I love pawl-less ratchets. One of these days, I would like to find a tool that a friend had in his box many years ago that I haven't tracked down so I cam buy my own, but it was a snap-on one way bearing ratchet handle that accepted 1/4" micro stubby screwdriver shafts. The screwdrivers had a very short stack height and a big dimple in the end for your finger to press down on. If anyone knows the part number from snap-on, that knowledge will buy you the distinct opportunity to upset my wife's attitude towards me as packages show up in the mail.
I always thought one-way bearings would be weak or slip, but I had a mountain bike set up with a one-way bearing in lieu of a freewheel that would take a beating. My race weight of 235 lbs pushing 180 mm cranks generated a lot of torque, but the system never failed.