[yelcab1]

I counted 10 torque wrenches in my possession. That is a bit overdoing it but you need a number of wrenches spanning the torque ranges.

Yes, 1 ft-lb is equal to 12 in-lb since there are 12 inches in a foot

At a minimum, you want something like 3 wrenches with overlapping ranges:

1) 1/4 inch from 3-25 ft lbs

2) 3/8 inch from 10-100 lbs

3) 1/2 inch from 50-250 lbs

And if you ever have to do an axle or wheel bearing, you will wish to have a 3/4 inch torque wrench monster.

I have also learned that I don't like the plastic handle ones. The plastic gets scuffed over the year and the locking rings tend to break. I also learned that the electronic ones are not reliable enough. They run out of juice when you need them or you have to take the battery out while not in use, and eventually the control unit dies. I stick with mechanical ones now.


Snapon tools are great but expensive. You can score some good values on ebay if you are lucky.