Dropped my 3/4" drive ratchet off a 20ft ladder - still works!

Hey folks, had a wild one yesterday. Was up on a ladder doing some ductwork in an old warehouse, had my trusty 3/4" drive ratchet from Harbor Freight's Icon line in my back pocket. Slipped on some condensation, ladder wobbled, and that sucker went flying. Hit concrete from about 20ft up, bounced twice, and landed in a puddle. Thought for sure it was toast. Wiped it off, gave it a few cranks - smooth as butter! No broken teeth, no stuck mechanism. Honestly shocked. Anyone else have a tool take a beating and live to tell the tale?

LOL Patty, you HVAC guys are always dropping stuff! Reminds me of my tile saw last year. Was on a roof job (yeah, I know, not ideal), tripped over a hose and sent my DeWalt saw sliding down the slope. Hit the gutter, flipped, and landed in the mud. Cleaned it up, replaced the blade, and it's still cutting straight. But a ratchet surviving that drop? That's impressive. My buddy's Snap-on ratchet seized up after a 5ft drop onto grass. Maybe Harbor Freight is stepping up their game?

Patty, glad you're okay first. Ladder safety, people. As for the tool: Icon line is decent for the price. They use better steel than their Pittsburgh stuff. I've seen Proto ratchets survive worse, but you pay for it. Key is the internal mechanism - if it's well-machined and lubricated, impacts won't jam it. Clean and re-grease that ratchet head soon; concrete grit in the gears will kill it fast. And no, I'm not endorsing HF, just stating facts.

Roofing perspective here: everything gets dropped, all the time. My Milwaukee impact driver took a 30ft dive off a steep pitch last month, landed in gravel. Case cracked, but it still runs. But ratchets? Different beast. Sid's right about Snap-on - my 1/2" drive from them got a tiny ding and started slipping. Switched to Wright Tool for heavy stuff, those things are tanks. Patty, if that Icon holds up, maybe they're worth a look for my crew's backup tools. Cheap enough to not cry if they do break!