Not sure what subforum to ask this in, so I'll start here.

The only one I have that reaches 100 ft/lbs is a real old beam type wrench. It still works fine, and it may be more accurate than most click type wrenches, but it's kind of a pain to see the scale when using it on wheels. So I guess it's time to buy a new one. Any recommendations? The only thing I need 100 ft/lbs for is the da** lug nuts, so I don't really want to spend a ton of money, but at the same time I want something I can trust, and that won't fall apart on the 3rd use.

Thanks.

 

I've got a Husky. Works well and while I don't remember what I paid, I know it wasn't crazy like some of the brands out there. My Dad had the same wrench for years and used it with no issues so I figured I might as well get the same one.

 

I have at least a dozen torque wrenches (I'm a tool junkie), but the most useful and reliable of them all is my BrownLine digital wrench. I've had it for years, and it's never let me down. I don't know if they're a vendor here, but you can't beat it for $100. It also drops down fairly low for the smaller stuff, though I use more precise wrenches for the inch lb and low ft lb stuff.

I usually use that for my lug nuts, although I think I got lazy and just used a regular SnapOn wrench for them this last swap.

Moral of the story - never cheap out on torque wrenches (and you can never have too many torque wrenches).

 

I got a Brownline as a "surprise" Xmas gift.

Works great. Like the audible beep and colored LEDs.

Only caveat to operation that I've noticed is that it will revert to the last peak torque reading if not used within 10 seconds of the last use. Need to press Memory to reset for next use, else it will not register/beep and will torque as hard as you can pull. Probably in the manual. I figured it out the hard way...

I also wish it remembered the last torque setting rather than reverting to zero when powered off. 99% of the time it's used at 100 ft-lb. Imagine that.

http://www.brownlinemetalworks.com/torque-wrench

 

I have a beam type and it's difficult to read do I put a piece of blue painter tape at the torque mark I want to go to. Beam type are accurate so I have no need for anther type.

 

Same here - I always thought I was just doing something wrong. It will also stop if you over-torque to alert you.

I just got in the habit of hitting Memory after every reading, but sometimes I forget.

 

sears craftsman torque wrenches are great for the money. You can find them on sale for half price a lot. I got both of mine (low end torque and mid range) for $30 each...

 

This ^^ got mine for $30 from Sears. 0-150 lb/ft. 1/2" drive.

 

I have several torque wrenches as well. Tool junkie too.

Hands down the best torque wrench I have is my Snap-On digital. I use is for every single task I ever do that uses a torque wrench, except for those big heavy jobs.

It does 5-100 ft lbs and is a 3/8" drive, so you can do 6 mm bolts with a 10 mm hex head wrench size which is a real bonus as there are a ton of those small fasteners on cars now. One of its absolute best features is the tilt head that is just the most useful thing on a torque wrench when space is tight and you need a little angle to clear the stuff in the way of the torque wrenche's handle.

Model is the Tech2FR100 Flex head tech wrench. It vibrates in your hand when the torque setting is reached, and it beeps, so you don't need to be looking at the display, and you can use it upside down for example. I use it to torque wheels and everything else, engine rebuilds, etc.




I got mine on Ebay for a bunch less than Snap-On wants for a new one, But I had to watch for it for a long time to get a good price. Mine is gray in color, not red, but looks identical. The gray one I have also measures angle, but I never use that. Man I love that torque wrench, just used it today to mount a trailer hitch on my wife GLK 350 4Matic, and there would have been no way to use a torque wrench without the flex head, and no clearance to put a flex socket on the end of a straight torque wrench as that would have been too long at the head end. Expensive, but worth it for sure.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd love to have a Snap-On, but not sure I can justify the price for my needs. Sears is generally my goto for basic tools, but reading the reviews on their web site makes me think the quality of their torque wrenches has taken a nose dive. I have a pair of older Craftsmen ones that have been very good, but I'm not sure the new ones are.

Then today I got an add from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...fQ%3D%3D%0D%0A

A 20-150 lb wrench on sale for $12! Can't really be any good I thought, but I decided to do some research. Turns out Car Craft did a test of wrenches, including this one, back in 2013 and rated this one pretty highly. For the price, and something I'll probably only use on the wheels maybe 4-6 times a year, I don't see how I can go wrong.

 

I bought that one. They regularly go one sale for $10.

 

Damn... I think you just cost me some money...