Ratchet Wrench 1/2"

The 1/2" drive ratchet is the heavy-torque ratchet in a working bike shop. Pedal removal at full breakaway torque on a stuck pedal. Large hub axle nuts on freehub-driver service. BB sockets where the cup is corrosion-seized and needs more than hand-torque to free. Anywhere the 3/8" or 1/4" doesn't have the body strength or the handle leverage for the job.

The 1/2" Ratchet Wrench has 75 pawls and a 4.8° engagement angle. Same fine-engagement pawl mechanism as the 3/8" version, sized for higher torque. The 260 mm handle gives the leverage that the heavier work calls for; long enough to break a stuck pedal, short enough to fit a working bench's tool drawer.

What the 1/2" handles

• Pedal removal on a customer bike where the pedal has been on for years and is corrosion-stuck
• Large hub axle nuts (over 19 mm typical) on cup-and-cone hubs and certain freehub-driver bodies
• BB cup install/removal when the cup is corrosion-seized
• Wheelbuilding stand axles and certain crown-race tools that use 1/2" drive
• Any other workshop job where the 3/8" body or handle isn't sufficient

For most bike-specific socket work, the 3/8" is the right starting point. For small fasteners, the 1/4". Most shops own all three; each has a clear job the others can't do as well.

Specs

• 1/2" square drive
• 75 pawls, 4.8° engagement angle
• 260 mm handle
• Drop-forged chrome-vanadium body
• Chrome plated
• Double-component handle
• Article number: 190.1/1ABI-US (1/2" variant)

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. The 1/2" ratchet is forged from heavier-stock chrome-vanadium than the 3/8" and 1/4"; same steel grade, same heat-treatment process, scaled for the higher working torque. The pawl mechanism is the same fine-engagement 75-pawl design, sized for the larger drive square.

Pro tip from our mechanics

The breakaway-torque pedal is the most common job that the 1/2" handles where the 3/8" struggles. A pedal that's been on for five years has typically galvanized into the crank's threads; the 260 mm handle gives the leverage that breaks the galvanization without breaking the ratchet's drive. If the pedal won't move with the 1/2" at full hand-leverage and a pipe over the handle, the next step isn't more leverage; it's heat, penetrating oil, and a longer wait. Our workshop hand tools guide covers heavy-torque tool selection and the rest of the workshop tool layer: Workshop hand tools every bike shop needs →