[smestas]

If one is going to be buying 1 or 2 torque wrenches for an Alfa Romeo tool box what combination or brands do you recomend?

0 - 20 ft.lbs. 3/8" drive
20 - 100 ft.lbs. 1/2" drive
50 - 150 ft.lbs. 1/2" drive
etc...

 

[smestas]

I ended up going the cheap route. I know there are allot of really high-end torque wrenches but I just couldn’t justify spending the extra cash for a nice one, maybe I would if I were a professional mechanic. The funny thing is that I originally purchased a $70.00 torque wrench and found out that I needed two different sizes 1/2" and 3/8" to cover all of my needs. So it was either buy another one or return the one I had and get the older style ones for $25.00 each and some cash back. The deciding factor for me was that the older style wrenches I purchased had the traditional lifetime guarantee on them while the more expensive ones were only covered for 90 days. Kind of sounded backwards to me. Another deciding factor was that I read that the adjustable or clicking torque wrench was accurate within 2% to 3% of the selected setting. With the older style it is hard to get it right on the money but I was thinking I'd still be within the same range as if I used the more expensive one.

Just call me frugal but I felt like sharing.

 

[smestas]

Chan,

I bought two different wrenches only because I needed two different torque ranges. One for 0-75ft.lbs. and the other for 0-150ft.lbs. Since I was getting two I got the smaller one with a 3/8" and the larger one with 1/2".

 

[smestas]

We used to have a HF shop out here in Santa Clarita but they shut down and moved to Palmdale (1hr away)

Now if I want any HF stuff I have to go to their website to make a purchase but they kill you with shipping and handeling so I try to stay away from that.