[rd1cobra]

Can anyone recommend a torque wrench brand model or models? I'm looking to buy one for simple automotive maintenance on the 968.



I would appreciate any insight.

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[Mark]

I'm not paying SnapOn prices so mine are Craftsman.

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[flash]

as are mine - the biggest thing is to make sure that you have a spread of them - for smaller torques, you need a "needle" type, and not a "click" type - also, don't use a 1/2" drive when a 3/8" drive will do the job - use the right wrench for the range of torque you are trying to set - don't use extensions if you can avoid it, but make sure you get a good square seat on the nut or bolt



these tips will give you more accurate readings

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[Ryan]

For smaller torques use an inch-pound wrench with a clicker. Why the old pointer type??

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[prj24149]

Mine is also craftsman but the digitork not the microtork. Buy the best one you can afford. I have the 5-80ftlb one and that works for most of my needs.

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[flash]

while very useful in the right application, and i do have and use them, with the clicker type the readings are not as accurate - there is a slope as it goes over the point where it clicks - you can also go beyond the torque of that setting very easily, and not know how far - it is very easy to over torque something with this type of wrench - these type of wrenches are also known to frequently be 2-3 ft/lb off, which at 95 is no big deal, but at 40 is a relatively high amount - with a needle type, you can see how far past the setting you are going



that is also why i said a spread of wrenches - i would have 3 - one in inch/lb (1/4" drive), one in ft/lb (3/8" drive - needle type) and then a bigger one in ft/lb (1/2" drive - clicker ok)



if you need to go within 10% of the upper limit of the wrench, you should use the next size up

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[Darryl]

[quote name='prj24149' post='56466' date='Jul 18 2008, 03:10 PM']Mine is also craftsman but the digitork not the microtork. Buy the best one you can afford. I have the 5-80ftlb one and that works for most of my needs.[/quote]



I want/need that one...it's the smaller of the two digitork models. I have the 1/2" drive, larger digitork for wheels...I think it's 20-250 ft/lb. The small one (5-80) is 3/8" drive...waiting for a sale so I can use the 'ol Craftsman Club card. So far, I've been happy with it's performance. The instructions say to dial it back prior to storage. I'm guessing that's to relieve the tension to help maintain it's accuracy.



- Darryl

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[flash]

yes, dialing back is to maintain accuracy - i am religious about doing now that after finding out the hard way about 20 some odd years ago

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[Cloud9...68]

I did a fair amount of research on this before I bought my torque wwrenches a few years ago, and found that the "click" type wrenches tend to go out of calibration easier than the other types, and are not recommended for smaller bolts, like Flash says. I decided to go with the inexpensive "bendy-bar" types from Craftsman, one smaller 3/8" drive one for the smaller bolts, and a 1/2" drive for bolts up to 150 ft-lb.



But if cost is no object, this one looks really nice:



http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/tools/...1-2%22+drive.do



as it doesn't break away when the pre-set torque is achieved. Instead, it beeps, and an LED flashes, so it shouldn't have the issue with the slope as it approaches its pre-set that Flash describes. Griot's Garage tends to mark items up quite a bit, so maybe you could find a similar wrench at a lower price. Good luck.

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[flash]

cool - i wonder how loud the beep is? for example, could you hear it while sitting next to a race car in the paddock?

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[Cloud9...68]

Good question. I guess in a loud location, it would be best to watch for the LED flash.

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[rd1cobra]

Thanks for all the tips.

If you're interested, K-Tools International makes the Torque Wrench for Griots. I found it on overstock.com and the price wasn't much better.

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[porsche]

I use FACOM.



Jewelry quality and very precise.



Porsche

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[bob blackwell]

Another fan of Craftsman Tools. I love the convenient way they can be replaced under warranty whenever anything breaks. SEARS is never very far away. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[jfrahm]

Craftsman torque wrenches are not lifetime warranty, at least not the click type. Click wrenches are nice but unless you get them regularly calibrated and treat them very well, I would not use them for anything important. I like beam wrenches for important work, simple and reliable.



-Joel.

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='jfrahm' post='56650' date='Jul 23 2008, 10:41 PM']Craftsman torque wrenches are not lifetime warranty, at least not the click type. Click wrenches are nice but unless you get them regularly calibrated and treat them very well, I would not use them for anything important. I like beam wrenches for important work, simple and reliable.



-Joel.[/quote]

That's what I had gathered as well as I was researching them, which is why I went with a couple of beam wrenches (Craftsman). Although, I don't like the way you more or less have to use your judgement as you get close to the specified torque when you've applied enough torque, especially if the bolt you're tightening is at an add angle relative to your eyeballs, when parallax error can become an issue. But overall, I think they do the job for most applications.

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[gryphon]

[quote name='bob blackwell' post='56646' date='Jul 23 2008, 04:45 PM']Another fan of Craftsman Tools. I love the convenient way they can be replaced under warranty whenever anything breaks. SEARS is never very far away. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.[/quote]



There are rumors that Sears has been trying to sell off the Craftsman line; Ace Hardware was supposedly a bidder. A foolish move in my humble opinion but, then, Kmart hasn't sought my advice.



Tom

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[flash]

orchard has it right now, but orchard is closing up a lot of places - kmart also has it

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