I’ve got enough Proto pear heads laying around to outfit a small army. They are 24 tooth, and the heads are wide. They are an industrial ratchet and aren’t going to wow you in a tight spot under the hood.
However, they’ve been making them basically the same way for going on 100 years. There aren’t many situations (maybe not ANY) where you can have a ratchet made before WWII, and one made last week, where the parts are interchangeable. There’s a reason for that, and it isn’t because they’re shitty. They’re smooth for a 24T and one you put a few miles on it, backdrag is almost nothing.
I grew up with Proto pear heads, so I guess they are the standard by which I judge all other ratchets. I’ve got I don’t know how many ratchets (75 ish). Everything from Chinese shit to $150 Mac Axis. The Mac’s are certainly the nicest ratchets I own, but when I’m doing some shitty, oily, nasty, or dirty job, the good old Proto is my first reach. You’ll appreciate them anywhere there’s space to work and the really shine doing suspension or undercarriage work.