Choosing yours
More than any different tool, a Ratchets Wheel ratchet can last you a lifetime. Quality ratchets could be serviced inexpensively and so should never wear out. Sockets are interchangeable because they are all standard. Buy the ideal ratchet you can afford, even if you buy inexpensive sockets to begin with.
Socket release
Sockets will be held onto the ratchet by using a tiny spring-loaded ball on the side of the square drive. After applying a whole lot of pressure, I’ve often found sockets get trapped on the drive and the only way to get them off is to hammer the ratchet on to the floor or even hold it in a vice. Good quality ratchets include a button on the trunk which effortlessly pushes off the socket if you are prepared to release it.
1/4 inches – Used for smaller sockets and precision work. Useful for dismantling individual parts on the bench.
3/8 inch – The center sized, and in my opinion, most readily useful size for basic use on an automobile. A 3/8″ travel can travel sockets of most sizes. It really is big enough to use a great deal of force, but not too big to match into tight spaces
1/2 inch – 1/2″ sockets are generally used for nuts and bolts from around 10mm and up. A 1/2″ travel socket can apply enough drive to undo all nuts on a car.
There are also 3/4″ and 1″ ratchets but these are used on trucks, tanks and professional machinery.
Tooth count
Inside a ratchet there exists a 
toothed wheel which lets it freely rotate as you tighten the nut. Each simply click you hear is a tooth passing the ratchet. The more the teeth there are, the significantly less movement is needed on the return stroke. A ratchet with 75 teeth will continue to work considerably faster when compared to a 32-tooth ratchet. Making huge tooth-counts requires quality engineering and making, so as an over-all guide the better top quality tools will have a higher tooth count.
Drive sizes
socket-drive-sizes
All ratchets accept sockets by using a square travel and mostly there are 3 sizes of drive. Everywhere in the environment these sizes are given in inches – even when the sockets happen to be metric.