let's talk torque wrenches

I started many years ago with a $50 Napa special. It lasted for 15 years before it got stuck at 75 ft-lbs so I use it only for wheel nuts. It is still working... at 75 ftlbs.

Supplemented that with three craftsman click type torque wrenches from 5 lbs up to 150 lbs. Two are now dead, and gone. The third one will be relegated to wheel nuts duties in a trunk some place.

Added two more electronic ones, 20-100 lbs from Craftsman and 50-250 lbs from Danaher with angle reader. The craftsman one died after three years. The beeper stopped beeping and then the whole display just died. It is now used to beat off robbers in my garage.

I do not have anything against technology, but it has to work, reliably, and conveniently. The batteries in those wrenches get drained in 2 weeks even if they are turned off. So every time I go to use them, I have to fish for new batteries. I long for the day of simplicity.

So, this week, I scored two Snapon beam type torque wrenches off evilbay for $200, from 10lbs to 50lbs (3/8), 50-250lbs *(1/2). I added a $60 Husky 1/4 torque wrench for those 100 inch-pounds fasteners. I still have the Danaher electronic wizardry in its case with spare batteries for those 200lbs jobs.

Damn, Snapon torque wrenches. I feel like a professional now.

 

Beams baby...I don't own a clicker. Beams are the only thing reliable over time.

Beams are everywhere even in dentistry to torque your implants.
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Fatso, what the eff are those things?

 

Clickers need calibration on a regular basis. If you drop it, even from a few inches, it's accuracy cannot be assured. Unfortunately, most people need to send out their clicker for calibration... how many times is that package dropped along the way? With that even, how accurate is the new one, store-bought or purchased online?

 

I use a Snapon, electronic, with angle reader, since a couple of years. And have its accuracy checked once and a while. No changes insofar. Hope not to let it fall on the floor . I love it .

 

It depends what you are doing with it. Beams can be great but their utility is very limited. Also they require proper alignment of your head to the scale for accurate reading and that is often just not possible.

The click type have a very unfair reputation and is dependent on type and brand and the abuse it is exposed to. I have a Stahlwille model 721a that I have owned and used more than any other for 30 years. It has never needed recalibration and is still spot on. The Precision Instruments Split Beam wrenches are outstanding. If you need angle torqueing ability or the ability to watch and predict fastener failure while torqueing a good electronic is the way to go. I have used many including some very expensive ones and have been happy with the Snap On Tech wrenches. The only Snap On torque wrench I use. They also have an audible function so in those cases where you cannot see the wrench while torqueing it can still be used. There were some problems on the very early ones but that was resolved and they have been good since. I have had 2 of them for 10 or so years and they get used frequently. They have both been great.

The Precision Instruments and the Stahlwille are available with heads that can be reversed relative to the torque measuring mechanism so LH and RH torqueing can be done with equal accuracy.

 

At my level of mechanical expertise, which I estimate as pitiful compared to most of the geniuses on Fchat, I cannot really understand why a good torque wrench would not be used almost more than any other tool in the toolbox; I torque my lug bolts every time I remount a wheel. It is used almost as much as my impact wrench which may be the most useful tool in my toolbox for the times it has gotten me out of difficult situations. I also have a Stahlwille torque wrench for the last 25 years that has been calibrated 3 times and is still spot on.

 

+1 for the Snap-On Techwrench. I have it in both 3/8" and 1/2" and it's the dog's balls for TTY and angle torquing

 

My wife bought me a 30-250 torque wrench from CDI TORQUE Products. It's the same quality of the one's I used on the F-15.

cditorque.com

This exact model but without the tethering.
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I calibrate those clicker wrenches at home and they are very accurate. The SnapOn split beam ones I just bought will be calibrated before serious use. My expectation is they will be fine for a long time.

 

Buy the best you can afford. One of each drive for the correct use.

Back to hobby reality
I have a HF in each of my cars for the rims. checked against a snap on and they were dead on, after I put that yellow line at the correct torque on each of them.

 

You know, over the years I have spent $1,000 on various torque wrenches. I could have easily bought three Snap On wrenches, be done for a life time. Buy the best is always good advice for the long run they cost less.

 

I don't know if this way is accurate enough for calibration? I take a nut and bolt and clamp it in a vise, then take my beam type and compare all the other torque wrenches to it. If they all read the same OK. Torque readings can be easily effected by the type, or lack of lube on the fastener.

 

I have had snap on wrenches and they seem to get out of calibration often. I just get the cheaper ones and check them with a beam type and throw them away when off. Less money and hassle than sending out to get re calibrated---

 

Or you can buy a good one and use it for life.

Who ever said because it says Snap On it is a good tool? They make a lot of crap just like everyone else.

 

Tighten it down until it strips then back it off half a turn.

 

The best of the best are the dial-indicator-blade type --- but, they are wildly impractical (too delicate and too expensive) for home / shop / automotive use --- they are really lab grade only. Aerospace and Scientific communities use these exclusively. We have some in the final assembly area that cost north of $3K each, and get calibrated before each use.

Click-type can be very excellent if, as mentioned, they are frequently calibrated. Also, periodic maintenance is important --- replacing worn out detente springs and lubricating the internal mechanisms.

Beam-types are great but do suffer from one critical problem --- the beam element "pointer" can get distorted (bent) if dropped or mishandled. The deformation can be so slight as not to be noticeable unless measured, so the possibility for inaccurate readings without knowing exists. It is a good idea to handle these very carefully and check them often. I do not like them (in the shop) for this reason as the shop is often a rough environment. Also, as Brian mentioned, they can be difficult to read easily much of time in awkward locations / access.
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I'm only a hobbyist, but agree that a good quality clicker can be fine. I bought a Utica Tools clicker type (new) 30 years ago, and had it tested at about the 20 year point, it was spot on. There are plenty of places that will test and calibrate for you, and the manufacturer's will too.

I friend bought two new Craftsman clicker type torque wrenches and had them tested, they were both out of calibration right out of the box. For that reason, I wouldn't trust the inexpensive wrenches.

Utica Tools wrenches come with a certificate of calibration from actual testing and listing the serial number of the tool. I have bought them used for next to nothing on Ebay and send them to the factory for repair and calibration for way cheaper than new, and they come with a new certificate of calibration. (new ones are around $300) Used I pay $40 and then $125 for full rebuild and calibration. If they only need calibration, maybe $60.

 

Interesting......

The standard for Orthopedic and Neurosurgical is still variations of the "Click-type". If it's good enough for setting pins and screws into a spine or a skull...... It should be good enough for a car !

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Depends on the quality of the wrench and its care...anything is only as accurate as the last time it was checked and calibrated. I always return my wrenches to zero, and store them in their case.

Not sure how dropping would mess up a clicker, it's just a big spring inside. Unless you are repeatedly doing so...perhaps the nut or nuts holding the spring in calibration get knocked loose...but that would take abuse, and not "dropping from a few inches..."

 

I've actually seen Snap-On and other branded automotive hand tools in orthopaedic instruments sets before... really!

 

Indeed, and you will also see a lot of Makita cordless drills and bits, too --- they make an entire line of medical / surgical grade drills and bits !

 

Just how do you watch the torque reading go up slowly and without steps on a "clicker".

Watching the torque s yoy increase force rise is a good way to see that the bolt is not dragging on a particle of dirt that will cause you grief later on.

 

I have used all types including dial and electronic but prefer the simplicity and utility of click type. The experience of the user far outweighs the accuracy of the torque wrench. Most people get into trouble with them by not prepping the fasteners properly.

 

I did a lot of research before I bought a "general purpose" torque wrench and the Precision Instruments split beams are outstanding. I believe they make the torque wrenches for Snap On so the quality is basically the same.

I'm currently looking to get something good for inch pounds but not a fan of clickers. Does anyone know if dial type torque wrenches need to be calibrated? Or are they just as maintenance free as split beams.