which torque wrench should i get

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wanna get a new 1/2" . i am torn between a split beam and a digital. i will use it mainly to torque lug nuts . i already have a couple of clickers and want to try something else . of these 2 which one would best suit my needs

https://www.amazon.com/Precision-In...SFIM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8


https://www.amazon.com/GEARWRENCH-85077-Electronic-Torque-Wrench/dp/B01AY0JG0U/ref=sr_1_11?crid=3BIH2RZ8M52WA&keywords=torque+wrench+digital+1%2F2+inch+drive&qid=1575240207&sprefix=torque+wrench+digital+1%2F2%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-11
 
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Originally Posted by justintendo
go for the split beam! reliable and accurate. no need for electronics in a torque wrench..the precision ones are good for the money


So how do you know you have reached the torque without feeling a click from a clicker or a beep from an electronic one?
 
My $10 1/2" drive torque wrench from HF works just fine on lug nuts. Enjoy your new tool.
 
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Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by justintendo
go for the split beam! reliable and accurate. no need for electronics in a torque wrench..the precision ones are good for the money


So how do you know you have reached the torque without feeling a click from a clicker or a beep from an electronic one?


Split beams provide a click as well that is also felt in the wrench.
 
I have owned the Tekton from Amazon in ft lbs and inch lbs for the past four years. I have used it for everything you can think of automotive related and they work very well and are not expensive.

Of course, I always store them with no tension on them ever and that probably helps keep these in good shape.
 
I have that exact split beam and love it. Just used it yesterday when I swapped in the winter tires. It's great to be able to leave the wrench at the torque setting you already need (or at least a close range), and not to have to deal with dead batteries.
 
Digital would be expensive and an overkill. Split beam or regular clicker are both suitable. As a general rule, the better torque wrenches are substantially longer that the cheapo ones and are easier to use.
 
Originally Posted by totegoat
My $10 1/2" drive torque wrench from HF works just fine on lug nuts. Enjoy your new tool.


I just bought the 1/2" clicker type($10) from Harbor Freight to keep in the car/trunk with my tire repair kit and tire inflator. I also just bought the 100 psi tire inflator from HF(tested ed by Project Farm) for trunk storage only.
 
Originally Posted by redbone3
Digital would be expensive and an overkill. Split beam or regular clicker are both suitable. As a general rule, the better torque wrenches are substantially longer that the cheapo ones and are easier to use.


I have multiple torque wrenches but recently added both of the new HF Quinn digital torque wrenches to my tool set and I'm loving them. 3/8 and 1/2 drive the smaller good for 5/100ftlbs the larger good for 12.5-250ftlbs both have great features too and also do n-m, ftlbs, inchlbs,& kgcm. Both are very accurate as well. I think they are priced right.
 
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Unlike all other torque wrenches, the HF Quinn digital models don't mention any accuracy loss below 20% of full scale. Interesting.
 
I wouldn't assume the omission means they are accurate full scale. This is HF we are talking about not Stahlwille (the Rolls Royce of torque tools) who do in fact make some torque tools accurate full scale but not at a couple of hundred bucks.

Digital are fine but for lugs they are unnecessarily slow, split beams and standard click types can be use quickly.
 
Split beam and a Precision Instruments split beam is a great choice! I got one from them specifically for my spark plug job. I wrote to them and the sales manager himself answered numerous pre-sales questions. They have been building torque wrenches from scratch in the USA since 1938 from start to finish. Like others have said, you also don't have to remember to dial the split beam down once finished but according to Precision, they should be calibrated (can't remember the duty cycle right now). You can find deals even better than Amazon. Just google it - there are several authorized retailers and you can likely snag free shipping and/or first-time customer coupon.
 
Bought a Craftsman split beam for wheel work, but it's hard to be very accurate if you can't see the dial while you're torquing the nuts down. I finally marked the gage face at 100 lb-ft with a piece of tape, but seems like it takes a contortionist to read this thing while you're wrenching. Would work fine for torquing things down where the gauge can face you. I went back to my Craftsman clicker for wheels.
 
Originally Posted by WylieCoyote
Bought a Craftsman split beam for wheel work, but it's hard to be very accurate if you can't see the dial while you're torquing the nuts down. I finally marked the gage face at 100 lb-ft with a piece of tape, but seems like it takes a contortionist to read this thing while you're wrenching. Would work fine for torquing things down where the gauge can face you. I went back to my Craftsman clicker for wheels.


I think you're thinking of a normal beam or deflection type torque wrench. The split beam wrenches mentioned above work just like a traditional clicker where you dial in the torque setting by turning the handle. The only difference is that you don't have to unscrew the torque setting in between uses.
 
I bought the Husky 1/2 in just today at HD. $50 on sale. Inside was the same calibration sheet as the 3/8 USA Husky I bought a few years ago for $100. +/- 3% accuracy, which is better than most which are 4%. It's less than a pound off at 50 and 1/2 pound or less at 150 and 250. The USA one had more calibration points on the certificate this one only has three. It also goes to 30 on the tool, not just 50. Appears identical to the USA but now made in PRC which I don't like. To people with average funds there is almost no choice anymore. The USA was identical to the Armstrong which is now kaput due to PRC. Lifetime through HD it says and includes a case. No years, forever. Also had the 3/8 for the same price. Almost all gone.
The other thing I read on instructions is that it does not require returning to zero except for extended times, whatever extended means.
 
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