Would you buy a used torque wrench?

[Rod N]

My 1/2" torque wrench is a cheap 25 year old tool and is slipping occasionally.

For the most part I just use it for wheels, which is fairly often.

Budget of around $200. Is a higher end used one worth getting?

If ridden hard, I worry it will be out of wack.

What do you think?

 

[assassin10000]

If it can be tested and calibration is ok, I would.

Or the deal is good enough. I picked up a couple older snap on beam style torque wrenches for about $200 and one was dead on (3/8" 20-100) and the other could be calibrated within 1 ft-lb (1/2" 50-250lb) so it's plenty good for lugs.

 

[Rod N]

Is having it calibrated expensive?
I don't see any snap ons for $200 no matter what condition.

 

[finn]

No. Buy a budget new torque wrench.

Home Depot has one in the current flyer for $59.97. And it’s more than accurate enough for your intended use.

you could almost buy four at that price and have forty years use, in the unlikely event they each last only ten years.

 

[Rod N]

The Dewalt one looks okay?

 

[ricleh]

I have 87 torque wrenches. 2 of them were purchased new. All the rest were used. If you are planning to purchase a used torque wrench you should be prepared to have it calibrated and repaired. I calibrate and repair my own torque wrenches, but the tools and equipment necessary to do this is no small investment - probably around $4000. Then you need to be able to get spare parts and the information necessary to do the calibration or repair or both. If you are only talking about 1 torque wrench then you should send it out to get it checked and repaired if necessary. 95% of my torque wrenches are Snapon because they are good quality, I can get spare parts and I have the information necessary to work on them. Just my opinion, but I have been recalibrating and repairing my own torque wrenches and screwdrivers for about 35 years.

 

[Lt CHEG]

I don't see any snap ons for $200 no matter what condition.

I might happen to know a guy with a SnapOn click type torque wrench that he would sell for around that…..

 

[VolvoRyan]

You should be able to get a new CDI torque wrench for $200.

I do have a 1980's "Torque Control Industries" (before they were absorbed by Snap-On) that came from a mentor who was a Volvo Master Tech covering the whole era of Volvo's cool cars. He took stellar care of his tools and was religious about zeroing the tool out after use, and as far as I can tell, the tool still seems spot on.

-Ryan

 

[isb cornbinder]

My 1/2" torque wrench is a cheap 25 year old tool and is slipping occasionally.

For the most part I just use it for wheels, which is fairly often.

Budget of around $200. Is a higher end used one worth getting?

If ridden hard, I worry it will be out of wack.

What do you think?

What do you mean by slipping.
If your torque wrench has a ratchet head, it is very likely the ratchet part needs cleaning. It is not necessary to add lubrication to the ratchet. It is the grease that causes the pawls to skip.
A ratchet does not rotate a full turn and it moves very slowly. I have ratcheting torque wrenches that are over 30 years old. They show no sign of wearing out and work perfectly.

 

[Packard V8]

I've never paid more than $5 for a torque wrench to use on wheels. A beam torque wrench where the pointer returns to zero is plenty good enough for wheels. I keep one, with the appropriate socket and extension, in each of my rigs.

The good old stuff is thick on the ground at garage sales/yard sales, because all the newbies are convinced they have to have a clicker or a digital for a task which does not require that level of precision.

jack vines

 

[ForrestT]

I bought the Tekton 1/2” on Amazon warehouse for like $32. I’m not a pro. Only use it for tire rotations. It’s been fine. Cardboard box was torn and had an Amazon oops sticker on it. Wrench was brand new inside plastic case.

 

[BigLeagueSmoes]

For about $150 you could look at Dewalt and Icon
For about $200 you could look at SK

I also agree with the sentiment that if the used torque wrench can be calibrated and proven to be accurate, then I'd see no problem with buying used.

 

[Rod N]

I have no idea where to take one in for calibration and what it costs.

 

[GeoBruin]

My 1/4 and 3/8 CDI Computorque wrenches are both from Amazon Warehouse deals posted to this forum. They both came with NIST certificates for accuracy but I guess they could have been mishandled between being purchased originally and being sent back to Amazon. The only way I have to check them is against eachother within their overlapping ranges and that looks pretty good.

 

[captain14]

I have no idea where to take one in for calibration and what it costs.

We just had that question come up in a thread this summer. I’ll see if I can find it for you.

Here’s one thread. I haven’t found the other one yet. Second or third post down.

Are there any Tool/Electronic repairmen out there for a digital torque wrench?

If this thread doesn't belong, my apologies, and please feel free to delete it. In my possession, I have a GearWrench 85238 1/2" 120XP™ E-Spec Electronic Torque Wrench 68-340Nm (GW Product Page). It's a relatively rare and extremely impressive torque wrench, and when I see it available for...

www.garagejournal.com

Here’s the second one with another vendor. Post #4. Let us now what you decide to do.

Need Advice On Shop To Repair Old Craftsman Torque Wrench

Can anyone out there recommend a reputable shop to repair an old Craftsman 1/2" drive, click-style torque wrench? My dad bought it decades ago…probably in the 60's or 70's…and it's a very nice tool and still in very nice shape. I obviously I can't bring this back to Sears for an exchange. He's...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Rod N]

Is it worth it to buy an electronic torque wrench?

 

[Vwpower]

a used one is better than guessing. I got mine used. snap on 1/2 split beam for $75.

 

[WWheeler]

A new Precision Instruments PREC3FR250F 1/2 Dr Split Beam Click Type - Range 40-250 ftlb can be had for $200-$225.

Made in USA and same basic design as when they used to make them for Snap-On until the early 2000s.

 

[toolenthusiast]

I have 87 torque wrenches.

I love this website

 

[The Bean]

Check out the discussion here...

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/thank-goodness-people-are-torqueing-lug-nuts-now.506639/page-3#post-9856752

 

[charbar]

I have 87 torque wrenches.

I'm just curious what a man does with 87 torque wrenches?


Personally I don't think I would ever buy a used one unless I could see it in person first and at least test it for functionality, and then the firs thing I would do would be to get it checked/calibrated.

As other people have said, you can get a pretty nice new torque wrench for close to your budget, or a budget friendly one for less and they would do fine for most home gamers I'd think.

As far as getting an electronic one, Id say no it's not worth it. Only time I break out my electronic ones is when I need to torque something to X amount of pounds and then an extra so many degrees. They come in handy as hell for head bolts etc but I would never want one as my only torque wrench.

 

[Skyman]

Am I the only guy here who couples his click-type torque wrenches to a beam-type to check accuracy? While perhaps not quite as precise as a calibration lab might be able to measure, it's good enough to satisfy me.

Steve

 

[Certified Drunk]

CDI toque wrenches is a division of Snap On...
Buy a brand new one under $200

 

[ricleh]

I'm just curious what a man does with 87 torque wrenches?

I started buying them whenever I saw one for a ridiculously low price on ebay. First thing I do when I get one is tear it apart and inspect all internal parts. I clean it and lube it and then put it back together and test the calibration. If necessary I will replace parts to fix a problem. I have 3 calibration testers that cover from 2 in/lb to 250 ft/lb. I try to get the best calibration I can. About 90% of my torque instruments are accurate to +/- 1% from 20% to 100% of their range. The rest are accurate to +/- 2%. I always check them before using them on a job. If I have a big job I am working on then I will use as many devices as I need and set them to the values I need to use to accomplish my tasks. This saves time from resetting the torque value and helps reduce possible human errors on my part. I have way more torque instruments than I need and I have given away 10 or 15 in the last couple years to buddies. I need to start selling some tools.

 

[kTHREE]

Today I learned that people really like to have their wheels TQ to spec.

 

[johninct]

I bought a used Snap-On many years ago cheap, like $5.00. I had my Snap-On guy send it in but it was too old to get parts to fix it. I also had a Snap-On torque wrench I bought new around 1988. This is before you could test them on the truck. It was also too old to get parts. I ended up turning it in and paid something to get a new one. My point, if it is too old, maybe parts may not be available.

 

[dnschmidt]

Seems nuts to spend that much to torque lugnuts. If you were making a space shuttle perhaps that might be required. The best deal in torque wrenches is eTork. Yes, they are made in China but the guy that designed them used to own a very good torque wrench manufacturing company and stands behind his product. Here's a link. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYG66BT/?tag=atomicindus08-20
These use the excellent Norbar scales which are far superior to the chrome on chrome impossible to read scales used on most click style torque wrenches.

 

[unslow1]

Lug nuts are what my Harbor Freight cheapies are for and they are plenty accurate. Don't believe they are accurate just start Googling comparisons. There are tests and videos of tests all over the place.

 

[Packard V8]

One more time, on a beam torque wrench, if the pointer is at zero, it's calibrated. Easy to see, costs nothing and plenty good for wheels.

jack vines

 

[seber]

I wouldn't buy a used screw type but both my split beams were used. Nothing to go wrong.

 

[Outahere]

I have no idea where to take one in for calibration and what it costs.

Angle Repair in West Virginia

Team Torque in North Dakota

 

[Tool Using Animal]

Or, you know, check/calibrate it yourself.

 

[David99]

In 2017 it was $65 to have a Snap-On calibrated (pre-owned 3/8 drive flex head-got it for $20).

 

[tamaraw]

Would you buy a used torque wrench?

Maybe, it depends (Condition of the wrench, pricing, etc.)

My 1/2" torque wrench is a cheap 25 year old tool and is slipping occasionally.

Sounds like the ratchet mechanism? This could probably be rebuilt if the company is still around.

For the most part I just use it for wheels, which is fairly often.

Budget of around $200. Is a higher end used one worth getting?

At that budget, you could get a nice new Precision Instruments split beam and not need to look at used.

If ridden hard, I worry it will be out of wack.

Possibly, but most things can be calibrated. It should also be fairly obvious if it was treated roughly (dents, scrapes, dings, etc.).

There are certainly models or brands that cost more (like Snap-On) but most of that is just mark-up and brand name not because they necessarily work that much better. For example, Precision Instruments used to make all of the older Snap-On wrenches before they gained in-house production (CDI), yet market price between the two is nowhere close because of the name.

I believe split beam designs tend to stay accurate longer than twist-scale round handle ones since the components aren't under constant tension and the operator doesn't need to remember to set them back to 0 between use. That might be an advantage buying used. Or there is Gedore's Dremometer type that is supposed to be extremely resistant to abuse (but costs $$$).

At the end of the day though, even a cheap beat-up old wrench could probably be used for lug nuts/bolts as long as it is consistent and you can compare it to something else to know how much it is off by.

 

[ecotec]

I wouldn't buy a used screw type but both my split beams were used. Nothing to go wrong.

I have to agree with Seber.

I did not even have a torque wrench until my late 20’s… and I did not have good ones until I was in my 40’s.

I bought Precision Instruments split beam 3/8” and 1/2” years ago when they were on sale on Amazon. I remember thinking that they were not particularly expensive. I could not justify the Snap-on version.

 

[Rod N]

Thanks for all of the replies.
After reading them, I decided to wait until a new one went on sale. Nothing great, just $150 on sale for maybe $100.
Then I see this.

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

 

[ecotec]

Thanks for all of the replies.
After reading them, I decided to wait until a new one went on sale. Nothing great, just $150 on sale for maybe $100.
Then I see this.

Kijiji - Buy, Sell & Save with Canada's #1 Local Classifieds

Visit Kijiji Classifieds to buy, sell, or trade almost anything! New and used items, cars, real estate, jobs, services, vacation rentals and more virtually anywhere.

www.kijiji.ca

I think that I paid about $150 for the same torque wrench.

Canada is more expensive. When the Canadian dollar is doing amazing… it is still more expensive than the US. I am 20 miles from Canada… the cost alone makes it seem farther…

 

[Rod N]

I think that I paid about $150 for the same torque wrench.

Canada is more expensive. When the Canadian dollar is doing amazing… it is still more expensive than the US.

We do a lot of bending over when buying things here.

 

[ecotec]

We do a lot of bending over when buying things here.

I always wondered about that. Is it more like Europe? Do people have less of any given things. The houses, cars and people look the same… so you can’t tell.

 

[Rod N]

Maybe this is all I need?

General PDP Template

www.canadiantire.ca

Or this?

General PDP Template

www.canadiantire.ca

Sorry, I can't get the links to copy.