Choosing yours
More than 
any different tool, a ratchet will last you an eternity. Quality ratchets could be serviced inexpensively therefore should never wear out. Sockets happen to be interchangeable because they are all standard. Buy the ideal ratchet you can afford, even if you get inexpensive sockets to begin with.
Socket release
Sockets are held onto the ratchet using a bit of spring-loaded ball privately of the square travel. After applying a whole lot of drive, I’ve quite often found sockets get stuck on the drive and the only path to get them off is definitely to hammer the ratchet on the floor or even hold it in a vice. Top quality ratchets add a button on the trunk which smoothly pushes off the socket if you are ready to release it.
1/4 ” – Used for smaller sockets and precision work. Valuable for dismantling individual elements on the bench.
3/8 inch – The center sized, and for me, most useful size for standard use on an automobile. A 3/8″ travel can travel sockets of most sizes. It really is big enough to use quite a lot of force, but certainly not too big to match into tight spaces
1/2 in . – 1/2″ sockets are generally applied for nuts and bolts from around 10mm and up. A 1/2″ drive socket can apply enough power to undo all nuts on a car.
Ratchets Wheel Additionally, there are 3/4″ and 1″ ratchets but these are used on trucks, tanks and commercial machinery.
Tooth count
Inside a ratchet you will find a toothed wheel which enables it freely rotate as you tighten the nut. Each simply click you hear can be a tooth moving the ratchet. The more pearly whites there are, the much less movement is necessary on the come back stroke. A ratchet with 75 teeth will work considerably faster than a 32-tooth ratchet. Making substantial tooth-counts requires quality engineering and making, so as a general guide the better quality tools will have a higher tooth count.
Drive sizes
socket-drive-sizes
All ratchets accept sockets using a square drive and mostly there are 3 sizes of drive. All around the community these sizes receive in inches – even though the sockets will be metric.