Torque Wrench Suggestion?

Hello everyone,
I enjoy working on my new truck and figured it was time to get a good torque wrench. I don’t mind paying for quality. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you in advance.

 

I saw home depot had a deal on a Husky 1/2" drive torque wrench. I'm in super cheap mode right now, otherwise I'd pick one up because I could use the 250ft-lb range. I currently have a 5+ year old craftsman that goes up to 150ft-lb and that's worked great for years.

I don't know what makes a quality wrench vs a poor one, but I do know none of that matters if it's not calibrated correctly. I've definitely been working on faith the last few years without having checked calibration...

 

I have the Husky 1/2" drive and it works well for me.

I initially picked up a cheap one at Harbor freight, but it only goes up to 80 ft-lbs and only has about a 16" shaft. I needed something more substantial for suspension work.

 

Kinda depends on what kind of work you are doing on the truck. a lot of torque wrenches go to 120ft/lbs, but if you are going to install a lift, a few bolts require over that (i think around 220ft/lbs). The torque wrenches that go up to 250ft/lbs usually only go down to 25ft/lbs, so its kind of a double edged sword.

CDI makes really good ones (they are the ones that make snap-on torque wrenches), and come highly recommended. With that being said, i have a $20 harbor freight one. lol.

 

I agree with the CDI I have one and they are great

 

I started this thread a while back. Lots of good info on it.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/needing-a-new-torque-wrench-any-suggestions.73933/

 

Thanks, I really did try a search for torque wrenches before posting…..

 

Precision Instruments and CDI both make great stuff. Tool truck quality for significantly less.

 

How is the wrench you ended up getting holding up? Still like it?

 

Husky user here.

 

I use a Klein tools one, its really expensive but i skunked it from work when the factory shut down. It is really accurate, we had it calibrated every year. It is pretty much dead nuts and it goes up to 250 lb.

 

I ended up just buying what I could find locally on the shelf. I was needing one to get my wheel spacers installed and torqued and didn't want to wait. I chose a Craftsman from Lowe's for around $100. It got the job done and should be fine for the limited number of times I need one.

If I were more patient I would have gone with a CDI. May eventually upgrade down the road, but now at least I'm not in a rush when looking for one.

 

I have a large and a small CDI. They work as they should so happy about that. Whichever you get, just make sure to unload it before storage..

 

I’ve had a Tekton 10-150 for 6 or 7 years. In that time done suspension work on 5 trucks and countless tire rotations. It works good and I am happy with it. At the time I bought it money was tight. I’d really like to get it calibrated but I also don’t have any concerns with it either. I’d buy it again.

I also just bought a CDI 30-250 specifically for working on my Tundra. I’m in a much better position now so the $100 price difference wasn’t a big deal for me. Haven’t used it yet but right off the bat I like the locking mechanism. Enough that I will probably get a CDI 10-100 torque wrench to replace the Tekton for daily work. I’ll still keep the Tekton and just throw it in my travel kit.

One thing to keep in mind with clicker torque wrenches is they are not accurate or tested for use below 20% of their intended range.

 

Double post.. operator error.

 

I have a Kobalt 50 to 250 lb ft 1/2" and 20 to 120 lb ft 3/8". I also use a capri 1/4" drive in lb. If youre serious about working on vehicles, there's no such thing as one tool for everything.

 

Someone here recommended this "Neiko" one linked below. For $65 or so (looks like the price has since gone up to almost $90) I am not displeased, but then it's also not something I use very regularly.

$87 Neiko PRO 03709B 1/2"-Drive Torque Wrench, 25" Adjustable Click Torque Wrench, Made with Chrome Vanadium CrV Steel, SAE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N7DHI2?ie=UTF8