Torque Wrench

[Whelan]

I'm looking to invest in one for my collection of tools but there are just millions out there. I have seen them for $30 and some for $300. What is the main differences other than the name and style. I am looking for a twist style instead of the older hanging needle. I also want one that can do 5-100+ ft. lbs. if thats possible without getting two styles. I would prefer the higher one.My main reason for this is so I can rotate my own tires and install plugs properly, as well as my fiences. Any advice would be great, I would love to keep my price tage under $50.

[engineertwin2]

You really need to know what torque range you really intend to use it in. Several companies make them, but you might be hard pressed to find a "good" one for under $50.It's likely that you'll be looking for a torque wrench in the 30-150 ft-lbs range. The problem with using it to install several things is that torque wrenches tend to lose accuracy on both the low and high side. The rule of thumb I've heard is that you should never use it within 20% of the low side or 10% of the high side. So a 30-150 ft-lb wrench would ideally only be used between 54 and 138 ft-lbs.Also, you want to check accuracy of the wrench you are buying. They can vary greatly between 2 and 6 ft-lbs to 2% and 6%. Now, my experience with Husky wrenches has been a negative one, as they typically have a wide accuracy range and I've seen once or twice when the pawl failed to disengage.Now, a good home shop will have three wrenches - one up to 150 ft-lbs or so, one up to 200-225 ft-lbs or so, and one that measures in in-lbs, as a lot of the torqueing you do is in in-lbs, and not ft-lbs (low numbers). If you can't get 3, go with the 150 ft-lb torque wrench.I personally, prefer Craftsman. When I started looking at socket sets, I realized all tool sets are not the same, despite virtually of them having a lifetime warranty now. Craftsman (and other high-end socket sets) has convex socket surfaces that grip the nut/bolt in the center of the straight. Most consumer grade socket sets have flat straights, resulting in grabbing at the corners of the bolts, and ultimately results in your nuts getting rounded off. And nobody likes their nuts rounded or stripped.

[Sublimewind]

Quote »And nobody likes their nuts rounded or stripped.I sure don't like my nutz getting rounded, but stripped, that is a little different... lolI cannot argue with an engineer, but i've NEVER had a problem with my 20$ Harbor Freight TW, it's a pile of junk compaired to the masses out there, but for lugs, it's always done me just fine... Acurate, no, close, yes.. I've done some things with my TW, that would make engineertwin2 faint...lol... works great as a breaker bar... I've never felt the need to torque plugs as the old rule of thumb works as long as you add some anti-seize. (1/4 turn past stop, installing with your fingers) Now if you were building a motor, that would be a TOTALY different story, and if i were building a motor, i'd spen a few hundred on a good TW... Facom

[zionzr2]

Mine was a gift that came from Harbor Freight.

[kcorona]

I've had a Harbor Freight for years that I got on sale for $10. Agree with sublime that it's probably not the most accurate, but its close enough for lug nuts.You're gonna have to spend more than $50 to get a good one, like SK or snap-on. I've heard a lot of horror stories about craftsman. I just scored an SK #74104, 10-100 ft. lbs. on ebay for $86 delivered in 2 days. In fact it just came today, woo-hoo.

[Tubaryan12]

Torque wrenches (at least for me) seem to work the best when you work up to the torque setting you want insted of setting it there from the beginning. If I need 70 ft-lbs, i'll start at 50, then go to 60 then 70. This is really important to do for low settings because if it doesnt click you may strip the bolt before you realize it's too late.