Torque wrenches, you trust the cheap ones too?

**Boris** · 12-22-2007 05:19 PM

I bought a cheap torque wrench from Autozone, its all they had, a 30 dollar one

but do you guys trust these cheap torque wrenches? Im wondering If I should trade it in...it has a sticker saying its inspected and all that, but the places im using the t wrench on are places Im not going to be able to get back to easliy

**Nexus1155** · 12-22-2007 05:55 PM

actually i like the ones from advanced auto when im in a tight squeeze, but i mean its SNAP-ON or nothing if i need something important... Craftsman for a quick fix too.. but i wouldn't trust my life on anything but snap-on or bluepoint(same company)

**Dr. Jekyll** · 12-22-2007 06:28 PM

Depends what you are using it for. I've got an autozone one and it works fine for things like suspension parts and lug nuts. The torque specs for those things don't really need to be all that accurate (most of the specs are xx ft/lbs + 1/4 (or 1/2) turn) anyway. Tight enough where they don't back out or rattle but not tight enough to bind. But I would use a good torque wrench on important parts, such as engine internals, head studs etc. Even spark plugs you should probably use a good wrench so you don't strip out the threads or leave them too loose.

**njm23** · 12-22-2007 06:41 PM

Snap-on tools are great, if you have the money.. ridiculously over priced though. I get discounts on them and with the discount they cost just as much as any matco tool or any other decent tool. I defiantly wouldn't cheap out on torque wrenches, but my dad recently bought a cheapo from harbor freight? Like $20 or $30 for a 1/4" drive, works great and I have double checked it many times with my snap-on and it is dead on..

**AB18** · 12-22-2007 06:51 PM

I used all craftsman just because its easy. I just use a craftsman torque wrench aswell.

**2kblacks4** · 12-22-2007 11:30 PM

i have heard of people connecting cheap auto-zone ones to a good torque wrench and checking the accuracy that way, and its pretty on.

**Poopie** · 12-23-2007 12:02 AM

my cheap one is just about right. 2-3 ft lbs off at most compared to a snap on and whos to say the snap on is 100% accurate too? I trust mine.

**theCOOP** · 12-23-2007 11:23 AM

Torque wrench? Doesnt the impact torque itself?

**Jsmooth65** · 12-23-2007 11:45 AM

I used to work at one of the Snap-on repair centers where we fixed all power tools and recalibrated torque wrenches. If you saw who was calibrating them, you'd change your mind about Snap-on...

**HotSauce** · 12-23-2007 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Jsmooth65

I used to work at one of the Snap-on repair centers where we fixed all power tools and recalibrated torque wrenches. If you saw who was calibrating them, you'd change your mind about Snap-on...

I used to bust tires for Discount Tire Company, and we used Snap On torque sticks...We also used a dial to calibrate them. All of our wrenches were +/- 10-20 ft/lbs.

I don't trust any of these things.... Only way to trust them is to test them... And then you're trusting the gauge.

**Jsmooth65** · 12-24-2007 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by HotSauce

I used to bust tires for Discount Tire Company, and we used Snap On torque sticks...We also used a dial to calibrate them. All of our wrenches were +/- 10-20 ft/lbs.

I don't trust any of these things.... Only way to trust them is to test them... And then you're trusting the gauge.

LOL. When I first started there, I worked in the ship/recieve area and would HATE those damn Discount Tire torque wrenches. They send in like 50 at at a time for calibration, and that made for some heavy ass boxes.

And people, if you really think that being 10-20 ft/lbs off on any part of a machine is going to make a difference, you need to stop doing your own work and send your car to the dealer.