Torque Wrench

[lostbuckaroo]

New to this forum found it while researching Lifts.. Lots of good info on here! Thanks to all who contribute. Anyways - I was working on my Jeep last night and it dawned on me that I need a good torque wrench.. I've got a cheap Harbor Freight one but doubt is accurate and I can't seem to get it to work in the higher torque settings anyhow...

So what are you guys using for a torque wrench? I'm willing to pay for a quality tool... but just like everyone a good value at a decent price is always better.

Thanks
Carlos

 

[DTB]

If you have a Home Depot around their new Husky torque wrenches have been getting good reviews.

 

[lostbuckaroo]

If you have a Home Depot around their new Husky torque wrenches have been getting good reviews.

Thanks! I'll take a look

 

[SMKS]

Perform search.
The HF torque wrenches generally are accurate.

If you want a nicer one, Husky, CDI, PI and other all offer good choices.

 

[DRhodes]

I would recommend this one. Being a split beam, you have no need to reset the tool back to zero when finished.

http://www.tooltopia.com/precision-instruments-c3fr250f.aspx

 

[Trey T]

The 3/8" and 1/2" Husky are made in USA and the 1/4" Husky are made in Taiwan. The reason why people like it because it's made in USA, a relatively reliable justification.

 

[Loscaldazar]

PI Split beam torque wrenches. Absolutely LOVE mine. Extremely accurate too!

 

[DRhodes]

PI Split beam torque wrenches. Absolutely LOVE mine. Extremely accurate too!

We think alike. For the price, they are hard to beat.

 

[zakmartin]

PI Split beam torque wrenches. Absolutely LOVE mine. Extremely accurate too!

Ditto. For the money, I can't think of a better torque wrench than what Precision Instruments puts out.

 

[Mrmanface3]

PI Split beam torque wrenches. Absolutely LOVE mine. Extremely accurate too!

Same here. The 1/2" is something like $150 on Amazon and I just got the 3/8" for about $100. I've been very happy with both.

 

[Loscaldazar]

$100 for the 3/8 (http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=PREC2FR100F)

and $134 for the 1/2 (http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=PREC3FR250F)

with about $10-15 shipping

Cheaper than Amazon if you buy both!

The several degrees of flex is invaluable sometimes too.

 

[Jack Olsen]

In Car Craft's test, didn't the Harbor Freight 1/2" beat both Craftsman and Snap-On? As I recall, it was only a test of one of each brand, which means dumb luck could be a factor.

 

[Don 18]

I picked up a CDI Micrometer torque wrench from Tools Delivered. Made in USA!

http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Micrometer-Adjustable-Wrenches_c_2934.html

 

[sgtgrizzo]

I have 2 Snap-On
1/2 Drive 50-250 ft. lbs. Part# BRUTUS3R2500
3/8 Drive 5-75 ft. lbs. Part # QD2FR75

They come with a calibration certificate. I use them all the time and no problems so far

 

[jmm]

Go swap your HF one out for a new one. Tell them you're not satisfied, and they'll take it back.

New HF torque wrenches are nice and, if they're well kept, will last a while.

I use them at home, myself.

 

[Coolguy83]

I have a proto 3/8 ft lb torque wrench will let it go for cheap.

 

[Hootbro]

I will echo what jmm said and take the HF one back and see if they will swap it out or buy another one.

I suspect your torque wrench probably has not been occasionally adjust from min-max range to spread the lubricant on the adjust screw around and has caused the upper range to be sniff or non-usable. Not uncommon for a home hobbyist used torque wrench to develop and can happen to even the high end name brands if they sit too long. Also, it is recommend practice to store the torque wrench at it's lowest setting when not in use. Leaving a torque wrench at a constant mid to upper range stetting will skew the reliability over time.

 

[Flivver250]

I have a Snap-On 30-250 1/2 drive and just bought a Wright 5-75 3/8 drive. My personal advice is buy high quality and buy it once. The larger torque wrench at my house gets used mainly for torquing lug nuts which is more important than many realize. It is 34 years new.

 

[Flivver250]

Just realized the last post made me a Senior Member! Bow down in awe lesser beings!

 

[nicksnothereman]

New to this forum found it while researching Lifts.. Lots of good info on here! Thanks to all who contribute. Anyways - I was working on my Jeep last night and it dawned on me that I need a good torque wrench.. I've got a cheap Harbor Freight one but doubt is accurate and I can't seem to get it to work in the higher torque settings anyhow...

So what are you guys using for a torque wrench? I'm willing to pay for a quality tool... but just like everyone a good value at a decent price is always better.

Thanks
Carlos

Use a beam torque wrench. Like 15 bucks. I have clickers but there are bolts out of the range of most 3/8 and 1/2 clickers. I picked up a beam and for some reason I actually reach for it now.

If you "need" a clicker the precision instruments (if it's indeed a clicker) one listed in this thread is recommended (but slightly less accurate based on the % they quote; most are within 3% this is 4%) there are also cdi ones for around 100 bucks. I use a kobalt 1/2" which has served me well but it ain't cheap.

Or you can just use a beam torque wrench for 15 bucks. But you have to pay attention to what you're doing with a beam. You don't have to calibrate beam torque wrenches which is something to think about if you're not using it professionally; it makes them even cheaper.

Oh and they also have torque adapters like a digital deal you plug a ratchet and a socket onto and it measures torque. Don't know if they ever need to be calibrated someone else might know, that is definitely an option and they're pretty cheap (40-50 bucks); people say they are pretty accurate.

 

[GoodEnough]

Ditto. For the money, I can't think of a better torque wrench than what Precision Instruments puts out.

For $125?
Friend just got a torque Craftsman for $40 on sale.

 

[nicksnothereman]

I have a Snap-On 30-250 1/2 drive and just bought a Wright 5-75 3/8 drive. My personal advice is buy high quality and buy it once. The larger torque wrench at my house gets used mainly for torquing lug nuts which is more important than many realize. It is 34 years new.

When's the last time it was calibrated? Have to ask if you're making the lug nut argument. Because if it isn't calibrated say every year and a half-2 years then it must not be that important.

 

[Loscaldazar]

For $125?
Friend just got a torque Craftsman for $40 on sale.

The design of a Split Beam makes it drastically easier to use, and it has more longevity. It will be more accurate, is actually made in the US, and doesn't have cheap plastic parts that break in a year. Snap On rebranded PI's split beams in the past (it is debated that CDI's split beams might actually be PI's too..). They are a fantastic value for the money.