What do you all like for one that wont break the bank? Its just for use on toys in the garage, not commercial everyday abuse. Thanks.
Timely thread. I just recieved a new, in box, 3/8 drive torque wrench (Pittsburgh Brand) from my cousin for helping him with a project. How accurate can I expect this torque wrench to be? I aint expecting much.
I have a friend who had access to a torque wrench calibrator and he was able to confirm that the quarter inch drive Pittsburgh brand torque wrench out of the box was as accurate as the snap on wrenches they use. That being said that was when it was brand new. who knows how long it maintains that accuracy or how accurate it is in different temperatures or if it is durable and doesn't lose accuracy from drops. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
I just bought a 1/4" and 1/2" drive wrench off Amazon for the brand Tekton. Simple, basic, click-style wrenches that are cheap and suit me just fine as I'm not assembling engines for a living and they maybe come out of the case maybe a few times a year. I did also buy a digital Kobalt wrench that is rated up to 200 ft. lbs for doing things like the lugs on my trailer.
The search is your friend. On the Pittsburgh: I have a Pittsburgh 1/2" drive click type that I have been using for about 10 years to torque anything over about 35 lb-ft. I haven't stripped a fastener or had one come loose yet. I always set it back so there is no tension on it for storage. I have a 3/8" Craftsman for lighter torque. note: I do not do motor builds. If you do you may want something a bit better, but for chassis, engine mounts, brakes, wheels and suspension it seems to be fine.
I'm looking to buy a set i think. Definitely need a 1/2" for car/truck/trailer but also want a 1/4 $ 3/8 for working on bikes and stuff. My old 1/2" will be retired to road duty (in the car trunk with a spare and jack since it came with none of that).
For bike and car work up to 100 ft/lbs I use 1/4 drive inch/ lbs wrench. Also just replaced my old Snap-on 3/8 drive for digital one with main reason of working on Ducati, it automatically converts to in/lbs, to ft/lbs, to Nm and does angle torque.
Idunno what you're doing, but the vast majority of 1/4" torque wrenches only measure up to 200 in-lbs, which is 16.7 ft-lbs. The Techangle will do 240 in-lbs or 20 ft-lbs, iirc, but nowhere near 100 ft-lbs.
I recently bought a Husky torque wrench from HD. Price was reasonable, it was available in the store, and it has a lifetime warranty.
Some new fine print wording that I have come to understand is that whose lifetime is the item warrantied; yours or the item?
I went cheap for 20 years and then spent ~$350 on a used snap-on electronic version and realized i should have spent money on it a long time ago given the consistency of being able to understand the actual torque being applied irrespective of the click point (e.g., there is significant variation in the result based on how smoothly you are applying force).
I ment to say that I use 1/4 and 3/8 up to 100 ft/lbs respectively. 1/4 for smaller stuff up to 240in/lbs which is 20 ft/lbs. Now most 3/8 start from 10 ft/lbs which you can convert to in/lb by multiplying it by 12! But you know that right!?
I've a digital Snap On ya can purchase for $275, I'll pay shipping. I paid $400+/- for it. Only used once on an mg motor rebuild.
Tempting but I’m not sure I’m looking to spend that much. I think I want a set of 1/4, 3/8, & 1/2. Thanks. I’ll pm ya if I quit being cheap.
Just know that many click type torque wrenches, especially the cheaper ones, only work in the clockwise direction. If you have any left hand threaded bolts, you'll need something else.
Purchased the CDI 3/8" recently. Checked accuracy against a Proto 1/2" I also own. Both seem spot on. Both are great tools.
any one use a mac click type . i have a old mac 1/2 but may need to have it checked. has been pretty accurate up to now. thoughts.