Stop buying those cheap $20 torque wrenches from Amazon

I see guys in here all the time showing off their new Harbor Freight or Amazon torque wrenches like they just scored some amazing deal. Honestly those things are dangerous. I work on my 2003 Tacoma in my garage and after 3 tries with a generic click-style wrench I snapped a bolt clean off on my lower control arm. My friend Steve who builds race cars told me those cheap wrenches can be off by as much as 30 percent right out of the box. That is a huge difference when you are torquing something critical like a cylinder head or a wheel bearing. I finally bought a used Precision Instruments split-beam off Craigslist for $80 and it has never let me down. Has anyone else had a cheap torque wrench mess up their project?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_walker4513d ago

Bro my buddy tried one and his lug nuts came loose doing 70 on the highway.

skyler_adams13d ago

Honestly I used to think the whole things were fine but that story right there is enough to keep me away forever. Not worth risking your life over a few bucks.

amyh219d ago

$80 for a used Precision Instruments, damn. @skyler_adams you got me rethinking my whole tool setup.