Torque wrench brands

[IFD933]

Looking to see what others are using for torque wrench brands. I have been using older Craftsman beam style 3/8 and 1/2. Decided it is time to move up to some more modern technology. Given my tool chest is full of 1970s and 80s Craftsman tools, first thought was just pick up a Craftsman click type and be done with it. Of course it's 2020 and I started doing some online research.

I know there are quite a few brands out there - it seems like the Tekton wrenches are popular, get good reviews and the price seems right. Or do I move up to a CDI - more $$$, probably better quality.

I assume these torque wrenches will be the last I buy. Use is typical backyard mechanic though unlike when i got started working on cars and equipment, now I torque almost everything - I'm pulling out a torque wrench for almost any job.

I wouldn't mind spending the premium on say a CDI, but if a Tekton will get the job done and last me 20+ years, that's good enough.

 

[Bumbo]

I had my fill with budget wrenches like Tekton and Harbor freight. They worked fine initially but performance either faded away or was inconsistent. It was just hard to trust it. After a couple broken bolts due to it not "clicking" I called it quits.

I would take a look at Precision Instruments... they make some really nice high quality torque wrenches.

They are also an OEM to Snap-On, and I have seen their products used in professional shops for years. My local tire shop uses my exact model of 1/2" drive and they really rail on those things so I was pretty confident going in on that brand.

I only wrench for hobby, but I made a sizable investment before starting on my 4Runner. These 3 wrenches basically built the truck.

My favorite thing about the 1/2" and 3/8" design is that you don't need to turn them down after use. Actually pretty convenient as I just leave my 1/2" set to what my tires are. Ready to use any time I pull it out the drawer.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Good info Bumbo. Thanks.

You have model #'s for those?

After replacing my LBJs a few weeks ago, I'm tiring of HF quality TWs and want to kick it up a notch or two.

Thanks,

Eddie

 

[Bumbo]

[MENTION=289564]eddielasvegas[/MENTION]

That's just what I had on file... the model numbers seem to vary a little these days.

1/4" Precision Instruments 30-200 inch/lb PREM1R200HX
3/8" Precision Instruments 20-100 Ft./Lbs PREC2FR100F
1/2" Precision Instruments 40 - 250 Ft./Lbs REC3FR250F

 

[3kushn]

Looking to see what others are using for torque wrench brands. I have been using older Craftsman beam style 3/8 and 1/2. Decided it is time to move up to some more modern technology. Given my tool chest is full of 1970s and 80s Craftsman tools, first thought was just pick up a Craftsman click type and be done with it. Of course it's 2020 and I started doing some online research.

I know there are quite a few brands out there - it seems like the Tekton wrenches are popular, get good reviews and the price seems right. Or do I move up to a CDI - more $$$, probably better quality.

I assume these torque wrenches will be the last I buy. Use is typical backyard mechanic though unlike when i got started working on cars and equipment, now I torque almost everything - I'm pulling out a torque wrench for almost any job.

I wouldn't mind spending the premium on say a CDI, but if a Tekton will get the job done and last me 20+ years, that's good enough.

I realize this is old but for what its worth:
Generally speaking there's nothing wrong with beam wrenches. I looked up Craftsman Beam Wrench and what came up looks like one made by Sturtevant with the double solid bar design. Same as SK. Back in the day both Sturtevant and SK were owned by Dresser Industries.

Quality Beam wrenches come in at +-2%. That aint bad. Click wrench spec is +-4% accuracy. Some brands claim better but so what. On a bench and a good click wrench I can repeat at 1%. It's all about proper use.

The only problem with Beam Wrenches is reading the scale and the parallax problem. Even so Briggs & Stratton and Ford not too many years ago used beams to do their torque audits.

BTW CDI is owned by Snap-On and so now is Sturtevant as of about 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[Fiffa]

[MENTION=289564]eddielasvegas[/MENTION]

That's just what I had on file... the model numbers seem to vary a little these days.

1/4" Precision Instruments 30-200 inch/lb PREM1R200HX
3/8" Precision Instruments 20-100 Ft./Lbs PREC2FR100F
1/2" Precision Instruments 40 - 250 Ft./Lbs REC3FR250F

Just pulled the trigger on these three exact models on ToolsID. There doesn't seem to be a lot of suppliers for this brand and their site doesn't have any resources to help. Amazon has them all, but I wanted to use PayPal Credit. I was originally looking at CDI, as my current 1/2" 50-150 ft. lb. wrench has held up nicely over the years (despite me never unloading the tension after use), but Precision seems like a great alternative for a little less!

Thanks for the info, Bumbo!

 

[3kushn]

Just pulled the trigger on these three exact models on ToolsID. There doesn't seem to be a lot of suppliers for this brand and their site doesn't have any resources to help. Amazon has them all, but I wanted to use PayPal Credit. I was originally looking at CDI, as my current 1/2" 50-150 ft. lb. wrench has held up nicely over the years (despite me never unloading the tension after use), but Precision seems like a great alternative for a little less!

Thanks for the info, Bumbo!

I took a shot at calibrating one of these which were branded Snap-On. The specimen I was working with would sound like it clicked off before torque was achieved. I played havoc with my transducer and software.

 

[dawudih]

I bought an AC Delco 3/8" after a HF one snapped a bolt off. It's digital, so easy to set, and reasonably priced at around $110. The problem with it is
1. It doesn't beep at less than 10 nM, which could cause issues to those who don't read the manuals, and
2. there's no vibrate function like the fancier ones and
3. The digital display is only readable at certain angles.

I remember reading the more accurate models have a narrow range of ft/lbs.

Unusual Activity Detected

 

[gordonp]

I also have had a Craftsman beam-style torque wrench for many decades. It works, and it was inexpensive.

A couple of years ago, I had challenging suspension-work where getting the wrench onto the nut/bolt was difficult, and reading was impossible. So, I bought a DeWalt click-style torque-wrench from HomeDepot.

It came with a printed "calibration" label (or, at least production-line tested label!), and when I re-check lug-nuts it seems very repeatable and consistent (when it clicks at exactly the same setting on a previously torqued lug-nut).

My DeWalt clicker sure cost more than my Craftsman, but I like it and have reasonable faith in it doing it's job.

 

[AuSeeker]

I also have had a Craftsman beam-style torque wrench for many decades. It works, and it was inexpensive.

A couple of years ago, I had challenging suspension-work where getting the wrench onto the nut/bolt was difficult, and reading was impossible. So, I bought a DeWalt click-style torque-wrench from HomeDepot.

It came with a printed "calibration" label (or, at least production-line tested label!), and when I re-check lug-nuts it seems very repeatable and consistent (when it clicks at exactly the same setting on a previously torqued lug-nut).

My DeWalt clicker sure cost more than my Craftsman, but I like it and have reasonable faith in it doing it's job.

Have you cross checked in the opposite to see if the beam wrench says the same as the click style wrench, just checking the click wrench on a nut torqued with the beam wrench doesn't tell you if the beam wrench over-torque the nut only that it is torque to at least what the click wrench says?

 

[gordonp]

Have you cross checked in the opposite to see if the beam wrench says the same as the click style wrench?

Nope.

But I wonder if you mis-understood, when I mentioned:

when I re-check lug-nuts it seems very repeatable and consistent

What I meant was that when I click-tightened my lug-nuts with the click-wrench, then later re-checked them with the same click-wrench, things were repeatable and consistent.

To expand: If I'm tightening my lug-nuts to 90 ft-lbs, I'll do it typically in 3 progressive rounds: maybe 50ft-lbs first, then 70 ft-lbs, finally 90. In this way, I can play around and repeat a setting to see that the nuts do not move, then exert slightly more force and watch them move.

You are right though - when I achieve a "click" it only tells me I've hit/surpassed the setting, but it does not tell me what the current torque actually is. I have not checked this. And you know, I kind of doubt I will

 

[dawudih]

Nope.

But I wonder if you mis-understood, when I mentioned:


What I meant was that when I click-tightened my lug-nuts with the click-wrench, then later re-checked them with the same click-wrench, things were repeatable and consistent.

To expand: If I'm tightening my lug-nuts to 90 ft-lbs, I'll do it typically in 3 progressive rounds: maybe 50ft-lbs first, then 70 ft-lbs, finally 90. In this way, I can play around and repeat a setting to see that the nuts do not move, then exert slightly more force and watch them move.

You are right though - when I achieve a "click" it only tells me I've hit/surpassed the setting, but it does not tell me what the current torque actually is. I have not checked this. And you know, I kind of doubt I will

This^^^
There's actually a static thresh hold the torque wrench has to overcome. For example, if a bolt is torqued to 50 lb., and you set the torque wrench to 55 lb., it may not move the bolt. It's better to have significant differences in the multi stage tightening's, like gordonp suggested.