Anybody know the difference between the sears clicky "microtork" wrenches and their regular clicky torque wrenches? The microtork seems to be a little cheaper, by about $10 and the specs seem the same. Any technical differences between these two lines?

I've had pretty poor luck with Sears torque wrenches so I stay away from them. If I remember correctly they are not covered under the "free replacement" policy either. I almost picked up a snappy one this weekend at a swap meet.

I have broken a few of each. I now buy snap on. It hurts the wallet for a while but you never punch the pavement when the handle comes off. My .02.

Agreed, I have 2 craftsman torque wrenches in my shop now that aren't worth the space they're sitting in. Warranty is no good on em, and the nut inside the handle came off the adjuster so no calibration. POS, their replacements will come from somewhere else.

Thanks for the info. Just save me a trip to Sears just Broke my 1/2" microtork wrench

Dont bother with sears torque wrenches... notoriously junky. I have heard many stories about them being way out of calibration right out of the box... so far out they couldnt be brought back in to spec. Spend the extra money and get a good one... IE Snap on, SK, MAC, matco, Precision Instruments, CDI, Etc.

Jim

Dont bother with sears torque wrenches... notoriously junky. I have heard many stories about them being way out of calibration right out of the box... so far out they couldnt be brought back in to spec. Spend the extra money and get a good one... IE Snap on, SK, MAC, matco, Precision Instruments, CDI, Etc.

Jim

I'm in the market for a new one also as my Craftsman is pretty much shot. Which brand falls into the next "price point". I don't really have the option of flagging down a SO or MAC truck.

Did a quick check on SK's website and it looks like theirs retail for $135 - $170 for the 3/8-1/2" Micrometer adjustable and up to $350 for the Fine Tooth Facom ones.

Did a quick check on SK's website and it looks like theirs retail for $135 - $170 for the 3/8-1/2" Micrometer adjustable and up to $350 for the Fine Tooth Facom ones.

I've got this SK, it's great IMO and all of $90
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46691

and I agree - don't waste your time on the Craftsman units. There's a few stories on this board about people getting them replaced under the lifetime warranty, but the lifetime warranty does not apply to them - only 90 days, so the others just got lucky.

Therse a S-O dealer on here, ask him why the prices are so high... he has bills to pay and mouths to feed. Thats not the Case with the Sk stuff, and thats why its so much cheaper than the big truck brands. My dad has had his for 15+ years... Thats more of a testament to the quality than I can give you.

Jim

For what its worth, I just bought a snap on digital torque wrench today, all I can say is wow, it does foot lbs inch lbs and im sure other things as well. this is my first snap on tool and I am impressed in the quality and wouldnt hesitate to spend the money on one again if it were lost ot stolen. very suprised at how well built a tool it is.

For what its worth, I just bought a snap on digital torque wrench today, all I can say is wow, it does foot lbs inch lbs and im sure other things as well. this is my first snap on tool and I am impressed in the quality and wouldnt hesitate to spend the money on one again if it were lost ot stolen. very suprised at how well built a tool it is.


Absolutly. Those things are great, Ive heard nothing but good things about them.

Jim

Here's my .02, for anyone who cares:

I went through three of the Husky 250 lb/ft TQ wrenches. The first one was off by 20 lbs, the second one was off by 11. This was right out of the package. So, I returned them and went to Sears and bought Cman TQ wrenches (I believe they're made by KD Tools, a Danaher subsidiary), made in the USA (not Taiwan, like the Husky).

Now, in all fairness, some have had the Cman TQ wrenches by out of calibration right out of the box, but all three of mine have been spot-on. And, if you are a member of the Cman club, they are always putting a TQ wrench on sale during Club Saver days.

Don't be fooled by the limited warranty on the Cman TQ wrenches, either.... they are not lifetime warranted. But then, no one (that I know of) offers a lifetime warranty on click-type TQ wrenches (even the mighty Snap On).

SK would be another cost-effective choice for TQ wrenches, BTW. I've heard only good things about them.

Bottom line is, treat these tools like the precision instruments that they are and you should never need a warranty.

-Ed

I had a craftsman torque wrench and it was dead on 5 years after i bought it cause that was the first and only time i had it checked but for what i do it was good enough for me. Well then the handle lock quit locking and finally the handle quit adjusting. no problem tho after 5 years i got my use out of it. So i went on the cornwell truck and bought a real kinky digital 25-250 lbs-ft that lights up when i get close to the desired torque and starts vibrating too. It even records the actual torque the fastner was torqued too down to .2 lbs-ft. Only thing i dont like about it so far is its hard to get used to cause im used to the click style. Like i said its kinky.

Bottom line is, treat these tools like the precision instruments that they are and you should never need a warranty.

-Ed

That's good advice. Don't drop them or toss them around like a regular wrench. I have two Cman digitorque models. One is two years old one is one year old. Last time I had them checked they were right on.

Glad I am not the only one with an 10 year unused torque wrench sitting in the toolbench... Don't see spending money on calibrating a brand new tool... now I just use my el cheap harbor freight special... works fine!

Bottom line is, treat these tools like the precision instruments that they are and you should never need a warranty.

-Ed

Bullshit.

I kept my Craftsman (Digitorque) in the actual case with the cover and hung it on the wall when not in use. I backed it off to 'Stop' after every use so it would be at rest when stored. Never pried with it, never hit anything with it.

It broke.

he he he :D

Well, here's my story, FWIW. A couple of years ago I sent out my 2 Craftsman wrenches and a really nice MAC wrench that I just bought on eBay for calibration. I've had the Craftsman wrenches for many years, used them a lot, so I figured it was time to get them checked.

The guy that checked them said the Craftsman wrenches were amazingly close, one needed nothing at all. The expensive MAC was waay off, he worked on it quite awhile, couldn't get it in spec. He ended up making me a table that I keep in the case, when I need to use it I have to consult the table so I know how to alter the reading to be correct.

There ya go.

I have a cheap 'Michigan Industrial Tools' (china) 250ft/lbs torque wrench. It has been dead on with the Snap On and other mechanic wrenches I have checked it against, but I last did this about 4 years go.

It works good.

I treat it the same way I treat my Mitutoyo digital calipers and micro.

I paid $20 for it at a flea market.

Well I guess nobody knows the difference between the microtork and the regular ones. Oh well...meh :shrug:

Just wondering... anybody ever tried one of these things?

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00944599000?layer=comp&wid=190&hei=190&fmt=jpeg&qlt=75,0&op_sharpen=0&resMode=norm&op_usm=0.5,1.0,0.0,0

No, I havent, but I was pretty close to buying one and everybody told me to stay away from them. I know of one or two guys who have them and they dont really use them that often. I got a strong "no" when I asked if they were worth it, look it up, the thread is on here somewhere.

Jim

Just wondering... anybody ever tried one of these things?

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00944599000?layer=comp&wid=190&hei=190&fmt=jpeg&qlt=75,0&op_sharpen=0&resMode=norm&op_usm=0.5,1.0,0.0,0


I built my whole engine with one out of a dare:eek: This was over two years ago and its still going strong, but I baby it.:D


But when I decide to spend some real coin on a new motor I will assemble it with the Snap-On TQ wrenches.


Dan

Sometimes the first couple clicks aren't accurate if they've been sitting a while. When I was in the Air Force, the tool room had a bunch of old sockets welded to a steel strap on the side of the bench for the purpose of clicking the torque wrenches through their range a few times before they were issued to the mechanic. This was always done before you they were used to do a torque on an aircraft.

I pick a heavy bolt that isn't going anywhere and click my wrench through a couple times around the torque I'll be using before I do engine torques. S-O recommended it to us (maybe they wanted us to wear 'em out faster :p ). Perhaps I'm being overly cautious, but it doesn't cost anything and it only takes a minute to do. It did save me a broken bolt once.

Thats a pretty good idea. Im thinking winding them down helps prevent the inaccuracy from sitting, because theres no tension on the spring.

Jim

I know on my particular S-O model you don't have to wind it down, but I didn't know you don't have to work them in either. Hmmm... reading directions now, I must be getting old.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d82/TJshare/torquewrench2.jpg

Been following this thread, and I also have a Craftsman torque wrench, and it within spec.

Something I learned a long time ago was that torque wrenches are not accurate at the low or high ends of the scales. They tend to be best within the mid ranges on up to a point. I learned the above from a very experienced calibration tech. He also said the in his experience, the Craftsman wrenches were one of the most accurate you could buy for the money.

For that reason I have a few different ranges of torque tools, from inch /lb to ft/lbs

Yeah, they give those little disclaimers how they are only accurate to 4% within the top 80% of the scale. I have just read of too many people being unsatisfied with the quality/accuracy of sears torque wrenches, so Its something major (engine build, dif. work, tranny work) Id probably invest in a CDI(snap on) or a precision instruments.

Jim

I bought two of these when they were $9.99:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=239

Took them to work and put them on our tester and they were more accurate than my sears. I've been using them for about 4 years now with ZERO issues. Granted, they are not top quality but for $9.99, if they last a few years each I'd be happy.

For what its worth, I just bought a snap on digital torque wrench today, all I can say is wow, it does foot lbs inch lbs and im sure other things as well..
How about a link and price of this wrench ?

I'm as guilty as the next guy regarding torque wrenches as I have a bunch of them. My favorite clicker is the snap on 3/8" with a flex head, I think it goes to 85 ft/lbs but not 100% sure. It is the best torque wrench to use on engines still installed in whatever. I also have 2 snap on 1/2" wrenches, one a clicker and one a direct reading dial. I like the clicker for lug nuts and etc, but the dial I feel is more accurate on old and dirty bolts. Sometimes old stuff will jump a little and cause a clicker to release early.

HOWEVER, if you wish to buy a cheap and accurate wrench I'd say get a beam type wrench. Not much to get out of adjustment with them and if you overtorque something at least you'll know how much you overtightened it.

Another nice thing about beam type wrenches when you are starting out is you will start getting a feel for how much pressure is 20 ft/lbs, 35 ft/lbs etc. This is a good skill to learn.

How about a link and price of this wrench ?


I can fidn the link later, they are called "digitork" I believe, and they are around 300 for the low end models, some go up to 800:eek: Really nice because you can switch between measurement units, and a freind of mine has one, its really nice, and its got a great feel, but Im happy with SK clickers.



Also, The snap on flex head goes up to 75Lbs, not 85... Ask me how I know? I keep trying to win one on ebay:shaking: lol Im just going to buy the SK model, it looks identical, and has the same exact specs, but for less money because it doesnt say snap on.

Jim

My 3/8" flex head goes 20-100. It's in the pic above.
Accurate within 4% of scale from 20% of full scale to full scale.
That's 20-100 ft lbs, easy math.

My 3/8" flex head goes 20-100. It's in the pic above.
Accurate within 4% of scale from 20% of full scale to full scale.
That's 20-100 ft lbs, easy math.


Im not sure exactly what they mean by that. I always thought that meant 20% of the scale, meaning the range they give you... accurate to 4% within the top 80% of the scale, IE from 36ftlbs-100ftlbs in your case

Jim

Nope - you're reading into it too much.
It's a TQFR100 I pictured
Here's the specs straight from the book...

Range 16-100
Increments 2 lb ft
Length 17-1/8"
Weight 1lb. 8oz.

- here's the part of the manual that's mostly covered in the picture (you can just see the bottom line):

"Snap-On TQ- series torque wrenches are precision measurement tools, designed to torque in the clockwise direction and guaranteed accurate within 4% of the setting from 20% of full scale to full scale."

Note: "20% of full scale to full scale" is not the same as "top 80% of marked scale"

If you look closely at the dial, and read the spec sheet it's marked from 16 to 100.
"accurate from 20% of full scale to full scale" means accurate from 20 to 100.

That's Snap-On's very long-winded way of saying "don't trust the two hash marks we stamped below 20".

+/- 4% isn't really super-accurate to begin with. I like the TQ series because they are fast, convenient, and they hold their calibration pretty well.

EDIT(Added): BTW, sorry to totally hijack your thread robinhood.

HOWEVER, if you wish to buy a cheap and accurate wrench I'd say get a beam type wrench. Not much to get out of adjustment with them and if you overtorque something at least you'll know how much you overtightened it.

Another nice thing about beam type wrenches when you are starting out is you will start getting a feel for how much pressure is 20 ft/lbs, 35 ft/lbs etc. This is a good skill to learn.

Been happy with my Craftsman beam style for years. Several motors and lots of other things..nothing's failed me yet. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to be the only beam guy here, lol. I will also second the advantage of it calibrating your arm. Only bad part is the lack of ratcheting head.

In fact I've never used a clicker..does it hold the torque after the click? When doing critical bolts I torque it down and then hold it, now and then a bolt will move ever so slightly. I've had a couple old veteran wrenches say that this is specifically the reason they use beams..

Travis

I'll call BS on the "click types dont hold the torque" as they do - after they click you can still reef down on the thing all you want - you just have to realize that you're now going past the torque it was set at.

And as far as the preference goes - snap on for me.....if I could afford a digitorq one, I'd have it...but 800 is a lil outa my price range right now.

. Only bad part is the lack of ratcheting head.

In fact I've never used a clicker..does it hold the torque after the click? When doing critical bolts I torque it down and then hold it, now and then a bolt will move ever so slightly. I've had a couple old veteran wrenches say that this is specifically the reason they use beams..

Travis



YOu can get ratchet adapter... ... they are like 40$ from www.thetoolwarehouse.net for an sk. Pretty strong, dont affect torque as they are inline.

Also, Thats why you use a drop of oil on head bolds and other critical fasters... it eliminates the binding so you get an accurate torque.

Jim

I bought two of these when they were $9.99:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=239

Took them to work and put them on our tester and they were more accurate than my sears. I've been using them for about 4 years now with ZERO issues. Granted, they are not top quality but for $9.99, if they last a few years each I'd be happy.


Ditto, I would be curious to see how far it is off at this point. I also have one that goes up to 250 lbs that is from home depot (husky) and a proto in-lb dial style to cover the range. When I bought my first one sears talked me into a beam style and it did get use but when your under a rig torqing a flywheel or something trying to look at a beam scale sucks..

Also, Thats why you use a drop of oil on head bolds and other critical fasters... it eliminates the binding so you get an accurate torque.

Jim

Considering that torque values are used as a INDIRECT measurement of bolt tension this statement is not only wrong but shows a lack of understanding of the principles involved as well.

Perhaps you should stick to bashing Asian tool production Jim?

Considering that torque values are used as a INDIRECT measurement of bolt tension this statement is not only wrong but shows a lack of understanding of the principles involved as well.

Perhaps you should stick to bashing Asian tool production Jim?
:laughing:

Considering that torque values are used as a INDIRECT measurement of bolt tension this statement is not only wrong but shows a lack of understanding of the principles involved as well.

Perhaps you should stick to bashing Asian tool production Jim?

Alright, Then correct me

where do you take your torque wrench to have them checked for accuracy and to have them recalibrated

Alright, Then correct me

This subject has been discussed at length already on this board, perhaps YOU should search and gain a understanding.

Also, Thats why you use a drop of oil on head bolds and other critical fasters... it eliminates the binding so you get an accurate torque.

Jim

That's just plan B.S........and I'll call it out.We don't need someone reading this and thinking that a "wet torque" value is the same as a "dry" one!

Like has been subtle said search for the the difference.It's a major difference.
I have known to many folks that have rung off ring gear bolts because they
put locktight on the bolt's and torqed them to "dry spec's"

Yes putting oil on a clean bolt with a clean threaded hole is good,just don't torque that bolt down as if it was dry.

Lot's of people that spray their wheel studs with wd40 etc or anti-seize and take the time to torque them down end up breaking the stud's either tightening them or 6 months later when they try to take them off.

Bansil