New Torque Wrench

[mike93lx]

Some ppl sure get their ******* in a wad when reality checks in.

Sample size? What's YOUR sample size? Tell me again how accurate and repeatable your wrench is that hasn't been calibrated since bought.

I'm not spouting off about how great or crappy they are. You seem to be convinced that they are all great because you have tested six.

I have no need for a precision torque wrench and don't really care how accurate and repeatable my $30 tekton is.

 

[ericlar80]

If someone isn't regularly verifying the calibration on their torque wrench, they have no idea if it is accurate and so they may as well be using something from China.

 

[Nineeightyone]

Not to derail this, but two questions:

#1, how can one check the accuracy of their torque wrench, without breaking the bank? I have a somewhat old HF 1/2" drive that I'd like to know if and by how much it's off, but I don't know that spending the coin to get it tested by a 3rd party is worthwhile.

#2, what's the common opinion of the Tekton torque wrenches?

 

[Partsguy57]

Some ppl sure get their ******* in a wad when reality checks in.

Sample size? What's YOUR sample size? Tell me again how accurate and repeatable your wrench is that hasn't been calibrated since bought.

Comparing tool cost to burgers? That's obviously far worse then apples & oranges. Last I checked beef costs way more per pound than steel.

Boy you are so right... How foolish of me the think a 10.00 torque wrench is not loaded with quality.... I stand corrected... A h.f. Is obviously a quality tool as its 10 bucks profit included.... funny for the same 10 bucks you can't but a good burger and fries.... At harbor freight do they use a different 10.00?

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[guy48065]

Personally I have 5 click-type torque wrenches of various brands and COO--none of them are HF or Tekton so I have no ego invested in this argument. Among the instruments I calibrate annually I do about 50 torque wrenches, mostly clickers. As a calibration professional with 25 years experience I don't care what they look or feel like, or what brand they are--I just report what I find. You can argue all day about the cost or feel of a tool but as dnschmidt reported I find the Pittsburg torque wrenches to look & feel like ****, but they have the same accuracy spec and lifetime warranty as a Snap-on clicker, and perform accurately and consistantly. Of the 19 years I've been running this lab I've only had these HF wrenches working their way into the stream for about 10 years so I won't speak to their longevity.

 

[connorm]

Imagine being so angry about an internet discussion about a $10 tool that you write in all caps.

If it needs to be torqued it needs something better than HF can provide... One may be spot on the next is junk. Half the stuff out of HF is broken when it comes out of the box. Ever notice every box is open on the shelf? You gotta check everything like an egg carton. I would not trust HF for repeatability even if the wrench is initially within spec. Spending 5 years in a drawer =/= regular usage, drops, etc. I own mostly HF and cheap craftsman tools but when it comes down to something important I'm not going to bet a $50 or $100 savings against the thousands I have into my top end rebuild. If a ratchet malfunctions you just have to wait till you can get another to finish the job. If a torque wrench malfunctions you can snap a bolt that likely cost more than 10 bucks, or risk lifting a head that costs many hundreds of dollars more than even an overpriced SO torque wrench.

 

[connorm]

Not to derail this, but two questions:

#1, how can one check the accuracy of their torque wrench, without breaking the bank? I have a somewhat old HF 1/2" drive that I'd like to know if and by how much it's off, but I don't know that spending the coin to get it tested by a 3rd party is worthwhile.

#2, what's the common opinion of the Tekton torque wrenches?

No clue about for number 2 but the easiest way to check a torque wrench is just to check it against another wrench. Get a coupler nut and a buddy's wrench (more is better) and twist against each other at the same setting. if they click at the same time you're good, if not you might want to find someone with a beam wrench to test against.

 

[Partsguy57]

Imagine being so angry about an internet discussion about a $10 tool that you write in all caps.

If it needs to be torqued it needs something better than HF can provide... One may be spot on the next is junk. Half the stuff out of HF is broken when it comes out of the box. Ever notice every box is open on the shelf? You gotta check everything like an egg carton. I would not trust HF for repeatability even if the wrench is initially within spec. Spending 5 years in a drawer =/= regular usage, drops, etc. I own mostly HF and cheap craftsman tools but when it comes down to something important I'm not going to bet a $50 or $100 savings against the thousands I have into my top end rebuild. If a ratchet malfunctions you just have to wait till you can get another to finish the job. If a torque wrench malfunctions you can snap a bolt that likely cost more than 10 bucks, or risk lifting a head that costs many hundreds of dollars more than even an overpriced SO torque wrench.

Lol. Its amazing as a past owner of auto parts store and full machine shop there is a certain class of cheap skate( go talk to any store owner and they will confirm what I say) that the highest possible sign of quality is cheap( there is some here on this board) and the cheaper the higher quality its gets... there is no way in the scale of economics a "quality" 10 torque wrench is possible. In fact I would argue that you can't even buy a torque wrench anywhere for less 10.00 other then h.f. Which puts the h.f. torque wrench at the very bottom of the barrel price wise. We all know that when you buy at the absolute bottom of the barrel you are buying the cheapest thing possible... Period... Of course this to a certain class of cheap skate means quality.....

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[dnschmidt]

Anybody on this board knows that I'm the furthest thing on Earth from cheap. Normally I get blasted for always suggesting somebody spend more money that they want to. In my house I have a minimum of 10 Eclatorq digital torque wrenches set aside for my own personal use. This is the OEM manufacturer for MAC and all of SBD's pro line digital torque wrenches including Proto and USAG.

That stated a clicker type torque wrench is not some spin-off from the Apollo space program. You've got a spring, a pivot block (that's the click you hear when it snaps over) and some means of tightening and loosening the spring normally a simple threaded barrel. None of these are precision components. Clickers are little more complicated than a ratchet, and by the way, Harbor Freight sells some pretty damn nice ratchets as many here will attest. I love the plastic one with the fat handle myself. I'm not defending Harbor Freight or it's torque wrenches but both a gentleman who goes to work every day in a calibration lab and myself using state of the art calibrated equipment have yet to find one out of specification. If you don't want to use them don't. But until you can provide data proving your point why continue this discussion.

 

[Partsguy57]

Anybody on this board knows that I'm the furthest thing on Earth from cheap. Normally I get blasted for always suggesting somebody spend more money that they want to. In my house I have a minimum of 10 Eclatorq digital torque wrenches set aside for my own personal use. This is the OEM manufacturer for MAC and all of SBD's pro line digital torque wrenches including Proto and USAG.

That stated a clicker type torque wrench is not some spin-off from the Apollo space program. You've got a spring, a pivot block (that's the click you hear when it snaps over) and some means of tightening and loosening the spring normally a simple threaded barrel. None of these are precision components. Clickers are little more complicated than a ratchet, and by the way, Harbor Freight sells some pretty damn nice ratchets as many here will attest. I love the plastic one with the fat handle myself. I'm not defending Harbor Freight or it's torque wrenches but both a gentleman who goes to work every day in a calibration lab and myself using state of the art calibrated equipment have yet to find one out of specification. If you don't want to use them don't. But until you can provide data proving your point why continue this discussion.

Lol. H.f. Sells for 10 and makes a profit.. Lol.... Using the same scale of economics you can buy a quality burger and fries for .50 ? A five star meal for 2.00? A quality ice chest for 4.00? Quality lawn mower for 15.00? Quality chain saw for 20.00? Build a 600hp race motor for 200? Quailty rv for 300? Build a 4000 square foot house for 5000? Get real.... Why isn't snap on for instance selling a torque wrench for 50.00 and making a killing as most would by a name brand vs h.f. Cheapie. ( you said yourself nothing much in them) . Most people would much prefer the recognized quality of a quality name brand vs the legendary failure of the h.f. Brand...( there are countless posting of h.f. Tool failures in general.) I can promise you the percentage of mark up would be above what snap on and other quality tool suppliers if you can build a torque wrench for less then 10.00 ( h.f makes a profit at 10) and sell for 50.. Again based on selling millions in auto parts and some tools there is a certain class of cheap skate that the highest measure of quality is the cheapest price.....

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[WWheeler]

You can get one Qtr Pounder or Big Mac a day for $1 all summer long if you use their app, or so I've read. I'm just sayin'

https://www.google.com/search?q=quarter+pounder+big+mac+$1+through+Sept+30

And that said, no, I don't trust a $10 HF torque wrench. I have nothing other than my spidey-sense to base my distrust on.

 

[Partsguy57]

Lol. The epitome of quality... Cheers

You can get one Qtr Pounder or Big Mac a day for $1 all summer long if you use their app, or so I've read. I'm just sayin'

https://www.google.com/search?q=quarter+pounder+big+mac+$1+through+Sept+30

And that said, no, I don't trust a $10 HF torque wrench. I have nothing other than my spidey-sense to base my distrust on.

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[minytrker]

Your assuming they are making a profit on the $10 one, they could lose money on it but make 200% on the sockets you buy to go with it or anything else you grab while you were there for the $10 deal.


I use a HF torque wrench for lugnuts, figured its better than impacting them on. Even if the torque is off 5% atleast they are all the same.

 

[guy48065]

TL;DR version:

...I find the Pittsburg torque wrenches to look & feel like ****, but they have the same accuracy spec and lifetime warranty as a Snap-on clicker...

Get it?

 

[ultgar]

I think for wheel tightening, a cheap torque wrench is better that none. As someone said, at least they're all uniform. For torque values less than 20 ft lbs (timing covers, water pumps, valve covers, etc), proper torque is more important.

My wife recently had a 3 level ACDF spinal fusion at HSS in NY and the surgeon said he torques the screws holding the plates to 10nm. I suspect the torque wrench costs a little more than $10. SD

 

[Partsguy57]

Your assuming they are making a profit on the $10 one, they could lose money on it but make 200% on the sockets you buy to go with it or anything else you grab while you were there for the $10 deal.


I use a HF torque wrench for lugnuts, figured its better than impacting them on. Even if the torque is off 5% atleast they are all the same.

I will take my assumption over your assumption any day of the week I will assume they're making a profit and yeah you can assume you bought a quality torque wrench..

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[minytrker]

Im not saying a $10 HF torque wrench is quality, its better than an impact for lugnuts IMO. Anything else I use a god torque wrench. 99% of the people never read the manual, get the torque wrench checked, or store a torque wrench correctly. Do I do that on my HF one, no but on any torque wrench I need to be precise I get the checked.

In the AF our snap-on torque wrenches were checked every 90 days, if they were dropped they instantly were red tagged and pulled from service. You also had to lubricate the torque wrench before use by setting it on the highest setting and torquing it 3 times. They had a metal bar in the tool room with 1/4, 3/8/, 1/2, 3/4 and 1in sockets welded on them that you put the torque wrench on to do that on.

 

[JJ99SS]

I'm a middle of the road guy. I'll admit that I like to feel like I got a good value, but something about a really cheap product, even though it works, isn't a good value for me. Conversely expensive things start to lose value (to me) because the price isn't worth the last 10% in fit and finish and won't likely last much longer than a middle of the road product.

It's like a Caddy or a Bentley. Both are nice, but that hand finished touch on a Bentley isn't worth the extra 250K.