Originally Posted by pwd72s (Post 11962849)

Haven't found a good one to print out yet, but there are charts online showing snap-on date codes...

Originally Posted by rockfan4 (Post 11962885)

This one looks good as any.
https://sites.pitt.edu/~blair1/snapon.html

I'm using my father's Snap-On ratchets. The 3/8 is from 1953, the 1/2 is from 1947. He also had a black oxide 3/8 that I had to trade with the snap-on guy because he didn't have a rebuild kit for it. My "new" ratchet is from 1987.
There's a couple more in the back garage. I imagine they're all the same vintage.

Originally Posted by pwd72s (Post 11961896)

Found a Snap on Catalog I had in a pile here. Date on the accompanying price list was 2001.

One thing I found interesting was the tooth count on their ratchets was 36, only a 10 degrees arc swing. Many ratchets being sold today, even the cheap harbor freight stuff, brag in advertising about 72 to 90 tooth counts with tiny little arc swings.

This made me chuckle a bit...since my old USA made "Craftsperson" ratchets are 36 tooth. Yet, I can't really recall a time where a smaller arc swing would have made the difference of doing or not doing a project. They all still function well, so I'm not about to toss them and buy higher tooth count ratchets.

Golly gee, How did those guys wrenching at the turn of the century accomplish anything with such archaic ratchet technology? :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by pwd72s (Post 11962918)

...now I know it was made in '47...boy, that's a tiny mark, used a magnifying glass to find it.

Originally Posted by A930Rocket (Post 11963667)

Doh! I didn’t think to look there. 44 would make sense.

That would make it 79 years old.

My grandfather did work at the Charleston Naval Yard during the war. My dad also worked there during the summer, when school was out at Clemson.