After falling in love with my CT725, I figured that I would get a ratchet with similar qualities and that would allow me access to tighter spaces. Boy was I mistaken. As fine polished as the CT725 is, I must say that the CTR761A is not.

This ratchet shares a style and look with the CT725, but its shortcomings hide beneath that stylish surface. To its name it has a variable speed trigger, the LED battery life indicator built into the handle, and is a somewhat compact design, though slightly bulkier than most air ratchets I’ve seen, and far less powerful.

The lack of power in this tool is the main thing that irks me, though it may be my fault for expecting it to exceed its 30 ft lbs of rated torque output. Part of this lack of power is the fact that this is not an impact style ratchet. As far as I know, an impact version of this ratchet is not currently offered. Combine the lack of power with the fact that the ratchet head is not a fine tooth design at all, and it makes for a really unattractive tool choice.

When trying to use this ratchet on the things that it seems most appealing for (brake caliper/caliper bracket bolts, alternator bolts, power steering pump bolts, and many other M8-M12 bolts) I find that it is much more convenient to use a good fine tooth ratchet to break the bolt free (and usually turn it a few turns to get it good and loose) and then use the electric ratchet. Bear in mind that the ratchet body is supposed to handle 150 ft lbs of manual torque, which I have thoroughly verified to be true, making it capable of letting you break bolts loose with it before you use the electric motor to zip them out the rest of the way. This would be a very viable option if the ratchet head was just made for a better feel, and had a smaller swing arc to get into tighter locations.

Smaller inconveniences of the ratchet are include the reversing mechanism being made into the head rather than the trigger assembly, meaning if you work in too tight of an area, you can get yourself wedged in with a very difficult means of escape as you try to reverse the ratchet head. There is also a slight bulge where the headlight rests on this model, putting it at risk of being skinned and beaten, while also making the tool slightly larger in this area. The headlight is also positioned in such a way as to offer very limited use.

Pros

• No air hose to drag around
• Fast, sometimes
• I can use its battery in my CT725

Cons

• Only fast when it can turn the fastener
• Kinda bulky
• Weak
• Not a fine tooth ratchet
• Reverse separate from trigger
• Fairly useless headlight

Manufacturer: Snap-on
Torque rating: 30 ft lbs
Speed: 0-350RPM