R Mackow

My two year old Craftsman torque wrench just gave up. The black plastic handle just loosened and does not adjust the torque setting anymore. I took it to the local Sears hardware center and they said it could not be fixed, since there is only a one year warrantee on these items. This was not the digi-torque type wrench, which I had two of, and gave up on after they turned into a POS.
Any suggestions on a wrench other than Craftsman?

Yellow73SB

Do you turn it back to 0 when you put it away?

I like the snap on digital ones. I used one when I built my engine.

ErnieN85

Well if money isn't a concern, Griots has a nice one and or snapon

johninar

Mine broke as well. Just a tad over a year. I always returned mine to Zero. It's just too cheap a wrench. Sears wouldn't do a thing about it. I own some Snap On tools, but I can't really justtify spending that much on a wrench I only use once a month.

vms4evr

I think we have the same torque wrench. Mine has lasted a year and the same problem. I bought it because all my tools are Craftsman and have always worked well for me. This one sucks.

Here is what I did. At the end of the wrench there is a plastic cover. Pop it off with a tiny screwdriver. Look down inside. You can see a threaded bar and a nut around it. If it's like mine the nut has backed off. Take a larger flat blade and use it on a side of the nut to tighten it back up. It'll stay there a while and then will loosen again. Those cheap idiots didn't lock the thing down. It is supposedly how it can be adjusted to calibrate it. So if you can find a place that calibrates torque wrenches they may have the special tool to tighten it up and recalibrate it. Otherwise it will be my new breaker bar...

rcr162

MAC or Snap On. Or get one of the old style torque wrenches with the pointer. Not as accurate but they are cheap and last forever.

ghoffman

I had the same experience, and forund out that Craftsman has virtually no warranty on them. I bought a Snap-On that I will have the rest of my life.

VetteDrmr

After my own Craftsman digi-tork wrench experience, I got one from Home Depot. Lifetime warrenty (says so on the package), and it's worked great for me for the past several years.

Sears makes great ratchets and hand tools, but everything else I stay away from.

Hope you figure out how to fix it yourself, and have a good one,
Mike

rikhek

Two of my Craftsman torque wrenches have done the same thing. I just live with it.... It's only the "locking" mechanism to prevent your setting from moving if you twist the handle while torquing. Not a big deal. Just watch that you don't twist while turning.

Rick

WNDOPDLR

When my second Craftsman died, I went the Home Depot route. The wrench seems accurate and like someone else said, it supposedly has a lifetime warranty. It has the added benefit of being a little longer than the Craftsman and the leverage nice on the larger torque settings. Snap On is undoutedly the best but it hard to justify that expense to throw in the track box.

RFJohnston

you can guess the torque as accurately as the pointer torque wrenches are. If you are going to buy another one, buy a good one. ...and add MATCO to the list above of professional tools.

Falcon

Harbor Freight. I paid $11, but they're now up to $19. Works like a top and has stood up to abuse for 3 years.

Torque Wrench

davidfarmer

my 3/8" in-lb torque wrench just broke. Not Zero-ing theoretically causes them to become in-accurate, not to break. mine have broken due to one of the plastic bezels getting cracked, then the springs falling out. Likely from bouncing around in trailers all of these years. I'm too lazy to keep them in a nice case.

vms4evr

That's the one I was using for AX since it got banged around and they're cheap. When my Craftsman was new I set it and the HF one to 100lbs. Then tried using one behind the other to see if it was close. The HF one seemed to be calibrated low and 80lbs on it was like 100lbs on the Craftsman. Since the Craftsman cost me almost $100 I assumed it was at least a bit more accurate than the HF one. Then again... it doesn't last...

Falcon

Hmmm... I've used other people's T. wrenches behind mine and they're within a couple of pounds. But I wouldn't use it for critical engine work.

VetteDrmr

Actually, when my Craftsman broke (as in came apart in several pieces) and I went to the Home Depot one, I found the Craftsman was too high. The HD torque wrench felt too "light" on torquing, so I checked it out and it was pretty accurate.

Have a good one,
Mike

davidfarmer

Stand on a home scale, grab the end of the wrench on a lug, and calibrate it. Lbs x Feet is pretty simple to do IF you are in doubt.

I've honestly never owned a sub-$20 torque wrench....I do too much engine/drivetrain work to trust it. For wheels, I'd calibrate it to 90 ft-lbs and then it should be fine, but I torque everywhere from under 10ft-lb to over 140ft-lbs. I wouldn't trust the cheapos for that myself

VetteDrmr

David,

That is an excellent idea! Sometimes us engineers can't see the solutions to the problems if it doesn't have a calibration sticker on it!

Thanks, and have a good one!
Mike

petefias

Serves you right to get those at your local Sears for 1/2 price.

Just bought 2 for 1/2 price, now I now why they were on sale.

Rich, I let you borrow mine at Pocono.

Wah

Buy another identical Craftsman torque wrench. Use the receipt to claim warranty. Then, two options:

1. You keep both. One is spare when the other broke.
2. Return the new one and get your money back.