Just hit 5,000 hours on a single Snap-on ratchet yesterday

I was doing a bleeder valve job on a Cessna 172 brake caliper and noticed the serial number on my ratchet. Bought it back in 2012 when I first started at a shop in Tulsa. That thing has been through hydraulic fluid baths, dropped off a wing stand twice, and still clicks like new. I never even thought about tracking hours on a tool before. Does anyone else keep track of how long their daily drivers last?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow_morgan16d ago

ngl i used to be one of those people who thought tracking tool hours was overkill. like who actually does that? but seeing you hit 5k on a snap-on ratchet and it still clicks like new... kinda changes my mind tbh. that's wild. i mean i've got tools i've had for years but i couldn't tell you the hours to save my life. maybe i should start paying more attention cause that's actually impressive longevity.

gavina7311d ago

wait, 5k hours? like five thousand hours of actual use on one ratchet? that's insane, i feel like most people's tools don't even survive that long before they get lost or borrowed forever. @willow_morgan i think you're right to start tracking, at least for the good stuff.

clark.robin16d ago

dude i read somewhere that snap-on actually tests their ratchets to something crazy like 10k cycles before they even ship them out. so hitting 5k hours is probably just breaking it in honestly. that whole "tracking hours" thing always seemed like gearhead nerd stuff to me too, but when you put it that way it's kind of a flex to know exactly how much use a tool has seen. i bet that ratchet still has that satisfying snappy sound too, not all loose and sloppy like cheaper ones get.