Torque Wrench recommendations?

[FreddieLee]

Outside of a Snap-On, which torque wrenches have good accuracy that won't break the bank?

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[Bentpushrod]

I have Snap On and Proto, but if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, check out this video.

 

[MudMonsterRacin]

I've had a Tekton from amazon since 2018. I don't use it daily but it seems well made and usually has great reviews. Seems pretty accurate. Id definitely buy it again. LINK

 

[vicorjh]

Outside of a Snap-On, which torque wrenches have good accuracy that won't break the bank?

FWIW, Home Depot has the Husky Brand on sale. They claim less than 3% deviation and include a QA check with the actual measured deviation.

 

[AK SNO RIDER]

FWIW, Home Depot has the Husky Brand on sale. They claim less than 3% deviation and include a QA check with the actual measured deviation.

I have every size of Husky torque wrench and have been using them for years. I love them, especially for the price, but I've never put them up against anything super expensive to verify accuracy.

 

[MJJ]

Brownline Digital Torque Wrench. $125.00

I have had it for 10 years.

 

[vicorjh]

I have every size of Husky torque wrench and have been using them for years. I love them, especially for the price, but I've never put them up against anything super expensive to verify accuracy.

The calibration / verification jigs are pricey. Would love to have one, for this purpose, but I'm not really sure how important this is under the normal use case. What is accurate enough? 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%?

 

[rtazz17]

Brownline Digital Torque Wrench. $125.00

I have had it for 10 years.

This

 

[rtazz17]

The calibration / verification jigs are pricey. Would love to have one, for this purpose, but I'm not really sure how important this is under the normal use case. What is accurate enough? 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%?

Depends what and where that nut is. Might save your life or kill you.

 

[2023bronco]

CDI is a Snap-On subsidiary, great quality lower price. Depends how "good" of a torque wrench you want.

You can get them recalibrated for not a lot of money. I was gifted a used CDI by my brother mechanic when he bought Snap-On digital and I had it recalibrated.

 

[JoeOffRoad]

For me it depends on what I am using it on. For suspension and lug nuts I have a 1/2" drive Tekton that has been pretty spot on for the last 3 years and for engine work I have a Wright Tool that I have calibrated before an assembly (main caps, valve train, etc). The Tekton I had calibrated and it was off by about 5'lbs after a year and a half, so for me with my personal suspension, wheel tire stuff I'm okay with that.

This all comes from my early days in the industry and talking to a few machinists that suggested I don't ever assemble a critical part with a cheap torque wrench. If a good tool can save you thousands or a lot of time, its worth it to me. Full disclosure, I am also a tool snob and addict (as I can afford to be.. lol)

 

[BigHoof]

I would go with the Husky for the best value. The numbers are stamped into the metal thimble and the lock is a spring loaded slip down collar. It's easy to set and stays locked. A good rule also is to try to stay away from the extremes of the wrench capacity. It's best to go up or down in wrench size rather than use the extremes on the scale. As an example if the wrench says 20 - 150 ft lbs, don't use it for 20 or 150 if you want accuracy. Use the next larger or smaller wrench.

After using many different types over the years at an assembly job, I can say without a doubt that the ones with the little lock on the bottom of the thimble that you turn are the worst. Those belong in a dumpster.

Avoid this style.

 

[KABQ]

I agree with hoof. Those are the worst. I also have a Craftsman torque wrench that I absolutely hate. The "click" is really soft so it's hard to tell when you hit your spec.

As an aircraft mechanic I'm really spoiled. My company will calibrate tooling for free. I got a 40+ year old Snap-On as a gift from a friend, had it calibrated, and it works amazingly well. I like it even more than the ones we have at work.

 

[KABQ]

I agree with hoof. Those are the worst. I also have a Craftsman torque wrench that I absolutely hate. The "click" is really soft so it's hard to tell when you hit your spec.

As an aircraft mechanic I'm really spoiled. My company will calibrate tooling for free. I got a 40+ year old Snap-On as a gift from a friend, had it calibrated, and it works amazingly well. I like it even more than the ones we have at work.

Added to brag

 

[da_jokker]

Maybe it's just me, but my torque wrench that I've had for 20 years came from harbor freight. I've used on everything that needed to be torque (with the exception of very light lbs).

Ironically, The thing I've used it the most on is lug nuts...been doing it for years. Recently used it to put my valve train back together on my Jeep.

One thing to keep in mind, they always say they don't make things like they used to. With harbor freight, it was always China-made So I don't know if it's possible For The quality to get worse

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/sockets-ratchets/torque-wrenches.html

(Pretty sure I have just a normal Pittsburgh)

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