Hi, my name is John, and I am a hand tool junkie with a special weakness for ratchets.My druthers, in order: 1. Open head ratchets. Except for a couple of Wright models, open head ratchets haven't been made in the US in 30+ years. I have several, mostly Thorsen 77's, that I save for assembly work in the shop. Can't get these guys anymore except by getting lucky at a flea market, so there's no point in risking loss or damage. 2. Closed round-head ratchets, especially in smaller drive sizes (1/4, 3/8, and 1/2). The Facom "Palm Control" is the queen of the ball, with the "SK Professional", the last-generation New Britain, the Craftsman QUICK-RELEASE round head (or its Easco, KD, and Allen brand cousins), the last-generation Vlchek/Penens/Challenger, and the Williams "Superratchet" filling out the court. Note that the current-model Danaher and Craftsman round-head NON-quick-release ratchet are specifically excluded from this group. 3. Double-pawl oval-head ratchets, especially in the larger drive sizes (3/4 and up). The long-discontinued-in-small-drive-sizes Armstrong "flat" ratchets and the Proto oval-heads are wonderful. 4. (This space reserved for future use.) 5. Single-pawl oval-head ratchets such as the Snap-On oval head, the MAC oval head, the Cornwell oval head, the old Indestro/Duro-Chrome oval head ratchets. 6. (This space reserved for future use.) 7. (This space reserved for future use.) 8. (This space reserved for future use.) 9. The current-model Craftsman single-pawl oval-head ratchet and its Allen, KD, NAPA cousins. 10. Whale feces on the bottom of the ocean. 11. Current-model Danaher NON-quick-release round-head ratchets sold under the Allen and KD names. 12. Current-model Craftsman NON-quick-release round-head ratchets. Not only do these things have the lousy mechanism of their Danaher-brand cousins, but they have miserable grips. These things are not worth the effort it would take to drop them into the ocean. Having said all that, I'll add that if, for some perverse reason, I was only allowed to have current-model ratchets from one of today's makers . . . Wright all the way! John
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