Earlier this week, I received a new Snap-On FHLF80 ratchet. Like all the Snap-On Dual80 ratchets, it’s smooth and slender. It is a 3/8″ drive, long handle, flex-head model with soft grip. I prefer the soft grips due to the arthritis in my right hand.
It comes with a red soft-grip, which I replaced with an orange soft-grip (part number FH936-12O). Here’s a picture of it with the red grip:
And one with the orange grip:
And closeups of the red and orange grips:
One thing to note about the Snap-On soft-grips: the grips are slimmer than Matco soft-grips. This is a blessing and a curse. The Matco are more comfortable to me, but the Snap-On are slightly easier to fit between obstructions in a modern engine compartment. I haven’t taken the grip off of a Matco yet, but I suspect the shaft is thicker under the grip than the Snap-On. While I’d argue that’s good for strength, the reality is that I’ve never bent one of the Snap-On handles and warranty would cover it anyway.
