Well, I am going to be purchasing a torque wrench soon, and was looking for suggestions (with support, of coarse!) and and input in general. Thanks!

 

Make sure you back off the adjustment when you're done to keep an acurate reading the next time it's in use

 

if price isn't a consideration i'd buy snap-on wrenches. i have 2 in ft/lbs with the thumb wheel dial adjustment and flex head, one micro adjustable type in in/lbs and a dial type in in/lbs. for a budget one i'd look at sears craftsman

 

Unless you find one on sale, don't buy a cheap one. Buy a good torque wrench, you get what you pay for.

 

I wasnt planning on taking shortcuts or buying a cheapo. I probably should have been more specific. I was wondering not only brand, but also type/style prefrences (and arguments, if possible). Great replies so far though!

 

Craftsman is all I buy. Havent tried any Snap-on tools before so I have no idea if they are better or not. I do know that I rarely have problems with craftsman tools, and when I do then I just walk back to sears and hand them the pieces and walk away with a new one As for holding up, my dads had 2 craftsman torque wrenches for at least 10 years now and I just used both today.

Oh, and I doubt youll break anything often. We only managed it when we were using a 24 inch breaker bar with I think a 1 inch or thereabouts socket on the tractors lug nuts. We was still popping the torque wrench maxed out at 320 something so we went to the bar and put a 5 foot pipe over the end of the bar as well.. dad and i heaved and BANG! Pieces of bar and socket everywhere

So, trip down to sears, new bar and socket later allong with a new 4 foot breaker bar and we were back in business.

Just go get craftsman, great for tools etc. Stop when you get to power tools though.

 

OK- Craftsman is decent on hand wrenches. Their ratchets are a joke! My dad is also a Craftsman fan because of the guarantee. And by the way, the guarantee doesn't apply to torque wrenches, there is a $50.00 re-calibration fee on them.(I know, I have my dad's old one.)

But about there ratchets.... lifetime guarantee is nice, but that's not gonna help you when you bust a knuckle cause the thing slipped....

Snap-On ratchets, best ratchets money can buy. They also have a lifetime guarantee. Yes, you have to wait for the Snap-On man to come around, but you won't have to go see him near as much as you will have to go to Sears for Craftsman ratchets. I don't know about Snap-On Torque wrenches, never used one, but as far as they're regular ratchets, they blow Craftsman away.

I guess it all depends on how much you use your tools. If you only use use them now and then, Craftsman is fine. My dad doesn't do much and his tools work fine for him. I use and abuse my tools on a daily basis. I own Craftsman ratchets and it's funny, right now my 3/8" ratchet is slipping and needs to go back to Sears and my 1/2" ratchet is brand spanking new....again!
My torque wrench also needs re-calibrated, again! I use a friends Snap-On ratchets and they are great! Only downfall to Snap-Ons, the socket is a little harder to get on and off then the Craftsman, but other then that they beat Craftsman in every aspect.

 

Get a micrometer adjust, click type torque wrench, they are about the best because you don't have to look at them for torque, they let you know when you're there. The bar type torque wrench has its uses but very few and is a pain to use if you can't easily see the pointer and the numbers on the face.


And I take exception to the notion that Craftsman ratchets are junk. I own all Craftsman ratchets, 6 total, and have never had a problem with them and I use them professionally (I'm an aircraft mechanic). I have 3 of them that I got back in 1979 when I was in A&P school that have served me well, the 1/4" drive one needs to be rebuilt (I put a lot of torque on it), after 23 years I'd say that is acceptable.
The only real advantage that Snapon has over Craftsman is they make a wider range of tools, the disadvantage is they cost 4+ times as much.

~M~

P.S. Snapon doesn't guarentee their torque wrenches either and they darn sure don't calibrate them for free.

 

I have a bunch of craftsman tools, and I am fairly happy with em, so I'll prolly get a craftsman TW... Now, to find time (hmm...next week perhapse)...

 

Wow!
This is a REALLY old post!
But, I don't see the harm in NOT posting a whole new thread for the same question.

I'll be doing a 2.8-3.4 swap...
My questions about buying torque wrenches include:
Will I need one of every size drive?
What's the highest torque I'll need to use?

Thank you in advance.

 

If your going to swap cylinder heads or do bottom end work, your going to need one with 50-250ft-lbs capacity. Harbor freight tools has an Icon 1/2 " p/n 64064 for $100

 

REALLY?!? You're going to bump a thread with the oldest reply is 10+ years old?

 

Do a search, Hot Rod or Car Craft tested quite a few torque wrenches side by side. Believe it or not the Harbor Freight torque wrenches are right up there. I have a few Snapon that I've had for years in all ranges. But I also have a couple of the HF 1/2" drive ones. The adjustment on a torque wrench is dependent on the pressure on the spring inside. If you back the tension off every time it will prevent the spring from losing tension.
I did notice HF now has a professional line of torque wrenches.

 

I remember that article and it's why I've stuck with Harbor freight for them. Accuracy, according to the article, of the harbor freight was impressive and on our with the big brands. Every few years the accuracy does deteriorate because I enevitably forget to turn it back to zero so I just bring it in and exchange it. Buy whatever brand you want as long as its a lifetime warranty and the store is nearby. Husky/home Depot, craftsman/kobalt/lowes harbor freight or I'd even buy an Autozone because they will all get you within spec. They are also easy enough to verify with a second torque wrench or electronic torque gauge

 

Speaking of Autozone, if your only going to use the torque wrench a few times, you could get away with renting or borrowing one from Autozone or Advance Auto Parts, or a good buddy.