MILWAUKEE 7 PIECE RATCHETING WRENCH SET REVIEW

This isn’t your Dad’s wrench set. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been a big wrench turner, so the idea of ratcheting wrenches is still incredibly novel to me. It’s a wrench, so you can slip it where you can’t fit a ratchet and socket, but you still get ratcheting action? Amazing!

SPECIFICATIONS

• 2.5 degrees of arc swing

• 144 ratcheting positions

• Durable double-stacked pawls

• MAX BITE open-end grip

• 25% more torque

• Comfortable I-beam handle design

• Ink-filled size labels

• Organized storage solution

• Lifetime guarantee

FEATURES & DESIGN

The wrenches in Milwaukee’s Ratcheting Wrench Set are great. The sizes are stamped and ink filled with Milwaukee red, so it’s very easy to find the right size and after years of use they’ll be just as easy to read. The set comes with every size in 1/16” increments from 3/8” to 3/4”. So this set will cover most of the SAE sizes you’ll run into.

The open end of the wrenches feature relief cuts in the corners and serrations on the long flats to give the tool a better grip. That also decreases the chance of rounding the head on whatever super stuck or old and weak hardware you might be trying to get loose.

The ratcheting feature on the closed end of the ranch makes it very useful for fasteners in tight places. The closed end features 12 teeth. So it’ll never take more than 15° of a handle wiggle to get the wrench on to the hardware. That’s super handy if you’re reaching into a spot where you can’t see what you’re trying to grab or there is a limited range of motion. That’s also where it’s tight ratcheting really shines. The arc swing on these is only 2 1/2° so even if you can barely wiggle your wrench, it is still going to make progress on that pesky bolt loose or tight.

If you want to loosen or tighten your hardware you just turn the wrench over. The lefty loosey side has a laser etched arrow that tells you which direction the wrench will engage. So if you’re looking at it then you’re loosening. If you turn the wrench over and can’t see the arrow, then it’s tightening. Pretty full proof, but not as full proof as the ratchet in their 56 piece set or the selector switch says on and off. That’s the only thing that could make this ranch even simpler would just be having on and off on either side, or at least an arrow on both sides.

My solo complaint about this set isn’t the wrenches, it’s the case. The case has a double hinged piece that snaps into place to secure the wrenches. It can also be folded behind the case and lock into place to stay out of the way. The problem is the catch on the front of the flap is undersized. So if the case with wrenches is laying on a surface and you grab it by the handle to pick it up the 3/4” wrench will pop the catch and all of your wrenches will fall out of the case. But, ditch the case and throw these in your drawer or on your pegboard and you’ve got a great set of wrenches. And I don’t know about you, but I never keep tools in their cases.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The case is basically useless, but I don’t use those anyways. So what do I think? I think I’m going to round up every other wrench I have in those sizes and throw them away, because I’ll never use them again now that I have these ratcheting wrenches.