Good value torque wrenches without breaking the bank?

[Gym123]

If you want to have some fun cut a 3" length off the end of a 3/4" allan key
Arm yourself with 2 x 3/4 impact sockets then go to your favourite tool supplier grab 2 tension wrenches set them to the same spec slip on the sockets then work them against each other . You will be lucky to find 2 that are within 10% of each other .
Jus like idiots who post their coil resistance was 22.3251 Ω because they have no idea about electricity . Ignorant clowns think because the tension wrench can be set to 224.5 in lbs it must be so much more accurate that the coarse scales on a deflecting beam.
Torques are only an approximation and the real number depends upon the slop in the fasteners, the materials, the presence / absence of lubricants and of course the weather & the temperature of the fastener and what it is holding together and of course the type of thread & the pitch of the thread & dimeter of the fastener and the surface area under the fastener, the size of the washers and a whole host of variables that have not come to mind at the moment .

Some of the self-appointed tool testers on YouTube bought torque wrench testers, at least one was from SnapOn and it cost more than $2K. They say they cycled the torque wrenches 1000 times, but it's three times at each setting. I had my SnapOn wrench tested on their tester in a dealer's truck and found that it's 5% off@100 ft-lb.

Bolt hardness, intended or work-hardened, makes a big difference, too. I looked at the head bolts and they appear to be Grade 3 and because these need 140-180 in-lb (according to their data sheet) the head bolts are likely soft enough that the expansion of the head & block needs them to be relatively soft, so they can elongate. OTOH, the thread goes deep into the block, so any expansion is in a short region near the mating surface.

I bought a torque adapter, but checked out the Ikon wrench- the barrel turns much more smoothly but I really didn't want to drop $120 for something I won't use often. I was looking on ebay, FB marketplace, rummage sales, etc for a used one but then, can I really be sure it wasn't dropped/abused? When it comes to tools that need to be precise, I don't assume anything other than "if it's so cheap, it can't be very good".

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Take your pick

 

[Gym123]

As said HFT click torque wrenches have become junk. Here I like to check my torque click wrenches a couple time during the year for accuracy against my digital toque adapter. I finally gave up on the HFT ones they were so far off new. Nearly all current toque are with 1% or better. and that includes the LH ones which I rarely use. I have a couple HFT from 15 yrs that are accurate but I have return every one that I have brought in the last 3 yrs as they all failed to even be within 10%.

Now as the visual bear type is better but for me it hard to hold, pull, and look all the dame time in especial awkward positions. This is where many of us use these clickers.

It comes down how accurate they are, how we care for them, and how we use them.

Here is an example of not correctly using something correctly. Bullet proof glass does no good if it is not between you and the sniper. Boy are people dumb. What a waste tax payer money.
View attachment 69799
Even the Pope Mobile had better protection.

If you were referring to my comment about HFT torque wrenches,. I would clarify that I only meant the Pittsburgh I had bought, but they sell three sizes and I didn't check the others, Quinn or Ikon (other than the small one as I posted).

I was also looking for a dial type, but the ones I saw don't go past 125 in-lb. I don't like loaning my tools and definitely don't loan any that need to be precise, like torque wrench, micrometers, levels, etc. I had initially used my short 1/4" ratchet and found that I was very close by using that and the 'good & snug' method before using the Quinn torque adapter, which tested well. It runs great and no longer smokes. Being familiar with the feel of tightening fasteners into cast iron/steel vs Aluminum is important.

I guess the Secret squirrels Service had checked for snipers.......

 

[Gym123]

Take your pick

View attachment 69800

The one that didn't work looks like the one at the left, without the tickers- what brand is yours?

 

[Gym123]

Even with mower engines we are at times putting screws and threading to their limits so you definitely don't want to over torque. An example is the Briggs Intek OHV 31 and 33 sumps. When Briggs increase the torque values for these sump screws I have been having a few to pull (strip) the threads. Which why I had to start using Heli Coils in the first pace here. Another reason I buy sump gaskets in multiples.

One of most useful clicker is the inch pound ones which I now have one that goes down to 5 inch pounds as I was bad snapping off small screws or crushing plastic parts.

When I was servicing ski boats, I had a couple of very small Brass raw water pump cover bolts break off in the housings, but since they weren't threaded to the point where they jammed into the bottom of the hole, they were easy to remove. Steel would have been a royal PITA but all I needed to do is drill a shallow hole, tap a precision screwdriver in and turn it out by hand. I learned to detect that slight squeak- I think they should use a different material for the bolts.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

The one that didn't work looks like the one at the left, without the tickers- what brand is it?

The 3/8 is a Tekton. Works good compared to other ones.

 

[jabone]

I had been rebuilding a Trek road bike and don't have a torque wrench that can read inch-lb, so I used the 'good and snug' method but last week, I got an Ariens riding mower with a bad head gasket and the torque is more important for reinstalling the head. I had bought a Pittsburgh wrench from Harbor freight but since the bike went on the back burner, never used it until Friday and when I was tightening the first bolt, it never clicked. I have seen a lot of videos showing people using that wrench and they received good reviews, but I don't think customers should have to do Quality Control testing for any manufacturer unless they pay us in some way. I also don't like the need to turn the handle three times through its range from low to high and turning the sleeve felt like I was scraping the thread into a new piece of metal- the first replacement had grease coming out and it was very hard to turn. I tested the first one by putting a 1/4"-3/8" adapter and clamping it in my vise to check it at the lowest torque setting and it never clicked. It actually broke the adapter that I had used for decades- I had ground off some material so it could be used once and it never failed until I was testing the wrench.

I was pretty PO'd- neither of the HF stores is close enough for me to call them 'convenient', but I need to finish the work, so I drove out and exchanged it without any problem from them, even though I had never registered it (can't even see that it was needed until it's opened), but I wasn't going to leave without testing it and since I bought a set of adapters, I was able to use a vise again. The replacement never clicked, the 2nd and 3rd replacements didn't click. I was talking to the store manager after the first exchange and he tried a couple of them, even went to the back room to grab one in a fresh case- none of them worked.

To be honest, I have had very few problems with their tools and have a lot of SnapOn, some Craftsman and other brands but this was ridiculous.

Anyway, I still need a torque wrench that will work between 20-240 inch-pounds. What do you fine people use? I don't expect to need it often.

I would prefer Taiwanese if it's going to come from Asia.

I do not know in the USA but here in Canada their is different vendors for torque wrenches. I think you still have Sears (bank rupt in Canada) they have torques, Snapon a little expensive but good quality. To go inch/lbs you need a 1/4" or 3/8" drive. You can try this, tighten the bolt or nut with clean engine oil until it abuts and turn 1/4 turn more. This should bring very close the torque rating that you need!
One thing VERY Important do not leave the torque wrench with a load on it, in other words release the tension to 0 on the torque wrench before putting it away.

 

[jabone]

When I was servicing ski boats, I had a couple of very small Brass raw water pump cover bolts break off in the housings, but since they weren't threaded to the point where they jammed into the bottom of the hole, they were easy to remove. Steel would have been a royal PITA but all I needed to do is drill a shallow hole, tap a precision screwdriver in and turn it out by hand. I learned to detect that slight squeak- I think they should use a different material for the bolts.

When you know that the broken bolt did not bottom out, you can go to a tool place and buy a left drill bit. With a bit of release oil and drilling left or reverse the broken bots should come out no problem as soon as you start drilling.
I am a retired jet engine assembler and learned a few tricks. I all ways take an aluminum drift and strike the nut or head of the bolt before trying to remove or break the torque.
Hope this is useful to anyone.

 

[slomo]

I like the old school beam style. Like that Craftsman second from the right in the picture above.

None of us operate a calibration truck. Get what you like.

 

[woodstover]

Personally, I wouldn't trust a parts store loaned out torque wrench, ever.