Rant on Buying a Torque Wrench: How Frustrating!

[Rob_R]

I have been purchasing tools since high school in the early seventies. I have used them strictly for home mechanic use and I still have just about every tool I have ever purchased. I was a Craftsman kind of guy unless I couldn't get a particular item from Craftsman. That stopped immediately when Sears sent their tool manufacturing offshore. I really try to support US manufacturing whenever I can. I could go on and on about that, but never mind.

In the 80s I purchased 2 Snap-On clicker torque wrenches at different times. Craftsman did not offer a clicker at that time. One was 3/8" drive inch-pounds and the other 3/8" drive ft-pounds. I recently questioned the calibration of the two Snap-On tools, so I contacted Snap-On to arrange for calibration. Snap-On said they no longer support either of those torque wrenches and would not touch them. So much for the lifetime warranty on those Snap-On tools.........And it would cost about $1000 to replace those 2 Snap-On wrenches today. I'll just live with them.

CDI is a Snap-On company that manufactures torque wrenches in the US. I purchased one of their 250 Ft-LB clickers for what I felt was a reasonable price on Amazon. I needed the higher capacity when I was installing a lift on my JK in 2014. CDI is worth a look if you are in the market for a US made torque wrench.

cditorque.com

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[whysoserious]

I have been purchasing tools since high school in the early seventies. I have used them strictly for home mechanic use and I still have just about every tool I have ever purchased. I was a Craftsman kind of guy unless I couldn't get a particular item from Craftsman. That stopped immediately when Sears sent their tool manufacturing offshore. I really try to support US manufacturing whenever I can. I could go on and on about that, but never mind.

In the 80s I purchased 2 Snap-On clicker torque wrenches at different times. Craftsman did not offer a clicker at that time. One was 3/8" drive inch-pounds and the other 3/8" drive ft-pounds. I recently questioned the calibration of the two Snap-On tools, so I contacted Snap-On to arrange for calibration. Snap-On said they no longer support either of those torque wrenches and would not touch them. So much for the lifetime warranty on those Snap-On tools.........And it would cost about $1000 to replace those 2 Snap-On wrenches today. I'll just live with them.

CDI is a Snap-On company that manufactures torque wrenches in the US. I purchased one of their 250 Ft-LB clickers for what I felt was a reasonable price on Amazon. I needed the higher capacity when I was installing a lift on my JK in 2014. CDI is worth a look if you are in the market for a US made torque wrench.

cditorque.com

Torque Wrench Calibration & Repair • JM Test Systems

 

[Rob_R]

Torque Wrench Calibration & Repair • JM Test Systems

Thank you, Good Sir! I will get a quote from JM and see what they can do.

 

[Charles 236]

I know that clicker style torque wrenches are all the rage, and I use them too for some jobs. But... until about two weeks ago I used an old beam style torque wrench for engine work. Over forty years of good service from my beam style torque wrenches, and I still prefer them for engine work. But on suspension work I am perfectly happy to use the clicker style. Sometimes it is hard to pull enough torque and still be able to read the beam style torque scale when doing suspension work, so a clicker is then my choice. Just my two cents.

 

[Hootbro]

I have been purchasing tools since high school in the early seventies. I have used them strictly for home mechanic use and I still have just about every tool I have ever purchased. I was a Craftsman kind of guy unless I couldn't get a particular item from Craftsman. That stopped immediately when Sears sent their tool manufacturing offshore. I really try to support US manufacturing whenever I can. I could go on and on about that, but never mind.

In the 80s I purchased 2 Snap-On clicker torque wrenches at different times. Craftsman did not offer a clicker at that time. One was 3/8" drive inch-pounds and the other 3/8" drive ft-pounds. I recently questioned the calibration of the two Snap-On tools, so I contacted Snap-On to arrange for calibration. Snap-On said they no longer support either of those torque wrenches and would not touch them. So much for the lifetime warranty on those Snap-On tools.........And it would cost about $1000 to replace those 2 Snap-On wrenches today. I'll just live with them.

CDI is a Snap-On company that manufactures torque wrenches in the US. I purchased one of their 250 Ft-LB clickers for what I felt was a reasonable price on Amazon. I needed the higher capacity when I was installing a lift on my JK in 2014. CDI is worth a look if you are in the market for a US made torque wrench.

cditorque.com

Snap On's failure to support older torque wrenches really has nothing to do with a tool's warranty. Clicker Torque Wrenches are considered a wear item over time that will need periodic calibration and adjustment as needed. Most tool makers to included Snap On do not warranty that calibration or the basic components of the torque wrench past a much shorter time period after being bought new.

Most companies that you send a torque wrench to for calibration and if needed a repair, is going to be two separate charges. Most times for the average DIY'r type, that is going to be cost prohibitive and easier to just buy a new one with a fresh calibration certificate.

 

[Rob_R]

Snap On's failure to support older torque wrenches really has nothing to do with a tool's warranty. Clicker Torque Wrenches are considered a wear item over time that will need periodic calibration and adjustment as needed. Most tool makers to included Snap On do not warranty that calibration or the basic components of the torque wrench past a much shorter time period after being bought new.

Most companies that you send a torque wrench to for calibration and if needed a repair, is going to be two separate charges. Most times for the average DIY'r type, that is going to be cost prohibitive and easier to just buy a new one with a fresh calibration certificate.

Yeah, I hear you. Thanks for the clarification on wear items! I was disappointed that Snap-On would not calibrate, or if necessary, repair the wrenches. I was operating under the assumption that Snap-On stands behind their tools for a lifetime. I didn't know that their torque wrenches were considered a wear item. Live and learn. I am not a typical Snap-On customer as the two torque wrenches have seen limited use in the past ~ 40 years. When I went to the Snap-On website to get the contact information of a local tool truck for the purpose of them arranging the calibration services, I could not get the contact info for a local Snap-On tool truck because I am not a professional mechanic. It seems they will only deal with Joe Public through their onsite store and their warranty/calibration service.

I will pursue a quote from JM that was supplied by @whysoserious. If the calibration cost is reasonable, I will move forward. If repair costs are required after they examine the wrenches, then I will a have decision to make.

 

[Lunentucker]

The pragmatist in me says that most fasteners can live just fine with a torque wrench that's off by 5-6%. Maybe even 10%. After all, we're applying these forces at different temperatures sometimes, and 70-80 degrees hotter or colder could likely skew the results at least 5%.

Learn your tools.

My Dewalt Impact has three settings. I have learned that the middle setting gets me really close, but just shy of 130 ft pounds (the target final torque on lug nuts), as long as I don't let it dwell for very long.
I have also used torque limiting extensions, but always using one that is designed to land shy of the target final torque, and then finishing manually with a torque wrench.
So I might use the 110 lb extension on the lug nuts and then finish manually.

If you have the tools, you can test your own impact wrenches using bolts and nuts held secure in a vise or other apparatus. Run them down tight on the lowest setting, and then use your torque wrench to see how tight they got. Repeat for a mid setting, but be careful with the highest setting if you have a strong impact wrench. Might want to leave that one to the pros.
Keep a note on your phone or make a chart to keep handy.

Anyway, that's me.
You do you.

 

[Badunit]

In my youth I used this (and I still have it and use it):

Calibration was eyeballing the pointer to see if it was at 0.

I am always distrustful of clicker torque wrenches, though I have several of them. With a beam wrench you can see it getting close. With a clicker you don't know how much farther you have to go before it clicks. Sometimes I feel like I'm putting on more torque than what I set it to (probably not, though, in reality) and I'll dial it back a bit just to hear it click, then I'll set it back to where it should be and continue on.

 

[Rob_R]

Still have mine also. I probably purchased this one in the early 80s.

 

[Hootbro]

In my youth I used this (and I still have it and use it):

Calibration was eyeballing the pointer to see if it was at 0.

I am always distrustful of clicker torque wrenches, though I have several of them. With a beam wrench you can see it getting close. With a clicker you don't know how much farther you have to go before it clicks. Sometimes I feel like I'm putting on more torque than what I set it to (probably not, though, in reality) and I'll dial it back a bit just to hear it click, then I'll set it back to where it should be and continue on.

If you have a 8 point socket that will couple together the drive heads of both your beam and clicker torque wrench, you can do a "poor man's" calibration check of your clicker against the beam"

Clicker torque wrenches are usually pretty good so long as they are not dropped and not stored in anything but their lowest setting for long term storage. The thread torsion rod inside clicker torque wrenches will take a seat if not stored in their lowest setting and they occasionally need to be turned through there lowest to highest setting a handful of times ever so often to redistribute the factor lube on those thread. Buying used clicker torque wrenches is a pig in a poke situation for these various reasons of not knowing how they were used and store.

 

[kevman65]

The only problem with a beam torque wrench, when you get to the higher end of the scale you're so cross eyed and squinting you can't tell where you are.

 

[Sweetums]

There is simply too much information out there. All I wanted to do was buy a 20-250lbs. range, American-made, 1/2 drive torque wrench. Down....down....down the rabbit hole I went. YouTube, Amazon, Google, various forums. Hours of reading, getting to the point where one seemed like a great combination of accuracy, strength, and price only to find something else inherently flawed. OK, spend the big bucks - SnapOn? Sold out. Down the line a little, MAC? Sold out. FAWK! Now what? Fine, I'll look at a non-USA-made one. Nope, 20 great reviews, 20 s**t reviews. Back to the starting line.

I'm this age: when my dad or I needed a new tool over the last 30 years of working on cars in his garage, we would run to Sears, grab something that looked good, buy it, use it for 20 years, break it, buy a new one. Done. Simple, no online reviews, no BS, the tool just worked as it should and we were happy. Man, I do miss those days.

Dare I ask - any advice on where to get a middle-class torque wrench? I'm a weekend warrior, not a professional mechanic.

I stand by my GearWrench.

 

[TroutFishingInAmerica]

Has beam, clicker, adjustable.

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