Need a torque wrench

[tomstractorsandtoys]

I need to get a better 1/2 inch torque wrench. I do 1 or 2 engine overhauls per year. I had a cheap one and no longer trust it. Would you buy new mid grade or used Snap-on? What other brands? See some Matco and Proto on Ebay. I woulds spend $200 for one. What do you use or recommend? Thanks Tom

 

[M-MAN]

I really like the CDI torque wrench. It's made by Snap-on but at a much better price. Mine has held up well.

I wouldn't trust a used one as there are too many people who don't know how to properly use one. I saw this too many times before I retired. Folks wouldn't turn it back down after use or would use it like a pull handle ignoring the click.

 

[wore out]

(quoted from post at 07:39:13 02/06/22) I need to get a better 1/2 inch torque wrench. I do 1 or 2 engine overhauls per year. I had a cheap one and no longer trust it. Would you buy new mid grade or used Snap-on? What other brands? See some Matco and Proto on Ebay. I woulds spend $200 for one. What do you use or recommend? Thanks Tom

"Precision Instruments" makes GREAT torque wrenches, I understand they make units of some of the "tooltruck" companies.

I have several of their wrenches and have been well satisfied.

http://www.torqwrench.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Precision-In...on+instruments+prec3fr250f,aps,510&sr=8-1

This post was edited by wore out on 02/06/2022 at 07:19 am.

 

[Dave H (MI)]

I bought both of my Snap-On torque wrenches from pawn shops. Both on ebay. No regrets. I keep them in their cases and inside and they work good.

 

[MarkB_MI]

If you get a clicker, be sure it works both clockwise and counterclockwise. Ring gear bolts are left-hand thread, I discovered.

 

[Eric in IL]

I've got a Craftsman that is about five years old. I do not like it. It will not stay set for the torque you desire even though it has a lock.

 

[PDRuff]

Project Farm on you tube did review of wrenches, very well done
Best Torque Wrench? 450 Snap On vs Craftsman, ICON, Kobalt, DeWalt, SK Tools, Proto, Wera

 

[Dennis Minn]

MarkB,

Where was that nugget of wisdom when I was un-doing a ring gear from the front of a chevy 4x4 truck?!


I snapped 3 of them til I figured that out. Then on the search for left=hand threaded hardened bolts....

D.

 

[Welding man]

Not many people will spring for these- Snap-on. They are the Cadillac of torque wrenches - In lb --ft. lbs newton meters and angle. They have indicator lights and beep when the torque is reached. I have them both. About $650.00 each.

 

[RCP]

If you know anyone who works for a larger machine shop or assembly plant, they will likely have a tool for checking calibration on torque wrenches. I bought a used Cooper Tools torque wrench and have checked it against a calibrator and it has been right on.
Example

 

[jimtrs]

(quoted from post at 10:39:13 02/06/22) I need to get a better 1/2 inch torque wrench. I do 1 or 2 engine overhauls per year. I had a cheap one and no longer trust it. Would you buy new mid grade or used Snap-on? What other brands? See some Matco and Proto on Ebay. I woulds spend $200 for one. What do you use or recommend? Thanks Tom

I second M-MAN. Bought this wrench (through Zoro, best price at the time).

CDI 1503MFRMH

Well made, comes with certificate of calibration and can be sent in for re-calibration. I paid $123.00 in 2018. Opted for the version with metal handle.

 

[chvet73]

Interesting how well the Harbor Freight Icon wrench did on the test. Finished in the top 4.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I checked my HF against the old school torque wrench.
MY HF is JUNK. I use it as a breaker bar.
Menards sells the old school torque wrench for around $20.
No more than I do, that's good enough for me. No worrying about calibration.

 

[Bret4207]

Amazing the engines that were stuck together with the old style torque wrenches with the pointer didn't fall to pieces. Why, some of those torque values were likely 5 or 10 lbs off!!! It's a wonder life as we know it didn't end.

 

[ASEguy]

We have the Snap-on electric 1/2 inch drive and 3/8 drive. You can switch units of measurement and it does angle measurement for TTY bolts also. Might be a bit pricey for only a couple overhauls per year, but we haven't had any issues except for batteries going out at the wrong time.

 

[ASEguy]

We have the second one down. I like that it tells you three ways when torque is achieved.

 

[8850dave]

My 1/2 drive Snap On cost me $200 over 40 years ago but its still as good as new

 

[Hobo,NC]

I have brought a few cheap brands used at yard sales they all were junk. My go to 1/2" and 3/8 are SK the rest are Mac digital. One feature I love is a flex head both Macs have that are I would not have brought them. I will never ware out the Macs because Its rare I use them they are to hard to set up. I remove the battery's every time they could not had made them harder to remove install.

How did we survive with nothing are only a beam I still grab my 1/4" beam for differential work. I would have no problem using a 1/2" beam as long as I could see the indicator well.

 

[Mark-Mi]

torque wrench
split beam

 

[1970-1655]

I have been using Proto for over 50 years building and rebuilding engines and anything that calls for a specific torque. We tried Snap-On at work because we had a pushy local rep. We had several work stations so we did a half and half set, Snap-On failed or needed recalibrated before the Proto every time. And price difference was a factor too.

I currently have 4 sizes of metric and 4 sizes of foot or inch pounds in my tool boxes, all Proto. I retired from the corporate nonsense world but I am still busy wrenching about every day. I have a good shop local I take mine to and they never charge me to check calibration.

 

[the tractor vet]

I bought a Snap on 52-53 years ago when my beam style did not go high enough to pull down a head on a small diesel i had my fingers in . . The good OLD Snap on guy use to check for free for years once a year , then the NEW GUY CAME ON And nothing was free Now they hammer ya last time was 107 bucks to recal. I have two Mac's one Proto the big 600 Ft.lb one and still have my three beam ones that never need recal. Just glasses to read the scale.

 

[hd6gtom]

Tom. I owned a tire shop for 22+ years. Every tire we took off and put back on was torqued down. We kept 3+ torque wrenches around all the time. We would buy the cheaper clicker wrenches. We always had 1 or 2 of them in for calabration. Snap on man started stopping and sold me a used wrench. From then on I only bought Snap on Wrenches. I wound up with 4 of them. We never had a ratcheting head on one go bad like we did with the cheaper ones. He was able to calabrate them. They were a heavier duty wrench than the cheaper ones we had been using. I highly recommend them over anything else.