Craftsman torque aren't good enough for top end on 4 stroke.

[Mtrain730]

I don't like buying low quality tools but lets face you you can't always buy the best. I would have a tough time justifying spending 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a inch pound torqe wrench that might only be used a couple times in the next few years. I don't need a torque wrench a lot my bike is really the only thing I wrench on but I also want it to work correctly. I already have a foot pounds craftsman that i use on suspenion and other stuff. I would rather spending a little more than blow a moter up. And input would be great.

[grayracer513]

As a professional technician, I have no idea why you think Craftsman isn't good enough for a home shop.  Please elaborate.

[Home Skillet]

For an "around the house"   torque wrench, the Craftsman will do.

Just be sure to dial the setting back to "0" when you store it.

[Mtrain730]

As a professional technician, I have no idea why you think Craftsman isn't good enough for a home shop. Please elaborate.

i know I shouldn't listen to every thing I hear I hear lots of comments about how craftsman has gone down hill or invest in some thing better or you can't get a decent torque wrench for 100 dollars. I don't think craftsman is junk I just hear more bashing than positive but I know a lot of people only feel good about some thing if it costs them a ton of money. Up until a year ago I don't think I ever used a torque wrench. Almost all my tools are craftsman and I actually think there a great compromise between value and quality for a back yard mechanic. You always hear buy a snap on. But I believe that's way over kill for me.

[DirtyMan]

I have used my craftsman torque on all my builds both mx and automotive.

[grayracer513]

Snap-On is expensive, but for the most part well worth every dime IF you are a working professional.  The two biggest reasons are an excellent warranty policy with support at your site via the weekly visits by the tool guy, and quality that mostly keeps you from needing the warranty very often.

 

But, for home hobbyists of whatever skill level, Snap-On, or even Mac, Cornwall, etc., are more than is required, and the fact that there is no brick/mortar store to go to is a pain.  Craftsman makes good stuff, and backs most of it up well.  A lot of pros, myself included, have lots of stuff in the tool box with that label on it.  It's just not the stuff that gets used really hard day-to-day.  In a pro environment, things like sockets live an incredibly hard life, and the lifetime no questions warranty doesn't help that much when you have to run and fetch the broken stuff yourself every couple of weeks.  The local NAPA store is another good spot to visit. 

 

What's too bad is that it's getting to be just about impossible to find a good flex-beam type torque wrench anywhere.  Too bad, not because they're better than clickers, dial types, or digitals, they're simply the most economical of the bunch, and the small profile of the drive head comes in handy in tight spots.

 

The $100 thing is just contemporary economics, I'm afraid, and it really is hard to find a good one for that. 

[dirtbeater]

I just stopped a ball joint nit on my cummins because the torque wrench was broken. Went back to the flex beam. It is older than air and always right on. Good stuff. I dont even think it has a brand name on it. It is really old.

[dirtbeater]

Is it just me or is my avatar nezt to grays name when train quoted him. Maybe Android app problem...?

[Mtrain730]

Ok thanks yea this tool or any torque wrench that I own will not live a hard life. I was just worried about accuracy especially since there be a lot of time when the tool isn't being used obviousy I won't know if its still accurate if I pick it up 7 months later unless I get it calibrated it seems that's questionable to some people if that worth it with a 75 dollar torque wrench but I guess with such little use it should stay accurate for a while.

[RockerYZWR]

I think it's your phone. On Android here and it looks normal.

Just to add to the discussion, I've had my Craftsman ft-lb torque wrench since the mid-90s (high school), I've always been a "serious hobbyist" with all sorts of cars/trucks/jeeps, I've abused it as a breaker bar too many times to remember, and I've never stored it zeroed out. I checked it at a machine shop a couple years ago against one of theirs, just out of curiosity, and it was right on. To test, I tightened a bolt, they checked it, then they tightened a bolt, and I checked it. Accurate - maybe - but the thing has held up great for many years and I still use it all the time. Don't write it off just because it isn't Snap-On, Matco, or one of the other pro names.

I also bought a Craftsman in-lb torque wrench last year when I got the WR, and although it seems more "plasticy," I hope it holds up as well as my ft-lb one.

The only thing that I have cheaped out on, used/abused extremely hard, and still use a lot today is a Harbor Freight "Chicago Electric" 4-1/2" angle grinder. That thing has been incredible, is STILL on its original brushes somehow, came with spares, and was $16.99 on sale. HF stuff is obviously very hit or miss though, and I would not trust something like a torque wrench from there for really important, precise jobs. Except I do use a dial indicator from there, but whatever...

[dirtbeater]

I have the same angle grinder. Hard to kill it. I got the handle so hot I had to put it down. Still working great. I have a love hate relationship with HF.

[mikedabike]

I have a craftsman in-lb torque wrench.  It is perfectly adequate for the handful of times a year it gets used.  Most of the tools I own are medium quality craftsman.  They have never let me down when used as intended.  A professional mechanic probably uses his tools as much in a week as I do in a year.  Easy to justify the price of additional quality if that is the case.

[the go-devil]

I've had 3 Craftsmen torque wrenches and they've all had issues revolving around the plastic handle that's on them. My two 1/2" drives are now breaker bars, and the inch/lb still kind of works but intermittently locks and unlocks while I'm setting it. I'm not impressed.

I now use Proto. Check them out if you don't mind spending a little more than for the Craftsmen. They are built like a tank. We use and abuse them in the machine shops I work in and and they hold up great.

Enco has the best price on them from what I found.

[zeuszuki]

Snap-On is expensive, but for the most part well worth every dime IF you are a working professional.  The two biggest reasons are an excellent warranty policy with support at your site via the weekly visits by the tool guy, and quality that mostly keeps you from needing the warranty very often.

 

But, for home hobbyists of whatever skill level, Snap-On, or even Mac, Cornwall, etc., are more than is required, and the fact that there is no brick/mortar store to go to is a pain.  Craftsman makes good stuff, and backs most of it up well.  A lot of pros, myself included, have lots of stuff in the tool box with that label on it.  It's just not the stuff that gets used really hard day-to-day.  In a pro environment, things like sockets live an incredibly hard life, and the lifetime no questions warranty doesn't help that much when you have to run and fetch the broken stuff yourself every couple of weeks.  The local NAPA store is another good spot to visit. 

 

What's too bad is that it's getting to be just about impossible to find a good flex-beam type torque wrench anywhere.  Too bad, not because they're better than clickers, dial types, or digitals, they're simply the most economical of the bunch, and the small profile of the drive head comes in handy in tight spots.

 

The $100 thing is just contemporary economics, I'm afraid, and it really is hard to find a good one for that. 

You guys get Norbar over there? My two wrenches have done considerable work over the years and still work like new.

[grayracer513]

No "Norbar" brand on this side.

[zeuszuki]

No "Norbar" brand on this side.

 

Its like we live on different planets! So many "norms" for both of us that just are not the same across the ditch, funny old world.

[AlanCook]

My only complaints with the craftsmen torque wrench is that it's only available in a length equivalent to a breaker bar. With all the low torque values we have on bikes, it's really easy to overtorque the bolt without "feeling" it tighten up. I use my craftsmen torque wrench for the big stuff and I use a shorter torque wrench (handle is 10") for the small stuff. That way I can "feel" how tight the bolt is and I don't have to worry about stripping threads out with the craftsmen wrench.

Edited June 19, 2014 by AlanCook