Dial/Click Torque Wrench

[Mike Andrew]

Found a coupon for a torque wrench at Harbor Freight in Automobile magazine December issue. $9.99 in 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 inch sizes. Figured, why not and grabbed a 1/2" unit yesterday. Pretty much bought it for one purpose, lug nuts. Seems to be pretty close in accuracy to my old school bar and pointer unit which is a major PITA to use for this purpose, even with a mark on the scale at proper torque.
Likely running this ad in other publications.
Got the coupon back and will grab a 1/4" unit as well, Already have a Craftsman 3/8 which is my go to and very accurate since I had my QC folks dial it in before I retired.

[yelcab1]

I have not bought any HF torque wrenches EVER. They probably don't stand up to constant use. I have …

Home Depot 1/4 inch used for valve covers
Precision Instruments 3/8 inch split beam clicker used for 15-50 NM range
Snap On 3/8 split beam clicker used for 35-100 NM range
Snap On 1/2 split beam clicker for high torque range up to 250lbs
Snap On 1/2 clicker hanging on the wall asking to be used
Tengtools 1/2 clicker permanently set at 80 lbs for tires. (most disappointed with this one)
ATD 1/2 clicker which failed after 20 years, now set at 75 lbs for tires, or to beat stuff with.
US made 3/4 inch clicker that goes up to 600 lbs, used for Porsche axle bolts
Gearwrench 1/2 inch 250lbs electronic torque wrench that is used only for torque angle application

I threw away all my Craftsman torque wrenches after the handle cracked or fail to adjust. The remaining 3/8 torque wrench is in the car for road side tire changes. Used it once for that.

Still looking for that perfect 10-250 lbs torque wrench, non electronic type. Let me know when you find it. Until then, these ten wrenches have to do.

[Locker537]

At $10, they are disposable. If accurate, they are perfect for lug nuts, etc.

I spent a couple more dollars and purchased torque wrenches from Tekton. Their customer service is fantastic.

[964TargaC2]

They are NOT disposable, something goes wrong HF replaces it, no questions asked, If mine goes off calibration I just return it for another..

[HarryD]

Unless, you do this day in/day out, I think the HF wrenches are ok for everyday use.

As I have previously posted:

Originally Posted by HarryD

So... Today I took my 3/8" HF Torque wrench to PMEL to see how bad it really is. When tested, they found the following:

Setting --- Found value
16 ft-lb ... 16.17 ft-lb
48 ft-lb ... 48.83 ft-lb
80 ft-lb ... 81.67 ft-lb

Since +4% ft-lb is the target range, not too shabby.

We discussed use and storage and the DoD recommends to following for these tools:

Storage: Store with spring set at lowest setting not toally relaxed.
Use: Set to higher value than planned setting for use. Click 6 times. Reset to desired set point.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy for $10.

Also, he has told me that he has checked a number of these HF wrenches and they have all been within accepable values.

And this article I stumbled over:

Originally Posted by HarryD

At the risk of a lynch mob:
Is a Harbor Freight Torque Wrench Really Bad?

[Marc Bixen]

So, you have fasteners that require a critical torque specification so they don't loosen up, and don't shear due to over-stress. These fasteners are the last thread between you, and disaster. Wheel comes off, axle comes loose, connecting rod bolt breaks,$$$$$. And you willing to risk these critical torque specs to a TEN DOLLAR "precision" instrument. Your safety, and the safety of all around you depends on this, others on the road, freeway, track, corner workers, your pocket book, etc.

Bell helmets ad a great ad in the 60's-70's, "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet."

Enough said!

[stownsen914]

If it’s important enough to bother torqeing it, its worth having a decent torque wrench to do it with.

I have no experience with Harbor Freight torque wrenches. I buy some of their stuff - if it’s something I’m not too worried if it doesn’t work exactly as it should. The issue with applying that mentality to a torque wrench is you may not realize it’s not working as intended, and incorrectly torque something.

And I’ve heard you shouldn’t permanently set your torque wrenches - it’s inviting them to require re-calibration.

[yelcab1]

I am not a snob. I buy used Snap On wrenches. it's just that when I torque the rod bolts on a Ferrari 355 engine, I am not doing it with a $10 Harbor Freight. I use a Snap On wrench that I calibrate every year. These rod bolts are $100 each (you need 16), one time use only. You use the best tools you can for them.

[adias]

Originally Posted by Marc Bixen

So, you have fasteners that require a critical torque specification so they don't loosen up, and don't shear due to over-stress. These fasteners are the last thread between you, and disaster. Wheel comes off, axle comes loose, connecting rod bolt breaks,$$$$$. And you willing to risk these critical torque specs to a TEN DOLLAR "precision" instrument. Your safety, and the safety of all around you depends on this, others on the road, freeway, track, corner workers, your pocket book, etc.

Bell helmets ad a great ad in the 60's-70's, "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet."

Enough said!

The question is - what is the accuracy of a cheap torque wrench? I have measured several and they are usually within 5%. A 5% error on a 96lbft torque is perfectly safe. And I bet a high priced wrench will also have an error of that order. When in doubt, compare the tool with a reference torque.

Just do not drop a click torque wrench and do not store it with a winded spring.

And another point: Spring loaded torque wrenches are very simple devices - a spring under tension tripping a cam. Should the tool fail, the spring will brake (or deform) or the cam brake and you will notice it. Short of that the tool just works or go out of calibration slowly.

[Ctopher]

^Agreed with above statement.

I’ve used a harbor freight 1/2 torque for at least 12yrs specifically for lug nuts. I recently purchased a Tekton 3/8 & the 250ftlb 1/2 and tested on lugs. My harbor freight was within a reasonable rating of the 2 new torque wrench’s for 80 and the 2 1/2 were lock in lock at 85, 90 & 95. Perfectly acceptable for lugs which is all it’s used for. Of course I take care of my tools and it’s never been dropped and always set back to 0 after use.
The cheap tools are useful for some items and the torque wrenches if sent for calibration could be acceptable for some basic use.

CTopher

[yelcab1]

All this talk about cheap torque wrenches made me want to recalibrate all my torque wrenches again … so I did. All of them now are newly calibrated and dead nuts on. I feel so much better now.

[HarryD]

As a quick check, I use my beam (pointer) type torque wrench to check my clickers.

[dicklague]

This thread has me very upset. I was organizing my torque wrench drawer today. Made sure they were all set to 0.........but now I am not sure if I can sleep tonight 'cause they have not been calibrated lately.......s**t.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by Marc Bixen

So, you have fasteners that require a critical torque specification so they don't loosen up, and don't shear due to over-stress. These fasteners are the last thread between you, and disaster. Wheel comes off, axle comes loose, connecting rod bolt breaks,$$$$$. And you willing to risk these critical torque specs to a TEN DOLLAR "precision" instrument. Your safety, and the safety of all around you depends on this, others on the road, freeway, track, corner workers, your pocket book, etc.

Bell helmets ad a great ad in the 60's-70's, "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet."

Enough said!

Ha ha - nice!

I use a torque wrench on aircraft pretty much daily - a Snap-on Techwrench, and that bisch was about $570.00 more than $10.00. Worth every penny, too.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

Ha ha - nice!

I use a torque wrench on aircraft pretty much daily - a Snap-on Techwrench, and that bisch was about $570.00 more than $10.00. Worth every penny, too.

Love my Techwrench- even has a counter to let you know how many nuts you did- real handy when doing my cam towers.

[MichaelSJackson]

I have an HB and it's good enough for cast iron heads on my cast iron V8. Even a bunch of stuff on my 911. However, pulling a boxer engine with a split case together seems like a much more sensitive procedure?

Actually, I trust my wrist for valve covers; more than any torque wrench.

Perhaps sticking to the patterns, using small incremental steps and using a wrench that is consistent and "close enough" (ie. HB) is fine? But I think I'll upgrade my wrench for the rebuild.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Marc Bixen

Bell helmets ad a great ad in the 60's-70's, "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet."

Enough said!

Now that's interesting. Off topic a smidge.

I distinctly remember in 8th grade (1970) a classmate gave one of those painful three minute speeches we had to do with the 3x5 cards. His talk was on motorcycle helmets and you know what he closed his speech out with. $10 head/$10 helmet.

None of us knew it was plagiarism - and I didn't until now - but I remember that like it was yesterday. Pretty catchy.

[proporsche]

i would only use quality torque wrench..as said above it is very important to have things done correctly..I have digital Snap On and manual from Matco..they costed both around $600 or more i do not remember..but worth it..

[Superman]

Before rebuilding my engine, I took my HF torque wrenches to the guys at the airport who certify torque wrenches used by aviation mechanics. They tested fine.

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by proporsche

...

That electronic Craftsman torque wrench is the one I threw away. It was always out of battery when I reached for it, the beeper stopped beeping, and finally the display stopped working. I went back to all mechanical type. Never again an electronic torque wrench.