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My $60 torque wrench from Harbor Freight finally got me to stop second-guessing myself
I spent years using the old beam style torque wrench my dad gave me. It worked fine but I always worried I was under or over the spec. Last month I finally picked up the digital click type for about $60. First job was head bolts on a 4.6 Ford and I had it set to 85 ft lbs. The click was so crisp and repeatable I just trusted it. Next day I double checked a few fasteners with a borrowed Snap-On unit and my numbers were spot on. Now I do the same for lug nuts and suspension bolts. Anyone else make the switch from beam to click style and feel silly for waiting so long?
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charles_coleman15d ago
Did you ever go back and check the beam one against the click type to see how far off you were? I did the same thing a couple years back and my old beam wrench was reading like 8 ft lbs low at 80, which explained a lot. Made me feel dumb for not switching sooner.
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the_alice15d ago
Tested mine last summer when I finally got a click type and yeah, my old beam was reading about 6 low at 75. I marked the beam one with a sharpie at the real numbers so I could still use it for stuff where being close is fine, like lug nuts. Honestly the click type just makes the whole job less of a headache, no more squinting at the pointer from a weird angle. Wish I had made the switch years ago instead of blaming myself every time a bolt felt off.
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