Kobalt’s Thru-Ratchet Gets Over Long Bolts
By Brad Justinen
These sockets work where deep sockets just aren’t deep enough. Kobalt’s Thru-Ratchet sockets and ratchets are hollow down the center, so they can fit over any length of bolt. In a lot of cases you could get the same performance out of your ratcheting wrenches, but this system allows you to get into deep recesses that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Thru-Ratchet sockets plug right in to the ratchet handle, instead of attaching to a square drive. Integrating into the handle reduces overall height by up to fifty percent over a standard ratchet and socket — which is good for areas with low clearance.
The Thru-Ratchet comes in a 22-piece metric and SAE combination set. The set includes a 1/4″ and 3/8″ socket adapter, a 3″ extension, and sockets in SAE sizes 3/8″, 7/16″, 1/2″, 9/16″, 5/8″, 11/16″, and 3/4″, and metric sizes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19mm. You can also get the Thru-Ratchet in a two-ratchet, 46-piece set, but after extensive research, I couldn’t find any specs. Lowes.com and Kobalt.com provide little to no info — shame on them.
I’m going to make an educated guess that KD Tools manufactures the tools for Kobalt (Lowe’s house brand) — KD has offered a pass-thru system since 2003, and the sets seem to be identical except for the design of the ratchet handle. Kobalt’s versions will definitely be easier to get your hands on, since you can pick ‘em up at any Lowe’s.
Prices are $40 for the 22-piece and $60 for the 46-piece set. If you have any info on the 46-piece set, let us know in comments.
Thru-Ratchet [Kobalt]
22-Piece Set [Lowe’s]
46-Piece Set [Lowe’s]
April 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
This is likely built for Kobalt/Lowes by Danaher, based off of Gearwrench’s pass-thru system.
http://www.gearwrench.com/catalog/xl_pass-thru_system/gearratchet/
April 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Was checking this out at my local Lowe’s the other week. It’s distributed by Danaher, but it’s made by our friends in PRC.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
If you want a set made in a non Asian country, Try Draper
www.drapertools.com/b2c/b2citmdsp.pgm?pp_skmno=40174
April 16th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Whoops. never mind that last comment. hard to keep track of who makes tools for whom these days.
same as gearwrenches.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Those friends in the PRC who made that set are owned by Danaher. Danaher owns a whole bunch of companies in China.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Danaher is much like many other (e. g. Stanley, Cooper, Snap-On) conglomerates in the tool business - who have bought up other companies (sometimes failing ones - where all that was really purchased was the brand names). At my last count the Danaher family of brands included Allen, Armstrong, Easco Hand Tools, Fluke and Fluke-Harris, Gearwrench, Jacobs, K-D Tools, Lea-Way (in China) and Raytek.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Same as Gearwrench, I have a Gearwrench set, and the Kobalt driver set that comes with the Flex ratchet handle, the sockets and drivers interchange.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:39 am
So are they cheaper than the gearwrench version or the same? Seems like the gearwrench brand would be easier to warranty at a later date based on their current success. Who knows how long Lowes will carry them.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Danaher also owns Matco. Matco’s wrenches and sockets ect.. are the same as Gearwrench, Armstrong, KD… Talk about a huge mark-up !!
April 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
KABO Tool Company (Taiwan) makes many private label tools that are sold in the U.S. under contract for Danaher, Mac, Matco and even Snap-On. I learned this at an international tool and trade show I attended last month. In some cases, the tools are made as blanks and then stamped with the company logo.
Some of the names they make tools for were displayed at their booth such as Matco, Mac Tools (Mac Edge), Bluepoint, Westward (Grainger), and even some of the Kobalt line.
But if you want true Made in the USA tools with a lifetime warranty and not have to pay though the nose, try Martin Tools.
http://www.martinsprocket.com/home.htm
One of the places you can get this is though Grainger.