Hyper Tough 1/4” 4 Volt Ratchet | Test vs. Ryobi USB 1/4” Ratchet

[@myronwebster]

I use it for appliance repair Works great has no complaints breaks pretty much all bolts free with just the button

[@zacksintheshop]

Very cool.

[@wildbill23c]

I could see it being really useful for that type of work....not so much for automotive repair, maybe some really small fasteners on the interior for like door panels and trim panels but for sure appliance repair work it would do very well...we just used 1/4" impact drivers for the most part when I was working on appliances, but the cordless ratchets weren't as popular then either.

[@officialshadetreeamerica]

I just came across your channel today and wanted to say that I was the beta tester for that Ryobi ratchet as well as the 4 volt 3/8 drive ratchet. I thought the Ryobi was a little weak when I tested it, but I understood it wasn't a tool that wasn't designed to make huge torque numbers, either. I am shocked that HyperTough did better than the Ryobi. With the test my friends at Torque Test Channel did recently with their impact tools, I might have to check out HyperTough's line of tools again. Have a good day👋

[@zacksintheshop]

This latest series of Hyper Tough is waaaayyyyy better than the previous series. I thought the Ryobi would do a little better, but I agree it’s not about the torque with these. I watch TTC and that last video with Hyper Tough was great.

[@officialshadetreeamerica]

@zacksintheshop I have the Skil ratchet from 2007 and still use it from time to time. The HyperTough ratchet reminds me of that ratchet. The only difference is that the Skil ratchet uses a charging base.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Excellent testing! It takes a lot of time. I have been extremely surprised at Hypertough for the price. It's like for the price you expect junk, many people won't see past that, but the truth is they are really descent. We put them up against tools costing 4 or 5 times the cost at times, and they really at least hang in there. For the home warrior I believe they are great!

[@jldwolfe]

People are starting to realize that you don’t normally need the biggest torque monster running high amps and voltage. Affordable and convenient are far more important. This thing, a set of sockets and maybe a breaker bar make for a nice tool box

[@stinkycheese804]

Meh, not for my needs. If I'm not in a hurry and it doesn't have much torque, my tool box can fit more, other useful tools if I just have a standard ratchet in it and save the space compared to this. The thing is, you can use a more powerful tool for lesser jobs but not the other way around. It doesn't have to bee a "torque monster" at all, to need a bit more torque for the fastener sizes you come across on a regular basis.

[@Xaluber]

Thanks! I love it when a cheap tool comes out on top. I wanted to wait for your video to see how it did before picking one up, but it was so cheap I ended up buying one early. Love it for the price. Only downside is that it doesn't have a variable speed trigger as advertised. I opened it up and found that it had a simple on/off microswitch. It also contains a 2000mAh Highstar 18650 that is soldered to the controller board. That is the brand of cells that are in most Bauer and Hercules batteries.

[@wheelsup]

Do you know if the 18650 can be replaced if you just desolder it? I have one of these and love it but wonder about replacing the battery when it starts to get old.

[@Xaluber]

@ Unless there’s something built into the controller to disable it if it loses power, I don’t see why not. The battery has tabs spot welded to it that are then soldered to the board, but you could use some small wires to solder in a replacement battery if you don’t have a spot welder.

[@troyyarbrough]

I don't understand why Hyper Tough couldn't have just made the battery easily replaceable like in a 18650 flashlight.

[@FacilitiesDIY]

Thanks for taking the time to do this! Great stuff.

[@zacksintheshop]

Thanks for watching

[@shepshomestead]

Another great video Zack. I have the 12v 3/8 ratchet and love it. I've been thinking of picking one of these up but I can't see any benefit other than it being smaller than the 3/8. I'll probably talk myself into buying one eventually lol.

[@zacksintheshop]

You won’t have to do much arm twisting at $29. I do like the Ryobi because the platform has more tools in it. However, the hyper tough stands out in a one on one test.

[@astridsactionrc545]

I have a 20+ year old Skil 1/4” ratchet. I used it a lot when I was an assembler and bicycle tech for several major retail chains. It still works great today. I would certainly buy and be happy with the Hyper Tough ratchet. If you need ultra torque on fasteners, buy an impact driver. The Hyper Tough is more than enough for what the target consumer is ever going to buy.

[@zacksintheshop]

Good points.

[@eldorripu]

good review

[@fireinacan]

Thanks for doing another video! I must say i love Ryobi USB, but have to say that they do not deliver the power in certain applications. I bought the ibflator, thinking i might use it as part of a fancy bike kit i had in nind, and while it works, that think is woefully underpowered. Same for the elctric acrew driver. It wasnt powerful enough to put together flat-pack IKEA furniture! So I dont think i would puck up either 4 volt ratchet. Not unless it was super discounted and i just felt like "collecting it". That being said, someone in the comments says they use their 4 volt ratchet for appliance repair. Perhaps i could use my hated Ryobi USB screwdriver for electronics.

[@cujo229]

I'm going to get one. I got the Bauer 3/8 and love it, but angry they haven't got a 1/4 inch version. For the price I'll get one or 2 just to have until something else comes out.

[@808drummerpercussionist9]

Hyper tough is great for the homeowner, cost is great and gets the job done, I like a few line ups out there, Craftsman is where I started, Porter cable and Rigid......I will be looking into this my next visit to Wally world

[@Davsoto120]

I use the HT 3/8 cordless ratchet for work EVERYDAY (Forklift Technician) and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it. I opted into the larger 4ah battery for the power and longer life, as well as the rapid charger. Definitely worth it- I do find myself using the 3/8 to 1/4 adaptor tho for a bunch of my electrical repairs so I’m definitely contemplating getting the 1/4 bc it’s also compact.

[@zacksintheshop]

The quarter inch is definitely good for tight spots, but it doesn’t have a whole Lotta torque at all.

[@mmaimmortals]

One of the most important metrics for cordless tools is battery longevity. It's a long term evaluation by definition but its a must know for tools. In this specific case, it looks like HT tool may be cheaper than the Ryobi battery, or very close. If it lasts long enough it would be worth it to replace the tool on a similar frequency as the Ryobi battery, except making and selling trash is bad.

[@pg13ish93]

Great video. Very niche! I have the RYOBI usb ratchet and I do not like it. Too slow, I don’t really care about torque, these kinds of ratchets are bolt runners.

[@harrydickson4575]

Nice job 👍👍👍

[@zacksintheshop]

Thanks for watching Harry.

[@wIzKid16100]

I used it to get blower motor screws, it’s not really powerful but beats doing hand turning. I might actually just take the anvil in put it on their 12volt line ratchet

[@uria711]

It would be cool to see what they could do while tightening nylon lock nuts

[@zacksintheshop]

I thought about adding some locknuts, but I’m pretty sure these guys can’t handle it

[@uria711]

@ that definitely makes sense. Would you be willing to just create a KZbin short trying both of them out maybe for just like three or four nuts and bolts?

[@leonvanderlinde5580]

I have a 1/4" ratchet that is 30 years old. It is not a impact wrench. It is only for undoing bolts and nuts in very tight spaces.

[@zacksintheshop]

What brand is it? 30 years is a good run.

[@CalebsCars]

I use a combo of Milwaukee and hyper tough tools

[@zacksintheshop]

Now that’s a controversial combo! I like it.

[@Iowa599]

Can you get torque measurements of your rig? i know there is math that could be done, if I knew thread pitch, but that doesn't account for friction. A digital torque wrench would provide direct measurements.

[@wheelsup]

This is a 4v ratchet, you break the bolt and run it off. Run it down and twist to tighten. It works well for this. People are reviewing these (and other ratchets) completely wrong, you can tell none of them actually use the tools in daily use.

[@Iowa599]

@wheelsup I want to know lb/in, I'm curious how it will handle screws. i also wonder how well it will take more volts, but I don't think this channel is about modifying tools! 😆

[@zacksintheshop]

As time goes on, I will modify the measurements for foot pounds of torque

[@troyyarbrough]

I have over a dozen Ryobi 18v batteries and 8 Ryobi 18v tools, but I have yet to try their USB tools. At $29 for the Hyper Tough ratchet, it will be hard for me to pay $80 for the Ryobi.

[@zacksintheshop]

The consensus seems to be that the Ryobi USB tools are overpriced. I like the idea of single cell tools, but will only be tempted when they are on sale.

[@focusonthefocus]

"Belowsumer" needs to be on a shirt.

[@j5962]

😂I read blowsumer at first.. either way.

[@uria711]

Can you make a short trying it on nylon lock nuts? Pretty please

[@zacksintheshop]

I will as soon as I am able.

[@uria711]

WOOHOO!

[@craiglacour8887]

can i use my cell phone fast charger? It doesn't say what i can hook it up too. will any usb charger work?

[@zacksintheshop]

It comes with a cable, but not a block. I am sure it works with a lot of blocks, but charge rate may vary.

[@rolandm9750]

Very nice comparison! Not surprising the Hyper Tough beats the Ryobi. This particular Ryobi tool is...really bad--very disappointing TBH. I had high hopes for it but after using it, I concluded it was not only crap but really overpriced crap. For a brand that's supposed to be a more "budget oriented" one, a lot of the "USB Lithium" line is exactly that--underperforming and overpriced. I have a few batts and a couple tools (screwdriver, rotary tool), and even the standalone charger too. But I quickly soured on the line because the high prices, there seldom being sales/discounts, and the low performance of most of them. I couldn't even justify buying the mechanic's/inspection light because they omitted the tip light 🤦‍♂ At $30 I'd definitely be willing to get the Hyper Tough 4V ratchet, but...I already bought a DCF504 for a great deal--it's honestly not much bigger than these 4V jobbies and the performance difference is enormous. Night and day, really.

[@zacksintheshop]

Thanks for all the feedback. I agree that some of the USB Ryobi tools seem overpriced. I was waiting for several of them to go on sale…. It only recently happened. I will test some more of them I am sure and I hope I find some bright spots in their line.

[@rolandm9750]

@@zacksintheshop Yeah most of the lights look okay and it *is* nice to have the interchangeable batteries for those. I did want to get that inspection light (FVL56) but how/why they decided *not* to put a tip light on it, is a major fail to me. The Milwaukee 2128 has tip light so how Ryobi overlooked it, is beyond me. The FLV52, 54, and 57 lights look good though. It's nice there's finally some deals on them but I guess that's expected being Q4/BF season. The circular cutter seems fine but again pricey given there's a cheap one at HF that will do the same job only doesn't have interchangeable battery. Just can't justify the Ryobi at the [usual] price point. The inflator (FVIH51) OTOH, seems another dud. Granted it's not designed for car tyres (other than pressure "top offs") but there's one review online where someone showed it was poor even for bicycle tyres! The "desk vacuum" (FVH67)...this is a "why the heck did they even make this?" type of tool, lol. The list goes on... There's some ppl that have compared with the older Tek4 line similar tools and say those tools were superior. The whole USB line seems like it had a lot of promise but is falling a bit flat/short to me. YMMV of course; would def. look forward to future reviews and comparos of other ones you might pick up!

[@TA-Tube]

Removable battery is nice but, if you can buy the tool and battery for the price of the competition's battery, well.... Then, instead of having a tool with three batteries, you can have three tools with three batteries and avoid the whole battery swapping routine and just swap a dead tool one for a fully charged tool and never worry about down time from a broken tool, WOW, what a concept! I think I like it! Wait, What? .... Not variable speed? .... Sorry Hyper Tough! That's a dealbreaker!!!! At this point in power tool evolution, I believe EVERY tool should be variable speed! Yes, EVERY tool, including mowers, circular saws, vacuums, and especially Screwdrivers. I can't believe how rare variable speed screwdrivers are. I only know of a few and I've been actively on the lookout for about 5 or 6 years! I think it's pretty clear, designers don't actually use the tools they design. There are so many missed opportunities in tool design and most of them are minor low cost or even no cost improvements that have the potential of taking significant sales away from their competitors, and variable speed is just one example of that.

[@pg13ish93]

Id really like to know how much torque they actually have

[@zacksintheshop]

Next time I do one of these type, I’ll have it in ft/pounds

[@stinkycheese804]

They are close enough that it just reminds me of a past thought, that I'd want something that has a minimum of 8V instead of 4V. Also I hate to see you break tools but they really did need a drop test to see how fragile they are. Otherwise, I don't like the Hypertough's internal battery but if it's not hard to replace (meaning has contacts instead of the more likely spot welded battery) then the lower price gives it a win over the Ryobi because i don't have other Ryobi 4V tools and no plan to invest in any 4V tools. Nothing else I would use has that much emphasis on small size over performance and even then, as already mentioned, I'd still give up some smallness to have it 8V instead of 4V for more performance.

[@johnnyatomic1]

comparison between the 4v 1/4” HT and the 12v 3/8” HT that costs $10 more. Is the little one a complete joke compared to the 12v????

[@leonvanderlinde5580]

The sticker is off. Some cheap Chinese brand. I replaced the Ni-Cd with a Lithium cell that I charge with a Lithium charger. Maintenance is the must to keep them running.

[@aycz]

For $30, might as well pick it up. Feel like it can do all the automotive needs as long as you break the nut loose first.

[@Mansyansbbsanbs]

I think honestly for it’s price your better off going with the 3/8 ratchet, I think it’s a better value. Also please test the brushless hammer drill 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@zacksintheshop]

I will

[@Xaluber]

The 3/8ths Hyper Tough is much bigger and heavier. The 1/4 doesn't have the power but it's much handier to use in tight spaces and is just as quick at running fasteners down. Value wise though the 3/8 is a good deal at just $10 more so might be the pick if you're only going to have one.

[@jacklo325]

Great review! 4v tools are super light duty, probably for the female home owners. However, i don't consider ryobi as prosumer. To me, that is something like dewalt, milwaukee, ridge, craftsman. But once again, HT proves it's now lesser of a joke, and provides a great value.

[@zacksintheshop]

Yes, it seems like hyper tough is trying to be more of a serious brand. It’s going to be odd to have a better hyper tough next to Hart Tools at Walmart. Seems like they’re going to end up at the same level.

[@jacklo325]

@zacksintheshop Might better for Walmart to ramp up HT and drop Hart all together. It's cheaper and performs better, why spend the extra coins?

[@zacksintheshop]

@jacklo325 I agree with that, plus heart seems overpriced

[@teresaallen3045]

I get Bauer one

[@zacksintheshop]

Do you like it?

[@Justin-v5m9z]

My problem with the 4volt is on the box it states variable speed trigger in the manual variable speed trigger On the tool itself On off switch no speed àdjusting trigger! Wtf So im returning when i get the time and the will to stand in a line because of it

[@zacksintheshop]

God speed. It’s the line I hate the most.

[@gvi341984]

No 6amp

[@Pro1er]

Nice review. I bought the Ryobi specifically for low-torque applications so that I'm not stripping-out fasteners but to be honest the torque is probably too low for the vast majority of people - it is very low torque. I'm not sure why their 4V lineup is so popular because it is *_way_* overpriced and the types of tools they offer is underwhelming. The only other Ryobi 4V "tool" I have is the fan which I do like but at the prices they are asking there is nothing else I plan on buying in that line.

[@zacksintheshop]

If you’re not aware, you can buy Ryobi tools at a much lower price at Direct tools. They are like a factory outlet for Ryobi and rigid. I agree some of their USB products are overpriced, but you can get a lot better deal on those and anything else from Ryobi at DT. That being said, Home Depot does have better pricing periodically on Ryobi. Like black Friday and their spring event.

[@Pro1er]

@@zacksintheshop I buy most of my Ryobi tools at DTO but the online store doesn't have most of the tools I want and there is not a physical store near me.

[@s33m3shine3FPV]

Had it. Took it right back. Just my opinion it sucks.

[@ramiro7639]

So in conclusion these two ratchets are no good for a mechanic,with today's engines with high torque bolts these won't cut it

[@zacksintheshop]

That’s right

[@ramiro7639]

Who cares how much it weighs we want to know they torque is wat counts,you talk touch just get with it!

[@ramiro7639]

OMG!!! U doing too much!!!