Torque Wrench

[lex89]

Does anyone know what the best bang for your buck torque wrench is out there? I`ve heard a lot of good things about Norbar wrenches but they all seem to be around $100. I need one for suspension components and lug nuts mostly.

[Tasty]

I wouldn`t spend a whole lot of money on one. They all do the same damn thing. Go to Sears and be done with it.

[red02accordv6]

i bought one from Autozone for about 25 bucks. It`s made my "Great Neck" and 1/2 inch drive and goes up to 150lbs/ft. Had it for over a year now and no problems at all.

[imported_truzoom]

Is calibration a factor with these, or is it just sort of `knowing that you`ve got it tight enough` that matters?

[the other pc]

Cheap torque wrenches are notorious for being wildly inaccurate or if they start out ok, not staying that way for long. Not that you’d ever notice unless you get it calibrated (which costs more than a cheap torque wrench).



Usually not a big deal for lug nuts. Engine internals can be a different story.





PC.

[superstring]

I wouldn`t spend a whole lot of money on one. They all do the same damn thing. Go to Sears and be done with it.

I second that notion. I own 3 torque wrenches: Snap-On, Torqueleader and Sears. The Sears goes from 10 to 75 lb-ft, cost me around $65 and it`s the one I use for lug nuts etc. Had it for 14 years, no problems. I took it to be calibrated a couple of years ago (to a place that sells some very high-end torque tools) and the tech told me the Sears wrench was simple, accurate and basically fool-proof (which, in my case, means something ). It was out by only about 1 lb-ft after more than 10 years of use.

[imported_UnsanePyro]

super, how do you like your snap on one? I can get a killer deal on their stuff right now and have been thinking about picking one up

[coupe]

I have 3 sears models.

The only i use most for suspension and lugs is the one that goes from 10ftlbs to 200 ftlbs. I think i payed $120 on it.

You dont wanna go cheap on torque wrenches.

[superstring]

super, how do you like your snap on one? I can get a killer deal on their stuff right now and have been thinking about picking one up

My Snap-On has a dial on top with a couple of pointers. One is passive and moves with the active one and then stays put when you release the wrench, so you can read the torque you`ve applied.



It`s a little awkward to use, because, depending on the position of the wrench when you`re using it, you can`t necessarily see the dial. So you have to use your best guess, read the dial after the fact, then re-do it if necessary. They had another wrench available when I bought mine which was identical except it had an indicator light which lit up when you applied the desired amount of torque. If I were to do it again, that`s the one I would get.

[qballjr13]

My only advice is to buy one that has the dial torque setting as was discussed above. The ones that have the silly needle on the scale are useless when your at an angle where you cant see it. Those are usually the cheapest.

[superstring]

Just to clarify, the dial on my Snap-On is a round one like a clock face.



FWIW, my favourite, from a ease-of-use point of view is the Craftsman, which has a "click" mechanism. You set the torque and the wrench "breaks" when you reach that setting.

[Eliot Ness]

Another vote for Craftsman here. I have both a 3/8" and a 1/2" drive and like them much better than the cheaper Harbor Freight versions. Keep your eye out because Sears does put them on sale.

[PhaRO]

Harbor Freight has 1/2 and 3/8 for $14.99 each and 1/4 for $19.95. I have one I got from Advance Auto Parts. Don`t remember how much it was but think 20-25

[ntoddalbert]

I began my career as an aircraft tech, spent a lot on tools. Had to scrimp at times so I ended up with a few no name or what you would consider Junk brands. My employer paid for annual calibration, guess what the Snap on and MAC scored no better than the others. Just my exp, they all come back with a detailed report and a sticker for the FAA.



I was so ticked off at my snap on guy I never bought another tool from them again. That wrench set me back a weeks pay in those days.



I have found SK and a French Tool Called Focom to be outstanding in quality and warrantied as good as any others. You can find them at Napa in some places.



Search on Ebay, just one thing no one has mentioned. Many people use a wrench for one setting, like lugs or a particular item over and over. If this is the case then dont relieve pressure on the wrench for storage. If your needs vary, like a pro, then it should always be reset to zero when done.



Thats what the calibration co told me anyway.... Take it for what its worth

[red02accordv6]

also, when you get your torque wrench, always set it back to zero or (0lb/ft) when you`re done using it so it doesn`t mess up the spring inside.