Digital torque wrench with angle suggestions.

[Brian05]

I have been doing a good bit of repairs lately that have torque to yield bolts torque plus angle. Mostly timing chain bolts so nothing is really high torque. I only have one tool truck that will come to my place but I am not sure about if the cornwell torque wrench is rebrand.
I have been using my old snap-on clicker and old school torque angle gauge. I am looking to get something new and better. I would have back in the day just got one from snap-on truck but since one don't come I am not ordering one.
I tried a gearwrench 3/8 from amazon but I just didnt like it.
I think I am looking for 1/2 and maybe 1/4 or 3/8 for the smaller bolts like on the covers that are like 18 inch lb
I am looking for suggestions.
Thanks

 

[midshipmen89]

I'm pretty far into Snap-on these days, so take this with a grain of biased salt, but I won't use any other torque wrenches. CDI is owned by Snap-on, and they do offer a CDI branded "TechAngle" at a lower price, but I don't believe they have the Dual80 head on them. CDI does offer steel body torque wrenches, which are very nice for oily applications - transmissions and engines, for me. Unfortunately, I have had to get a few of my TechAngles repaired over the years, but I trust that Snap-on will be around long term to fix them for me, which is a potential dealbreaker for other manufacturers IMO.

You mentioned not having a Snap-on franchisee, but are there any in your area? They can get in trouble selling off-route, but if you're not on someone's route, they may be willing to work with you. I'd say track one down, give them a call, and explain your situation. Cash talks, especially if they won't see you every week.

I've found plenty of TechAngles secondhand as well - I suspect a lot of quick lube/C techs get talked into buying them, then never use them. Torque wrenches are a touchy option to go secondhand, but with the load cell design of the digital wrenches, I'm less worried about calibration and damage compared to a micrometer style. Your mileage may vary, but in my experience, if they work at all, they're accurate.

In short, I vote for Snap-on anyway.

 

[Tallpilot]

I agree. There are the CDI as well as high quality Taiwan options that do well in the accuracy department but none have a dual 80 head and some even have low (30/32) tooth counts.
That was a deal breaker for me. I'm too accustomed to high tooth count, smooth mechanisms to put up with a crappy one even for a couple of pulls.
Snap-on is very expensive and won't last forever but as mentioned the manufacturer will probably be around when you need it repaired. The Taiwan ones go in the trash when they give up the ghost.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Snap on has a new 1/4 tech angle that goes to 25 ftlbs.

I too tried gear wrench digital 3/8. I have all techangles now. Easier to use, more intuitive, wider ranges within a drive size, flex head, 72 or 80 teeth. Check for used on ebay, you can often get a 5-125 ftlb 3/8 flex for $350. The 1/2 drive unit that goes to 300ftlb is pretty rare, as are the 1/4 drive units.


I'm at the point I just tell people to either buy a used techangle, or gamble on something cheaper. Techangles work, can be repaired from a large US company, and are easy to use.

 

[dnschmidt]

The digital ICON at HF is the deal. Made by KABO in Taiwan. In my opinion it's as good as it gets.

 

[AJHD]

I have a 3/8" Snap On digital Tech Angle that works really well. Expensive, but nice to have when you need it.

 

[ronkz650]

I like the Techangle as well. Sometimes you can get a decent deal on ebay for new ones. I got both of mine there. Maybe warranty is a concern, but I don't care about warranty on tools.

 

[AEAdam]

The digital ICON at HF is the deal. Made by KABO in Taiwan. In my opinion it's as good as it gets.

Not HF cheap tho. The 1/2” is like $350. I bought my grey techangle for less than $200 used. You can find very nice snappies used for $350.

Agree the HF is a nice wrench. Not sure how they will do with their pricier offerings.

 

[JWC86]

I got a few year old 3/8 tech angle on eBay for about 1/3 the cost of a new one. It looks like new, had a recent calibration and was bang on when my snap on guy checked it on his machine on the truck.

Having used it now for about 6 months I can say it’s a awesome tool. I’ve also used the GW but the tech angle is much better to use IMO.

 

[Brian05]

I was able to find a snap-on guy that said he would put me on the route. He said he has them on the truck I guess if you are talking about spending the money on torque wrenches they will come. He just dont know how many broke tools he gets to fix.

 

[AEAdam]

I was able to find a snap-on guy that said he would put me on the route. He said he has them on the truck I guess if you are talking about spending the money on torque wrenches they will come. He just dont know how many broke tools he gets to fix.

I don’t follow the approach here. Tech angles have short warrantees typically not serviced by the trucks. “Calibration” is a service corporate provides for any tech angle customer for a nominal fee. In my case, calibration included repair.

I could be wrong. Maybe things have changed. But if I’m right, your best bet is to find the absolute cheapest TA on eBay or FBM and factor in the cost of calibration, which could include repair. That’s exactly what I did.

 

[Tallpilot]

I don’t follow the approach here. Tech angles have short warrantees typically not serviced by the trucks. “Calibration” is a service corporate provides for any tech angle customer for a nominal fee. In my case, calibration included repair.

I could be wrong. Maybe things have changed. But if I’m right, your best bet is to find the absolute cheapest TA on eBay or FBM and factor in the cost of calibration, which could include repair. That’s exactly what I did.

I believe the approach is using the Techangle purchase to get the truck to come visit him then dumping all his other broken tools on the driver. I'm curious to see how it works out.

 

[engineer2]

I have the budget for an inch pound torque wrench. I'd like to try digital. Typical use might be spark plugs and low torque fasteners.
I hate my Capri clicker. May as well get a $10 HF.
Criteria would be :
selectable units
backlit display
some kind of indication when doing blind readings.
decent accuracy
able to be recalibrated

Previous discussions people liked eTork or Norbar, but I'm open to CDI or others

 

[2ndGearRubber]

What's the range? Most digital can toggle between units, so there's not really an "inch pound" digital wrench, aside from in/lb being the default the first time you turn it on.

 

[engineer2]

25-250 inch pound or close to that.

 

[ronkz650]

Atech1fs300 snap-on. Compact wrench that does 15-300 in/lb. Not cheap at $599, but can be found sometimes on eBay new for $450 or so.

 

[Wamsutta]

For torquing angles I wouldn't trust anything other than Snap-on or the Williams twin.

 

[engineer2]

I see the Snappys are near $700. I'm trying to stay under $350 or so.
Been looking online and all over Amazon. What I want may not exist. Maybe I'll just have to get a mechanical clicker.
Gearwrench looks interesting but typical corporate website where you can't find anything.