The Product:
The SP Air Mini High Speed Sealed Flat Head Impact Ratchet features a patented high speed and sealed head mechanism and is designed to be up to four times faster than a standard ratchet. The tool offers one-handed operation for the forward and reverse lever, and the sealed head helps prevent the spread of the ratchet housing while protecting the tool's functionality from dirt and dust. The Impact ratchet is available in 1/4" (SP-7260RP) and 3/8" (SP-7265RP) sizes.
The Review:
When it comes to access in the vehicle repair world, one size does not fit all. Sometimes a new version or size of a traditional tool can go places where those previous versions could not.
Reviewer Phil Fournier, owner of Phil’s Auto Clinic in Hemet, Calif. appreciated SP Air Corp.’s new take on the air impact ratchet. The company’s SP-7260RP ¼ Air Impact Ratchet has upped the speed on this common tool and given the product a sealed head mechanism to protect the tool and help prevent the spread of the ratchet housing. It’s got a smaller, more streamlined design and offers one-handed operation for the forward and reverse lever.
Fournier has used many air ratchets in his time; he says the compact size of this one has its benefits. Says Fournier: “Ease of use is a given, but they put the reversing switch in a place that makes it easy to reverse without having in reverse unintentionally – a pet peeve I have with other air ratchets.”
Fournier used the ¼” air impact ratchet to remove the transaxle on a Gen 3 Prius. “Book procedure calls for removal of the engine and transmission first, which is the easier way to do it, but we have found we can do it faster leaving the engine in the car, and this little impact ratchet definitely helped in the tight spaces so commonly found in modern vehicles,” says Fournier, adding “a 14mm bolt or nut is about the biggest you would want to use [the SP-7260RP 1/4-Inch air impact ratchet] on and it handles those quite well.”
The tool shipped with a small manual which included simple instructions for using the air impact ratchet.
“The small profile and skinny head is what I liked most,” says Fournier. “It also has the benefit of not pinning your hand on a stuck bolt like a conventional air ratchet does.” He found the reversing lever was very easy to operate and noted it “does not switch directions when you don’t want it to.”
Fournier felt the noise level of the air ratchet could be improved upon and would like to see that refined a little, perhaps by replacing or improving the muffler. The company SP Air note the SP-7260RP and SP-7265RP are at 88.1db, well below the OSHA requirements.
Overall Fournier found this little air ratchet to be a big help in tight spaces and easy to use.
“This tool is very handy as a time-saver in tight spots, as the head of the impact ratchet is very flat and thin for an air ratchet and will fit into spots where others will not fit and one would normally have to use a hand ratchet,” says Fournier.
