Which Torque Wrench to buy?

[Carlos840]

Ok - this has been repeated twice now and I strongly disagree with this advice!
Exceeding the range of torque designated by the manufacture can can damage the wrench and make it produce unreliable results. DO NOT EXCEED THE TOOLS RANGE! i.e. "give it a slight extra nudge" it can render the tool inaccurate thus defeating its purpose!
If its range stops at 80 ft / lbs (example) and the user keeps bearing down on it, past 80 ft/lbs it can damage the tool. Its not a cheater bar and should not be used in this manor if you want it to remain accurate.

I give the extra nudge with my breaker bar... I would indeed not recommend doing it with the torque wrench, i thought that was common sens!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I give the extra nudge with my breaker bar... I would indeed not recommend doing it with the torque wrench, i thought that was common sens!

Honestly, if I were the one wrenching, that's what I would have assumed, using the torque wrench and give it that extra nudge.

One thing being a Rider Coach and teaching in front of the classroom or range, it has taught me to be very careful on what I say since everyone may not be at the same level as far as knowledge. This is why even the most experienced rider could be a terrible teacher, and this is why I always recommend having a new rider learn how to ride from a certified instructor/school.

 

[Carlos840]

Honestly, if I were the one wrenching, that's what I would have assumed, using the torque wrench and give it that extra nudge.

One thing being a Rider Coach and teaching in front of the classroom or range, it has taught me to be very careful on what I say since everyone may not be at the same level as far as knowledge. This is why even the most experienced rider could be a terrible teacher, and this is why I always recommend having a new rider learn how to ride from a certified instructor/school.

OK, my bad!

Don't go past the capabilities of your tools, use the correct tool for the job.

 

[FinalImpact]

FWIW: for the last 5 years, some of my responsibilities at work include calibration of Torque Wrenches. Yep! Anyway - I've seen first hand what happens when taken to the limit and beyond! :Flip: Repeatability and accuracy go right out the window! Not favorable qualities to loose from a Tq wrench!

 

[Botch]

I bought a nice Craftsman torque wrench when I got my FZ. It didn't go up to the required torque for the rear axle nut, I used it to about 80% of its range, and then a breaker bar and my 35-year "shade-tree mechanic" calibrated arm to finish the job.

When I got the BMW I had to buy a bunch of new Torx drivers, so also got a smaller torque wrench for finer fasteners. Then I ran into an unexpected issue: one wrench was calibrated in Kg-m (kilogram meters) and the other in N-m (Newton meters)!! I figured, it's metric, easy conversion right? Nope! I was able to calculate the conversion, needed to build a spreadsheet to print out and keep in my torque wrench box (the BMW specs are in N-m's). Weird. Something to check if you're buying a wrench for a Japanese/European vehicle.

 

[iviyth0s]

I bought a nice Craftsman torque wrench when I got my FZ. It didn't go up to the required torque for the rear axle nut, I used it to about 80% of its range, and then a breaker bar and my 35-year "shade-tree mechanic" calibrated arm to finish the job.

When I got the BMW I had to buy a bunch of new Torx drivers, so also got a smaller torque wrench for finer fasteners. Then I ran into an unexpected issue: one wrench was calibrated in Kg-m (kilogram meters) and the other in N-m (Newton meters)!! I figured, it's metric, easy conversion right? Nope! I was able to calculate the conversion, needed to build a spreadsheet to print out and keep in my torque wrench box (the BMW specs are in N-m's). Weird. Something to check if you're buying a wrench for a Japanese/European vehicle.

That's crazy, kg-m....my Craftsman tq wrenches are only ft-lb but I just use my conversion app on my phone to convert from N-m if I have to.