Who makes a good torque wrench?
 

My $9.99 Harbor Freight Torque wrench has (apparently) failed. I discovered this when I just stripped the oil drain plug in my FJ Cruiser with the wrench set to 30 ft/lbs. So then I decided to test it on another bolt (that holds the hood latch on) and snapped it off. Luckily I had a second Toyota drain plug to use... And there is a second bolt holding on the hood latch... fun project for the day, try and get out the snapped bolt and replace it...

Note to self: If it feels wrong, STOP! :)

I am looking to get a new non-harbor freight torque wrench, any recommendations? The one I was replacing was 1/4 drive and went to over 100 ft/lbs. Maybe it is just finicky at the lower ranges? Maybe I should get a 3/8?

Thanks

Steve

I use the Pittsburgh brand from harbor freight...have both 3/8 and 1/4 and have not had any issues yet...but I don't use it a lot. Maybe you just got a bad one?

A lot of Freight Harbor's stuff is made to a price point so you often get what you pay for. Try a Craftsman brand? They are decent enough for the home mechanic and have a lifetime warranty.

Snap-On.................

Love my Snap-On digital 1/4" drive, it's perfect for engines since most of the bolts are 7.5 ft/lbs or 10. Torque wrench accuracy declines alot at the extreme ends of their range.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1386447037.jpg

I don't think you can really get by with just one torque wrench. I got a Snap-on 21" 1/2" drive 40-200 ft-lb for lug nuts, a 3/8" Craftsman 5-75 ft-lb that covers most of the mechanical work I've done so far, and a 3/8" 30-250 in-lb one for the delicate stuff.

The Snap-on has a much more positive click than the other two. A buddy has the Snap-on 5-75 ft-lb with the flex head and it makes my Craftsman look kinda crappy.

I have a few beam-style units as well. I don't use 'em much anymore, although there is nothing wrong with them if you want something really inexpensive.

I own several Snap-On's, from 3/8 drive inch pounds to a 600 ft. lb. 3/4 drive; including a 1/4 drive 0.5 to 35 inch pound torque screw driver. Every one of them had be tested multiple times for accuracy, none of them has ever missed a beat. Not cheap, but very dependable.

I just checked, the Pittsburgh Harbor Freight is 1/2" drive, not 1/4" and goes from 10 ft/lbs to 150 ft/lbs. Also I have been leaving it at the last setting, which is usually 85-100 ft/lbs because putting lug nuts is usually the last thing we do. I realize now that is a no-no.

After I stripped the drain plug, I put the old one back in and decided to do it in stages, so I set the wrench to 15 ft/lbs, and got the click as I was tightening. Set the wrench to 30, and got no click after about 1/4 turn so I stopped and just left it at that setting. That is when I decided to put the wrench on another bolt and see if I could get the click, and that is when I snapped the bolt.

I have a craftsman micro torque, 3/8 that goes from 25 to 250 in/lbs, so I think I will get another 3/8 20-75/100 ft/lbs and use it for everything, and maybe save the big one for lug nuts and big values as it seems to never give any trouble there and I will do some tests comparing it with the other one. I have also released the tension on it. It is a big handle and has a lot of leverage, probably not the best to use on smaller stuff anyway. It was too easy to strip that drain plug and twist the bolt head off with that long handle (even though it was totally my fault and I learned a good lesson today)

Thanks everybody,

Steve

Edit: after some more thought I am going to treat the 1/2" Drive Harbor Freight torque wrench as nothing more that a long handled 1/2 socket wrench/breaker bar... I don't want to take a chance of messing something else up.l

Torque wrench
 

I have found TENG to be good. I have two 1/4 & 1/2 drive.

Good call. We have Princess Auto here, which seems to be similar to HF with regard to tool quality. I don't mind buying a snow shovel there, but I sure wouldn't buy one of their $20 torque wrenches, unless it was a gift for someone that had pissed me off.

Expensive car + expensive parts + cheap tools... that just makes no sense to me at all, especially given that you can get good used Snap-on and Mac on Ebay for not much more than the cheap junk costs in the stores.

Torque Wrench Testing - Shop Tools - Car Craft Magazine

Another Snap On fan here. Have both a 3/8 and 1/2 in models. ( Jealous of JFP with a 3/4", but replacing wheel bearings and air cooled pulleys are a rare charge in my shade tree garage).

A good torque wrench is a precision measuring tools. They are not breaker bars. You never loosen fasteners with your torque wrench. Also, its not a one size fits all tool as the OP Steve ascertains- 1/2" drive, 20 ft-lbs no way.

The pros (Byprodriver/JFP) pretty much sum it up with their tool range.

Harbor Freight really isn't saving you money in this case, buy quality they last much longer

When making a living depends upon your tools, you buy quality and whatever you need to do the job properly. At 2AM, no one will answer their cell phone, but you can always count on your tools to be there.....

I just bought a craftsman 3/8 digital and it has been great.

I like the Precision Instruments split beam torque wrenches. They can be found for less than $150. Precision Instruments: Split Beam Click Wrenches

Also, last time I checked sears torque wrenches did not have a lifetime warranty. Might want to double check if you are planning on going that way.

I just looked at the Craftsman digital and yes, it only has a 90 day warranty. Lots of complaints on that one. I like the look of the Precision Instruments one, I had not heard of them.

It looks like Precision Instruments is the supplier for Snap On? If so, that makes it an easy decision for me. I currently have a HF one but this thread has got me thinking.

Has anyone used the Brownline torque wrench?

Digital Angle Gauge & Digital Torque Wrench | Brown Line Metalworks

That actually looks pretty cool.

I ended up getting the $40 Kobalt 3/8" from Lowe's... Supposedly lifetime hassle free warranty.

Steve

PS I am going to start a new thread because I need a small air compressor now. I used to have a Harbor freight back int he day but had to take it back a couple of times. They always exchanged it but now the closet one is 45 min away so looking for something a little better.

Snap-on....

I have 3/8 and 1/2 Techangle wrenches, and they are incredible. Again, not cheap, but I certainly trust them.

Once in a while I'll buy something from Harbor Freight (I happen to love my air powered fluid extractor), or a weird size socket I'll use once on an American car, but I'm not about to trust a $20 torque wrench when torquing a rod bolt.

A lot of us couldn't resist the weekly visit of the Snap On guy at our shops especially when he offered credit. In the 70s we bought so much stuff that our rep won a trip. Got to say though almost all that stuff is still in good working order.

They still have credit

The "Car and Driver" test below is really good reading on "clicker" torque wrenches. The HF wrench is good for wheel torque and things that you can afford to be off 5-10%. The comment about resetting the wrench back to zero for storage is interesting due to what it does to the spring. All "click" wrench's are susceptible to this regardless of who makes it. A good note for sure. We have a Snap -On torque wrench in th Porsche Club I belong to using it for lug torque before events. My HF is about 5 lbs shy of that one so I set it accordingly. I would not be building engines with one.

How do you check the accuracy or calibration of an old torque wrench that you've had for years? Don't they go out of calibration over time?

There are companies that do that. I'd try doing a google search for torque wrench calibration "your city" and see what comes up. I found a local place that way. As I bought a couple of torque wrenches on ebay, I wanted to make sure they were good before I used them

You can purchase a certified calibration test unit for several hundred dollars, or send it to places that do it for a few bucks. Snap-On has such a program in house for their tools.

If you have a beam torque wrench, that never needs to be calibrated, you can connect the beam wrench to to the clicker to check the accuracy. As far as adjusting the clickers I don't know how to do it, ,but if you know how far off the clicker is,, you can compensate.

Best torque wrenches are from Germany and Stahlwille.

They are one-way only and if you need to torque something with reverse threads just remove the ratchet head and turn it over.

This means there is no problem using the wrench to loosen fasteners.

It also means you can own 3/8 and 1/2 drive heads for the same wrench and you can also fit heads like crow foots, etc.

Also by design there is no need to zero them when in storage.

I've a BMW motorcycle that requires a factory special tool for the transmission fluid drain plug and it's made to fit this wrench. The wrenches are available from the VW and Mercedes parts systems as well as more normal sources.

Best cars are from Germany and best tools, too. Nothing is "best" from Harbor Freight and the smell in those stores gives me a headache.

I just bought a Husky 3/8" torque wrench from Home Depot. Somewhat pricey at $70, I am actually really impressed. Made in USA, really good build quality. It even came with its own individual calibration certificate showing the torque values they measured on that particular wrench and that it was less than 1% off from perfect.

For general stuff, I imagine Harbor Freight would be fine. But for things like engine rebuilding, timing, etc. you would want to be precise and get the big toys. Good thing about digital is there's no ambiguity compared to most manual ones where it's hard to read the lines.

I wouldn't use an HF or PA torque wrench to do lug nuts. Crap is crap.

I can see where you're going, Mark. Once you use good tools, it's hard to go back. I met a guy who had over half a million dollars worth in tools. One can never have too many tools.

I used my HF torque wrenches to change the oil drain plug and tighten lugs for 12 years with no problems. I never left the wrenches tensioned. Maybe I'll get them re calibrated as they have served me well.

And then you need one of these to keep them in:

http://r1.cygnuspub.com/files/cygnus...5_10931864.jpg

To do most of the work on your car, you'll likely require two torque wrenches ...

6-50 nm 3/8 in drive

40-200 nm 1/2 in drive

Professionals would likely have

Snap-On QD2RN50
http://store.snapon.com/Newton-Meter-Torque-Instruments-Torque-Wrench-Adj-Click-Type-Newton-Meter-Fixed-Ratchet-10-50-N-149-m-3-8-drive-P640978.aspx

Snap-On QD3RN200
http://store.snapon.com/Newton-Meter-Torque-Instruments-Torque-Wrench-Adj-Click-Type-Newton-Meter-Fixed-Ratchet-40-200-N-149-m-1-2-drive-P640982.aspx

Stahlwille 730/5 with 735/5 ratchet head
50180005 Stahlwille 730/5 Torque Wrench 6-50Nm

Stahlwille 730/20 with 735/20 head
50180020 Stahlwille 730/20 Torque Wrench 40-200Nm

Stahlwille catalogue

Stahlwille catalogue

You'll note these are all in the $300-$400 range, so no, $70 is not "pricey" and $10 must be a pet rock. Fasteners on German cars are tightened to newton-meter figures.

What about Armstrong (USA made) torque wrench, anyone have experience with these.

Woah, dude, is that your box? :eek:

All seventeen feet of it..............

Is that an espresso machine in the cubby hole on the right side? :)


No seriously, impressive.

Yes, that is the tool "box" I am talking about! I will have that wall of tools if I ever win the lottery. :)