If you are looking for the differences or similarities between a torque wrench vs ratchet, you have come to the right place.
Whether you are a professional mechanic or a handy do-it-yourself person who loves to do their own car or motorcycle maintenance, it is possible you have these two tools in your collection.
However, if this is the first time you are setting out to build your tool kit, you might find it confusing to tell the difference between a torque wrench and a ratchet.
After all, both tools can be used to tighten fasteners. It is easy to mistake one tool for the other.
However, not anymore because here, we are all about tools. For instance, in another article, we compared a torque wrench vs impact wrench.
In this post, we’ll show you the outstanding differences, and similarities (if any) of these two tools.
When do you need to use a torque wrench?
Usually, we would start by looking at what a torque wrench is. However, we will not because we have covered this tool extensively, with all its types in various blog posts.
So, on to when you might need to use a torque wrench, use it when you need precision and reliability.
These tools are used mostly when tightening fasteners on a motorcycle, car, RV, boat, bicycle and other things.
They come in different types, the small ones being the manual torque wrenches, also called click wrenches. They give a click to indicate when final torque is reached.
Most of the others such as beam torque wrenches and digital type torque wrenches fall in the same category of small wrenches.
The small torque-application wrenches are usually used for tightening needs not exceeding 300 ft-lb.
However, bigger ones such as the pneumatic torque wrench use air for power. You can use this one for heavy-duty torque applications requiring up to 35,000 ft-lb.
They find most of their use in automotive garages that handle trucks and buses, shipyards, petroleum rigs and in the construction industry.
Every fastener is torque-sensitive. Therefore, when you are tightening something in the engine bay, you should check the service manual of your car. Do the same when you are tightening lug nuts.
In industrial repairs, precision is very important. Therefore, you are required to use precision instruments and tools to attain the right force and pressure.
The torque wrench is the most basic of tools that every workshop, garage or handyman’s tool box should have.
Important: Torque wrenches are mainly designed to tighten but not loosen fasteners.
What is a ratchet?
A ratchet has its main distinctive part – the handle and the fixed square head (or hex head). You can use this handle with a fitting socket wrench, torque wrench and so on.
The hex or square drive is the connector between the ratchet and the socket. You apply force on the ratchet handle so that the socket (which might come with the ratchet or need to be bought separately) loosens or tightens the fastener.
The most outstanding feature about it is that you can change the position of the handle without removing it from the fastener.
Unlike a torque wrench that can only tighten fasteners, a ratchet or in full … ratchet wrench, can tighten as well as loosen nuts and bolts.
Before we go on, perhaps we should clarify that we also have a ratchet torque wrench. By design, such a torque wrench is different from the regular one. It will measure torque precisely and at the same time, it will give you the benefit of a ratchet head.
A ratchet wrench has a head that works in continuous rotary direction, so you do not have to keep removing and fixing it on the fastener when you are tightening nuts or bolts.
Remember, when using a wrench (spanner), or a regular torque wrench, you tighten the bolt, then remove it, reposition it again on the fastener and tighten again. You have to continue this way until you can tighten the fastener fully.
Because of this difference, when you are tightening fasteners of the same size using a torque wrench and a ratchet wrench, you will do a faster job with the ratchet.
Is a ratchet the same as a ratchet wrench?
Some sources say that a ratchet is different from a ratchet wrench. However, these terms are used interchangeably, so they could basically mean the same thing.
To reiterate what we have already mentioned in the past section, you can think of ratchet as ratchet wrench.
A ratchet is different from a ratchet wrench. The reason is that while the ratchet wrench can rotate in both directions, with the ratchet, you have to set the direction that you want it to go.
You can set it to stay fixed in one position and you can set the head to spin freely. That is what we mean by setting the direction.
There are so many benefits to having the head spin freely. First, you can work faster with it since you can turn the fastener
With a ratchet handle, you will face no resistance when turning the handle backwards to reposition it for tightening. It works the same way as the bicycle gears.
For tightening fasteners in tight spaces, the ratchet is more convenient. Whether you are tightening or loosening bolts and nuts, you will not need to remove the ratchet from the fastener. You will do a faster job with minimal effort.
The ratchet has a directional switch
This is another difference between the regular wrench and the ratchet. You can use the ratchet to tighten or loosen fasteners.
To do this, the ratchet handle comes with a directional switch. You can just flip the switch to change directions. Actually, you can do this without removing it from the fastener.
When you buy the ratchet, it will come in a set, well, most of the time. In the set, there are different socket sizes that you can use with the same ratchet handle. That way, you can tighten differently sized fasteners using the same handle.
You also need to know what size you need so that you can get the appropriate handle. Some handles are longer, others shorter.
By design, you can find ratchet wrenches that come in an open head style and they attach to a ratchet. Others come with the ratchet contained in the socket head.
Ratchet vs Torque Wrench: Main Differences
While you can use both tools for tightening and loosening (for the ratchet) fasteners, these are not the same. They are quite different.
From a distance, they might look the same but you will certainly notice some outstanding differences when you use them.
Head shape
The head shape would mostly apply to the ratchet. The torque type wrenches come in different types, so it would not be fair to classify them going by the shape head.
With the ratchet, you will get either the round head or the teardrop head styles. As their names suggest, these are just shapes you can commonly find the ratchet in.
Round head ratchets are bulky, so they will not fit easily in tight spaces. The switch for direction is also mounted directly on the back of the round head, which increases the bulkiness. In addition, the switch is designed like a knob.
Fixed or flex head?
What we can say about the torque wrenches is that they come in the fixed head style, that is, unless you get one that is specifically designed as a ratchet wrench.
The pear/tear-drop and round head ratchets come with fixed or flex-style heads. The latter (flex-head) allows you to reach fasteners in tight spaces because it can flex at an angle from the handle of the ratchet.
Flex heads are not very helpful in situations where you need to apply high torque. For that, you should use the fixed head ratchet.
Design and style
This is the first difference between the torque wrench and ratchet. One of the design differences is in the head.
You can change direction on the ratchet with the flip of a small switch that you will find behind the head. This will help change the direction of the handle to loosen or tighten fasteners.
If you are afraid that the switch will increase the bulkiness of the ratchet head, that’s not going to happen. Most of these ratchets have the switch in a recessed part, so it does not increase the thickness of the head.
Applications
You can use a ratchet on parts of machinery that don’t require precise torque application. Therefore, this tool is most useful for tightening parts that are not torque-sensitive.
On the other hand, you should use a torque wrench on fasteners that require precision, for instance in the engine bay, nut lugs and spark plugs.
The ratchet is useful for both loosening and tightening fasteners. This is something that you cannot do with a torque wrench since using it to loosen fasteners would ruin its mechanism.
Maintenance
Once in 1000 to 5000 cycles or once a year, whichever comes first, it is vital to send the torque wrench over to a calibration laboratory, tool shop or workshop for calibration. You can learn to do this so that you save yourself some money.
The ratchet does not require such “costly” maintenance. Just store it in the plastic it came with, protect it from drops and so on and it will remain in good shape for -a long time.
Usability/Ease of use
Ratchets are so simple to use. Just fix the socket on the fixed square, or other drive and tighten your fasteners.
However, be sure to buy one that has a drive size that you want. Usually, ratchets come in ¼, 3/8, and ½-inch sizes. You can also buy a set of matching sockets so that you can make the most out of one ratchet.
On the other hand, using the torque wrench needs some serious skill. First, you have to read up to know how to set the torque.
Also, you ought to find out how it works so that you can stop tightening fasteners as soon as you reach the set torque.
Using electronic torque wrenches is easy. They have a display screen and a set of buttons that you can use to set the torque.
However, using a manual torque wrench can be hard because you have to twist or slide the handle to set the torque value you want, going by the markings on the body.
Torque type wrenches are precise! If you do not set the torque value right, you will affect the outcome. Since these tools are used to tighten rotating parts, if the torque is off, they can cause serious harm.
Price
Torque wrenches usually cost more money than ratchets, because of the mechanical differences and the intended use.
When buying a ratchet, get one that comes with a set of sockets or a set that comes with differently sized ones (½, 3/8 and ¼ inches) rather than just one.
You can also buy a torque wrench with a few drives, say, ½-inch, ¼-inch and 3/8-inch ones. If it comes with more drives than that, get it.
Ratchets vs torque wrenches: Similarities
The purpose of these two tools is almost the same – one tightens and loosens nuts and bolts while the one just tightens them.
Apart from that, are there any other similarities between the two tools? Let’s find out together!
Variety
Torque wrenches come in many types. Some are electric, pneumatic, manual, digital/electronic and there are the beam torque type wrenches.
Regarding the size, the most common, manual and small torque wrenches come in size drives of ¼, ½, and 3/8-inches.
The ¼ -inch wrenches are best for tightening motorcycle parts and small fasteners in the engine bay of a car. They are also good for gunsmithing.
Most of the small ratchets also come in these sizes. However, those are not the only sizes available. You can also find 3/4-inch ratchets and the king of them all could be the 1-inch ratchet for really heavy tightening jobs.
However, unless you are in the construction industry, you will rarely ever need to use a ratchet or torque wrench size bigger than the ¾ -inch.
The type of release
Release mechanism is a way to release the socket when you are done tightening or loosening or to change sockets.
Some ratchets come with a quick release mechanism with a button for the same on the head. When you press the button, the ball detent sets the socket free so that it can separate from the drive.
If it comes with a standard release, you will have to pull the socket off the drive or use a screwdriver to pry it apart.
The best torque wrenches also come with a spring loaded ball detent system to hold the socket and prevent it from falling. You can press a button to release the socket.
How they work
Both tools work in the same way, well, apart from the torque application. They come with a square drive or a hex drive. They also require you to have sockets that can work with them.
The drive connects the tool with the socket. You will need the socket for the torque wrench or the ratchet to work.
Torque wrench vs ratchet: Best to buy
There is no particular best tool to buy here since both of them serve different purposes. In most cases, you will need both of them.
If you like doing your simple car repairs at home, get both of these tools. You will need both at different times.
Here is a table of a couple of each of the two that you can buy:
Best torque wrench
| Torque wrench | Features |
| EPAuto Click Torque Wrench | Comes with ¼-inch drive, but also available in ¼-inch and 3/8-inch drive
Click signal when you reach the end torque Comes with a ratchet head so you can tighten fasteners in both directions Accuracy is rated at +/-4% The torque range is 25-250 ft.-lb |
| TEKTON TRQ21101
|
Has a torque range of 10 to 150 in-lb for small fasteners
Comes with ¼-inch drive Reversible ratchet head for dual-directional tightening Torque accuracy is +/-4% in clockwise direction and +/-6% in counter-clockwise direction It is a click type wrench |
Best ratchet
| Ratchet | Features |
| GEARWRENCH 81230A-07 4-Piece Teardrop Ratchet Set | Comes in 4-pieces with 180-degree flex-head design and ½-inch, 3/8 and ¼-inch
Polished chrome finish for rust resistance Has a direction switch on the head Comes in tear-drop design head The low profile head allows access in tight spaces |
| EPAuto 40-Piece ratchet set | 72-teeth ratchet head
The price is very affordable Comes with an adapter to help you use the ¼-inch sockets Has English and metric readings Drive comes in Hex style |
Final Thoughts on torque wrench vs ratchet
Torque wrenches are used for precise torque application on rotating parts, sensitive engine bay parts, cylinder head parts and spark plugs.
You can use a ratchet in tight spaces, especially the ones that come with a flex-head design. Only use it on fasteners that are not torque-sensitive on your car, motorbike or different areas of home improvement.
If you are a handy person with tools, you need a ratchet set, with different sockets and a torque wrench set with different sockets as well.
You can use the ratchet handle with the right socket to tighten fasteners, but you cannot measure the torque you apply on them.
You cannot loosen fasteners with a torque wrench, but a ratchet with the right size socket can.