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Torque wrench recommendations

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:45 pm
by EvanH
With a fleet of two Pinzgauers and several odds and ends of British cars, I'm ready to splurge and buy a good torque wrench.

What is the general bolt torque range for a Pinz? I have heard good things about Snap-On TechWrenches (except for the price...). Any recommendations on a good wrench?

Thanks!

-Evan

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:22 pm
by todds112
I have a Craftsman, and it's a POS. Plastic lock ring prone to cracking. NOT covered by their handtool guarentee. It was the best I could afford.

If money was no object, I've heard the Snap-ons are really nice and they stand behind them.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:31 pm
by dokatd
I use snap on torque wrenches and torque meters. They have been flawless for far to many years to remember. Worth every penny in the long run.

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:43 pm
by milesdzyn
I've got 2 SK's one in 3/8" (Mod# SK74026) and 1/2" (Mod# SK74251) and love them. They are marked in NM with Inch Pounds (3/8") and NM with Foot pounds (1/2"), the Pinz manuals are in Newt Meters.

You can find them sometimes at bargain prices on eBay You'll be looking at $200.00 or less for the set.

Miles

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:17 pm
by Jim LaGuardia
Whatever you get, make sure it goes from 10ft lbs up to 250 ft lbs .

Ditto todds112

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:43 pm
by Scottie
My craftsman torque wrench is a pos! the plastic lock broke and now I have no idea what ft/lb I am torquing to. Have not done it yet but will probably replace it with a Snap-on even though I hear that they are not standing behind their tools the way that they used to.

Scottie

Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:45 pm
by Profpinz
Also make sure it goes from 13.56 Nm to 338.9 Nm :D :roll: :P

I've got a couple of torque wrenches, but I must prefer the fully enclosed Sykes-Pickavant (UK manufactured) "click" unit to my other external bar type.
I was only talking to a mate a few weeks ago about torque wrenches (as blokes do :D ) whilst we "inspected" his new V8 and we both agreed that NORBAR was probably pretty much the "bee's knee's" of units available in Oz at the moment!

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:15 pm
by dokatd
Do not get a single wrench that has a broad range of 10- 250. They are not accurate enough at the lower ends. You should have at least 2 wrenches to cover this range.

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:12 am
by Heed
Evan,

I have two Mac wrenches. A 1/2" and a 3/8". Both are mechanical. I looked at both the Snap-on offerings and the Mac's when I bought them off of eBay. The Snap-on listings were consistently more expensive than the Mac ones, and I was able to patiently wait for some mint condition Mac's at a great price (other than the exchange rate into Canadian dollars!!).

I was originally attracted to the Tech-wrenches (I'm a guy after all!), but I was worried that the digital would not last nearly as long as the old "tried and true" technology of a rotating collar.

Off the top of my head, my 3/8" wrench has a 10-75 ft.lb. range. I can't remember what range the 1/2" wrench has.

Take a look at the Mac's. I think you will have better value for your pesos.

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:36 pm
by diesaroo
Don't have a pinz yet :P , but I have a husky from home depot that has a lifetime warranty unlike the pos craftsman that I had before.

It seems well made also. Another option is the one they sell through griot's garage, it's a little pricey, but it comes with a free lifetime calibrations. All you have to pay is shipping.