Finally changed my mind about torque wrenches after 12 years

I always thought a cheap beam-style torque wrench was good enough for most jobs. Last week at DFW I watched a senior mechanic check a fan cowl bolt with a digital Snap-on and I asked why he bothered. He showed me how my old wrench was off by 8 foot-pounds on a 40 foot-pound setting. Now I split the difference and use a precision click-type for anything critical. Anyone else have a tool they refused to upgrade until they saw the proof?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby1892mo ago

Man that stings. I felt that one for you.

victor_carr252mo ago

Wait, did you actually feel the sting too or are you just saying that? Because some of those hits just echo way longer than you'd expect.

jamiekim1mo ago

Hang on, you're saying the beam style was off by 8 foot-pounds? I've used those for years and usually they're not that far off unless they got banged around or rusted. My old Craftsman beam wrench stayed within a pound or two even after a decade of hard use. Could it be that yours just needed recalibrating, or maybe it was a cheaper brand? Not trying to knock your story, just my experience with them has been pretty solid for basic stuff.