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#1
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Torque Wrench
Folks,
I am considering buying a digitorque wrench and was wondering if there are any opinions about this tool. I just looked at one of these for work on my Honda. Craftsman is the only one I know that makes this type of torque wrench. Anyway, I wasn't too sure about the build of this tool since the bottom cap which has to be pulled out to set the torque is knid of flimsy looking plastic. The older model craftsman torque wrenches seem to be better built but are propably not as easy to set however they [are] less expensive. I am more interested in durability than convenience since craftsman does not offer lifetime warranty on torque wrenches. Any feedback would greatly apprecaied. TIA muze |
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#2
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I considered the Sears Craftstman Digitorque earlier this year but
felt it would be too hard and just generally too cumbersome to get into a lot of places and work with where I needed it. I ultimately settled on a Husky click torque wrench (10 ft-lbs to 100 ft-lbs) from Home Depot, as it looked about as good as the Craftsman click torque wrench equivalent and was about $20 cheaper. (Last year it was $60.) I use it a lot. A few months later I bought a Harbor Freight Pittsburgh torque wrench for inch-pound applications, 20 inch-pounds to something like 200 inch-pounds. It's flimsy and will not last long but was on sale for $20. I couldn't resist. I've been pleased with it. Once, I compared it to the Husky (set at the lower ranges), and they seemed dead-on. I use it a lot, too. I do think one gets what one pays for when it comes to click torque wrenches, but for the DIYer (shucks, even the paid auto tech., who I really doubt bothers with a torque wrench except for maybe head bolts), I think the above are just fine. If you have the time, I'd say visit Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Sears, and get a close up look at all their torque wrench offerings, then decide. All three have good online sites (photos, descriptions, prices), too, BTW. "Seraph" > wrote > Folks, > > I am considering buying a digitorque wrench and was wondering if there > are any opinions about this tool. I just looked at one of these for > work on my Honda. Craftsman is the only one I know that makes this > type of torque wrench. Anyway, I wasn't too sure about the build of > this tool since the bottom cap which has to be pulled out to set the > torque is knid of flimsy looking plastic. The older model craftsman > torque wrenches seem to be better built but are propably not as easy > to set however they [are] less expensive. I am more interested in > durability than convenience since craftsman does not offer lifetime > warranty on torque wrenches. > > Any feedback would greatly apprecaied. |
#3
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Caroline wrote: > I considered the Sears Craftstman Digitorque earlier this year but > felt it would be too hard and just generally too cumbersome to get > into a lot of places and work with where I needed it. > > I ultimately settled on a Husky click torque wrench (10 ft-lbs to 100 > ft-lbs) from Home Depot, as it looked about as good as the Craftsman > click torque wrench equivalent and was about $20 cheaper. (Last year > it was $60.) I use it a lot. > > A few months later I bought a Harbor Freight Pittsburgh torque wrench > for inch-pound applications, 20 inch-pounds to something like 200 > inch-pounds. It's flimsy and will not last long but was on sale for > $20. I couldn't resist. I've been pleased with it. Once, I compared it > to the Husky (set at the lower ranges), and they seemed dead-on. I use > it a lot, too. > > I do think one gets what one pays for when it comes to click torque > wrenches, but for the DIYer (shucks, even the paid auto tech., who I > really doubt bothers with a torque wrench except for maybe head > bolts), I think the above are just fine. > > If you have the time, I'd say visit Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and > Sears, and get a close up look at all their torque wrench offerings, > then decide. > > All three have good online sites (photos, descriptions, prices), too, > BTW. Those are awfully expensive. Sears won't offer the same warranty on those torque wrenches because they will need to be recalibrated, and it would be way out of line with their unconditional warranty. A beam type torque wrench almost never needs to be calibrated, and do carry the lifetime warranty. I bought the following (the original URL was way too long): <http://tinyurl.com/6bhdr> It's made in Taiwan, but is almost all metal, with a 10-150 ft-lbs range. I actually got it to share the shipping costs of a T-70 Torx bit I bought from the same retailer. |
#4
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"y_p_w" > wrote
snip > A > beam type torque wrench almost never needs to be calibrated, and > do carry the lifetime warranty. I am under the impression (from a lot of research on the sujbect last year) that the beam types do not hold calibration well at all, and that any warranty for them certainly does not cover loss of calibration. But let's see what others say. |
#5
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i'd save the money and reapply it to some good measuring calipers or
something like that. regarding clicking torque wrenches, i know a lot of folks "like" them, but the facts are, they are not as reliable and therefore not as accurate as the cheap bending beam variety of torque wrench. commercial operators that use clickers have them constantly recalibrated, which is not something the average joe can do at home. i can't see a "digitorque" on the sears website, and have no clue how the digitorque works, but i'd be surprised if it offers a cost effective improvement over the ugly but extroardinarily effective bending beam. Seraph wrote: > Folks, > > I am considering buying a digitorque wrench and was wondering if there > are any opinions about this tool. I just looked at one of these for > work on my Honda. Craftsman is the only one I know that makes this > type of torque wrench. Anyway, I wasn't too sure about the build of > this tool since the bottom cap which has to be pulled out to set the > torque is knid of flimsy looking plastic. The older model craftsman > torque wrenches seem to be better built but are propably not as easy > to set however they [are] less expensive. I am more interested in > durability than convenience since craftsman does not offer lifetime > warranty on torque wrenches. > > Any feedback would greatly apprecaied. > > TIA > muze |
#6
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Caroline wrote: > "y_p_w" > wrote > snip > >>A >>beam type torque wrench almost never needs to be calibrated, and >>do carry the lifetime warranty. > > > I am under the impression (from a lot of research on the sujbect last > year) that the beam types do not hold calibration well at all, and > that any warranty for them certainly does not cover loss of > calibration. There's almost nothing to go wrong with a beam-type torque wrench, short of catastrophic failure. Sometimes the pointer beam goes out of alignment, but it's as simple as moving it back to zero; this part doesn't move at all in normal use. There really is nothing to calibrate. The torque measurement is solely a result of how much the beam bends, as opposed to the oodles of delicate parts in a micrometer click-type torque wrench. |
#7
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"y_p_w" > wrote
> Caroline wrote: > > "y_p_w" > wrote > > snip > > > >>A > >>beam type torque wrench almost never needs to be calibrated, and > >>do carry the lifetime warranty. > > > > > > I am under the impression (from a lot of research on the sujbect last > > year) that the beam types do not hold calibration well at all, and > > that any warranty for them certainly does not cover loss of > > calibration. > > There's almost nothing to go wrong with a beam-type torque wrench, > short of catastrophic failure. Sometimes the pointer beam goes > out of alignment, but it's as simple as moving it back to zero; > this part doesn't move at all in normal use. There really is > nothing to calibrate. The torque measurement is solely a result > of how much the beam bends, as opposed to the oodles of delicate > parts in a micrometer click-type torque wrench. You're right: It's just a spring being deflected in a beam-type, and there are more parts that can fail in the click-type. On further reflection I think the reason I rejected the beam type torque wrench is that it's cumbersome to read while applying torque, particularly in the somewhat tight spaces under the hood or in the wheel wells. |
#8
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#9
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I have an older Craftsman 'clicker' torque wrench (range starts at 20
Ft.lbs. and goes above 100) and it has served me well or over 10 years. Where would one go to have this tool recalibrated? - Not that calibration is 'all that'.... As long as it is consistant... Because aren't all you are doing is to 'equally' tighten the fasteners. For example, I'll use mine to tighten the lug nuts on my Civic. Set the wrench to 80 ft. lbs. and go to town. Even if it is not actually 80, all nuts are tightened to the same torque. No? Rick |
#10
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Rick wrote:
> I have an older Craftsman 'clicker' torque wrench (range starts at 20 > Ft.lbs. and goes above 100) and it has served me well or over 10 years. > > Where would one go to have this tool recalibrated? - Check the Craftsman area on Sears Web site. I just had a 30 year old Snap-On torque wrench refurbished & calibrated by Snap-On. IIRC it was difficult to figure out where it was actually done, so I had to email them. |
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