Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Combination spanner vs ratchet spanner

Updated: 22 October 2026

The listing with 100 teeth looks stronger than the plain ring at a third of the price. Combination spanner vs ratchet spanner is a pawl in the ring, not a better steel grade. Buy the ratchet when the nut already turns and the swing is short. Buy the plain ring when you still have to break the nut loose. The [combination spanner comparison](/hub/hand-tools/combination-spanner) shows which files have a ratchet and which do not. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, wrote it on 22 October 2026 from those listings and UK tool guidance, not from a strength test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The listing with 100 teeth looks stronger than the plain ring at a third of the price. Combination spanner vs ratchet spanner is a pawl in the ring, not a better steel grade.

Our top picks

Draper Draper Expert 03895 7-piece ratchet set

Best overall

Draper Draper Expert 03895 7-piece ratchet set
5.2/10about £57.60
View offer
BGS BGS 1197 12-piece combination set

Rank 2

BGS BGS 1197 12-piece combination set
8.1/10about £12.80
View offer
Qnkaa Qnkaa 12-piece ratchet combination set

Alternative

Qnkaa Qnkaa 12-piece ratchet combination set
6.8/10about £29.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Same two ends, one moving part
  2. 2.What 72 teeth and 100 teeth change
  3. 3.When the ratchet is the right tool
  4. 4.When the plain ring is the right tool

Same two ends, one moving part

Both tools have an open jaw and a ring for the same size. On BGS 1197 the ring is a fixed 12-point at 15 degrees, with no ratchet. A ratchet pawl lets the handle swing back without lifting the tool off. UK Tool Guide says the ratchet is for speed in a short swing, and the weaker choice when the torque is high. The open jaw does not gain a pawl. How to pull, and why a pipe stays off either handle, is how to use a combination spanner.

What 72 teeth and 100 teeth change

A full circle is 360 degrees. Divide by 72 and the arc is 5 degrees. EGOFINE, Qnkaa, DISEN and DURATECH print 72 teeth and a 5-degree swing. Draper Expert 03895 claims 100 teeth and 3.6 degrees. That is how little you must move the handle before the next bite. It is not a strength scale. HSE mentions ratchet spanners only as a way to cut repeated hand movements, not as a torque rating. Nobody in this folder cites ISO 1711-1. Draper’s claim sits on a £57.60 set whose sizes are not listed, with 5.0 from nine reviews. One UK text says the heads that arrived were fixed and straight.
Draper Draper Expert 03895 7-piece ratchet set

Testsieger

Draper Draper Expert 03895 7-piece ratchet set
5.2/10about £57.60
View offer

When the ratchet is the right tool

Use it on a free nut in a short gap. The pawl removes the lift-off. Qnkaa, at £29.95, lists every millimetre from 8 to 19 on 72-tooth ratchet spanners. DURATECH, at £24.99, puts 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 19 mm on two tools. Nine reviews is a thin sample, and a non-UK text calls the heads bulky. Which roll matches the other sizes is best combination spanner sets. A ratchet does not set torque. If you do not yet know whether the nut is seized, start with the plain ring.

When the plain ring is the right tool

Start with the plain ring when the nut is rusty or you have not moved it yet. DISEN says the pawls can be damaged on seized fasteners. RS Components’ UK guide says a seized nut can break the ratchet. BGS 1197, at £12.80, names DIN 3113-A and has no pawl to shear, but it skips 15 and 16 mm. Material and the DIN line are in the buying guide. Use Qnkaa when the nut turns and about 5 degrees is all the swing you have. Use BGS when you are breaking the nut loose. Finer teeth do not replace that choice.

Common questions

What is the difference in the hand?
You lift a plain ring off the nut every stroke. A ratchet ring stays on and clicks back. The open jaw does not ratchet. The time you save is the reseating, which matters when a panel stops the handle after a few degrees. On a free 13 mm bracket bolt the ratchet is quicker. On a rusty one it is the wrong end to insist with.
Why does 72 teeth mean about 5 degrees?
Because 360 divided by 72 is 5. The handle needs about 5 degrees of movement before the next bite. Qnkaa, DISEN, DURATECH and EGOFINE print that pair. It is geometry, not a rig test of these spanners. In a gap where your hand only moves a few degrees, that click is why the tool exists.
Is 100 teeth stronger than 72?
No. Draper claims 100 teeth and 3.6 degrees, which is a shorter swing than 5 degrees. The file shows no strength test, the seven sizes are unlisted, and one UK buyer reported fixed straight heads. Do not pay £57.60 on the assumption a higher tooth count will free a seized nut. Choose it only if you need the shorter arc and the tool in the box matches the claim.
Can I crack a rusty nut with the ratchet?
Do not plan to. DISEN says the pawls can be damaged on seized fasteners. RS UK says a seized nut can break a ratchet. Put a fixed ring on, pull once, and if it does not move, use penetrating oil or a socket rather than a longer handle. Qnkaa’s report of a ratchet falling apart on first use is what that warning looks like in a review.
When is Qnkaa, DURATECH or BGS the right file?
Qnkaa, at £29.95, when you want 8–19 mm with no gap and the nuts are free. DURATECH, at £24.99, when those eight sizes are enough and you accept nine reviews. BGS 1197, at £12.80, when you want a plain ring and a DIN 3113-A line, and you can miss 15 and 16 mm. BGS will not give you a 5-degree stroke. Qnkaa will not give you a pawl-free break-loose.
Does a ratchet set a torque?
No. Clicking through 5 degrees does not tell you newton metres. Suspension, brake and wheel fasteners have a figure, and a torque wrench is what reads it. The ratchet only runs a nut that is already free. Treating the end of the swing as tight enough leaves a clamp under-tight, or crushes a soft fitting.

Related pages

Combination spanner for car repair

Combination spanner

Best combination spanner set by the sizes you need

Combination spanner buying guide: sizes, then steel

How to use a combination spanner: ring first, no pipe

Sources

Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. HSE, INDG229 Using work equipment safely (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. HSE, repetition and upper-limb disorders (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. ISO 1711-1:2019 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. nidirect, buying goods and services (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Hagerty UK, choosing spanners for DIY (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Wheels Alive, threads, spanners and things (retrieved 22.10.2026)