Is a Harbor Freight Torque Wrench Really Bad?

HarryD · 02-09-2010, 08:23 PM

From the December 2009 Issue of Grassroots Motorsports:

Maybe it's those cheepie Snap-ons we need to avoid.

James Brown · James Brown's Garage

A torque wrench, like most precision tools, need calibration every year. I send mine off all the time (have 4 of them). Most labs won't touch the cheap ones (mine are snap-on). If you buy a good one, have it calibrated first, then you know.

2.70Racer · 02-09-2010, 09:46 PM

I would test it or any "clicker" type torque wrench with an old style Craftsman or similar bending bar torque wrench.
I would check any size harbor freight torque wrench before every use.
There is a reason the good brands cost $100 plus.
Better yet buy a reputable brand, spend the money and get a wrench for life.
1/2" drive for 65#'s or more. 3/8" drive for 30#'s to 75#'s. 1/4" drive for under 30#.
For commercial work get the torque wrench checked and certified once a year.
Shop check it with the old style bending bar from time to time.
I do not trust any Harbor Freight torque wrench. A waste of $20.

Wilhelm · 02-09-2010, 09:56 PM

I guess it depends upon what you are using the wrench for. And how often you plan to use the wrench. If you are tightening lug nuts..isnt +/-5 pounds or so close enough? And if you use the wrench two or three times a year..I guess a Harbor Freight tool will last a long time. But if you are rebuilding a motor, I suspect you would want something better than Harbor Freight quality when it comes to torque wrenches...or any other wrench for that matter.

Won · 02-09-2010, 10:41 PM

Did you guys even read the article?

1990C4S · 02-10-2010, 05:00 AM

Two points:

1. As noted in the article the 'click-type' should be set back to zero after each use. This single action will make a big difference on the life and repeatability of the wrench over time.

2. It is often more important to have all bolts at the same torque rather than to have all bolts at the specified torque. So a torque wrench that is repeatable and 'in the ballpark' is often fine.

304065 · 02-10-2010, 05:21 AM

For any precision assembly work you should use stretch to determine the right preload anyway, e.g. connecting rod bolts, because both sides are accesible and micrometers or stretch gauges are inexpensive.

I have two Stalhwille torque wrenches, these do NOT need to have the tension released after use. They also claim accuracy to 4%. That is a lot of variability in the testing-- GRM doesn't read like they used a NIST calibrated setup, so it's entirely possible that their calibration rig had errors too.

A good article nonetheless. Torque wrenches are not so complex that inexpensive manufacturing necessarily makes them unusable. And inexpensive manufacturing has come a long way.

Rot 911 · 02-10-2010, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Won

Did you guys even read the article?

I did.

I bought a HF 1/2" and 3/8" set of click torque wrenches from them 6 years ago. They both are accurate as compared with my Craftsman beam torque wrench.

cashflyer · 02-10-2010, 05:57 AM

My HF torque wrench works just fine as a breaker-bar.

For torquing anything critical, I use one of my Precision Instruments torque wrenches.

berettafan · 02-10-2010, 06:12 AM

Have a HF torque wrench and use it for lug nuts.

ja78911sc · 06:21 AM

FWIW -- HF torque wrench testimony.

I am in the heavy truck business. Every year we have a company test every torque wrench, used by our techs, for accuracy.

I am not a technician and only use my wrench for lugs and suspension bolts on my car.

Out of thirty plus wrenches (which are used daily) my HF was the only wrench out of spec.

@ 95 it was actually 78.

BTW--the guy who tested the wrench said out of the box it probably was within spec (like the artical states) but in his experience the cheap wrenches do not stay within spec compared to the higher end wrenches. He would not even recalibrate the wrench.

HarryD · 02-10-2010, 07:51 AM

I guess my point of all this is that for a casual user like me, who does only occasional wrenching, the HF tool may be "adequate".

That said, if I am not sure, I check it's results against my beam type wrench and if within limits, I feel it is ok. If not, I will get a new one. My career and livelihood does not depend on it and I can wait to get a replacement.

also consider that one can buy an awful lot of HF wrenches for the cost of buying a premium unit and paying calibration costs. My cost is lost productivity and time spent going to the (toy) store.

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Craftsman branding is no guarantee of quality, either. I have 3/8 and 1/2 click-type torque wrenches from them. The 3/8 has gone through many years of service. The 1/2 was used maybe 3 or 4times (wheel lugs) before it died...just a few months after 1 year of ownership, so no exchange. Neither of the tools has been abused.

Steve@Rennsport · 02-10-2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryD

My career and livelihood does not depend on it and I can wait to get a replacement.

Harry,

While your livelihood doesn't require a good torque wrench, your physical well-being may be negatively affected if a wheel falls off. I've seen this happen from loose lug nuts and the results cost FAR more than the cost of a good tool.

JMHO, but this is NOT a place to save money. I'd suggest searching CraigsList or E-bay to find a good used Snap-On and have it recalibrated for much less than a new one.

vash · vash's Garage

my friend bought a SK torque wrench from harbor freight..the thing works great! he had it calibrated and it was dead on. he paid $80.

berettafan · 02-10-2010, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve@Rennsport

Harry,

While your livelihood doesn't require a good torque wrench, your physical well-being may be negatively affected if a wheel falls off. I've seen this happen from loose lug nuts and the results cost FAR more than the cost of a good tool.

JMHO, but this is NOT a place to save money. I'd suggest searching CraigsList or E-bay to find a good used Snap-On and have it recalibrated for much less than a new one.

disagree entirely. most of the world puts lug nuts on with a lug wrench thingy that doesn't measure diddly squat. and they seem to do ok.

it's not like you wouldn't be able to tell if the wrench clicked over at 50lbs when tightening lug nuts.

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Not saying that Steve Weiner's suggestion is wrong, but half the vehicles in certain parts of Los Angeles aren't driving around with even a full complement of lug nuts, yet it's fairly rare for me to hear of wheels just falling off randomly. At the same time, maybe that's why those people usually seem to be driving about 10 mph below the speed limit.

Wilhelm · 02-10-2010, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Won

Did you guys even read the article?

Actually, I did not read the article due to bad eyes and a lousy monitor !

I just threw in my 2 cents . I still think the quality of tools you need depend upon the precision required for the job you are doing and how often you are going to use the tool. I doubt a professional mechanic would have a box full of Harbor Freight stuff....I sure HOPE not !

aston@ultrasw.c · aston@ultrasw.c's Garage

With any piece of test equipment, if it's not calibrated you can't believe what it's telling you.

However, I realize that cost is a significant factor.

To get some idea if my torque wrench was close enough or way off I "calibrated" it myself.

I weighted a floor jack and suspended it from the torque wrench with an S hook. Then I slid the hook away from the head until it clicked and recorded the distance and torque setting.

I then made a chart of actual and indicated. I know my method is full of holes but this was a quick and cheap test.

Bottom line actual and indicated were close enough for my purposes.

herr_oberst · 02-10-2010, 10:19 AM

I read this recently about HF and I think it probably really applies here:

HF often buys tools from manufacturers that are on their "way up". - most of these companies are trying to improve their manufacturing quality in order to get more prestigious and lucrative contracts; eventually the quality improves to the point that they can charge more than HF will pay, so HF starts the cycle again. I have seen this firsthand many times in the past several years, and to me it just means that you don't know what quality you'll get on a given day. I still buy a lot of tools there, but a tool like a torque wrench (or any precision tool, or any tool I'll use a lot) is something I usually look elsewhere for.

2 cents.