Ratchets are great tools when they work and when you have the ideal angle and space to work with. Ratchets, however, can run into some restrictions pretty quickly when you start running out of space in tight quarters. They can also work less than optimally when the nut you’re trying to drive in is still quite loose. Though the ratchet is a very good tool overall, ten years ago in 2008, Wera took a critical look at everything that a ratchet does and decided to make it better by combining the best features of
five tools into one, thereby eliminating the need for several ratchets to do one job. Wera’s Zyklop ratchet design solves the problems of tightening really loose nuts quickly and using ratchets in tight places. It’s really the next best thing to using a power tool, and may be even faster if you get good with it.
The first thing that Zyklop brings to the table is that it’s designed to make driving screws and nuts faster. Just
watch the video to see it at work. Zyklop ratchets can also work with a very low angle of return – just five degrees – so you can tighten something in really tight quarters. Another great feature is that the sockets are held securely in place and can only be removed by the push of a button. Probably the most important feature of the Zyklop though is that the head can swivel. From 90 degrees to 15 and to zero, you can change the angle for the job, and the zero degree allows you to use the ratchet as a screwdriver if needed. Indeed the head of the ratchet is its most innovative feature, with the ability to lock sockets, change directions and swivel, you could probably use it one handed.
The Zyklop ratchet will save you much frustration in the workshop or garage, so take the money from your swear jar (if you have one) and use it to by a Zyklop and never put money in the jar (if you have one) again. You can get a
Wera 05073261001 3/8” square socket or a
Wera 05073260001 1/4” Speed Ratchet for well under $100 each, or about 65 swears at a buck a swear. If you need a little more selection of sockets, the
Wera 05004046001 3/8”,
Wera 05004016001 1/4”, and
Wera 05004076001 1/2” each come with 28 to 29 pieces including sockets and screwdriver bits and are priced around the $100 to $200 range, quite a few more swears, but worth it in the long run. While the swivel headed version is really the best and most versatile, we also carry many more ratchets in the
Zyklop line so be sure to check those out.
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