Snap-On is well-known for being a premium tool vendor, but how does it’s ratchet compare to Harbor Freight Icon budget option? Here’s the breakdown.
Harbor Freight makes plenty of tools that are perfect for working on a project car, but the retailer’s Icon brand is an appealing option for professionals too. In 2025, Icon released its second generation of ratchets, with a range of sizes available. These latest ratchets have generated considerable hype for their reported quality and low price, but how do they stack up against ratchets from trusted industry stalwarts like Snap-On? Independent reviewers have put Icon and Snap-On’s ratchets to the test in head-to-head comparisons, and the Icon ratchets deliver consistently impressive results.
A comparison by Torque Test Channel pitted a range of ratchets against each other, including Icon’s G2 ratchets and equivalent tools from Snap-On. One test saw both tools being subjected to a dyno that calculated the force needed for the ratchet to snap. In that test, the 3/8-inch drive, 20-inch long Icon G2 ratchet performed better than its Snap-On equivalent, snapping at 310 ft-lbs of torque while the Snap-On gave up at 280 ft-lbs.
Another test measured the amount of swings it took to complete a 360-degree turn with the swing movement restricted. The test was designed to mirror the conditions that users might encounter when working in confined spaces, and both the Snap-On and Icon ratchets performed well here. Including both flex head and standard ratchets, the Snap-Ons took an average of 26.
