Prestacycle Pro T-Handle Ratchet Kit Hands-On Review

Oct 19, 2024

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If you’ve been reading my everyday carry(EDC) deals posts, you know I have a preference for practical tools rather over the stabby stuff. My EDC, and my entire philosophy towards life, is more Angus MacGyver than B.A. Baracus. One enthusiast group I’ve found that focuses on small, light, and useful tools is cyclists. People who spend thousands of dollars to save a few grams off their bikes aren’t going to lug around big heavy tools. Prestacycle is an American company from Upstate New York that’s been making tools aimed at cyclists since 2006. I have a whole pile of its tools. Today, I’m focusing on the Pro T-Handle Kit. It’s a small ratchet set that’s not much bigger than my Leatherman Wave, but far more useful.

If you’re looking for pocket-sized quality tools to become part of your EDC, Prestacycle’s Micro Ratchet kits fit the bill functionally. They’re also a great value. For the last six weeks, I’ve been using these tools for multiple jobs on my bicycles, around the house, and even interior work on my car. The quality of the components, particularly the drive mechanism in the ratchet, is top-notch. I’ve used it back-to-back with my Craftsman, Kobalt, and even my Silca ratchets. The Prestacycle is as good or better than any of them. The quarter-inch hex bits included with the kit are great. But you can also use bits from the giant assortment of hex bits that seem to be thrown in with every drill and impact driver deal.

The Pro T-Handle Kit includes two tool carriers that resemble speedloaders. From an EDC packing standpoint, are more useful than a wallet-style carrier. The only downside I’ve found is that it can be difficult to get the bits out of the driver end of the ratchet and extension. This is because the magnets are so strong and so little of the bit is exposed. It’s a minor gripe on an otherwise awesome tool. The Pro kit is just under $30. If you want the standard ratchet and six bits, without the extension, it’s only 18 bucks.

The whole thing, with both tool carriers and all the included bits, weighs 0.36 pounds, or 161 grams. The tool holders are 1.25 inches in diameter and the ratchet stands 4.5 inches high, the extension is 1.75 inches. The bits are all made from hardened S2 stainless and nickel-coated, while the ratchet and extension are chrome. The ratchet is rated for up to 60Nm or roughly 44 lb-ft of torque. That is substantial for such a small tool. The set includes hex bits in 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm, and torx 10, 20, 25, and 30 along with a Phillips. Obviously, your 1/4-inch bits from any set will work in the tool carriers so you can tailor this to your needs and add Imperial hexes, security, tamperproof, or whatever your EDC calls for.

I’ve owned a lot of multi-tools. Most of them have been glorified Swiss Army Knives with fold-out tools and a set of pliers. While the pliers normally work pretty well at plier-ing things, trying to use screwdrivers with oversized handles offset from the centerline of the head or flimsy little scissors with half-inch blades or the three-inch wood saw are at best impractical and more often counterproductive to the user’s objective and sanity. Having an actual ratchet and a T-handle driver can get you out of real binds. Even with its tiny size this a real tool that once you start using it muscle memory takes over and it fits right into your workflow.

I recently got an E-bike from Tenways in for testing. It arrived half-assembled, like most shipped bikes, and just needed to be bolted together. I clamped the bike into my service stand. I could have used full-size tools, but instead grabbed the Prestacycle kit. I also used the TorqRatchet GO. That is a micro-sized beam-style torque wrench that compliments the est of the kit when working on bikes. Or anything else with torque specs between 3 and 12 Nm (2 and 9 lb-ft) of torque.

The bits have great bite into the fasteners. Some of which are aluminum and are easy to round out with the slightest amount of enthusiasm. This is where I found out that it can take some work to get the bits out of the extension and the bottom of the ratchet handle. They’re held in with rare earth magnets. They will not accidentally come out at the wrong time. But with so little to grab onto, it can take some effort with calloused fingertips to get them out at the right times. To date, that’s the only complaint I have with the kit.

You may wonder if a kit this small has any use when working on cars. When I reviewed the Ryobi USB Ratchet, I found that for interior work specifically, there’s definitely a place for smaller, lighter-duty tools in the automotive world. I was doing some work in the footwell of my car. I needed to get the fasteners out on the trim panels to get up and behind the dash. This is the perfect ratchet for that. And when reinstalling them, it’ll keep you from stripping out the U-clip spring nuts that seem to hold all modern cars together.

I didn’t have any flat-pack furniture-building projects to do during the testing period. I can imagine pulling this set out when helping a toolless friend so you can take furniture apart and being that day’s MVP. You’ll totally earn that Costco pizza you were promised.

Back in July, I reviewed the Silca T-Ratchet set that I bought more specifically as a tool kit to take with me while out on a bike. I had coveted that set. I am the first to admit that a lot of that comes from fanboying over a legendary cycling brand. I still love it, but the ratchet in the Prestacycle set functions so much better there’s no comparison. You can only buy the Silca kit with the torque stick, but you can buy the Pro T-Handle Kit for $29. Prestacycle’s TorqRatchet sells for another $59 and you’re still spending $37 less than the Silca kit. There’s also no denying the value of this kit. Another comparison for a 1/4-inch hex drive ratchet would be from Wera and it’s about 50 bucks without bits.

I’ve used the Pro T-Handle Kit on a couple of RC car repairs as well recently. For the most part it worked perfectly, but I will admit that there are some jobs that a set of precision Allen drivers are better for. Some of that is muscle memory and expectations of a certain feel that was burned into my brain decades earlier.

The Prestacycle Pro T-Handle Kit is technically a pocket-sized kit, but it is more appropriate for carrying in your EDC bag. It easily slips into the small side pocket that previously was only useful for granola bars and/or gum. This is functionally one of the best small tool kits I’ve used. It won’t replace the tool kit you should have in your car, but it will certainly get you out of some binds in situations when it may be the only thing you have. Lastly, for just $29 I haven’t found anything that does as much, as easily as this set for the price.