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Sears torque wrenches

3K views 44 replies 28 participants last post by  Bansil 
#1 · (Edited)
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?
 
#2 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
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.
 
#6 ·
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
 
#7 ·
Kartracer55 said:
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.
 
#8 ·
Isley said:
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.
 
#9 ·
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
 
#10 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
desertsport said:
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
 
#12 ·
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
 
#13 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
eschoendorff said:
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.
 
#15 ·
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!
 
#16 · (Edited)
eschoendorff said:
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.
 
#18 ·
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.
 
#19 · (Edited)
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.
 
#22 ·
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
 
#23 ·
KLF said:
Just wondering... anybody ever tried one of these things?


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
 
#24 ·
Just a note on click-type torque wrenches....

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.
 
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