Looking for a torque wrench - comments?

[T1704]

Friends,

I'm in the market for a Torque Wrench and having never ownded one, wanted some advise on recommended brands or unrecommended brands. Primary use will be for rotating tires, replacing brakes, maybe valve covers, etc. Not too much extreme heavy duty or extended use. Most of my current mechanics tools are Craftsman due to the guarantee, but I wasn't sure about their Torque Wrenches. Also, will I get better use out of a 3/8" drive or 1/2" drive?

I appreciate your comments and if you have one you're getting rid of, send me a message.

Thanks, Travis

 

[Deafautotech]

i own about 6 torque wrenches as both used snap on (did calibration) and new craftsman torque wrenches.

i would recommend you to buy craftsman torque wrench because it is work good and get job finish while you can save money while did not buy snap on torque wrench because it is over 300 dollars for new while craftsman sell between 80 dollars to 140 dollars depend on which drive on torque wrench

i would recommend you to buy 1/2dr torque wrench 25 to 250 ft lbs which is price for 120 dollars and it is easy to read the numbers. and 3/8dr torque wrench 5 to 80 ft lbs. both torque wrench will fix anything unless it need inch lbs torque wrench....

 

[1320stang]

I have had a Craftsman torque wrench for about 8 years and have been very pleased with it. I always back it off to 0 after each use and I kept the plastic it came in and use it to hang it on the wall above my bench. It still looks like new. But I've never used it for torquing lug nuts, valve covers or changing brakes. That's always been by feel. I use it to torque heads, intake bolts, rod caps, main caps, mainly building engines, so it doesn't get a whole lot of use, which is why I went with the Craftsman, it was about $80 when I bought it, it's a 20-250 1/2" drive unit.

 

[eschoendorff]

I'm gonna echo what the others said about Craftsman. I have been very happy with mine.

 

[Mandres]

I would get an SK clicker type like this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46691

They're very highly regarded and much less than a Snap-On.

 

[wythors]

I would get an SK clicker type like this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46691

They're very highly regarded and much less than a Snap-On.

I would agree with the above. I have that model as well as a 3/8" inch-pound unit. Both have served me well and appear to be very well made. That said, I wouldn't consider buying them from HF. They've probably been driven over by a fork lift.

 

[Pointbock]

I'm looking, too. I've mostly been checking out mid-range clickers.

I've heard good and bad about the Craftsman Microtork and mostly bad about the Digitork.

Kobalts are in the same price range, but the ones I looked at were made in the US.

Huskys are Asian but have a lifetime warranty. (I haven't checked the fine print to see if this covers everything or not.)

Gearwrench has a similar line, but is +/- 3% vs. 4% for the others.

K-D?

SK and Proto clickers are the next step up.

I'd look at E-bay (for a new one only). I'm in AK so shipping usually kills most "deals."

I'll probably get two wrenches to start; a 1/2" 50-250 ft/lb, and a 10/100 ft lb. Then maybe an inch/lb later.

 

[mikeatrpi]

I have the 25-250 SK linked above, and love it. Had a craftsman, but the plastic "lock" ring broke, and the ratchet head wasn't smooth.

 

[mulepackin]

For the money, I've been very happy with my old Craftsman beam type. Not as cool as a clicker, but really doesn't require expensive calibration, and stays pretty accurate as long as used properly and stored properly. If I did alot of engine or ****** rebuilds, I might consider something more accurate. But its served me well on what I have rebuilt.

 

[Deafautotech]

i always set my torque wrenches to zero after use it. but i was surprised that snap on torque wrench dont have to set it back to zero after use on the flex head ratchet with knob that only change how feet lbs you need to do in few seconds.... i own it because my snap on guy sold me for 80 dollars as it is used and it was calibrated before sell it....

 

[T1704]

Okay, so I think I'm definitely interested in a "clicker" type. How and where do you get one calibrated?

I appreciate everyone's feedback.

 

[mike944]

How and where do you get one calibrated?

That's a damn good question.

I calibrated mine at a place i used to work, that had their own torque wrench calibrator. That was a quite a few years ago, so i'm looking to get mine done again. I've heard it's not cheap.

 

[mike944]

Actually, looks like it's not as bad as i thought. This place i found below, it looks like $32 for most common sizes of clicker-type wrenches. It's not cheap, but if your wrench is getting kind of old, it might be worth looking into.

http://www.teamtorque.com/images/pdfiles/torquepricing.pdf

http://www.teamtorque.com/lab.html

 

[MyDomain]

Had a craftsman, but the plastic "lock" ring broke, and the ratchet head wasn't smooth.

Same dang thing happened to my craftsman...pissed me off because I had only used it a handful of times but it was just over the year warranty. My first craftsman tw ratchet failed with same light usage. I'm not gonna get another one.

 

[1320stang]

How do you break the plastic lock ring?

 

[MyDomain]

I am not quite sure what did it but it split and now the settings will not lock in.

 

[ba614]

I was at the Team Torque website checking them out due to the link listed above. They service Craftsman Torque wrenches. I bet they can supply you the ring you need to fix your wrench.

 

[RPH]

Sears has an electronic transducer model that I have. Use on any rachet or breaker as it is 1/2 drive. Can be a little long (tall) for some areas that require tight fit but allows you to taylor the reading to what you are doing ie inch-lbs to foot -lbs or even metric. Does breakaway torque,tolerances and will beep when it hits the set point. About $80.00 if I recall right. Not perfect for everything but a handy device neverless.

 

[MAD]

I too have a 1/2" dr. Craftsman Microtork torque wrench that the locking ring has broken on. I purchased it around 20 years ago and the plastic ring cracked around two years later. I do not remember the exact moment the ring cracked but I do recall that it happened while locking or unlocking the torque settings and not from an impact. I suspect the plastic was weakened due to chemical exposure( oil?, gumout? brakeclean?). Although the ring failure was annoying and does not inspire great confidence in the quality of the product, it has not effected the performance of the torque wrench since the setting does not drift during use. I also have a similar 3/8" dr. model about 10 years old that has had no problems. One interesting thing I discovered poking around for warranty info: The warranty info on the Sears Canada website lists torque wrenches as being covered under the lifetime warranty (excluding calibration) I am half tempted to take a printout to Sears to see if they would exchange mine. They might not notice that the info is from the Canadian site.

here is a link to the Craftsman warranty on the SEARS CANADA web site.

http://www.sears.ca/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&node=16395391&no=15858301&searsBrand=core&me=A10FHFRJZ0GJG3

 

[Canadian Charlie]

I have a Beta clicker in my toolbox, its the best one I've owned since. Its got a range of 30-150 foot pounds. One day when I got a little extra I will get a 3/8" drive one with a range of 6-44 foot pounds

 

[kartracer55]

SK!!! Its just about identical to the craftsman but you can find them for less online.

Jim

 

[rocco]

i've had a set of 1/2inch and 3/8inch Torque wrenches made by ITC for 3 years now, and they have been great. the 1/2 inch measure's in FT/lbs and the 3/8 inch measure's in in/lbs. They both come with a carrying case and they also are very easy to set.

 

[eschoendorff]

SK!!! Its just about identical to the craftsman but you can find them for less online.

Jim

What???? Not Proto??????

 

[KingPerformance]

Ok, 3/8 will have a wider variety of uses in automotive service then 1/2

Choose what you want based on the accuracy you need. Don't skimp on a torque wrench if you need something VERY accurate. I have several and I use them based on what I'm assembling.

Ex:
Intake manifolds, wheel lugs, suspension components, general assembly I have some Craftsman units. They have a lot of use on them, and they work great. I have no complaints about them. However, I know for a fact that they are not accurate and I have no intention of ever calibrating them. Consistent torque at an aprox rating is more important then being within 1% for those types of services.

Then I have some snap on torque wrenches that I use for assembling heads, engines, and electrical components. They are calibrated often and are VERY accurate.

If you are going to assemble engines it may be beneficial for you to purchase a rod stretch gauge to use along with a torque wrench.

 

[T1704]

I appreciate everyone's comments.

 

[Deafautotech]

torque wrench are very important for automotive, engine, transmission, and everything because if under specific of torque as it will be loose or over tight and it will break or crack parts.