Torque Wrench Recommendation

[wesley]

Is there a good brand and size of torque wrench someone could recommend? I was at Sears and they had electronic types, and the old style as well. I just need it to check the torque on the wheels and the oil pan plug on a variety of Honda and Acura products. Thanks for any recommendations.

[MG Pilot]

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00934883000

This is what I use for anything under 75 lbs. I use a Gorilla wrench for anything 80 lbs. and above.

[sungchang]

You can't go wrong with Snap-On.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/catal...e=snapon-store

[thomasj2]

I have a $10 half inch torque wrench that I bought from Harbor Freight years ago with a lifetime warrantee. 2 weeks ago I gave it away and bought a new one from Harbor Freight, same price. It's great for lug nuts, but overkill for the oil drain plug. Since I switched both cars to Fumota drains, I'll never torque another drain plug.

[pilot04]

Originally posted by thomasj2
I have a $10 half inch torque wrench that I bought from Harbor Freight years ago with a lifetime warrantee. 2 weeks ago I gave it away and bought a new one from Harbor Freight, same price. It's great for lug nuts, but overkill for the oil drain plug. Since I switched both cars to Fumota drains, I'll never torque another drain plug.

what was the part# for the $10 torque wrench from harbor freight. I'd like to get one for that price as well. Thx.

[thomasj2]

Here's the link to their web site: http://www.harborfreight.com/

Here's the item number for the half inch torque wrench: 239-1VGA
I see it's back to $19.99, 2 weeks ago it was half price. It's good for 10-150 #'s.

[pilot04]

Thanks! I'll check them out periodically to see if it goes on sale for $10 again.

[robottik]

Originally posted by thomasj2
Here's the link to their web site: http://www.harborfreight.com/

Here's the item number for the half inch torque wrench: 239-1VGA
I see it's back to $19.99, 2 weeks ago it was half price. It's good for 10-150 #'s.

Thanks for the recommendation about Harbor Freight. I had never heard of that store before, but I looked them up and there was a store about 10 miles from my house.

Picked up an inexpensive torque wrench there this weekend. Worked great on my running boards installation!

[Edog]

So for those who posted the Craftsman and Snap-On wrenches, why should we spend $130 to $180 more for those wrenches?

I've always lived by "you get what you pay for", but the disparety in pricing between the Harbor Freight wrench, and the other two is huge.

[FLPilot]

I must say that I normally live by that statement myself, but as some of you know I try to get my hands on the best deal possible. I have shopped Harbor Freight since they have a store 20 minutes away. Most of their things are great. They may not have a special name to them and maybe they don't look as nice, but they work. Even if it didn't have a lifetime warranty on it, I would buy this wrench. The way I look at it is, how many times am I actually going to use it. If it is something you use once a year, and it breaks on the third use, well you've done well. I put my vote in for the Harbor Freight tools too.

[Edog]

I think I will try the Harbor Freight one first. Like you said, the worst case is that I'm out $20 (hopefully $10 if I can find it on sale).

Just to make sure that I understand the torque wrench lingo correctly; a click type wrench is one where you set the numeric setting, and it "clicks" or slips when you apply more torque than you have set? My dad used to have an old torque wrench that had a needle that let you know how many ft.lbs. you were currently applying, and I definitely do not want one like that.

[elbert]

Originally posted by Edog
So for those who posted the Craftsman and Snap-On wrenches, why should we spend $130 to $180 more for those wrenches?

I've always lived by "you get what you pay for", but the disparety in pricing between the Harbor Freight wrench, and the other two is huge.

1. They hold their calibration better
2. They are more accurate, especially at the extreme ends of the torque range and regardless of how quickly they are loaded
3. They can be recalibrated
4. They are less likely to break

If all you're going to do is change tires, you probably won't notice the difference. I think the best value are SK torque wrenches, which you can get here:
http://thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/TTW355.html

As a side note, Craftsman torque wrenches are re-badged KD units. Precision Instruments used to make SnapOn torque wrenches until recently.

[elbert]

Oh, if you're going to do tires and oil pan plug, you really should get two separate torque wrenches.

Get a lower torque range 3/8" for the oil pan, and a higher range 1/2" for the wheels.

[Edog]

Originally posted by elbert


I think the best value are SK torque wrenches, which you can get here:
http://thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/TTW355.html

As a side note, Craftsman torque wrenches are re-badged KD units.

Thanks for the link. I like the price compared to the Craftsman.

One more question...is the 10 to 100 ft. lbs. enough for most everything on an automobile? The other option is the 25 to 250 ft. lbs., but I'm guessing that you will have more bolts torqued at the lower end (10-25) than you would at the higher end (100-250).

[thomasj2]

I heard this from a professional mechanic, torque wrenches are the most accurate in the middle 50% of their range, so using a half inch drive to torque quarter inch bolts to 10 foot pounds is not going to be as accurate as using the same wrench to torque your 80# lug nuts.

I have 2 torque wrenches, a 3/8" drive for the small stuff and a 1/2" drive for the big stuff. I need to pick up a 1/4" drive some day, I have a slip clutch that needs to be torqued in inch pounds.