Choosing yours
More than any additional tool, a ratchet will last you an eternity. Quality ratchets could be serviced inexpensively and so should never wear out. Sockets are interchangeable because they’re all standard. Buy the very best ratchet you can afford, even if you buy inexpensive sockets to start with.

Socket release
Sockets will be held onto the ratchet utilizing a bit of spring-loaded ball on the side of the square travel. After applying a lot of push, I’ve generally found sockets get stuck on the drive and the only way to have them off is to hammer the ratchet on to the floor or even grip it in a vice. Top quality ratchets include a button on the back which efficiently pushes off the socket when you are prepared to release it.

1/4 inches – Used for smaller sockets and precision work. Useful for Ratchets Wheel dismantling individual components on the bench.
3/8 inch – The middle sized, and for me, most useful size for standard use on an automobile. A 3/8″ drive can drive sockets of most sizes. It is big enough to apply a great deal of force, but not too big to fit into tight spaces
1/2 inch – 1/2″ sockets are generally employed for nuts and bolts from around 10mm or more. A 1/2″ drive socket can apply enough power to undo all nuts on an automobile.
There are also 3/4″ and 1″ ratchets but these are being used on trucks, tanks and industrial machinery.
Tooth count
Inside a ratchet you will find a toothed wheel which lets it freely rotate as you tighten the nut. Each click you hear is a tooth passing the ratchet. The more pearly whites there are, the much less movement is needed on the give back stroke. A ratchet with 75 teeth will work considerably faster when compared to a 32-tooth ratchet. Making great tooth-counts requires top quality engineering and making, so as a general guide the better quality tools will have an increased tooth count.

Drive sizes
socket-drive-sizes
All ratchets accept sockets utilizing a square travel and mostly there are three sizes of drive. All around the universe these sizes are given in inches – even when the sockets will be metric.