Your best/favorite Torque wrench?

[greeneyegi]

About to start engine assembly next few weeks,so my question is, as the saying goes"you get what you pay for"is it true about a toque wrench?ive seen up to $1500 spent down to $35.i used to use a craftsman click type,screw the end in.about a hundred bucks.or should i spend more for a better name brand?how about used ,i see snap on for about $250 on cl.
i really dont know the variances in them other than prices,ide like some of your ideas on a good ones,
i see new digital ones too.are they accurate?what about the old fashioned pull and watch the needle?

 

[williamsGN]

Craftsman click type always worked for me.

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

Youd be surprised there have been two articles recently in [CarCraft and HotRod] and the cheapo Harbor Freight torque wrench was almost dead even with the big boys [Snap-On / Mac/etc]


aaron

 

[SMV6LOL]

I use the harbor freight one, ive used it up to 140 ft lbs on head studs no problems. But saying that harbor freight is either a gold minds or pos. Its a hit or miss

 

[hawkfan]

Youd be surprised there have been two articles recently in [CarCraft and HotRod] and the cheapo Harbor Freight torque wrench was almost dead even with the big boys [Snap-On / Mac/etc]


aaron

My Harbor Freight click type has already paid for itself a few times over. It was dirt cheap and just works.

 

[greeneyegi]

i just looked at harbor freight,their 1/2 in one is ?19.99....thats insane if it really does work....any way to check calibration on these?

 

[gnpoweredrail]

cheap or expensive the main key to keeping a click type torque wrench accurate is to release all tension when in storage....so loosen all the way up when your done using it....

 

[DavidM]

I have had good luck with Harbor Freight.
I recently purchased 2 pair of Jack stands and a Floor Jack as they were on sale. To top it off I used a 20% off coupon for the Jack stands.

Between my old Craftsman torque wrench and 1/2 Drive that I bought from Harbor Freight for $19.99, I noticed a difference of 3LBS.

Their 3/8 Drive Torque Wrench is on sale for $13.99.

You can't go wrong with their hand tools as they offer a lifetime guarantee.

I have heard alot of horror stories regarding tools from Harbor Freight. Usually I stay away from certain products that look poorly made/designed.

For my skill level, this store usually fits my needs and budget.

 

[SMV6LOL]

cheap or expensive the main key to keeping a click type torque wrench accurate is to release all tension when in storage....so loosen all the way up when your done using it....

Ive never known this... good info brother

 

[gnpoweredrail]

^^^also they dont like to be dropped.....

 

[hawkfan]

^^^also they dont like to be dropped.....

Exactly.

 

[chopped39]

You get what you pay for. They tested brandnew torque wrenches in Car craft article. Any torque wrench new will be pretty accurate. Use them bad boys 150 times and then check them. I have torque wrenches from screw drivers to 1 inch. Most made by Cdi .They make snap on torque wrenches. Never go cheap when buying a torque wrench. I send mine in once a year to get calabrated and get results about how far they were off if off at all. A guy in our shop had an off brand 1/2 torque wrench that was off +18ft lbs. That can be a big problem . A good torque wrench is a good investment. How much did you pay for those aluminum heads your torquing down? just my 2 cents

 

[Grumpy]

How much did you pay for those aluminum heads your torquing down? just my 2 cents

X2 !! Here is a nice Craftsman with a adapter for those hard to reach bolts

 

[turbodave231]

My favorite is my Snap On ATECH2FR100A also known as the "Tech Angle" torque wrench. SnapOn makes them in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" drives. They are more expensive than Sears or China Freight, but it is the only wrench that does both torque and angle without any cumbersome adapters.

Look at all the aftermarket connecting rod bolts. All high quality bolts want you to measure bolt stretch -or- use the torque plus angle method to tighten the bolt. This wrench makes torque plus angle so easy that anybody can do it and get great results. The ONLY downside to this wrench is the price......the retail is somewhere around $550-600. I bought mine new just under $300.

With torque wrenches, you get what you pay for!!!

We have a SnapOn torque wrench calibration check fixture at the school where I teach. My students often bring in their China Freight and Less expensive torque wrenches to check them. It is common to see them out of calibration. We provide mostly SnapOn and SK torque wrenches for the students......from my experience, those wrenches hold their calibration better over time and use....and our tools get USED HARD! I commonly get students who blame the torque wrench when they break bolts. I walk them over to the calibration fixture and show them that the wrenches are calibrated properly. It usually turns out the student was using the wrong torque spec.

 

[Steve V]

My favorite is my Snap On ATECH2FR100A also known as the "Tech Angle" torque wrench. SnapOn makes them in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" drives. They are more expensive than Sears or China Freight, but it is the only wrench that does both torque and angle without any cumbersome adapters.

Look at all the aftermarket connecting rod bolts. All high quality bolts want you to measure bolt stretch -or- use the torque plus angle method to tighten the bolt. This wrench makes torque plus angle so easy that anybody can do it and get great results. The ONLY downside to this wrench is the price......the retail is somewhere around $550-600. I bought mine new just under $300.

With torque wrenches, you get what you pay for!!!

We have a SnapOn torque wrench calibration check fixture at the school where I teach. My students often bring in their China Freight and Less expensive torque wrenches to check them. It is common to see them out of calibration. We provide mostly SnapOn and SK torque wrenches for the students......from my experience, those wrenches hold their calibration better over time and use....and our tools get USED HARD! I commonly get students who blame the torque wrench when they break bolts. I walk them over to the calibration fixture and show them that the wrenches are calibrated properly. It usually turns out the student was using the wrong torque spec.

I have the same Snap-on torque wrenches, torque angle is what most MFG's use on all engine bolts now a days.

 

[groumoutis]

I have a K & D half inch and it has suited me well. My wife bought it at a estate auction along with some other tools. We have a digital torque calibration set up at work and I checked it there and it was 2 lbs off at 150 lbs.

At work we have torque guns made by a company called Rad and those things are unbelievable. We have large abrasive saws with 66" blades and the blades are torqued down to 475 foot pounds. We have to check them after 20 blade changes and they are usually on the money plus or minus 5 lbs. That's not bad at all considering the range they are being used for.

 

[turbodave231]

My wife bought it at a estate auction along with some other tools.

A wife that buys tools? What a lucky guy!!

:}

 

[JT'sV6]

Stay away from great neck. I use snap on digital and has been calibrated only 2 times over the course of 6 years, I use it almost dailly.

 

[toofastforyou]

I have an OTC click-type 1/2" drive and I'm happy with it.

Claude.

 

[turbo nasty]

My craftsman 1/2 click type is just a couple years old and used for maybe 40 fasteners and now is waaaay off.