Tech & Gadgets
The Best Cordless Ratchets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)
We compared four cordless ratchets on published torque, head size, speed and motor type, and found that two of the four never state the torque figure at all.
The short version
Makita's RW01Z is the pick: 35 ft-lbs of published torque, 0 to 800 RPM, 2.35 lbs with a battery, and a drive anvil that swaps between 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch. DeWalt's 12V MAX DCF503B is the value buy if you are on that platform, with a brushless motor and the slimmest listed body here at 2.52 in, though DeWalt publishes no torque figure for it. The 20V ATOMIC DCF513B is the depends pick, because it runs the same 250 RPM as the 12V while being 1.6 in longer and heavier, so it only makes sense if 20V MAX is the only battery you own. Skip the Craftsman CMCF930B: it is the one brushed motor in the group and the bulkiest listed body at 3.5 in, which is the dimension that decides whether the tool fits the fastener. Best for: anyone spinning down long bolts in a spot a drill will not reach.
Our picks at a glance
- Makita RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet - Buy. The lightest and shortest tool in the group, three times the free speed of either DeWalt, and it publishes its torque.
- DeWalt DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet - Buy. Brushless, the slimmest listed body here, and the sensible choice if your batteries are already DeWalt 12V.
- DeWalt DCF513B ATOMIC COMPACT 20V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet - It depends. The same 250 RPM as the 12V version in a body that is 1.6 in. longer and heavier, so the reason to buy it is the battery.
- Craftsman CMCF930B V20 Cordless 3/8 in. Drive Ratchet - Skip. It publishes its torque, which the DeWalts do not, and then loses on the two things that actually decide a ratchet.
The verdict in 30 seconds
What mattered most
- Published max torque
- Free speed
- Motor
- Square drive
- Listed height
- Listed length
A cordless ratchet exists for one situation: a fastener that a hand ratchet can reach but that would take fifty swings of a stubby handle. It is a speed tool, not a power tool, and the two numbers that decide whether it works for you are how much torque it makes and how thick the head is. We pulled the published specs for four current models. Two of them do not publish a torque figure anywhere on the product page.
The lightest and shortest tool in the group, three times the free speed of either DeWalt, and it publishes its torque.
Best for: Anyone who wants the smallest tool that still makes real torque, and who works across both 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. sockets.
- 35 ft-lbs of maximum torque, stated on Makita's spec sheet alongside the metric figure of 47 N-m.
- 0 to 800 RPM variable, more than three times the free speed of either DeWalt here.
- The square drive is interchangeable between 3/8 in. and 1/4 in., so one tool covers both socket sets.
- 2.35 lbs with a battery and 13-7/16 in. long, the smallest numbers in this comparison.
- Runs on 12V max CXT, a smaller platform than Makita's own 18V LXT line.
- Makita does not publish a head height, so you cannot compare its profile against the DeWalts on paper.
- Bare tool, with the battery and charger sold separately.
- No published motor type, so whether it is brushed or brushless is not stated.
Brushless, the slimmest listed body here, and the sensible choice if your batteries are already DeWalt 12V.
Best for: DeWalt 12V MAX owners who want a slim brushless ratchet and can accept that the torque rating is not published.
- Brushless motor, which holds output better under load than the brushed alternative in this group.
- 2.52 in. listed height, the slimmest body of the three that publish the figure.
- Glass-filled nylon housing, which DeWalt states is there to resist oils and solvents.
- Variable speed trigger and an onboard LED, at 2.43 lbs bare.
- DeWalt publishes no torque figure for this tool anywhere on the product page.
- 250 RPM free speed, less than a third of the Makita's.
- The spec table lists Total Number of Batteries as 3 on a tool DeWalt sells as bare, which is a data error.
- 12V MAX is a smaller platform than DeWalt's own 20V MAX line.
The same 250 RPM as the 12V version in a body that is 1.6 in. longer and heavier, so the reason to buy it is the battery.
Best for: People who own 20V MAX batteries and nothing else, and who would rather carry one battery platform than gain a slimmer tool.
- Runs on 20V MAX, which is the platform most DeWalt owners already have.
- Brushless motor and the same glass-filled nylon housing as the 12V model.
- Detent pin anvil, variable speed trigger and an onboard LED.
- 250 RPM, identical to the 12V DCF503B, so the larger battery buys no extra speed on paper.
- 15.79 in. long against the 12V's 14.2 in., and 2.63 lbs against 2.43 lbs.
- 2.8 in. listed height, thicker through the body than the 12V.
- No published torque figure, same as the 12V.
It publishes its torque, which the DeWalts do not, and then loses on the two things that actually decide a ratchet.
Best for: Almost nobody. If you are on the Craftsman V20 platform and use a ratchet twice a year it will spin bolts, but the head profile is the wrong place to save money.
- 35 ft-lbs of maximum torque published, matching the Makita's figure.
- 300 RPM, slightly faster free speed than either DeWalt.
- 2.3 lb listed weight, the lightest bare figure in the group.
- Craftsman's spec table lists a brushed motor, the only one in this comparison.
- 3.5 in. listed height, the bulkiest body here, which is the dimension that decides whether it reaches the fastener.
- 14.57 in. long, longer than both the Makita and the 12V DeWalt.
- Power Source is listed as Integrated Batteries on a tool sold bare, which contradicts the rest of the page.
| Criteria | RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet | DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet | DCF513B ATOMIC COMPACT 20V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet | CMCF930B V20 Cordless 3/8 in. Drive Ratchet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Buy it | Buy it | It depends | Skip it |
| Best for | Anyone who wants the smallest tool that still makes real torque, and who works across both 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. sockets. | DeWalt 12V MAX owners who want a slim brushless ratchet and can accept that the torque rating is not published. | People who own 20V MAX batteries and nothing else, and who would rather carry one battery platform than gain a slimmer tool. | Almost nobody. If you are on the Craftsman V20 platform and use a ratchet twice a year it will spin bolts, but the head profile is the wrong place to save money. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$ · mid-range | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
| Published max torque | 35 ft-lbs (47 N-m) | Not published | Not published | 35 ft-lbs |
| Free speed | 0 - 800 RPM | 250 RPM | 250 RPM | 300 RPM |
| Motor | Not published | Brushless | Brushless | Brushed |
| Square drive | 3/8 in. and 1/4 in., interchangeable | 3/8 in. | 3/8 in. | 3/8 in. |
| Listed height | Not published | 2.52 in. | 2.8 in. | 3.5 in. |
| Listed length | 13-7/16 in. | 14.2 in. | 15.79 in. | 14.57 in. |
| Weight | 2.35 lbs with battery | 2.43 lbs bare | 2.63 lbs bare | 2.3 lbs bare |
| Battery platform | 12V max CXT | 12V MAX | 20V MAX | V20 |
Which one is right for you?
- Anyone who wants the smallest tool that still makes real torque, and who works across both 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. sockets. Buy it Makita RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet
- DeWalt 12V MAX owners who want a slim brushless ratchet and can accept that the torque rating is not published. Buy it DeWalt DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet
- People who own 20V MAX batteries and nothing else, and who would rather carry one battery platform than gain a slimmer tool. It depends DeWalt DCF513B ATOMIC COMPACT 20V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet
- Almost nobody. If you are on the Craftsman V20 platform and use a ratchet twice a year it will spin bolts, but the head profile is the wrong place to save money. Skip it Craftsman CMCF930B V20 Cordless 3/8 in. Drive Ratchet
How we judged the field
Five things decide a cordless ratchet. Published torque comes first, because it is what tells you whether the tool will move a fastener rather than just spin one that is already loose. Head and body thickness comes second, since the entire reason to own one of these is reaching places a hand ratchet cannot be swung. Third is free speed, which is what turns a fifty-swing job into a five-second one. Fourth is motor type, because brushless holds output better as the tool warms up. Fifth is drive size and whether the anvil can be changed, since a tool that covers both 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. replaces two.
The field splits by battery platform more than by capability. There are 12V-class tools built to be small, and there are tools on the big 18V and 20V platforms that are bigger without necessarily being stronger, which is exactly what the two DeWalts here demonstrate. We took one tool from each of the three largest platforms plus the second DeWalt specifically to show what the bigger battery buys, which on paper turns out to be nothing except battery compatibility.
Makita RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet - buy
The RW01Z is the tool that answers the most questions. Makita publishes 35 ft-lbs of maximum torque with the metric equivalent beside it, which is more than either DeWalt will say, and it runs 0 to 800 RPM against their 250. That speed difference is the whole point of the category: a ratchet that spins three times faster turns a long bolt in a third of the time. It is also the smallest tool here at 2.35 lbs with a battery fitted and 13-7/16 in. long, which is a genuinely different object to hold than a 15.79 in. tool. The interchangeable anvil is the quiet feature that matters most day to day, since swapping between 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. drive means one tool covers a full socket set rather than half of one. The gaps are in what Makita omits: no head height, and no motor type, so you cannot tell from the page whether it is brushless. Buy it unless you are locked to another battery.
DeWalt DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet - buy
The DCF503B is the tool to buy if your batteries say DeWalt 12V MAX. It is brushless, it uses a glass-filled nylon housing that DeWalt specifically states is there to resist oils and solvents, and at 2.52 in. it has the slimmest listed body of the three tools here that publish the figure. That last number is the one that decides whether the tool fits behind a bracket. Against that, 250 RPM is a third of the Makita’s free speed, and DeWalt publishes no torque figure at all, which means you are buying on brand rather than on a number you can check. The spec table also lists Total Number of Batteries as 3 for a tool sold bare, which is a plain data error and a small sign of how carefully the page was filled in. Take it for the platform and the slim body.
DeWalt DCF513B ATOMIC COMPACT 20V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet - it depends
The DCF513B is the one worth pausing over, because on the page it looks like the bigger, better version and on the numbers it is not. It runs 250 RPM, exactly the same as the 12V DCF503B. It is 15.79 in. long against the 12V’s 14.2 in. It weighs 2.63 lbs bare against 2.43 lbs. It is 2.8 in. through the body against 2.52 in. Every dimension that matters in a ratchet moves the wrong way, and the free speed does not move at all. What you get in exchange is real but narrow: it runs on 20V MAX, which is the platform most DeWalt owners already have batteries for, and that saves buying into a second system for one tool. If you own 20V MAX packs and no 12V packs, buy it and accept the size. If you own neither, buy the smaller tool.
Craftsman CMCF930B V20 Cordless 3/8 in. Drive Ratchet - skip
The CMCF930B is the one to leave, and the frustrating part is that it publishes more than the DeWalts do. Craftsman states 35 ft-lbs of maximum torque and 300 RPM, both real numbers, and at 2.3 lbs it has the lightest bare weight in the group. Then the spec table gives away why it is cheap. The motor is brushed, the only one in this comparison, so output will fade as the brushes wear. More importantly it is 3.5 in. through the body, roughly an inch thicker than the 12V DeWalt, and thickness is the dimension a ratchet lives or dies on. A tool that makes the same torque as the Makita but cannot reach the fastener has not saved you anything. The page also lists Power Source as Integrated Batteries on a bare tool, which contradicts the rest of the listing. Skip it.
Makita RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet vs DeWalt DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet: which should you buy?
The Makita RW01Z and the DeWalt DCF503B are close, and they are close in different ways. The Makita wins on everything you can measure: 35 ft-lbs published against nothing published, 800 RPM against 250, 13-7/16 in. against 14.2 in., 2.35 lbs with a battery against 2.43 lbs without one. The interchangeable 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. anvil is a real advantage if you own both socket sets, and it is the only tool here that offers it.
The DeWalt’s case is narrower and still valid. It is confirmed brushless where Makita says nothing about the motor, and at 2.52 in. through the body it is the slimmest tool with a published height, which on a ratchet is worth a lot. If you already own DeWalt 12V MAX packs, the price of switching to Makita is a charger and two batteries, and that changes the arithmetic completely. Buy on platform first. If you are starting fresh, the Makita is the better tool by the numbers each brand chose to publish.
What to look for
- A published torque figure: two of the four tools here state none at all, and it is the number that decides whether the ratchet will break a hand-tight fastener loose.
- Body height, not just length: the dimension that stops a ratchet fitting is how thick it is through the head, and it ranges from 2.52 in. to 3.5 in. across the tools here that publish it.
- Free speed in RPM: the whole reason to own one of these is speed, and the spread here runs from 250 to 800 RPM.
- Brushless where the price allows: it is standard above the budget tier, and a brushed motor at a mid-range price tells you where the savings came from.
- Whether the anvil is interchangeable: a tool that swaps between 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. drive covers a whole socket set instead of half of one.
- Which battery you already own: a cordless ratchet is not worth starting a second battery platform for, and the platform decision usually settles the tool decision.
Our final take
This is a category where the tool that publishes the most is the tool worth buying. The Makita RW01Z states its torque, states its speed, is the smallest and lightest thing here, and takes both common drive sizes on one anvil. The DeWalt DCF503B is the answer if your batteries are already DeWalt 12V, and it is genuinely slim, but you are buying a torque figure that DeWalt has chosen not to give you. The 20V ATOMIC exists so 20V MAX owners do not have to buy a second charger, and on every measurable dimension it is a step backwards from the 12V. The Craftsman publishes its numbers and then loses on head size and motor type, which is the wrong pair of things to give up on a tool whose entire job is fitting into places.
Questions, answered
How much torque does a cordless ratchet actually need?
Thirty-five ft-lbs, the figure both the Makita and the Craftsman publish, is enough to run almost any fastener down and to break loose anything that was installed by hand. It is not enough for anything torqued with a wrench and left to corrode, which is why a cordless ratchet is a speed tool rather than a breaking tool. The normal working pattern is to crack the fastener loose with a hand ratchet or a breaker bar, spin it out with the cordless, and reverse that on the way back in.
Why do two of these tools not publish a torque figure?
DeWalt states no maximum torque for either the DCF503B or the DCF513B on their product pages, while listing speed, weight and dimensions. There is no standard that requires it, and torque on a ratchet is awkward to quote because the tool is designed to be finished by hand. That does not make the omission harmless. It is the one number that tells you whether the tool will move a fastener, and comparing a tool that publishes 35 ft-lbs against one that publishes nothing is not a comparison.
Does the head height really matter that much?
It is usually the deciding factor. A cordless ratchet earns its place in spots where a socket wrench fits but your hand cannot swing it, and in those spots the limiting dimension is how thick the tool is through the head and body. Across the three tools here that publish it, the range runs from 2.52 in. to 3.5 in., which is close to an inch of difference in the dimension that decides whether the tool goes in at all. Measure the tightest place you actually work before you shop.
Can I use a cordless ratchet to final-torque a fastener?
No. None of these tools measures torque, and the published figure is a maximum output rather than a setting. Anything with a specified torque value, which includes most fasteners on a vehicle, needs a torque wrench for the last step. The right sequence is to run the fastener down with the cordless until it seats and then switch to a torque wrench, which is also the only way to know that a fastener was not left loose.
Brushed or brushless: does it matter on a tool this small?
Less than on a high-draw tool, but it still matters. A brushless motor has no wearing carbon contacts, runs cooler, and holds output more consistently as it heats up under a sustained pull. On a ratchet, which spends most of its life spinning freely and only loads up at the end of a fastener's travel, the practical difference over a year of home use is small. Over years of daily use it is the reason the brushless tools cost more.
Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Makita RW01Z 12V max CXT 3/8 in. and 1/4 in. Cordless Ratchet vs DeWalt DCF503B 12V MAX Brushless 3/8 in. Ratchet.
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