Best Torque Wrench?

[TridenT]

What's the best torque wrench you can buy for at least a semi-reasonable price out there? Clearly Snap-on and such sell digital torque wrenches for $500 (and only have a 2 year warranty; wtf?). Those are probably the pinnacle but unless you're doing engine rebuilds everyday, I don't know if that really is justifiable.

I'm tired of the cheap and unreliable harbor freight torque wrenches. The ones I've used frequently stop clicking at some point or become unreliable in their clickiness. You start going for it and you swear you're putting in at least 50ft/lbs for a setting of 25. It's just annoying. I want something reliable. I'm leaning towards spendy digital torque wrench options because then I know exactly how much I'm putting down (rather than hoping a clicker clicks).

 

[NutBucket]

Look for a Craftsman digital on sale. Under $100.

 

[Yuriman]

I don't see the advantage of digital. I use a standard beam style and like it just fine, it's dead reliable and cost me $16 on Amazon.

 

[twinrider1]

CDI.

 

[Raizinman]

I have four torque wrenches 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4". I've had them for well around 20 years. When the Snap-on or Matco guy comes around and tries to sell me one of theirs and then offers to show me how inaccurate my torque wrenches are, they always leave without a sale. I've round that the secret is not the click, beam or digital style wrenches, but in how you take care of them. I have my torque wrenches in a drawer by themselves with padded foam around them. Too many people treat these tools like regular wrenches and just throw them around. I use my torque wrenches daily. I also don't loan them out to other techs as it's too difficult to tell if they damaged them. By the way, mine are just simple Craftsman click style torque wrenches.

 

[NutBucket]

I don't see the advantage of digital. I use a standard beam style and like it just fine, it's dead reliable and cost me $16 on Amazon.

Beams are nice because they don't lose calibration. The downside is you have to be pay attention to the scale which isn't shears feasible.

The digital ones use solid-state load cells which theoretically won't lose calibration. Or, it should at least maintain it much longer.

 

[TridenT]

Look for a Craftsman digital on sale. Under $100.

Those are still clicker types. The only thing they digitalize is how you set the torque. Instead of manually twisting the thing, you tell a computer to do the twisting instead. Not particularly worthwhile to me.

 

[NutBucket]

Huh. Well that I've never seen but I haven't shopped for torque wrenches in years. I lucked out that I have a number of wrenches here at work that are calibrated annually I can borrow.

 

[PottedMeat]

The digital ones use solid-state load cells which theoretically won't lose calibration. Or, it should at least maintain it much longer.

those harbor freight digital torque attachments look interesting. $30 + 20 or 25% off and a pack of adapters

 

[freeskier93]

Beams are nice because they don't lose calibration. The downside is you have to be pay attention to the scale which isn't shears feasible.

The digital ones use solid-state load cells which theoretically won't lose calibration. Or, it should at least maintain it much longer.

Precision Instruments split beam wrenches click just like a standard "click style" wrench. PI was (is?) the OEM for Snap-On. Paid about $160 on Amazon for my 40-250 ft-lb one and it is awesome.

 

[RLGL]

My torque wrenches are from Snap-on and Matco. best for the money. But as stated in an earlier post, they need to be cared for properly.

 

[tcG]

I have a small inch-lbs. torque wrench from Harbor Freight that has been great. I've followed the detailed instructions that came with it to the letter - how to release tension before storage and how to exercise the wrench before use.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have a CDI 1/2" drive I paid $170 for a couple summers ago. I bought it primarily to torque the rear wheel nut on my Ducati to the correct spec of 170 ft lbs (it is a single 46mm nut and is 1/2" drive). I have no complaints with it.

I keep it in the plastic injection-molded case it came in and store it at the lowest torque setting between uses.

Never use a torque wrench to loosen a fastener and never throw it around or drop it.

 

[freeskier93]

I have a CDI 1/2" drive I paid $170 for a couple summers ago. I bought it primarily to torque the rear wheel nut on my Ducati to the correct spec of 170 ft lbs (it is a single 46mm nut and is 1/2" drive). I have no complaints with it.

I keep it in the plastic injection-molded case it came in and store it at the lowest torque setting between uses.

Never use a torque wrench to loosen a fastener and never throw it around or drop it.

For a click style wrench, if you don't exceed the max torque rating of the wrench it's not going to hurt it to loosen bolts. It doesn't know the difference either way, for all it knows you're tightening a left hand thread bolt.

I've actually repurposed my old click style 50-250 ft-lb wrench to a breaker bar because it's the most robust wrench I have. I have it set to the max torque so I know if it clicks, while loosening, I'm probably going to have a bad day.

 

[JulesMaximus]

For a click style wrench, if you don't exceed the max torque rating of the wrench it's not going to hurt it to loosen bolts. It doesn't know the difference either way, for all it knows you're tightening a left hand thread bolt.

I've actually repurposed my old click style 50-250 ft-lb wrench to a breaker bar because it's the most robust wrench I have. I have it set to the max torque so I know if it clicks, while loosening, I'm probably going to have a bad day.

I have some breaker bars that are far more robust than my torque wrenches. I never use them for loosening bolts.

Mine is 30-250 ft-lb but I generally only use it when I need to torque something to a value higher than 75 ft-lb as I have a 3/8" drive torque wrench to handle the 10-75 range (which works for most things on my motorcycle).

 

[Wuzup101]

CDI is what you want.

 

[freeskier93]

CDI is what you want.

I just don't get why someone would spend that much money on a click style wrench. What does an expensive CDI do that a cheap HF one doesn't? I always thought the draw for click style is they are cheap and accurate.

More importantly, why spend that much money when you can get a split beam that doesn't need to be zeroed and is more rugged. They are also way easier to set and the flex head is nice. The only disadvantage I can come up with they only go clockwise, so no torquing left hand thread bolts. Vast majority of people will never encounter left hand thread bolts though.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I just don't get why someone would spend that much money on a click style wrench. What does an expensive CDI do that a cheap HF one doesn't? I always thought the draw for click style is they are cheap and accurate.

More importantly, why spend that much money when you can get a split beam that doesn't need to be zeroed and is more rugged. They are also way easier to set and the flex head is nice. The only disadvantage I can come up with they only go clockwise, so no torquing left hand thread bolts. Vast majority of people will never encounter left hand thread bolts though.

Because it can be difficult to accurately read a split beam torque wrench when you're torquing a bolt that may be at an awkward angle.

 

[Wuzup101]

Because it can be difficult to accurately read a split beam torque wrench when you're torquing a bolt that may be at an awkward angle.

Yup - that's why I'd rather have the click style. I don't own a lift, so there are plenty of times where I wouldn't be able to read a split beam given the positions I'm working in. Furthermore, click style is faster for stuff like lug nuts, and I um... don't have to bend over to read it.

 

[freeskier93]

Because it can be difficult to accurately read a split beam torque wrench when you're torquing a bolt that may be at an awkward angle.

Yup - that's why I'd rather have the click style. I don't own a lift, so there are plenty of times where I wouldn't be able to read a split beam given the positions I'm working in. Furthermore, click style is faster for stuff like lug nuts, and I um... don't have to bend over to read it.

Clearly nobody read my first post (post 10). You can get split beams that click just like a micrometer wrench.

Edit: To clear any confusion this is a split beam torque wrench:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XMSFIM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wOxMyb83114YD

Not this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PUT6E38/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RPxMyb1MYNETM

I realize now the person I had quoted was probably talking about the latter.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Clearly nobody read my first post (post 10). You can get split beams that click just like a micrometer wrench.

Edit: To clear any confusion this is a split beam torque wrench:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002XMSFIM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wOxMyb83114YD

Not this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PUT6E38/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RPxMyb1MYNETM

I realize now the person I had quoted was probably talking about the latter.

Your first link cost pretty much the same as what I paid for my CDI torque wrench. Not sure I'm seeing the advantages quite frankly. Oh, and that only works in the clockwise direction so you cannot torque fasteners that tighten counterclockwise with that torque wrench.

 

[MongGrel]

Best Torque Wrench is always a bit questionable, is does not sound like the OP is going to use one that is calibrated on a regular basis to begin with.

http://www.flexibleassembly.com/Products/Torque-Wrench

You can pick a really one up for about 3 grand + I guess, if it is necessary.

 

[sontakke]

Unless you are engine builder you don't *need* a torque wrench except where you want multiple fasteners torqued same (or nearly the same). What you are looking for is the consistency of the wrench. You are not going to die if the torque is +/- 20% on a single automotive bolt. When you have multiple, then the difference between adjacent bolt could end up up to 40% and then you do have problems.

Moral:-- First learn to differentiate between torque values using your "calibrated wrist" before purchasing your first torque wrench. TW is NO substitute for common sense. If you can not differentiate between 20 vs 50 vs 100 ft-lb *without?* using TW, you have no business wrenching on car.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Unless you are engine builder you don't *need* a torque wrench except where you want multiple fasteners torqued same (or nearly the same). What you are looking for is the consistency of the wrench. You are not going to die if the torque is +/- 20% on a single automotive bolt. When you have multiple, then the difference between adjacent bolt could end up up to 40% and then you do have problems.

Moral:-- First learn to differentiate between torque values using your "calibrated wrist" before purchasing your first torque wrench. TW is NO substitute for common sense. If you can not differentiate between 20 vs 50 vs 100 ft-lb *without?* using TW, you have no business wrenching on car.

How about a single rear wheel nut on a motorcycle? I'm sure Ducati recommends a value 230nm on that nut for good reason. Could you torque a fastener to that spec based on experience? Have you EVER torqued a fastener to that spec? I'm sure +/- 20% is fine but are you willing to bet your life on it when the result could be a loss of control of a motorcycle?

 

[freeskier93]

Your first link cost pretty much the same as what I paid for my CDI torque wrench. Not sure I'm seeing the advantages quite frankly. Oh, and that only works in the clockwise direction so you cannot torque fasteners that tighten counterclockwise with that torque wrench.

Split beam doesn't have to be zeroed because it won't lose calibration. Pretty damn big advantage if you ask me. The flex head is also nice and I found the method of setting the torque to be much easier and quicker compared to a micrometer type.

Sure, if you need to torque left hand thread you need a different wrench, but like I said, few people will ever run across LHT, let alone one that needs be torqued.

How about a single rear wheel nut on a motorcycle? I'm sure Ducati recommends a value 230nm on that nut for good reason. Could you torque a fastener to that spec based on experience? Have you EVER torqued a fastener to that spec? I'm sure +/- 20% is fine but are you willing to bet your life on it when the result could be a loss of control of a motorcycle?

If it's anything like the front hub/axle nut on my Jeep (and pretty much any vehicle with unit bearings) the torque is about achieving correct bearing preload, the spec on that is around 200 ft-lbs. Incorrect torque could lead to premature bearing failure, but otherwise it's a casselated nut with cotter pin.

At the end of the day there's a lot of relatively basic thing that, if done incorrectly, could lead to catostrophic failure. Hell, just replacing a flat tire could lead catastrophe if lug nuts aren't properly tightened.