I use Tekton, they are highly reviewed and I have been happy with them. Never tested one before though so I'm trusting that they're accurate. Never been dropped and always make sure I store them at their lowest setting.
I just picked up a CDI off of Amazon, supposedly they make Snap On. I bought it to replace a Craftsman that I dropped and cracked the locking ring. Was happy with the Craftsman. The CDI has shipped should have it early next week.
If you make your living turning wrenches, buy quality. That said, the best torque wrench in the world will be out of calibrated specs if you leave tension on it....
If you need one as a hobbiest, get one from harbor freight.
I had an ex years ago that worked at a place that made some kind of high tech computer silicon chip polishing machines (SpeedFam), they had some sort of calibration test thing they used to verify torque wrenches... apparently that stuff mattered on these multi million dollar machines... She took my my 1/2" and my 3/8" harbor freight wrenches to test and calibrate them, and when she got home she said they were fine without messing with them.
Wasn't aware about leaving them on tension setting during storage would cause damage or off calibration. Good to know. I had a Craftsman passed down from my father, but it won't twist into settings anymore. It's locked in lowest torque setting.
Harbor freight has some great deals. I will take them into consideration and also look at some of the other recommendations.
I don't wrench for a living, but tend to research and purchase quality for durability. I enjoy working on the TJ and I get a sense of pride and peace of mind knowing things are done correctly. This forum is always a great help.
id never trust harbor freight torque wrenches, if you need something accurate its worth spending the money, I work at a bmw dealership and i think i have 1200$ in snapon digital torque wrenches and i use them daily worth every penny. have basic craftsman click types at home when i need them and forget to bring my snapon ones home
I've had a couple of Sears Craftsmen torque wrenches. The first one broke after about 20 years. Took it to Sears and they replaced it for free with a brand new one.
Tried taking my torque wrench to Sears and they said they no longer have lifetime on the torque wrench. They now are only 1 year warranty on the torque wrench.
I'll be checking out some of the options listed and maybe even a digital type.
Every review I have seen of Harbor Freight has said that they are dead accurate. Better than most high end brands. I have both fo my mechanics to use, and they will usually grab the Harbor Freight wrench. It is one of hte few tools that they are exceptional on.
I'm sure they are accurate but there is no way in hell I'd try to torque anything over 100ft/lbs with it on fear of it exploding and impaling me! I mushroomed a socket doing head studs on my truck with a Snap On tw.
I have been doing my suspension work and lifts with a Harbor Freight Tool torque wrench, and it has worked perfectly every time, and I also have a Proto Beam Torque wrench and it has shown the HFT torque wrench to be correct.
I broke a Harbor Freight torque wrench a few years ago. It just went limp on me. I took it apart and found a piece of metal sheared off. However, I have bought others and for the price they're a real bargain. Every time I test one of them against my dial-types, they are accurate.
I am a fan of CDI, but I only use it for wrenching on my Jeep, so it doesn't see a high level of use. I ended up buying from the link below. Shipping was ~$12-$13, but total price was about $30-$40 cheaper than the same tool an Amazon. It is a good deal as long as you are not in a rush. It took about a week to get to me as opposed to using Amazon Prime.
Another vote for Harbor Freight here. Can't geat the prices. The reiews are in the mid 4's out of 5s. And most of us use them a handful of times a year. So there's really no need for an expensive one unless you us it daily. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for all the responses. I ended up going with the Harbor Freight after reading all the reviews provided. I couldn't get myself to shell out the big bucks for the digital torque wrench. I'll be giving the HF wrench a try this weekend.
X2. They still honor the lifetime warranty at our local Sears store. They should honor your warranty too. Perhaps s bit of complaining to the manager may help.
But they'll give you the 1 year warranty wrench as the replacement.. and next time you'll be SOL. I had craftsman torque wrenches but the plastic lock collars all broke, the numbers wore off so it couldn't be read, and then the ratchet broke on one only a few months old. When I took the ratchet head apart you wouldn't believe how cheap the mechanism is. I've since replaced all of them with Kobalt which still have a lifetime warranty.
I've had mostly good luck with my 1/2" HF torque wrench, though mine quit clicking this Spring. (I'm fairly certain my abuse was to blame.) The HF counter jockey pleasantly replaced it.
If you remember to store it untensioned, exercise it before using, and avoid using it as a breaker bar, it should meet the needs of any weekend Jeep tinkerer who's not a space shuttle technician.
If you remember to store it untensioned, exercise it before using, and avoid using it as a breaker bar, it should meet the needs of any weekend Jeep tinkerer who's not a space shuttle technician.
You got me thinking and I read the instructions for my CDI torque wrench and there was no mention of storing it untensioned. Is this just common knowledge? What do you mean my exercising it before using? Thanks for your help.
I bought two Harbor Freight torque wrenches that seem to work fine. One 3/8 and one 1/4. I have had them for many years. Outlasted my Craftsman 3/8 torque wrench.
I must be getting older than I think. I just remembered that one of my Harbor Freight torque wrenches broke on me s couple months ago and I returned it since it was supposedly "for life." They did replace it for free but the manager told me they discontinued the lifetime warranty. Anyone else have this experience?
Not as yet as for warranty on HFT torque wrench, but common logic dictates that if you are going to store something, you never store it loaded or under pressure. It's not a Fire Extinguisher!
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