Good value torque wrenches without breaking the bank?

[TobyU]

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 .

You're right. The beam types are easy to keep calibrated and are the most likely to be and stay accurate.
I used to use them to check and calibrate the clickers.
You don't have to unload the adjustment each time and you can drop them and not worry about them being off of the needle is on zero even you start.
This is a K.I.S.S situation. Lol

 

[StarTech]

The only problem I have beam type is there are places that I torque where you cant see the beam and scale. Sometime you are simply not in a position to see things.

 

[Skippydiesel]

TobyU
"The beam types are easy to keep calibrated and are the most likely to be and stay accurate.
I used to use them to check and calibrate the clickers."

Thanks for that - I have a beam type that I hardly ever use - next time I need to calibrate, will try your KISS!

StarTech
"The only problem I have beam type is there are places that I torque where you cant see the beam and scale. Sometime you are simply not in a position to see things."

Agreed 100%. A device that makes some sort of sound or break (feel) is so much easier to use.

 

[Honest Abe]

Hmmm, quick ? - - - how many torque wrench users have their wrench recalibrated annually..... "silence"

 

[bullet bob]

I figure I'm in the top 20% of shade-tree wrenchers that even use a torque wrench. Calibrate it? Ha!

 

[StarTech]

I would think very few even check these when they first get them trusting the manufacture to have done it. I once trusted them too until I got multiple units breaking screws/bolts. When I started testing this is when I found the cheap torque wrench from HFT were so far off it was ridiculous. This is when I started buying and testing even the certified ones. The current ones even have engraved serial numbers.

I also learned that they need to unload and stored away safely to prevent them losing their calibrations. So far they are staying within specs.

I still got to get myself a LH version of the 3/4 torque wrench but so far I haven't needed that would require the higher settings.

Now I have try using a version that only had a beeping sound and it just didn't work out for me as I ended up over torquing getting to solid sound.

 

[edwardh1]

what does the project farm guy say - have they tested tore wrenches?

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

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

Although there is one thing I learned with renting SOME parts store tools. Sometimes they give you a totally new tool in factory sealed box and charge your CCard a " deposit" If you keep the tool, the charge stays. If you return it, it is free when they credit your card back.

This way you know you got a unabused Tool/Torque wrench.

 

[packy51]

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 had exactly the same issue purchasing a Pittsburg torque wrench last year when doing shocks on my car,. It wouldn't click. I thought I was doing something wrong but when I picked up my smaller cheap no name one that didn't go as high in ft lbs, it clicked. I brought it back for a return and didn't try other ones. I just went to Lowes and bought their Colbalt one and had no issues. I find it hard to believe that Pittsburg would have such poor quality control that none of their torque wrenches clicked. I also bought a Pittsburgh tire pressure pump that works from a 12 v car connection or old cigarette lighter. It worked well for several years but then the connector completely fell apart. i bought a replacment connector on Ebay. I like HF, but I am now leary of their Pittsburgh line. At least they take returns.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

I would think very few even check these when they first get them trusting the manufacture to have done it. I once trusted them too until I got multiple units breaking screws/bolts. When I started testing this is when I found the cheap torque wrench from HFT were so far off it was ridiculous. This is when I started buying and testing even the certified ones. The current ones even have engraved serial numbers.

I also learned that they need to unload and stored away safely to prevent them losing their calibrations. So far they are staying within specs.

I still got to get myself a LH version of the 3/4 torque wrench but so far I haven't needed that would require the higher settings.

Now I have try using a version that only had a beeping sound and it just didn't work out for me as I ended up over torquing getting to solid sound.

Star Tech etc,

I too am a newbie to Torque Wrenches. Anytime I have had need for them in the past, I was in the garages of friends who were wrenching with me and I got to use theirs. I have a few questions especially for the purchase of ones like Mac, Snap On, etc. I think I hear that if you buy a Snap On etc tool, they service the tools or help with replacement parts etc. One such tool I have is a Compression tester with multiple fittings. I got it used and may ring up the tool man to see if I can get the missing or worn part replaced. Which brings me to the question of the tool truck guy and their Torque wrenches. If I were to buy a USED one, would they test it and make sure it was properly working for me or do I need to be a high volume, pro tech, repeat customer of some sort who the tool guy has a vested interest in?

Also, Yes, I do remember that I have a torque wrench and not a total virgin. Mine is likely almost as old as I am and is a Craftsman Beam style one.