I am looking for a torque wrench i have been looking at several different brands but I am having trouble deciding I am looking for accuracy and reliability making sure if im paying a good amount for a torque wrench that its durable. I have heard snap on and mac are a great brand but overpriced but i dont know. I was also looking at armstrong industrial tool since they do sell them at napa which is where i work. I have heard great advise on this website so that why i have register i would like to hear your feedback on it
Torque Wrench help needed
- Thread starter zrultima
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Arent those exactly the same as snap on besides the head i guess i know some of them have snap on heads since they ran out
vssjim
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If you work at NAPA and they can get you a good wrench like the Armstrong then I would go with it. MAC is just a relabeled PROTO wrench which are very good.
ihateminimumwage
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The Husky USA torque wrenches are identical to the Matco & Gearwrench torque wrenches. Great wrenches for an excellent price, as long as you can live with a 36 tooth head.
nicksnothereman
Well-known member
Depends on what you need...but you should start with a beam torque wrench. You can get a cheap one for under 30 bucks. From there get a clicker for higher torque values/when you need the clearance.
If you work at napa and get an employee discount maybe get what they sell. Anything they have a good warranty on.
My main torque wrench is a kobalt 1/2". No complaints whatsoever. Not everyone buys taiwan though.
Well thats the thing i have not heard much about armstrong tools that why i havent purchased one yet and well they have the same warranty as craftman i believe 90 days recalibration and one year repair and return if any issues. I would like to make it a one time purchase and it will probably be the only expensive hand tool i will ever get. My old man has very old 70 and 80 craftman tools and i would stand by them till the day i die. There not what they use to be but my dad always keeped his tools clean only minor scratches on them only thing is i wish he would have bought an old torque wrench would of just recalibrated it every few years
nicksnothereman
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Sorry man it's probably not going to happen with a torque wrench unless it's one that doesn't need a calibration (i.e. a beam wrench).
I believe armstrong makes some craftsman stuff (or has in the past). The us-made t-handle nutdrivers are theirs.
gearwrench/husky/kobalt is what you want to get if you're for a clicker type torque wrench. any more money spent on other brands would just be a waste. if you want a different type of torque wrench, then consider PI and be ready spend more.
ihateminimumwage
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Unless you want to go with a digital, fine tooth, or flex head, this is absolutely the route to go.
Chunchula
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There are two "Classes" of torque wrenches and two ways of thinking. If you are going to "do it right if you are doing it" and you are putting the blade on your lawnmower, get a harbor freight for $9.99 with coupon.
If you are putting something together you have a large stake in* get a PROTO. USA made and comes with a certification done by someone in America.
http://proto.dirxion.com/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.6.11.7&BookCode=pto&PageLabel=528&from=2
*Like you may be flying (in) it, or its worth $,$$$,$$$+ your money.
If you are putting something together you have a large stake in* get a PROTO. USA made and comes with a certification done by someone in America.
http://proto.dirxion.com/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.6.11.7&BookCode=pto&PageLabel=528&from=2
*Like you may be flying (in) it, or its worth $,$$$,$$$+ your money.
I dont mind recalibrating my torque wrench from time to time thats no problem I would just like to buy one that feels great in my hand and is a quality made wrench. I heard of Airplane mechanics using proto and mac tools which I will look into.
I already have used a beam style torue wrench from advance but how about those hard to reach areas which arent always accesible
I already have used a beam style torue wrench from advance but how about those hard to reach areas which arent always accesible
mrjaw14
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supposedly the HF ones are actually pretty accurate
navymech
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On our aircraft we use snap-on. Even the civilian tech reps from the manufacturers use snap-on. In my experience, it's pretty much the go to brand for calibrated instruments, except for some random CDI stuff.
That said, at home I just use the HF versions. They rarely see use, so I'm pretty comfortable with them. For $10 it's practically free
Everyone keeps telling me Snap on nowadays your just paying for the name several mechanics and machinist have told me they collected snap on all their life and the only thing they gain was actually losing money there great toold but over priced. but thats why I come to ask here where there are people who do this everyday Im thinking about pulling the trigger on a armstrong torque wrench since there made here in apex nc I will be buying an electric one probably but I want to make this an educated decision before I blow some dough
Here is what I am looking at a 3/8 drive since i can use it more often due to its size
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...ic-Torque-Wrench-1-2-/_/R-AIT64544_0009851067
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...ic-Torque-Wrench-1-2-/_/R-AIT64544_0009851067
Armstrong are good tools and have been around for a long time.
Personally I wouldn't buy an electronic one.
If you buy a click type remember to always back the tension off after use as leaving them tensioned up is what affects the calibration. Don't know if this applies to the electronic ones or not, probably not as I would suspect that they use a strain gauge in them.
FWIW, I have an old Proto 1/2" click type that I bought somewhere around 1960, check it for calibration every year or so and it's never need re-calibrated.
Personally I wouldn't buy an electronic one.
If you buy a click type remember to always back the tension off after use as leaving them tensioned up is what affects the calibration. Don't know if this applies to the electronic ones or not, probably not as I would suspect that they use a strain gauge in them.
FWIW, I have an old Proto 1/2" click type that I bought somewhere around 1960, check it for calibration every year or so and it's never need re-calibrated.
Shoot where can k find one i would like to compare i would never buy snap on wrenches or ratchets just because i believe there over price i love my dads 80 craftman usa tools there literally the best. I was helping a buddy build a motor when his snap on torque wrench went out he took out his old 80 craftman click style wrench worked like a charm. The mechanism from the snap on wrench had gone out just rotating the head he had to send it for r&r
I don't what you're getting it for price wise. Usually a 1/2 drive will get use more often than a 3/8 unless you are doing lots of intake and front of motor work. That seems like a very expensive wrench to be spending money on when you won't use it much. The only thing I really use an expensive wrench on is engine internals.
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zakmartin
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I have a really old Taiwan-made clicker torque wrench I bought at Schuck's (now O'Reilly Auto Parts) 20 years ago for about $20. It looks a lot like the one Harbor Freight sells. It's a solid tool that has always been good and holds its torque well. It's easy to re-calibrate and all steel. It now lives in my wife's SUV for when I need to fix a flat.
I have 4 USA-made Craftsman torque wrenches (1 beam-type, 3 clickers.) They all work well, though the Digitorque wrenches are a bit of a gimmick and the tiny numbers in those tiny windows are a bit hard to read. In terms of build quality, the Craftsmans have too much plastic on important parts and that makes me weary of them. They're perfect for the occasional job, but I wouldn't consider them for anything else. I don't think you can get these USA wrenches anymore, unless you find them at a Sears Outlet.
I have one USA-made KD (now Gearwrench) beam-type (0-60 inch pound) wrench that I use for screws on circuit boards.
And then there are the three USA-made Precision Instrument torque wrenches that are my go-to wrenches. I have a 1/2" split-beam 40-250 ft-lb wrench, a 3/8" split-beam 20-100 ft-lb wrench and a 1/4" click-type 30-200 inch lb wrench. These PI wrenches have exceeded all my expectations. They're a great value for the money, they're made by the company that supplied re-badged wrenches to tool trucks and they're pretty much bullet-proof. You really can't go wrong with anything made by PI.
I have 4 USA-made Craftsman torque wrenches (1 beam-type, 3 clickers.) They all work well, though the Digitorque wrenches are a bit of a gimmick and the tiny numbers in those tiny windows are a bit hard to read. In terms of build quality, the Craftsmans have too much plastic on important parts and that makes me weary of them. They're perfect for the occasional job, but I wouldn't consider them for anything else. I don't think you can get these USA wrenches anymore, unless you find them at a Sears Outlet.
I have one USA-made KD (now Gearwrench) beam-type (0-60 inch pound) wrench that I use for screws on circuit boards.
And then there are the three USA-made Precision Instrument torque wrenches that are my go-to wrenches. I have a 1/2" split-beam 40-250 ft-lb wrench, a 3/8" split-beam 20-100 ft-lb wrench and a 1/4" click-type 30-200 inch lb wrench. These PI wrenches have exceeded all my expectations. They're a great value for the money, they're made by the company that supplied re-badged wrenches to tool trucks and they're pretty much bullet-proof. You really can't go wrong with anything made by PI.
Yes I know I will be getting a 3/8 torque wrench because I dont need an ernourmous 1/2 wrench wont fit in alot of places and I will probably never remove an engine for head gasket or any top end work. I probably wont need anything past 200 pds anyways
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I just went to look at a used snap on qjr-3200b and well it was a bit rough but i didnt get it because i tried to retighten my lugnuts on my truck and well no matter at what setting i placed it in it would click so i didnt buy it but he was selling it for 75. Did i let a good opportunity pass by?
navymech
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$75 isn't a steal or anything so I wouldn't sweat it, but I'm confused. You loosened the lug nut all the way, hand tightened, set the wrench to 100 ft/lb or whatever, and it clicked immediately? All the way up to 200 ft/lb? I don't even know what you could do to make it act like that.
What the heck did the guy do to try and explain that he couldn't show it working?
kblazer87
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What's your location?
pepi
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How about one like this Summit Racing brand, 45 + shipping and it works. Do not use a torque wrench to loosen fasteners, could loose your job doing that.
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How about one like this Summit Racing brand, 45 + shipping and it works. Do not use a torque wrench to loosen fasteners, could loose your job doing that.
Ooh i loosen it with a regular ratchet lol but yeah im still on the wall i am just looking at all my options for right now ill keep u updated pepe
Do you have any torque wrenches??
ihateminimumwage
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Here's what I posted in the last Torque Wrench Thread that came up (I found it because I'd already typed out the links. There are a LOT of options out there, I went with the Husky because I had used a USA Gearwrench & a Matco, and decided to give them a shot. I was weary about buying something with the 'Husky' brand on it, since so many of their tools have been cheap China junk for so long. I'm glad I moved passed my judgements and got such a good deal on a quality torque wrench, and I'm hoping they will continue to start bringing in more USA & Taiwan tools.
I have always thought Kobalt made their torque wrenches nothing else in the US of A lol but I will most likely be getting a 3/8 wrench since I understand what you mean if I need more torques ill use a cheater bar but yes that what ive been told they recently changed to US made
A cheater bar will increase the torque it applies, however doing so will take the torque wrench past the limits that were set for it and will damage it and/or throw off the calibration.
djb2
Well-known member
Lots of the usual bogus advice here. Repeating what you have heard doesn't make it true.
Once a click-type wrench releases the internal cam, it's hard-on-hard contact. You aren't going to affect its calibration until you actually bend the wrench. Using a click-type for loosening fasteners is perfectly fine.
You don't need to fully loosen a properly made click-type each time. That's actually more likely to result in displacing internal parts, resulting a bad setting the next time. The setting is pre-loading a spring. A properly tempered spring operating within range will retain a consistent pressure for centuries. A badly made spring will weaken in a few years. I only loosen my wrenches if they are above 50% of full scale, and then try to never go below 20% after having once had a problem after loosening to '0'.
The advice to never use a cheater bar *is* good. It's too easy to mix radial force with the tangential force and geometrically lose accuracy. Beam type torque wrenches often have pivoting handles to minimize this effect.
Once a click-type wrench releases the internal cam, it's hard-on-hard contact. You aren't going to affect its calibration until you actually bend the wrench. Using a click-type for loosening fasteners is perfectly fine.
You don't need to fully loosen a properly made click-type each time. That's actually more likely to result in displacing internal parts, resulting a bad setting the next time. The setting is pre-loading a spring. A properly tempered spring operating within range will retain a consistent pressure for centuries. A badly made spring will weaken in a few years. I only loosen my wrenches if they are above 50% of full scale, and then try to never go below 20% after having once had a problem after loosening to '0'.
The advice to never use a cheater bar *is* good. It's too easy to mix radial force with the tangential force and geometrically lose accuracy. Beam type torque wrenches often have pivoting handles to minimize this effect.
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ihateminimumwage
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If you're even thinking of putting a cheater on a torque wrench, then why are you even using one instead of a breaker bar?
Well I believe it would be quite difficult to put 135 pds on a head gasket I will be using it for my cummins 5.9 for a head gasket. Well guys I have the guy selling the Snap on Torque Wrench part # QJR-3200B for 65 bucks it needs to be calibrated and it is an older style do you think this is a good deal please get back at me asap Thank you, =D