Good value torque wrenches without breaking the bank?

[Gym123]

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.

 

[Rivets]

Many of the auto parts stores have free loaner programs for tools which you don’t use very often. Far cheaper that purchasing new.

 

[Joed756]

Rivets read my mind. All of the chain auto parts stores have loaner tools.

 

[StarTech]

I haven't of any that goes to 240. But here is good brand to buy.

https://www.amazon.com/LEXIVON-4-Inch-Torque-2-26-22-6-LX-181/dp/B07M68FY3X/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2S75MN8EHYK02&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NuMAe6llD2AMdQHPEIOp3a6W49mIYLql7_gzQzwXgrhd-j0SbD9oiAtD2XNyiEpX4N8MZrAJRiftjE3v9neEuLfDo0DquM02NiFyQhcIMnz7vwzJM5P2-_pSHHqvsFgIiD7Ni0hWuWk13q_iDq7GJ_85fiqOOB1MBjhjAIYU5G6u3PZTFtpummWjvrc2bRUouh53Q8O4bhzoBRdY15xoe2gyCAINWENmC1pCefwaUyRbcwf83hPCf3bjdIyy9rO0J9GceSu-3-O-0M90ZspMdg85MXHCfzzOYELJeT8GqM0.Q3OL0__ZlsIm8uXdYzMbwxJLHCqi2MZBKsqFfoRi1cQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=inch+pound+wrench&qid=1728236858&sprefix=%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-6

Also any torque should be stored unloaded. plus for above 120 convert ft-lbs (120in/lbs / 12 = 10 ft/lbs and use a 3/8 drive version reduced to 1/4 drive.

 

[Auto Doc's]

If you want good results doing precision work, invest in your tools. Even a used one on Ebay that can be verified by an actual owner is much better than buying a mass-produced piece of junk. I have many tools from Harbor Freight, but I will not use their torque wrenches.

Most parts stores have tool catalogs that you can buy decent quality torque wrenches from. NAPA has always been a good source for me.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I will put my Metallurgists hat & dustcoat back on and make a very bold statement that will give 95% of the people here the shits big time .
The only tension wrench worth buying are the deflecting beam type as shown in the catalogue page below
deflecting beam tension wrenches
All of those ratchet style ones are shit and almost none are ever correct even if you do what no one ever does and back them off PAST the zero mark so there is no load on the spring
I bought a Repco branded 6" W & B wrench when I was 16 ( I am well over 70 now ) and it is still within 1% .
All of the micrometer adjustment ones are garbage unless they come with a signed original calibration certificate and for that you are talking 4 figures .
The spring loaded ratchet wrenches are for garbage mechanics who can not be bothered to lift the wrench off the fastener to take a second bike or so crippled they cannot manage to walk over to their tool box twice, ones for the standard ratchet then the second time for the tension wrench .
FWIW , I have 4 W & B deflecting beam tension wrenched and the last time we checked all were correct
The landlord , who takes meticulous care of his tools to the point he still has both the box & the carton that his tension wrench came in broke 2 head studs on the tractor and the repair cost over $ 300 in parts .
He put it down to the old studs never being removed and being 60 years old but when I ran his wrench against mine it was reading 40 % low at 120 ft lbs .
While my wrench when measured against his brand new W & B was spot on .

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 .

 

[StarTech]

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.

Even the Pope Mobile had better protection.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I am not building the space shuttle. About the only thing i use a torque wrench on is head bolts, rod bolts and sump covers. I have 1/2" and 3/8" Tekton clicker wrenches that get the same readings as my old beam wrench. If i am off a little it hasn't been a problem yet. It's a lawnmower not the space shuttle.

 

[StarTech]

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.

 

[Gym123]

Many of the auto parts stores have free loaner programs for tools which you don’t use very often. Far cheaper that purchasing new.

I checked- none of the ones that are close had anything for loan, or the in-lb type. One store isn't even open on Sundays.