Over on Instagram, Travis (@Toolsbydesign) shared a demo of the new Zero Degree gearless ratchet, which is now available at Home Depot and other online marketplace sellers.
If the Zero Degree gearless ratchet looks familiar to you too, that’s because it appears to be nearly identical to the Kobalt Direct Drive gearless ratchet (reviewed here) that came out at Lowe’s for the 2014 holiday shopping season.
The Kobalt gearless ratchet was decent, and came bundled with a small selection of sockets. The new Zero Degree ratchets look to have been refined slightly compared to the Kobalt design, but it seems the differences are cosmetic in nature.
One thing Lowe’s and Kobalt never did was release gearless ratchets in other sizes or configurations. I spoke to the company behind the Kobalt Direct Drive ratchet at the time, and they were certainly capable of producing gearless ratchets in other sizes. But, as far as I am aware, Lowe’s and Kobalt only offered a 3/8″ gearless ratchet.
I was quite pleased at the time, with the Kobalt’s strength and incredibly minimal swing angle.
Reversible gearless and roller ratchets aren’t new – patents on this type of ratchet drive mechanism go back to at least 1949 (Wright Tool patent), and they have evolved over the years, such as by Roller Clutch Tools.
The compromise of gearless ratchets is the head size, which tend to be bulkier than pear-head ratchets.
It’s good to see Zero Degree bringing this ratchet back to market – and it also looks like they will eventually offer a 1/4″ size in addition to 3/8″ and 1/2″, which are currently available.
And, unlike the Kobalt, you can get the Zero Degree ratchets individually without also having to buy “multi-fit” sockets.
At the time of this posting, the 3/8″ ratchet is $31.05, the 1/2″ ratchet is $31.77, and there’s a listing for the 1/4″ ratchet priced at $23.97. Zoro has all three ratchets at slightly higher pricing, and Walmart has the 3/8″ ratchet for less ($26.95), but it’s currently listed as unavailable.
Lowe’s discontinued and clearanced their Kobalt gearless ratchet at the end of the 2014 holiday shopping season. I eventually gave away my Kobalt test samples once the novelty wore off, as ratchets with more compact heads proved better suited to my needs than the smallest possible minimal swing arc.
I don’t know what Zero Degree’s plans are, and whether they’ll be selling the ratchet under their own name or if they are really shopping for private label partners (such as Home Depot’s Husky brand). But, either way, I hope this ratchet stays on the market for good.
While gearless roller drive ratchets seem a little gimmicky, it’s a solid design that works.
Price: $24-$32 depending on size
