Best budget/mid-range 1/4" torque wrench?

queen of spodes
Edited Date/Time 8/31/2018 12:33am
Looking for a torque wrench to handle smaller fittings. Don't want to drop a ton of money on Snap On or similar high dollar tool that will rarely be used.

I don't want "cheap", but something budget friendly and usable would be nice.

Recommendations?
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CamP
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CamP 2/3/2015 10:03am
2/3/2015 10:03am
Craftsman 20-250in/lb is the best for under $50.

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Eddie_E
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Eddie_E 2/3/2015 4:22pm
2/3/2015 4:22pm
I assume you know Harbor Freight sells a knockoff of that for $15. I have the 1/4 drive and the 1/2 drive. They both work well, although I have only been able to actually test the 1/2" against a Snap On and it was really close.
JBernard_401
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JBernard_401 2/3/2015 4:24pm
2/3/2015 4:24pm
queen of spodes wrote:
I get a list of dozens of thousand dollar torque wrench. Did you have someothing else in mind?
yeah man, thats the cheap ones, step it up!
just kidding.

does it have to be 1/4"? are you using it for small low torque bolts?

this one is 100-600 in pounds. which is 8-50 ft pounds.
keep in mind that you want to try and not use the bottom 20% scale of the torque range, as its not as accurate as the top 80%. its no big deal and probably very minor, just a tech tip there.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Instruments-PRE-C2FR100F-3-8-Dr-Split…

looks like the split beam style is usually in larger drives. the micrometer style adjuster style is more expensive than the split beam.

heres a 1/4" in the other style

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Precision-Instruments-M1R200HX-25-Inch-Torque-W…
MicMcDude375 2/4/2015 6:23pm
2/4/2015 6:23pm Edited Date/Time 2/4/2015 6:25pm
Eddie_E wrote:
I assume you know Harbor Freight sells a knockoff of that for $15. I have the 1/4 drive and the 1/2 drive. They both work well...
I assume you know Harbor Freight sells a knockoff of that for $15. I have the 1/4 drive and the 1/2 drive. They both work well, although I have only been able to actually test the 1/2" against a Snap On and it was really close.
Are you talking about the Pittsburgh torque wrench? I've used that only a couple of times and snapped the heads off two bolts and had to drill them out of the frame. Needless to say that wrench has taken a back seat to my old craftsman wrench with a 1/4 adapter for the smaller bolts.

It's not terribly accurate but torque wrenches are only 30% accurate anyways
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-3-8-in-dr-beam-style-torque-wrench/p…

queen of spodes 2/4/2015 7:51pm
2/4/2015 7:51pm
MicMcDude375 wrote:
Are you talking about the Pittsburgh torque wrench? I've used that only a couple of times and snapped the heads off two bolts and had to...
Are you talking about the Pittsburgh torque wrench? I've used that only a couple of times and snapped the heads off two bolts and had to drill them out of the frame. Needless to say that wrench has taken a back seat to my old craftsman wrench with a 1/4 adapter for the smaller bolts.

It's not terribly accurate but torque wrenches are only 30% accurate anyways
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-3-8-in-dr-beam-style-torque-wrench/p…

The Craftsman is 1/2 drive. OP is looking for 1/4 drive.
Bruce372
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Bruce372 2/4/2015 7:55pm
2/4/2015 7:55pm
when i looked, i found that the craftsman stuff isnt made in the US anymore.

the CDI are really good, they are made in the USA for Snap On, you even get a certificate of the person and when they were calibrated. Also, they are very reasonable in cost from ebay or amazon stores.

i got the 1/4 and 3/8 and they cover everything from cam cap bolts, carbon bicycle frames and fasteners all the way up to linkages and 450 cylinder head bolts!!!!

if you get used stuff, you can always send it to snap on etc to get re calibrated.

As for the harbor freight stuff, i do buy some of their more caveman tools, but not precision stuff that could cost me big if its wrong



CamP
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CamP 2/5/2015 8:15am
2/5/2015 8:15am
Bruce372 wrote:
when i looked, i found that the craftsman stuff isnt made in the US anymore. the CDI are really good, they are made in the USA...
when i looked, i found that the craftsman stuff isnt made in the US anymore.

the CDI are really good, they are made in the USA for Snap On, you even get a certificate of the person and when they were calibrated. Also, they are very reasonable in cost from ebay or amazon stores.

i got the 1/4 and 3/8 and they cover everything from cam cap bolts, carbon bicycle frames and fasteners all the way up to linkages and 450 cylinder head bolts!!!!

if you get used stuff, you can always send it to snap on etc to get re calibrated.

As for the harbor freight stuff, i do buy some of their more caveman tools, but not precision stuff that could cost me big if its wrong



You are correct that the Craftsman torque wrenches are no longer produced in the US, but you can still get the US models on Ebay pretty cheap. They are identified by the black locking ring, whereas the imported models have a red locking ring.

Here is a US made 25-250 in/lb unit that looks like it will be selling cheap today. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CRAFTSMAN-MODEL-44593-MICROTORK-TORQUE-WRENCH-I…
CamP
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CamP 2/6/2015 9:09am
2/6/2015 9:09am
CamP wrote:
You are correct that the Craftsman torque wrenches are no longer produced in the US, but you can still get the US models on Ebay pretty...
You are correct that the Craftsman torque wrenches are no longer produced in the US, but you can still get the US models on Ebay pretty cheap. They are identified by the black locking ring, whereas the imported models have a red locking ring.

Here is a US made 25-250 in/lb unit that looks like it will be selling cheap today. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CRAFTSMAN-MODEL-44593-MICROTORK-TORQUE-WRENCH-I…
Sold for $37. Somebody got a good deal on a quality US made tool that looks like it was rarely used.
thomas mitchell 2/7/2015 3:32am
2/7/2015 3:32am
I saw Cam's link to the auction with about 5 minutes left. Looked clean so I went for it and got it. Thanks Cam for the heads up.
CamP
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CamP 2/7/2015 11:37am
2/7/2015 11:37am Edited Date/Time 2/7/2015 11:48am
thomas mitchell wrote:
I saw Cam's link to the auction with about 5 minutes left. Looked clean so I went for it and got it. Thanks Cam for the...
I saw Cam's link to the auction with about 5 minutes left. Looked clean so I went for it and got it. Thanks Cam for the heads up.
Nice buy. A good tip when using the craftsman torque wrenches is to always leave the lock ring in the unlocked position. It's made of plastic and can be broken if you forget it's locked and try to turn the handle. I haven't experienced this because I always leave mine unlocked, but I've seen a couple of reviews where a few people broke theirs.

Take care of it an it will last a long time. Mine are both over 20 years old and still work like new.
dogger315
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dogger315 2/8/2015 10:39am
2/8/2015 10:39am
queen of spodes wrote:
Looking for a torque wrench to handle smaller fittings. Don't want to drop a ton of money on Snap On or similar high dollar tool that...
Looking for a torque wrench to handle smaller fittings. Don't want to drop a ton of money on Snap On or similar high dollar tool that will rarely be used.

I don't want "cheap", but something budget friendly and usable would be nice.

Recommendations?
Since you're talking 1/4" I'm assuming you're looking for a torque wrench to measure 5 to maybe 15 lbft of torque.
Anything more that would be above the 20% range for the typical 3/8" drive wrench.

I do all of my own bicycle maintenance and have come to trust Park Tools. My bikes are made of carbon fiber
and that material is very fussy about being over tightened, so a good torque wrench is a must. Park makes a
nice low cost 1/4" torque wrench that spans from 26 -132 lbin of torque. They claim a 4% accuracy and it comes
with a 3/8" adaptor and a plastic case. Here's a link if you're interested:
http://www.parktool.com/product/ratcheting-click-type-torque-wrench-tw-5

I have used several kinds of torque wrenches over the years. I still have the first one I ever bought, a Craftsman Digitork
10 - 150 lbft. I get it calibrated every few years and it still works great. I also have the 1/4" and 3/8' versions of the Digi
torks and that's what I take with me to the track. In fact there is a Digitork on Ebay right now. Somebody snatched it up
in an estate sell and has listed it with just the serial number. I think it may be a 3/8". It has the nice knurled ring and the
quick release on the head. These were Made in the USA Craftsman top-of-the-line when that really meant something,
so somebody is going to get a nice wrench for a sweet price.

For my shop, I use Snap On. I like the electronic versions with the warning lights and buzzers for light to medium duty
and the mongo clicker type for heavy duty use.

dogger

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