Looking for a manly Torque Wrench!

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Originally Posted By: TaterSalad
A bit off-topic, but is there a way to easily (cheaply) check the accuracy and/or calibrate a torque wrench?


I don't know about calibration but if you have a beam torque wrench you can use it to check you clickers for accuracy.
 
I paid $150 for my near new Snap On 1/2" drive torque wrench, so I would look on eBay for a Snap-On branded one.
 
How much more manly can you get than this? I use a similar one on my road bicycle. It's a Snap On, so it should meet with THE Critic's approval!
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And finally (I promise), women also enjoy handling manly tools (get your mind out of the gutter):
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I use mostly Craftsman torque wrenches, but for the really big jobs that require more than 150 lb-ft (suspension bolts, spindle nuts, etc.), I use my Precision Instruments split-beam torque wrench, which goes up to 250 lb-ft (top wrench in the photo).

Be advised that micrometer type wrenches should be dialed down to their minimum setting before storing away; you don't have to do that for a split-beam type.

Torque_Wrench_1.jpg
 
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The pittsburgh brand from harbor freight has served me well. Their 1/2" and 3/8" are about $10 if you find an ad. The 3/8 I have had for about 5 years and has worked great, but alas, I never checked the screws on the head and one is gone.

The 1/2 I got last year and have only used it on lugs nuts at 90lb ft


3/8 = 0-80lb ft
12 = 20-150 lb ft

Both are lifetime warranted and easy to use, I just cannot comment on the accuracy.
 
I have "calibrated" my 1/2" cheap torque wrench as follows:

1) Measure position on the handle: 14" as center of force application.

2) Stand on good quality bathroom scale and apply force to wrench restrained in vise. Force must be straight up/down to subtract/add to observed weight. I recollect using a large socket clamped in the vise.

3) Note force when torque wrench "clicks". Calculate torque for applied force.

4) adjust torque setting and repeat as necessary.

You will quickly see that adjustment can be no more accurate than +/- 5-10% of full scale. But since other factors in torqueing a bolt are much larger; bolt friction, bolt/thread tolerances, lubrication, etc, this is good enough for DIY purposes.

good luck
 
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I recently went through the whole process of trying to decide on a few good torque wrenches. I bought one that looked exactly like the harbor freight ones and tested it against a known good wrenche that a friend of mine who is a mechanic has. The one that I bought would torque to something like 48lbs when set at 30, so it was waaaay off. I exchanged it for another and it wasn't as bad, but was still off quite a bit, so I got my money back.

I ended up reading a lot about torque wrenches and ended up picking up two CDI torque wrenches off of Ebay for around $110 a piece. I bought one that was 30-200 in lb and one 10-100 lb ft. They both came with calibration sheets and the farthest that either of the were off was like 2%. The company is owned by Snap On and makes most of Snap Ons torque wrenches. I found out that the only difference between the CDI and Snap On wrenches are the ratchet heads and the name on the handle. Btw, I'm talking about the micrometer torque wrenches.

The split beam wrenches like the Precision Instruments one that was poster earlier, are also supposed to be very good and don't ever need to be calibrated like the micrometer wrenches. I would have gotten one, but it they just weren't quite what I wanted.

If you want to keep the costs down I'd probably go with the Husky brand from Home Depot. They are supposed to be pretty good and offer an actual lifetime warranty. I'd avoid the Craftsman brand after reading a ton of reviews on them breaking after very little use.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
The pittsburgh brand from harbor freight has served me well. Their 1/2" and 3/8" are about $10 if you find an ad. The 3/8 I have had for about 5 years and has worked great, but alas, I never checked the screws on the head and one is gone.


Haha I lost both screws on my 1/2" and barely use it. I guess it should be SOP to loctite them on a new wrench.

Found some from Lowes that fit. IIRC, 4mm. You lucky guy, you have one remaining you can pull and measure.
 
Originally Posted By: ac700wildcat

I ended up reading a lot about torque wrenches and ended up picking up two CDI torque wrenches off of Ebay for around $110 a piece. I bought one that was 30-200 in lb and one 10-100 lb ft. They both came with calibration sheets and the farthest that either of the were off was like 2%. The company is owned by Snap On and makes most of Snap Ons torque wrenches.

Thanks for the tip on CDI. I just ordered a CDI 3/8" Flex Head torque wrench on eBay to replace my Craftsman. Range is 10 to 80 lb-ft.
 
I received my CDI torque wrench today. Wow! it is a very high quality tool. It's all metal construction and the adjustment mechanism is very smooth and effortless with increments that lock in place. The one I got adjusts from 10 to 80 lb-ft and has a flex ratchet head.
 
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Awesome. I have found the flex head feature to come in handy many times.

Study the faq sections at the wrench manufacturers for tips on how to use it properly.....ignore me if you already know this stuff (most people do....ignore me).
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Store it set at its lowest setting
You're supposed to exercise it before use(jumping jacks)
Even though it goes down to 10lbs., it is only calibrated to be accurate from 16 to 80 lbs. (20 to 100% of full scale).
 
Thanks for the tips. I knew most of them except for the part about exercising them before use. Here's what CDI advises:

Torque wrenches should be "exercised" a minimum of three times at 100% of full scale before use.

So I just set my new torque wrench to 80 lb-ft (100% full scale) and cranked on my car's lug nuts, which are torqued to 100 lb-ft, for three click cycles. I assume this is only required one time and not every time.

Now I am considering buying one of their dial type wrenches for low torque applications - for my bicycles.
 
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I can't imagine that professional mechanics exercise their wrenches every time or any time. They usually wham, bam, thank you mam.

The purpose of exercising them is to redistribute the lubricant on the inside mechanism and its probably more important to do if the wrench sat around for an extended period.

Google gets many hits such as this quote: "First, it will set internal components so that when force is applied, torque begins immediately with no internal settling. Second, it distributes lubrication to moving internal parts."

Another good reason is to assure you that the wrench is working. I have read and heard of many instances of people twisting fasteners off because the wrench decided not to click.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
How much more manly can you get than this? I use a similar one on my road bicycle. It's a Snap On, so it should meet with THE Critic's approval!
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What torque range did you get for your dial-type torque wrench that you use on your road bike? Do they ratchet CW and CCW? Where's the switch to change direction? Just curious because I've never used a dial type.

THX
 
I was joking there! That's probably a 600 ft. lb. wrench in the picture. I have a classic lugged steel frame bicycle and I use my "elbow" torque wrench on it's less sophisticated fasteners (no titanium!).

At my workplace, for my low end torque wrench my opinion was that for these tiny, more fragile situations you don't want a clicker...just my opinion.

I looked at dial wrenches, but decided to go with a Snap On Tech wrench (24-240 in lbs.) because it measures the progressing torque like a dial does, but it also vibrates when you can't see the readout (common problem, less so on bikes).

When I was researching wrenches, Precision Instruments brand seemed to be held in high regard for their dial types. I bought their split beam clickers for my middle and higher wrenches.
 
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