TOPIC:

Howdy gents, I'm in the market for a torque wrench .

Any recommendations for manufacturer (Snap On is slightly out of my price range haha) and the actual torque range.

Kobalt (Lowes brand) seems surprisingly decent- at $80 you can afford to replace it every year or two.

Buy two...and they don't have to be the expensive variety. I have a 1/4" drive in inch-pounds and a 3/8" drive in foot-pounds. I bought mine from Harbor Freight (inexpensive Taiwanese brand torque wrenches) and then had them checked against known values (done by expensive torque wrenches) and the comparison was surprisingly close. Just take care of them and they should last years (mine have). It has been my experience that the Home Handyman-type stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Sutherland's, etc.) tend not to be oriented to the auto mechanic and don't have a wide selection of automotive tools.

A mechanic friend said youre supposed to unlock them after using it....say youve just torqued some lug nuts and set it on 100 ft/lbs, after youre done,release the lock so there is no tension on it. It supposed to keep it calibrated better.
Sounds logical to me, anyone know or hear this?

hal0tw0 wrote:

A mechanic friend said youre supposed to unlock them after using it....say youve just torqued some lug nuts and set it on 100 ft/lbs, after youre done,release the lock so there is no tension on it. It supposed to keep it calibrated better.
Sounds logical to me, anyone know or hear this?

Yes, I have been told the same thing...I keep no tension on mine when not in use.

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I prefer the beam style torque wrenches. I have a craftsman 3/8 inch beam style that I paid around $25 for brand new. It handles most of what I need to do. The 3/8 goes to 75lbs. and the 1/2 goes to 150lbs.

3/8 www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00944690000P

1/2 www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944642000P

Remember, if you dent or drop any torque wrench, it is trash. It will never be accurate again without calibration at a shop.
I like the Husky brand sold at Home Dep. Sturdy, easy to use and inexpensive. The Craftsman with the little hole in the handle to see the value is made by J&S Technologies and are considered a top industry brand.
Good ranges for owning these specialized tools is approx. 25-250 in/lb and 10-150 ft/lb. Remember to change torques ranges(ft/lb to in/lb)the formula is: in/lb X 12=ft/lb. Also keep in mind all driving tools should be kept straight off the head (ie. socket and extension) or at 90 deg. to the handle using any kind of offset driver (ie. using an allen wrench in socket to turn wrench to get under cylinder)
Always set tool to within lowest %10 of range to preserve the spring set inside the handle, they collapse like fork springs do too, but much more easily. Never use any lubricants on the torque wrench, this may cause the values to change.

Craftsman has a decent 10-75 ft-lb one for $80 as well. Craftsman > Kobalt in my own humble opinion. They also have a "Digitorque" version for $120 that goes from 5-80 ft/lbs.

Or *drum-roll please* they sell an electronic version for $220 that goes from 10-100 ft/lbs AND can be switched to 120-1200 in/lbs AND (for all you riding Japansese bikes ) 13.6-135.6 Newton/meters AND it comes with a case!

www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00...hanic+Tools&prdNo=12

But you need batteries to use it.

mtbspeedfreak wrote:

...in the market for a torque wrench...Any recommendations for manufacturer (Snap On is slightly out of my price range...Kobalt (Lowes brand) seems surprisingly decent....

Forget those shade tree brands, and get an original genuine Black Forest brand torque wrench. These wrenches have no equal, and are scientifically calibrated to the precise German Virgin Standard, which in most applications specify the Guttentite setting.

It's high time to move beyond the time-honored Redneck technique of "Twist until it strips, then back off 1/2 turn."

Good Fortune!

Patton wrote:

mtbspeedfreak wrote:

Twist until it strips, then back off 1/2 turn

...been there before

I spent a few moments trying to find Black Forest tools and turned up nothing. Was that sarcasm [in which case German virgins can calibrate my tools anytime] or do I need to brush up on my searching [and risk finding German virgins actually calibrating tools].

All tongue-in-cheek.
Has been edited by adding laugh emoticon.

Any of the other brands mentioned would imo be a good choice.

I use the relatively inexpensive Craftsman beam style versions in 1/4" and 3/8" models, which have served well for many years.

Good Fortune!

Mcdroid wrote:

Buy two...and they don't have to be the expensive variety. I have a 1/4" drive in inch-pounds and a 3/8" drive in foot-pounds. I bought mine from Harbor Freight (inexpensive Taiwanese brand torque wrenches) and then had them checked against known values (done by expensive torque wrenches) and the comparison was surprisingly close.

I did exactly the same thing: beam wrenches are basically foolproof so you can use them to calibrate the "clickers" and make sure they are on. The thing about torque wrenches is you need three or four to cover the full range like:

0-150 foot pounds

0-50 Foot pounds

0-600 Inch pounds

0-200 Inch pounds

You NEVER want to try to use a torque wrench at less than about 25% of it's full range because the accuracy will suck, that's when you go to the next lower range wrench.

This is why you see so many camshaft cap bolts stripped because the spec is about 90 Inch pounds and most people don't have a low range wrench that is accurate that low.

Harbor Freight has some cheap wrenches that cover a wide range. I have two of theirs, one craftsman beam wrench and a couple of no-name beam wrenches in various ranges.