Budget torque wrench
Discussion
Ultimately you're buying it to tighten up nuts and bolts with some degree of accuracy. The cheaper the wrench, the less accurate it is, that's about the sum of it.
They'll do the job I guess, no doubt each wrench has a listed tolerance? As long as you bear in mind how wide the tolerance could be at each torque setting, you'll be ok. If nothing else, the wrenches you gave as examples ought to be reasonably consistent. Don't forget too that adding lubricant to bolt/nut threads (including copper grease) can change the actual stress on the fastener, despite the torque setting being the same.
One small piece of advice, always wind the torque setting all the way back to zero after use. This prevents the spring inside becoming permanently stretched/compressed, and losing its accuracy.
They'll do the job I guess, no doubt each wrench has a listed tolerance? As long as you bear in mind how wide the tolerance could be at each torque setting, you'll be ok. If nothing else, the wrenches you gave as examples ought to be reasonably consistent. Don't forget too that adding lubricant to bolt/nut threads (including copper grease) can change the actual stress on the fastener, despite the torque setting being the same.
One small piece of advice, always wind the torque setting all the way back to zero after use. This prevents the spring inside becoming permanently stretched/compressed, and losing its accuracy.
G600 said:
Get a halfords pro one, borrow someone's trade card and the £75 0-60 nm one is £40. I took mine to work for the calibration guy to look at (it came with a calibration certificate) and he said it's a norbar with a different name on it.
Yep, very good torque wrenches and great price on trade. A few years ago Practical Classics did a test & the result was quite surprising. The snobby crap about cheaper ones being less accurate was very wrong. One of the very expensive ones wasn't great as I remember. I have a Halfords 1/2" one & a Clarke 3/8" one & am happy with both. Check it out when you buy it that it A. has the scales you want NM/lb/ft etc. & how easy it is to adjust & set.
G600 said:
Get a halfords pro one, borrow someone's trade card and the £75 0-60 nm one is £40. I took mine to work for the calibration guy to look at (it came with a calibration certificate) and he said it's a norbar with a different name on it.
Does look the same as a norbar to me and they are supposed to be one of the best.I've got a couple (1/2" and 3/8" drive) cheap torque wrenches and a couple of 'decent' torque wrench (Halfords Pro). I use the cheap torque wrenches for everything except engine building. The Halfords wrenches (with certificates of calibration) are reserved for engine building only. I've tested the accuracy of my cheap torque wrenches and they're just as accurate as the Halfords Pro ones... I just feel better about using my posh torque wrenches for engine work where it's absolutely critical to properly torque everything as accurately as possible.
FWIW, I've generally found cheap tools to be perfectly good enough for occasional 'once in a blue moon' use. The difference with pro-grade stuff is that it's built to last when used/abused regularly. The only cheap tools I'd steer clear of is cheap spanners... they 'give' too much and act like springs when using a hammer on the end to shift a particularly subborn fastener, which usually results in the hex head being rounded-off!
PS. By 'cheap', I'm talking about no-name/Blackspur kind of stuff... thh cheapest of the cheap.
PPS. I bought a set of cheap precision files for 1-time use (they were about £2, I think) and they weren't even fit for 1-time use... total crap. Most cheap stuff is OK for occasional use though.
FWIW, I've generally found cheap tools to be perfectly good enough for occasional 'once in a blue moon' use. The difference with pro-grade stuff is that it's built to last when used/abused regularly. The only cheap tools I'd steer clear of is cheap spanners... they 'give' too much and act like springs when using a hammer on the end to shift a particularly subborn fastener, which usually results in the hex head being rounded-off!
PS. By 'cheap', I'm talking about no-name/Blackspur kind of stuff... thh cheapest of the cheap.
PPS. I bought a set of cheap precision files for 1-time use (they were about £2, I think) and they weren't even fit for 1-time use... total crap. Most cheap stuff is OK for occasional use though.
ian_uk1975 said:
I've got a couple (1/2" and 3/8" drive) cheap torque wrenches and a couple of 'decent' torque wrench (Halfords Pro). I use the cheap torque wrenches for everything except engine building. The Halfords wrenches (with certificates of calibration) are reserved for engine building only. I've tested the accuracy of my cheap torque wrenches and they're just as accurate as the Halfords Pro ones... I just feel better about using my posh torque wrenches for engine work where it's absolutely critical to properly torque everything as accurately as possible.
FWIW, I've generally found cheap tools to be perfectly good enough for occasional 'once in a blue moon' use. The difference with pro-grade stuff is that it's built to last when used/abused regularly. The only cheap tools I'd steer clear of is cheap spanners... they 'give' too much and act like springs when using a hammer on the end to shift a particularly subborn fastener, which usually results in the hex head being rounded-off!
PS. By 'cheap', I'm talking about no-name/Blackspur kind of stuff... thh cheapest of the cheap.
PPS. I bought a set of cheap precision files for 1-time use (they were about £2, I think) and they weren't even fit for 1-time use... total crap. Most cheap stuff is OK for occasional use though.
When I was working, one of our product ranges was torque wrenches, which we sold to major fast fits and then serviced/calibrated every 6 months. We only stocked and sold Norbar. Over the years we tried a number of alternative and cheaper products but never found anything at the same price or less than Norbar that was any good.FWIW, I've generally found cheap tools to be perfectly good enough for occasional 'once in a blue moon' use. The difference with pro-grade stuff is that it's built to last when used/abused regularly. The only cheap tools I'd steer clear of is cheap spanners... they 'give' too much and act like springs when using a hammer on the end to shift a particularly subborn fastener, which usually results in the hex head being rounded-off!
PS. By 'cheap', I'm talking about no-name/Blackspur kind of stuff... thh cheapest of the cheap.
PPS. I bought a set of cheap precision files for 1-time use (they were about £2, I think) and they weren't even fit for 1-time use... total crap. Most cheap stuff is OK for occasional use though.
Most cheap ones weren't accurately calibrated, even from new. They might be OK over a small range but across the full range of the wrench none of them were accurate. Once used a few times they were pretty poor, across the whole range.
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