a regular ratchet, just a touch. So I do question the power but I did not buy it for difficult bolts or nuts.

Installing the nuts was just as fast. I was curious to see how tight they were using the cordless ratchet. They were tight and did not need to be tighten but they were only 10mm and not meant to be super tight. If you need to check the tightness, you do not have to press the operating lever, you can use the cordless giving it a little push to check tightness.

Then I used it on several snowblowers to put on the skid shoes 5/16" nuts. I tighten the nuts by giving the cordless a little of a push but felt in another circumstance I wouldn't have to do that. I just did not want the skid shoes to move.o

I'm very happy with it and will keep it in my main blower/mower tool box, not on the shelf or in a drawer, so it will be readily available.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

50 bucks is really cheap, but I personally wouldn’t buy it unless you only want a single homeowners tool and have no need to expand. 

I’d personally invest in a better brand if you want an expansive tool collection with a common battery. 

I have a Milwaukee m12 Rachet, 3/8 impact, drill, 2 flashlights, soldering iron, and tire inflator. Milwaukee has been very good to me.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I understand Husky isn't the most sought after tool brand but the big point is you get a cordless ratchet in a case with some basic sockets all for $50. That's really handy to just grab and go if something breaks out in the field or away from home.
I have the older 18v DeWalt system and they don't have a ratchet. This fills that niche nicely with the system I have.

Just depends on what you're looking for and what you have already.

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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I have been using the Husky Cordless Ratchet I bought at Home Depot for $49 more and more. And it's made me lazy! I'm using it all the time for one bolt or nut! Fast, easy, smooth. I love it. It's great in tight places where you don't have much room to turn a ratchet, so much easier and faster then. It's also great where you made a mistake putting something together and have to take it apart, then reassemble. So much faster. And I didn't seem to mind much. I'm still having fun using it. However, the disk you turn to reverse direction is too small, makes it difficult to turn.difficult

If you have the money, the Milwaukee M12 at 3 1/2x more money is probably better built because it's a Milwaukee, it does have 5 ft. lbs. more torque, lighter by a few ounces, and part of a system with other tools that will take the same battery.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I went and picked one up and it's been great. I do think it feels a bit bulky as I'm used to an air ratchet but it's so nice to take the kit out in the yard to fix something. No regrets in this purchase. :grin:

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