Triumphrat

KingofZroad · 11-23-2012, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GearHd6

I've got a nice clicker torque wrench from Craftsman. It's a 3/8" drive with inch/lbs and nm both on it. It's about 18" long.

I just bought one of these today, on sale for $39.99, was $89.99!!!

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PixMan · 11-23-2012, 07:50 PM

I had a Crapsman clicker torque wrench break on me. The square drive broke right off before it reached the 230 ft'lbs I had set it to. I brought it back to Sears and they told me that those tools don't have the lifetime warranty.

I found a as-new SnapOn TechWrench FR250 1/2" drive 250ft/lb digital electronic torque wrench on Craigslist for $375. It is a joy to use in every way, and has paid for itself 10 times over in handling and confidence in a quality tool.

I will never buy another Crapsman tool so long as I live.

GearHd6 · 11-23-2012, 08:15 PM

That sucks Ken. Craftsman is strange with their warranty on some items.

I've had both my 3/8 inch/lb and 1/2 ft/lb wrenches for many years now and have never had an issue. Maybe I've been lucky? If I used the tools everyday for work Craftsman would not be my top choice. I have a lot of Snap-On stuff, mostly screwdrivers, but no torque wrenches.

PixMan · 11-23-2012, 09:57 PM

Well to be honest there's more to the story of why I'll never buy Crapsman tools again. You see they are made by Danaher Group. They had a plant in Springfield MA that employed over 350 people, pumping out over 40,000 ratchets a DAY. Not just Crapsman, but a lot of other well known brands and "house brands" sold in auto parts stores.

Danaher suddenly shut the factory down and moved it to the south, putting all those people out of work in an already economically depressed area. Within 2 years, they closed the plant in North Carolina and moved it offshore, where they started producing even crappier tools because of inferior materials.

I will do NOTHING to support a company that works like that. Not buying their junky tools is about the only thing I know I can actually do about it.

zelatore · 11-24-2012, 02:37 AM

Pixman, you don't by chance read garagejournal.com do you? Lots of discussion about Danahar over there.

BTW, I just have to say again how poor the craftsman line has gotten over the last 10 years or so. These days they're no better than any of the big box store crap and seem more interested in pushing the latest gimmick than a quality tool. Unfortunately, that leaves a big gap in the market for quality tools at reasonable prices for the average guy.

framebinder · 11-24-2012, 05:22 AM

Quote:
Neither one has newton-meters on the scale, I have to convert. Easy enough. (I haven't looked, but I'm sure there's an app for that!)

I don't have an app, but here's a great web site that will convert anything to anything.

http://onlineconversion.com/

That said, I bought a used Snapon on ebay that I love. It lets you know you're at tension by a buzz in the handle. It does require batteries, but I pull them out during storage. It also shuts it's self off after a while. I remember it costing me $110, about half price from new.
Where do you get these things checked for accuracy?

GearHd6 · 11-24-2012, 11:16 AM

My Craftsman torque wrenches have both ft/lb and NM on them. No need to convert. The only time I have to convert is when I have a low ft/lb spec, I'll convert it to inch/lb so I can use the smaller wrench.

XYooper906 · 11-24-2012, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by framebinder

Quote:
Neither one has newton-meters on the scale, I have to convert. Easy enough. (I haven't looked, but I'm sure there's an app for that!)

I don't have an app, but here's a great web site that will convert anything to anything.

http://onlineconversion.com/

That said, I bought a used Snapon on ebay that I love. It lets you know you're at tension by a buzz in the handle. It does require batteries, but I pull them out during storage. It also shuts it's self off after a while. I remember it costing me $110, about half price from new.
Where do you get these things checked for accuracy?

Yes, I have used that website many times for converting things. I am able to check my torque wrenches where I work on an electronic torque checker. I haven't had to get them recalibrated yet, but there are companies online that will do it.

I remember 25+ years ago, a guy I worked with was excited about a new-fangled Craftsman electronic torque wrench he bought for much less money than the Snapon. It wouldn't pass the calibration checks required for use at work. So he had to return it and bought a Snapon. Even though back then the Craftsman tools were generally better, but that particular tool was a POS.

UtahFox · 11-24-2012, 03:50 PM

Thanks for all the responses, lots of good info.

In looking at the Snap On/CDI ones, there are multiples of the same model that have different torque ranges. Anyone know offhand what the upper & lower numbers are?

Thanks again.

XYooper906 · 11-24-2012, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UtahFox

In looking at the Snap On/CDI ones, there are multiples of the same model that have different torque ranges. Anyone know offhand what the upper & lower numbers are?

Here is a link to their website: http://www.cditorque.com/

I noted that while perusing the CDI website, their click-type wrenches have lower torque ranges in the English vs. Newton Meter ones. For example, their lowest torque range Nm wrench is 10-60 Nm (approx. 88.5 to 531 in/lbs). The English ones start as low as 10 in/lbs