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That looks a lot like my Proto torque wrench, which I've been happy with. It's possible that Proto makes it for Snap-On. In any case, it's American-made, and I'm sure it's a quality tool. I doubt you could go wrong with that one.
The only question is if I should get the one with the metal knurled handle or the comfort-grip handle. I'm inclined to the metal handle one for durability. (The comfort grip one is the same price.)
I'd be inclined to get the knurled handle. You can wipe it off with solvent or brake cleaner without having to worry about damaging it and, unless you torque things for a living, I don't see comfort being an issue.
I'd be inclined to get the knurled handle. You can wipe it off with solvent or brake cleaner without having to worry about damaging it and, unless you torque things for a living, I don't see comfort being an issue.
I went ahead and order the CDI (Snap-On) torque wrench with the knurled metal handle. I really like that it is built by Snap-On in the US. I expect this could be the last torque wrench I will need to buy. :-)
Thanks everyone for your input.
Oh, and the sale in the form of free shipping ends on Aug 31. If your looking for an excuse to buy a torque wrench, this is a good option to look at.
Using a STAHLWILLE Manoskop over here (250$) . Very consistent readings and ratcheting. Nice for wheels and engine bolts and studs.
For torque stuff here my 5 cents worth of additional considerations:
Measuring torque per se is straightforward but as soon as bolts and nuts are involved the picture changes.
All bolts manufacturers give recommendations about the lubricant to be used together with a torque value on a bolt or stud in order to achieve the "stretch" that is required for the mechanical strength required by the part. Stretch is how much a bolt or stud stretches under the torque load in an elastic way, which means once the torque is removed (unbolting) it shrinks back to it's original length.
This is very important as the lubrication can change the actual torque which is put into the thread by 30 percent or more.
We have made several tests at the machine shop and from an insiders tip (company building racing engines) came up with the following lubricants:
- copper paste
- ARP moly
to reach the best possible results resulting in proper "stretch". Sometimes my machine shop does tests on the rod and main cap bolts to figure the proper torque in order to reach the required "stretch".
IMHO the lower torque on the wheels is due to bolts which have not been lubricated. Rust, debris and other things in the thread can rise the resistance to the torque wrench to such levels that it releases, say at 100 ftlbs but the torque applied to the core of the thread is much lower. When unbolting this becomes obvious.
A torque wrench which is used for engines and such should be tested in regular intervals on a test-bench to be sure the wrench itself does apply the force it has been set to. For wheels it is important to know the manufacturers recommendations either with or without lubrication and the torque values to be applied.
In any case a clean thread on the receiving side as well as on a bolt or stud is the first thing to get a proper torque value.
Using a STAHLWILLE Manoskop over here (250$) . Very consistent readings and ratcheting. Nice for wheels and engine bolts and studs.
For torque stuff here my 5 cents worth of additional considerations:
Measuring torque per se is straightforward but as soon as bolts and nuts are involved the picture changes.
All bolts manufacturers give recommendations about the lubricant to be used together with a torque value on a bolt or stud in order to achieve the "stretch" that is required for the mechanical strength required by the part. Stretch is how much a bolt or stud stretches under the torque load in an elastic way, which means once the torque is removed (unbolting) it shrinks back to it's original length.
This is very important as the lubrication can change the actual torque which is put into the thread by 30 percent or more.
We have made several tests at the machine shop and from an insiders tip (company building racing engines) came up with the following lubricants:
- copper paste
- ARP moly
to reach the best possible results resulting in proper "stretch". Sometimes my machine shop does tests on the rod and main cap bolts to figure the proper torque in order to reach the required "stretch".
IMHO the lower torque on the wheels is due to bolts which have not been lubricated. Rust, debris and other things in the thread can rise the resistance to the torque wrench to such levels that it releases, say at 100 ftlbs but the torque applied to the core of the thread is much lower. When unbolting this becomes obvious.
A torque wrench which is used for engines and such should be tested in regular intervals on a test-bench to be sure the wrench itself does apply the force it has been set to. For wheels it is important to know the manufacturers recommendations either with or without lubrication and the torque values to be applied.
In any case a clean thread on the receiving side as well as on a bolt or stud is the first thing to get a proper torque value.
From my reading of it, it is the friction between the threads that keeps the fasteners secured whereas the amount of stretch in the bolt is measure of the force securing the fasteners to each other. However, the amount of friction may not be consistent from bolt to bolt because of contamination or damage to the threads. Furthermore, I would speculate that the sources of friction can be due to the inherent metal on metal friction along with additional contamination friction (rust, etc.). It is the later type of friction that could be reduced during the act of tightening (e.g. oxidation being rubbed off the threads) so that the actual force holding together the fastener to something else could be less than that required for the initial installation.
BTW, I am getting my new torque wrench today. Damn, I must be a nerd-girl to get excited about getting a new tool! LOL
It was fast shipping as I ordered in on Monday and it came from Florida to Idaho; $142 with free shipping (through the end of August) and CDI branded/Snap-On made.
I like the feel of it and the torque adjustment is easy with a spring-loaded locking ring. You pull it back with the fingers of the hand holding the knurled handle and then release it at the setting you want and it drops into a toothed grove keeping it from rotating. My old nasty one had one of those where you had to turn a **** at the back end to keep the setting.
A bit late on picking up the thread. Been working some body parts off the last two weeks.
I like the nerdy girls - much easier to talk to you and have some common ground than with girls who care only about their nail color and what could be done to their hair.
Your desk could be mine... mouse, laptop, pencils and eraser - and a torque wrench.
A good torque wrench is a very good help not to break stuff.
Your observations about how the bolts hold together stuff is absolutely correct.
A major issue is people over-tighten them. Not only do you risk to damage the thread itself, if they tighten so much that an elastic stretching of the bold becomes a plastic deformation (permanent stretch) you loose adhesion and the parts can separate.
I've been aware of this and a couple years ago I had the opportunity to watch my machine shop go through a major rebuild on a pre-war engine.
New bolts had been made and one of the friends of the shop owner is a renown F1 engine builder and collector of old cars.
The shop works with him to do all his private engines and this is where the copper paste/grease comes from. (AFAIK and from heresay they did extensive testing at the F1 factory to find out that this gave the most consistent torque readings and more important torque-application. It was either this or i.e. ARP moly assembly stuff. While the copper paste is perfect for cast blocks they prefer the moly stuff on aluminium.
I'm very picky when it comes to my threads, especially when they were coated with some Loctite or such. Also aluminium threads which leave traces in the bolts means that the thread may have been damaged.
I chase all such threads and brush them with solvent or cleaner. All bolts which are re-used are checked and cleaned until they can be screwed in to their full length by hand. Only then I'm sure there is no debris or other obstruction wich will distort my torque reading.
I'm a bit into MTB and from time to time I like to assemble an old bycicle. More modern stuff has a lot of aluminium parts to clamp such as the handlebars. If threads are damaged or dirt is inside you may torque them to spec to find out that the clamp is not holding and the handlebar can still be moved. The torque specs are sometimes so low in order not to brake the parts that it is an imperative to have perfect fasteners and threads, else you reach the torque value way before clamping anything together.
08-18-2019, 04:50 PM
Whoo Hoo! LOL
