Craftsman Torque Wrench - Help Me Decide!

[nikki]

Can anyone talk me into buying the $70 Craftsman 3/8" drive torque wrench as opposed to the $20 Craftsman one?

The $70 one has a knob where you turn the desired torque on the wrench; the $20 one has the funky scale lookin thing where you select the torque.

It will be just for working on bikes. The $20 goes up to 75 ft/lbs. and the $70 goes up to 100 ft./lbs., I think.

Thanks for any advise, opinions, etc...

 

[Jaybird]

I think the $20 wrench would make a great paperweight, or if you were in a pinch and needed a small hammer. :)

 

[jmics19067]

the 20$ one could give you a close guesstimate but only if you can look straight down on the wrench which is not always possible

 

[bclapham]

you cant beat the little click when the nut is torqued correctly, this way you can use your ears rather than straining to look at the correct angle.

 

[biglou]

I assume the $20 version is a "beam" type torque wrench you are talking about? I have an old Craftsman 1/2" drive beam type. There are certain caveats to those. The pivot in the handle is to be the pressure point, so you don't want to "roll" the handle sideways until the end of it contacts the wrench beam or the measurement will be skewed. That said, I used Eddie's wrench when we were building his new bike over turkey day, and me like! Must get one. He has the click-type. Definitely easier and more fun to use, and probably more accurate as a result, as well.

 

[Jaybird]

nikki,
I was confused...I thought you were reffering to a $20 clicker. Although I'm certain I paid more money for my Craftsman beam torque, I absolutely like them. I find them more comforting than any cheapo clicker. I think mine is good to within 4%.
Do a search on torque wrenches, there has been some great discussion here, as a few of our members are well versed on every facet of them.

btw...warranty means a bit here too....I doubt that the cheap ones will have any warranty at all.

 

[Gary B.]

Clicker type is the only way to go. Even better if it has the 15 degree flex head for tighter spaces. Just remember to ALWAYS back off the adjustment to zero after use or the accuraccy (sp) goes away. The old beam types worked good, but were usually to bulky to get into tight spaces.

 

[Jaybird]

Gary, my beam head is smaller than my high-dollar clickers head.
If it's tight spaces, you probably need a 1/4" anywho.

 

[Patman]

Well Nikki look at it this way the $70 Craftsman clicker is a whole lot less than the Snap-On version ;)

I've used both and from an ease of use standpoint I like the clicker type, just pull on it until it bounces. Just be SURE to test it at a low setting to get the "feel" for it! Green Horn decided that it just didn't feel right when he was tightening his triple clamps and snapped off a bolt after applying about #50 more force than was needed. There's no red light or warning siren just a subtle click & bounce in the movement then it will keep allowing you to tighten.

 

[beyerj]

FYI - join the Craftsman Club and get Ten percent off - usually one week-end a month. That's when I bought mine. I have both types, but prefer the clicker type.

 

[MX-727]

Problem is the clicker doesn't work at the real low torque values, it doesn't have a Craftsman lifetime warranty, and it will eventually lose it's calibration. You can buy four of the beams for the price of the clicker, they do have a lifetime warranty, so if you do anything that wrecks the calibration, take it back and get a new one. The clickers are nice and easier to use, but I had a problem with one and I found out that Sears doesn't stand behind them after a year.

 

[Gary B.]

When it comes to Sears, I've found they don't stand behind ANYTHING after about a week. :flame:

 

[Jaybird]

Sears backs their warranted tools just fine.

 

[woods_rider1]

I have never had a problem with Sears exchanging tools. Infact when ever I replace craftsman tools they dont even ask me if the old ones are broken, they just make sure the item I am exchanging is the same as the one I am receiving. No questions asked, ever. Thats the reason I buy craftsman tools.

 

[bedell99]

I have the beam type Sears torque wrench. It works pretty good. The clicker is just much more practical. I could never just get the urge to spend the $$. I have never had a problem with returning tools to sears, even without a receipt.

Erik

 

[nikki]

Well... I got a $25 Sears Gift Certificate at work yesterday... so I'm thinking what the heck - go with the $70 clicker. ;) It's not going to be used all the time, maybe one day a month or so... so I hope calibration doesn't become an issue.

 

[James]

I have a set of three Craftsan clickers 1/2", 3/8" ftlbs, 3/8 inchlbs. Calibration isn't an issue so long as you set it back to the minimum torque or below immediately after each each use and don't use it to loosen bolts. They appear to be very accurate and the "click" works all the way through the calibration range. I even set mine a click or two below minimum (minimum on the 1/2 is 20 but I'll click it one or two under to get 18 occassionally) and the "click still works." It is a very noticeable click, and only when you have no clue about the click (like my brother) will you get in trouble. Key is to move it slowly and smoothly to get the best reading AND to get the best click.

I have had these wrenches for a year and a half and would buy the same thing if I had to replace them.

 

[Gary B.]

Maybe it's just me, but I've had more than a few bad experiences with Sears "after the sale" service.

 

[bscottr]

I'm with James, I like my Craftsman 3/8" 25-250 inch pound TW. I also have a 1/2" drive Snap-On for the axle and swingarm. I need to replace my cheapo 3/8" TW and will do so with the one Nikki is referring to. :thumb:

 

[dklink2000]

Two words...Snap-on.  I love mine, its a clicker type.  However I don't think they are worth the huge amount of extra money.  Mine is about a hundred years old, my uncle who is a dealer got it in on a trade in and gave it to me.  A trade in!?  Can you belive that! :eek:

 

[nikki]

Well I chickened out and went with the beam torque wrench because of the lifetime warrantee, it's easy to recalibrate, and it won't be used all that much. I can't believe they don't warrantee the clicker ones... why wouldn't they?

 

[MX-727]

They don't warrant it because of the calibration issue. As far as warranty on the others, I was at my dad's and he had a couple of twenty year old beams that didn't have newton meters on them. We took them back to Sears, no problem.

When ever you go to Sears with an item under warranty, don't get into a discussion with them about why you are bringing a tool back. It's either broken or it simply doesn't work. End of discussion, although I did have Haley tell them once that she broke the screwdriver while using it as a toothpick. :)

 

[Jaybird]

You will be fine with the beam wrench, nikki. Just remember to understand the method for the handle. It needs to be sort of suspended between the two stop areas on the inside of the handle to torque properly. It's a feel thing, but easy once you understand how to operate it.

 

[michigan]

After much pondering, I chose the more expensive craftsman digitoq. Then I started to investigate specified torque, and the effects of different lubricants, anti-sieze, loctite, and used fasteners, and realized that noboby really knows how much torque they really need, or how much their really applying anyway, so my $100 breaker bar just sits in the toolbox unused.
I'd say spend your gift certificate on something a little more useful.

Flame on.

 

[Gary B.]

Michigan, I couldn't disagree more. I'm a mechanic by trade, so someone like me may have more of a "feel" than the average person, but I still use a torque wrench on things like cylinder heads, intake manifolds and the like so everything is tightened EVENLY. Also, on motorcycles (and cars) we see more and more "exotic" materials such as composites, aluminum, magnesium, and such that I can't trust my instincts when tightening some fasteners. I see a large number of broken / stripped / bolts, along with needlessly damaged parts due to fasteners installed too tight or too loose. I'm also convinced that the engineers, etc. who design this stuff don't have all the answers, but it still has to be better than my "seat of the pants" instincts. I would never discourage anyone from using a torque wrench.