Any deals for torque wrenches?

I've owned two Tekton wrenches, briefly. Both were grossly inaccurate.

 

Do this,...…. and don't lend it to anybody.

 

Exactly. Don’t buy off brand calibrated tools. Breaker bar, maybe even sockets in a pinch. Get a brand you know and can trust. Snapon, MAC, Craftsman, Kobalt (hand tools only!), Huskey... if you don’t care enough to buy a quality torque wrench then you mid as well just guess at the torque. Also get one with a case and keep it in an area that it doesn’t get banged around.

 

More good advice.

 

I've got a Craftsman 1/2" drive beam style torque wrench that's probably older than half of y'all.

Aint let me down yet.

 

FYI, snapon does not have lifetime warranty on the torque wrenches. However, they're cheap to rebuild. I had my 3/8" snapon torque wrench rebuilt last year and it was $130 with a new calibration certificate.

Edit: I agree with those who said to skip hf torque wrenches. Personally, if you're concerned enough to use/buy a torque wrench, don't buy cheap. You don't have to buy expensive truck brand stuff either. But, CDI (made by snapon) makes great torque tools and are nearly half price of snapon stuff.

 

All of my torque wrenches are Precision. From my 1/4" dial, on up to my 3/4" split beam(my 3/8 and 1/2 are split beam as well). Cal'd every year. Used, abused, spend their life banging around in the back of my van.
If it is important enough to use a torque wrench, get a good one. Doesnt have to be a $1000 dollar wrench....

And, I am going to get crucified for this, but, I have abandoned almost all of my SnapOn stuff. Since i have had a lot since the mid 90s, and now work out of a van, instead of a shop.. I have had issues getting stuff warrantied. I have moved on.

 

I sell professional grade mechanics tools for a living and while I'm not going to bash any brands I will say you get what you pay for when it comes to torque wrenches. I'd spend the extra money for a quality torque wrench for the sheer satisfaction of knowing you have an accurate reading and you know your wheels aren't going to fall off on you. But you still should get even a quality torque wrench calibrated every so often to ensure continual accuracy.

 

As a previous professional mechanic and shop owner for a living I can honestly say that many of the tool truck brand torque wrenches are rebrands themselves. ANY torque wrench is only as good as its last calibration.

For more info on the subject id suggest you visit the garage journal forum. Pretty knowledgable guys there...and a whole new world of tool info.

FWIW...professional mechanics know what fasteners need to be torqued and what fasteners don't. Heads...intakes...wheels...sure. I laugh inside every time i see someone apply a torque wrench to a drain plug or caliper.

 

If you're going to buy tools, spend the extra above average . When I was younger, I learned the hard way not to trust cheap tools. My tools are mostly Mac but I have used Kobalt and Craftsman . Believe it or not, Tekton (lifetime)is not a bad torque wrench. Craftsman have been going downhill past several years and I've stopped buying their shit.

Also , turn dial back to 0 when storing torque wrench.

 

HF ...hell no.

 

I bought this 1/2 drive torque wrench on Amazon. Used it today to torque my lug nuts down after putting my alloy's on just over 150 miles ago.

$49 TEKTON 1/2" Drive Micrometer Torque Wrench (10-150 ft.-lb.) | 24335

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C5ZL0RU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

You torque lug nuts with a 3/8" drive?

 

Yeah I still have my first Craftsman socket set from when I was 16 but have otherwise moved on. Usually Huskey just because of the price and ease of purchase when I’m getting other stuff.

 

I had my HF wrench checked and it was 2ft/lbs low. Good enough for home use.

 

I’ve been using a HF 1/2” torque wrench for 15+ years for lugs and suspension related stuff...no issues. I have a HF 1/4” I use rarely for consistent torque (not necessarily accurate) on small motors (weed wackers and atv motors, etc). The stuff I care for precision is mostly covered by my craftsman digital 3/8”.

Their electric and pneumatic tools have also been very reliable in my experience. Some people can’t justify snap-on’s stuff. That’s for career mechanics.

 

I have an ancient one too, but haven't used it in many years.

 

Why bother with a torque wrench if you don’t care if you buy an accurate one or not?

Let’s draw a few little lines in the sand. On TW we have professional tradesmen. We have shade tree mechanics. We have ham fisted morons who might as well have a pipe wrench and a hammer as their only tools. In each of those categories there are the exceptional right down to those you wonder how they can exist with a IQ that low. I personally work with a millwright who only buys Fischer Price tools and the tools are more capable then he is. Spending a few dollars extra cuts into his liver destruction budget.

Now even the best tradesman / mechanic / fabricator started with nothing in terms of skills and experience. So what is different between the best and the worst? The best sweat out the details. They strive for great not simply good enough. Goes a great mechanic use HF tools when he needs accuracy? Does he settle for speed and use his impact everywhere and use the ugga dugga method? Great mechanics are great for a reason and are better than the rest for a reason. They never settle at good enough.

Time for those reading this thread to stand in front of a mirror and decide if they are a hack or a mechanic. Hacks can get away with a HF torque wrench. A good mechanic can’t. Tissue time for a few of you? Before you start chriping back I will say this: I have never in my life found a tradesman who was above the rest and had junk tools. Great tools tend to be carried by great tradesmen. Invest in your skills and your tools. If your HF tools are all you need it might be because you are already at your skill peak.

 

Tools don't make the mechanic my friend. Anybody who has ever worked long term in the biz can attest to that

Certain jobs require a torque wrench...most do not. Qualified processionals know when to use one and when to not...they are paid on flat rate...I.E. be GOOD and fast as you don't get paid on come backs and if you beat book rate you make more.

 

You haven't been around very long in the trade if that's the case.

What do you qualify as a good tool? A torque wrench that says Snap-On with no cert or one that says Proto looks like shit and has a cert sticker on it?

You cannot buy experience