so i have one of the shitty harbor freight pittsburgh torque wrenches. it has worked fine for me so far but i am looking at upgrading. is it worth it to get a name brand, sk, snap on, mac, or whatever other expensive brand, or do yall think the one i have is fine?

12/3/2005 1:37:54 PM

if it isn't broken, don't fix it

12/3/2005 1:45:40 PM

i have a craftsman and it works fine.. but a snap on would be nice

12/3/2005 1:57:35 PM

the digital vibrating ones are awesome, i never realized how easy it is to overtorque with a clicker until i got one of those

12/3/2005 2:16:37 PM

not worth it unless you're doing stuff where torque specs are critical (like assembling the bottom end of a motor).

12/3/2005 2:27:46 PM

an inch pound 3/8" drive is definately crucial for motorcycle work, but for most things, like BigBlueRam said, its not necessary. setting up differentials, and building engines are really the only thing i ever use a torque wrench for.

12/3/2005 2:37:53 PM

i'm gonna go pick up a craftsman or similar torque wrench tomorrow.

i never realized how many times i've needed something that can measure in in/lbs.

does anyone know of a place i can get them recalibrated at?

[Edited on December 3, 2005 at 9:30 PM. Reason : unless someone knows of something better/onsale.]

12/3/2005 9:28:47 PM

12/3/2005 9:33:02 PM

sooooo after posting this question and working on a shock/exhaust/gas tank vibration orgy i realize i left my damn torque wrench in charlotte awesome.

12/3/2005 9:48:51 PM

Let me know if you find a good deal on one. I'm looking to buy one soon.

12/4/2005 9:55:42 AM

Yeah I've been wondering if I should just get a clicker from Harbor Freight or if I need to drop significant money on something. I've already broken two thermostat housing bolts because I didn't use a torque wrench on them (and because they are old shitty bolts).

12/4/2005 10:01:00 AM

^ a lot of that is just experience, you have to know when you are using smaller bolts, into aluminum or anything soft, that is doesnt take much to strip or break them, most of the time you can feel the bolt streching or pulling the threads a good quarter to half turn before it snaps, also a little loctite on high vibration bolts, and a little indian head or silicone on gaskets keeps you from having to tighten them so much to prevent leaks

12/4/2005 10:34:32 AM

mine is kd tools i think. not real expensive, clicker type, i rarely use it, but love it when i do need it. most important thing is dial it down to zero when not using to avoid fucking up the spring and the calibration.

12/4/2005 10:40:12 AM

Quote :

"and a little indian head "

folks still use that shit?

In my whole auto parts career (got ten years or so under my belt), I've prolly sold about 3 bottles of that shit. It's nice for some shit, but I prefer K&W Copper Coat or its equivalent.

12/4/2005 11:48:19 AM

i have a craftsman 25-250ft one thats doing great. and it gets used every weekend and toss around a lot. i'm looking to get another craftsman w/ a smaller/lower range

12/4/2005 2:14:24 PM

when i first started out, the old guy i worked with swore by the stuff, and i have grown to love it, its some messy shit if you ever get it on you, but it seals great, and doesnt require as much space and you dont have to worry about overtorqing and squeezing it out like silicone. for things i dissasemble often, i like to use the loctite flange sealant. it seals under pressure, but becomes tacky when you take it apart so you can wipe it right off. good for intakes, timing covers, carb gaskets etc, because the gasket wont tear when you take it apart, and reusable silconce gaskets are too damn expensive

12/4/2005 2:36:50 PM

I have the craftsman clickers:
I've been told by a mechanic friend that it's good to unlock them and spin them down
to the lowest setting when not in use. Anyone else heard about that?

12/5/2005 8:20:34 AM

Quote :

"most important thing is dial it down to zero when not using to avoid fucking up the spring and the calibration."

12/5/2005 8:31:26 AM

Quote :

" most important thing is dial it down to zero when not using to avoid fucking up the spring and the calibration."

12/5/2005 8:35:57 AM

^

Thanks,
I'm a dumbass (and not awake)

12/5/2005 8:36:06 AM

i use impact wrench on all parts. including internals, i impact lug nuts on with like 200 ftlbs.

fuck a torque wrench.


but yeah, i only use one for wheels, and internals. aint no need for 8ftlbs on valve cover bolts.

12/5/2005 8:53:45 AM

i love teh indianhead. Especially on older style cork gaskets, that stuff is awesome.

12/5/2005 9:02:31 AM

my husband has a mac that he has had since he used to help his dad in their shop... it is probably 15 years old now and still works fine. if you are going to be using it every day, sure go get a mac or snapon. if this is a weekend tool, a craftsman will do just fine.

12/5/2005 12:26:59 PM

Quote :

"i use impact wrench on all parts. including internals, i impact lug nuts on with like 200 ftlbs"

i'm with the ngr on this one

12/5/2005 12:59:53 PM

buy your tools at chrome depot


[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 8:16 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2005 8:03:53 PM

Quote :

"I've been told by a mechanic friend that it's good to unlock them and spin them down to the lowest setting when not in use. Anyone else heard about that?"

the instructions for MOST torque wrenches tell you to do that.

[Edited on December 5, 2005 at 8:13 PM. Reason : even the dirt cheap ones.]

12/5/2005 8:13:30 PM

^torque wrenches that aren't wound down after use go out of calibration a LOT sooner than those that are

I've got a Craftsman microtork wrench and it's a very nice wrench, very pleased with the quality and build

12/6/2005 10:54:01 PM

Quote :

"my husband has a mac that he has had since he used to help his dad in their shop... it is probably 15 years old now and still works fine"

has he ever gotten it recalibrated? just curious how long they hold specs vs cheaper ones.

12/7/2005 9:17:06 AM

how do you get one recalibrated? how much?

12/7/2005 9:52:59 AM

If you don't have an uber wrench it would probably be easier/cheaper to sell yours and buy a new one.

12/7/2005 1:06:26 PM

$100 craftsman is uber enough for me

12/7/2005 2:05:27 PM

Quote :

"One of the drawbacks to the Craftsmans are that they cost $89 to recalibrate. It's cheaper to buy new ones that to get them calibrated. Maybe Snap-ons or other brands are cheaper over their lifetimes."

I found that somewhere else. Which goes back to the sell you current one and replace it theory.

12/7/2005 2:46:33 PM

Quote :

"has he ever gotten it recalibrated? just curious how long they hold specs vs cheaper ones."

no clue, sorry!

[Edited on December 7, 2005 at 3:40 PM. Reason : i'm sure they did when he worked in the shop, but since then... ??? ]

12/7/2005 3:39:53 PM

i got an all-metal snap-on from a competition i was in and its wicked nice and have never given any trouble...think i was super expensive if u had to buy it tho

12/9/2005 8:50:02 PM

$30 to calibrate, plus shipping.

12/10/2005 2:44:11 AM