Harbor Freight Icon G2 Ratchets Vs. G1: What's The Difference?
Buying tools from big-name brands can be costly, but for buyers on a tighter budget, Harbor Freight offers a wide range of affordably priced alternatives. While not every Harbor Freight tool is worth buying, the chain's range of in-house brands includes a few that have become favorites with buyers. Icon is among those brands, and it recently announced a new addition to its lineup that mechanics and home wrenchers will want to take note of. In April 2025, Icon announced its new line of G2 ratchets, the follow-up to the G1 line.
The G2 ratchets offer several design and quality improvements compared to their predecessors, as well as a revised range of available sizes. As of this writing, nine G2 ratchets are available from Harbor Freight's website, but YouTube reviewer DMAXRYNO claims that up to 29 variants will be launched in the coming months. Prices for the currently available ratchets range from $44.99 for a 12-1/2 inch, 1/4 inch drive ratchet to $119.99 for a 26 inch, 1/2 inch drive version.
A new, upgraded generation
One of the key differences between the G1 and G2 ratchets is that the G2 generation tools feature sealed heads to keep them free from debris. The locking mechanism of the flex ratchets has also been redesigned to feature five points of contact, helping to increase its durability. It also now has 132 degrees of locking range across nine positions. The gear is made from nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy for superior strength, with flex ratchets featuring steel teeth.
Flex ratchets feature a rubberized comfort grip as standard, while extra-long ratchets are available either with the comfort grip or without it. All variants receive nickel-chrome plating — there's no gold-plated option available here, unlike the previous generation of Icon ratchets. Another change between the two generations is the switch lever, which is redesigned in a two-piece configuration in the G2 to make it more reliable in the long run.
Icon's new G2 ratchets won't be for everyone, and there will be plenty of wrenchers who prefer to stick with tools from bigger-name brands. But the latest generation of the brand's ratchets offers enough key improvements to make them worth considering even for anyone who wasn't convinced by the previous generation. And, like many of the best Harbor Freight tools, they still offer better value than most of their competitors to boot.