Reviews

  

 A very honest review of our Superleggera Titanium Ratchet by a Japanese tool reviewer "Hato's tools":

 

 

Our debut on Project Farm - proved our strength to weight ratio (and backdrag) is the best in the world, even among top brands from the US, Japan and Germany:

 

 

An in-depth review by Australian professional bike mechanic and journalist Dave Rome:

 Threaded #13: The return of New Tools Day - Escape Collective

 

"Any tool that comes in its own safecase is typically worth a show-and-tell in front of the class. The contents of this may surprise."

 

"Yep, it’s a ratchet. Yet, not just any ratchet. This is the 1/4″ Drive Titanium Ratchet from TRO Designs , an American company that specialises in making truly desirable products aimed at motorcycle enthusiasts.

Meanwhile the provided foam liner can be used to build out a portable tool kit from."

 

"These ratchets are designed to be the benchmark for a fully functional ratchet at the lightest possible weight (for a portable moto tool kit). This one has all the fancy things, including a CNC-machined Ti-6AL-4V body, 3D-printed titanium switch, and titanium fasteners."

 

"All that titanium means it’s a fully-functional ratchet that can still impress the most hardcore of weight weenies.

Being so light also makes me feel better about having Escape Collective member (and professional SailGP athlete!) Ben Bardwell courier this across the world for me. Thanks Ben!"

 

"On top of being light, this 72T ratchet also has the lowest backdrag (the friction in getting the tool to ratchet, lower is better) of any ratchet I’ve ever used. And yes, it’s even lower than the benchmarks of Koken Zeal and Nepros (the premium brand of KTC).

The internals are sourced from a specialist manufacturer in Taiwan and then put through multiple processes including shot peening, polishing, and manganese phosphate coating in order to bring a silky smooth ratchet action."

 

"TRO Designs claims this little 1/4-in. ratchet has been tested to a maximum failure torque beyond 99 Nm. That is whole lot more than you could ever apply to a tool with this handle length."

 

"Flawless knurling into that hollow titanium handle."

 

"Ok, it’s beautiful, amazingly light, corrosion-proof, and the smoothest of all. The catch? A tiny ratchet like this retails for US$233-US$248 (depending on coating). Also, I bought one of the last of the batch and so availability is currently nil.

The next batch (a month or so away) is rumoured to be even more premium with further obsessive detailing on the surface finishes and Cryo treatment. Oh my."

 

"I’ve loved using this ratchet (with the pictured Nepros quick spinner and Koken Zeal 4 mm hex bit), but it may not stick as my daily driver. This is mostly down to the switch direction being matched to Koken, but the reverse of my regular choices (Snap-On and Nepros). It may not sound like much, but it’s akin to having a different size keyboard, and muscle memory keeps tripping me up in rapid use.

Additionally, as I’ve experienced with Koken ratchets, the light spring action can lead to the switch sitting between direction settings. It’s only a microsecond of issue, but it’s another reason for why I commonly choose Nepros and Snap-on ratchets. That feather light force in the direction switch also makes it more susceptible to accidental switching.

And lastly, this ratchet has been a reminder that lighter tools are not always superior. For me, I quite like how a steel handle of a ratchet allows it to fall back into my palm under its ratcheting action. By contrast, this ultra-light tool requires more manual movement."