Walden 3150M

[hickory n Steel]

There's one available for $18 with free shipping and it looks like a nice super low profile little 1/4 Dr ratchet, but the seller states that it does work but recommends a rebuild kit.

Is it worth a gamble at this price on the chance it really just needs a good cleaning and lubrication, and if it would need a rebulid kit are these common enough that a kit could be found ?

[Davethorik]

I would say pass. That is kind of pricy for a used ratchet needing rebuilt.

[J.A.F.E.]

I agree.

Parts are not likely easy to find so don't spend more than you're willing to gamble.

[coolmercury]

Not likely to find a rebuild kit for any Walden ratchet.  Based on the fact I have never seen any offered on e-bay.

[hickory n Steel]

Alright, I'll pass. It's listed as " as is" with no offer available which means the seller thinks they've got it priced accordingly and there's no chance in talking the price down.
It's a cool little ratchet too, maybe I'll start actively looking for one

I guess if I was comfortable with the price I wouldn't have asked. 

[ken w.]

I'm the guy who buys any ratchet rebuild kits that are cheap or hard to find. I've never come across a rebuild kit for this ratchet. I also think you could pick up one of these ratchets that's in good working condition for  @ $ 15.00.

[hickory n Steel]

Thanks for the info about the rebuild kit.

This is what I'm talking about btw


I only post this because a different Walden ratchet comes up in my Google search .

[J.A.F.E.]

Pretty cool looking little item. I'd be tempted as well but then I have a small collection of ratchets.

[hickory n Steel]

Pretty cool looking little item. I'd be tempted as well but then I have a small collection of ratchets.

It's a really thin ratchet too.

Oh well, I just scored a Walden 1151for $20 shipped, has a bit of chrome peel but is said to work fine 
Man Walden made some cool ratchets, especially the 1151 that looks real purdy and the head on it is so small.
I'm still planning to just find a few favorite ratchets for various situations in 1/4 and 3/8, but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

[hickory n Steel]

Pretty cool looking little item. I'd be tempted as well but then I have a small collection of ratchets.

It's a really thin ratchet too.

Oh well, I just scored a Walden 1151for $20 shipped, has a bit of.chrome peep but is said to work fine 
Man Walden made some cool ratchets, especially the 1151 that looks real purdy and the head on it is so small.
I'm still planning to just find a few favorite ratchets for various situations in 1/4 and 3/8, but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

Damn it, I just realized the 1151 is a 1/2dr ratchet.
There was little info in the listing and it had popped up in my search of 1/4" ratchets so I didn't think to much about it.
I guess I can always trade it for something I have more need for.

[J.A.F.E.]

[snip] but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

Easier to start than to stop.

[highland512]

Do you buy all your tools off eBay? I have bought a few from the bay but from my experience your money is better spent elsewhere. Sometimes you find a deal but most of the time sellers demand a premium.

[hickory n Steel]

Do you buy all your tools off eBay? I have bought a few from the bay but from my experience your money is better spent elsewhere. Sometimes you find a deal but most of the time sellers demand a premium.

The only place around me that I know of where old tools can be found ( besides the occasional random tool at Goodwill ) is the nearest flea market in the next town over but the tools always sell early and I work weekends.
I don't like having to get all my stuff off eBay, but it's my only option at the moment.

[bonneyman]

[snip] but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

Easier to start than to stop.

Want to stop? Put your wife in charge of the tool fund! 

[hickory n Steel]

[snip] but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

Easier to start than to stop.

Tell me about it.

At first I didn't mind as I was filling my arsenal with tools I needed to have around, but now I'm mostly past that and really need to cool it on tools I can really live without.
I guess if I log out of eBay I'll have time to stop myself before I log back in 

[hickory n Steel]

[snip] but I can already see how easy it is to start collecting them .

Easier to start than to stop.

Want to stop? Put your wife in charge of the tool fund! 

Im still young and single, but I think logging out of eBay will help a little.

[J.A.F.E.]

Want to stop? Put your wife in charge of the tool fund! 

No no desire to stop and besides there are a few more I need...

[coolmercury]

I had decided I would stop collecting ratchets when I reached 500, but I recently noticed I have 581.

[DeadNutz]

I have slowed my tool buying way down and I haven't done ebay in years. It helped that my friend moved his pawn shop to Idaho and his shop was where I bought many tools. I keep my eyes open for cool tools or ones that I need but that is about it.

[hickory n Steel]

I probably won't be dissappointed with the Walden 1/2" ratchet I've got coming, but had i known about the " return " option before it had shipped I probably would've done so.

It's just that this was an impulse buy that I really didn't need, not that I really need another 1/4" ratchet but I have more interest in them currently and that's what I thought it was.

[d42jeep]

I saw these on eBay being sold by the seller that is selling off tools for Alloy Artifacts and I couldn't resist them. The larger ratchet  is 3/8" drive and the smaller is a regular 1/4" drive ratchet. The 3/8" flex handle is unusual in that the handle is designed to accept a cheater bar. What was Walden thinking?
-Don

[d42jeep]

Here are the ratchets after disassembly, cleaning and lubrication.
-Don

[hickory n Steel]

Here are the ratchets after disassembly, cleaning and lubrication.
-Don

Real cool.

I should have my Walden 1/2" ratchet within the hour.

[bonneyman]

Nice snag, Don!

[Conductor562]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

[hickory n Steel]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

Always have and always will have a thing for knives and airguns ( nothing fancy, just the classic American pumpers and some Daisy bb slingers ), so it can't all be spent on tools but it's just so much easier to justify a ratchet or some other small purchase here or there.
My plan is just to find a few ratchets in each size that I really like, once I've tried the common styles I can evaluate what I like and go from there.
Sounds impossible but I think I can make it happen.

[bonneyman]

...My plan is just to find a few ratchets in each size that I really like, once I've tried the common styles I can evaluate what I like and go from there...

Good plan. I always tried to "borrow" a tool and use it to see if I liked it. This worked especially well with my first cordless drill. Borrowed a Makita, Panasonic, Milwaukee, B&D, etc. from co-workers before finally settling on the Makita 9.6.

I have always preferred round head rats with round knurled handles. My first ratchet was an S-K 45170, because my dad had S-K tools. So, when I bought my first socket set, S-K was what I bought. About 4 years later secured a Thorsen 77 roundhead for $1. Every ratchet after those has had to better the feel, action, fit, and durability. Never really got into 90+ teeth, flex head, pear head, Craftsman handles. Just my preference. Though now I have several designs that for one reason or another fit a particular bill. So, I'd say your plan is sound.

And you always have us guys to help out with advice.  (Hint hint, buy S-K!)

[crankshaftdan II]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

OH!   That really struck a nerve-sure there are several people on here that this applies to-including myself.

[mikef2316]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

I find myself buying tools that at one point in the past, in my more tool poor (and money poor) days would have saved me some time.  Like if there was one job that I did 20 years ago where one thin crow's foot would have saved me some time, well I'll buy a set each of Metric and fractional, even if I don't remember what the job was.  And of course I don't have that car anymore anyway.

[J.A.F.E.]

I find myself buying tools that at one point in the past, in my more tool poor (and money poor) days would have saved me some time.  Like if there was one job that I did 20 years ago where one thin crow's foot would have saved me some time, well I'll buy a set each of Metric and fractional, even if I don't remember what the job was.  And of course I don't have that car anymore anyway.

Sounds perfectly normal to me.

[bonneyman]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

I find myself buying tools that at one point in the past, in my more tool poor (and money poor) days would have saved me some time.  Like if there was one job that I did 20 years ago where one thin crow's foot would have saved me some time, well I'll buy a set each of Metric and fractional, even if I don't remember what the job was.  And of course I don't have that car anymore anyway.

Don't get me started on car tools. I worked so hard to accumulate tools for my Toyota pick-up (timing light, carb tools, distributor tools, etc.) and in a split second the car was gone. And my other vehicles are EFI! Dang!

[hickory n Steel]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

As your capabilities grow so will your desire to expand your skills. As your skills grow, your wants and “needs” will to. Your tastes will evolve. Some things that interest you now will no longer amuse you and you’ll unboundedly buy some shit where you’ll almost instantly question the logic behind the purchase. Some asshole will post a killer deal on here and even though you didn’t really need 36 bottles of Tap Magic, there they’ll sit. Who the hell needs 581 ratchets? Nobody needs 581 ratchets. The Armies of mid-sized European nations operate with less ratchets than that, but here a man makes such a statement and nobody doubts it or even bats an eye.

 Soon enough you’ll be watching for the brown truck hoping to make a discrete transfer before the Mrs. catches on. Then one day you’ll look around and wonder how in the hell you ended up with all this stuff. You’ll sell some things here and there, but you’ll just use the money to buy new tools that are better suited to your current interest. There’s no turning back now. It’s like banging heroine or buying a timeshare, it’s easy to start, but damn near impossible to get out of.

My advice? Stay off the tool trucks and marry an understanding woman who knows about your addiction up front.

I find myself buying tools that at one point in the past, in my more tool poor (and money poor) days would have saved me some time.  Like if there was one job that I did 20 years ago where one thin crow's foot would have saved me some time, well I'll buy a set each of Metric and fractional, even if I don't remember what the job was.  And of course I don't have that car anymore anyway.

I'm accumulating tools because I now can, but I do pretty much have most all basic essentials at this point.
Now all I can really say is that I don't necessarily not need it.

[bonneyman]

I said to myself once, “I’ve got all the tools I really NEED”. That was many, many, UPS deliveries, flea market trips, and impulse buys ago.

Tool sets are like waistlines - whether you like it or not, they both tend to grow with time.

[DeadNutz]

I feel it is perfectly fine to buy tools you may need some day. When you need it you save plenty of time over having to run somewhere to buy one. At least that is what I tell myself every single time I buy tools I don't need at the moment.

[bmwrd0]

"No one needs 581 ratchets."

Lies! LIES!
 
I need the 40-50 socket sets tucked away in my basement.

But seriously, my tools have made me money, saved me money and made my hours pleasant. They are a hobby, and as long as you keep your spending in hand it is all for the good.

[coolmercury]

No lies, and I'm not counting the ratchets in my 539 socket sets.