Any Recommendations on a 1/2" Digital Torque Wrench?

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harrisonm

harrisonm

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I have a good click style torque wrench, but I like the idea of the digital ones. There seems to be a WIDE range of prices, and reviews are all over the place. Does anybody here have one they like (at a reasonable price)?
 
What brands are you looking at? Sometime you will need a ratchet kit for the head and most off brands don't have replacement parts. Calibration and repairs are another issue. Cheap offbrand are pretty much throw away.
 
Never used a digital one . Do they beep or notify you when they hit the torque value so that you don’t have to watch the readout ?
 
I have a Snap On unit and I like it a lot, but I have to remove the batteries after you're done using it or it runs the batteries down sitting while even being turned off. It's fun to use, but I still like my old stand by Snap On click type just as much. It will work without issue for 50-years, an electronic unit will never last that long. Save your money and buy a used Sanp On click type. It will never let you down.

Tom
 
harrisonm said:
I have a good click style torque wrench, but I like the idea of the digital ones. There seems to be a WIDE range of prices, and reviews are all over the place. Does anybody here have one they like (at a reasonable price)?
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there's no such thing as cheap good.Your gonna spend $600.00 plus Make sure it can be calibrated.I have 23 yrs mach ,engine building exp.Mine are Snapon Clickers.
 
33IMP said:
I have seen tests where a HF click type was just as accurate as a snap on. Mine was $10. I think they have doubled in price.
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I used to work for a big retailer in the Tire Shop and we had to test/certify the accuracy of our torque wrenches monthly. I would bring my cheap HF clickers in and they were always spot on.
 
I love my digital calipers, I even have a plastic one that works well. I am just a hack, not a machinist, so I don’t need great accuracy.
 
I won’t deny that HF has some good deals on certain products, others, not so much. I have five Snap-On torque wrenches from 200 inch-pounds to 250 foot-pounds. On of them is now forty-five years old. I bought it new when I was still working on motorcycles for a living. Every part you would need to repair it is still available, and I can still get it recalibrated if necessary. Toolman Mike is correct. Let me ask you this: Are you comfortable using a cheap torque wrench to assemble a motor you have thousands of dollars and many hours invested in? My torque wrenches have built dozens of motors over many years and have never failed me. One of the best investments in tools I’ve ever made. Same thing applies to things like digital calipers. Every one I’ve bought has failed. My mechanical Central Tool dial calipers finally died this year. I bought them new in 1968. If I had spent the extra money for a tool from Starret, it would probably still be working. Rusty Rat Rod is correct about beam type torque wrenches. At one time, all of Snap-On’s 1% accuracy torque wrenches were beam types.
 

Mike69cuda said:
I love my digital calipers, I even have a plastic one that works well. I am just a hack, not a machinist, so I don’t need great accuracy.
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I've got a set of the digital calipers, for someone who only needs them occasionally they are a terrific bargain. As a machinist, I used my Fowler, Mititoyo, and Starrett analog much more.
 
While off topic I love my Mitutoyo digital vernier calipers of which I own 5 different sets for general work. They are far better than a set of Starrett digital vernier calipers nowadays. However for serious work I always grab a pair of Brown & Sharpe Swiss made dial calipers or use a Starrett 226 inspection grade micrometer. I've built die parts that required +/- .0002" tolerance and worked in an Army machine shop making tooling for munitions manufacturing, so I have dealt with precision. It all boils down to how much precision one can afford to pay for.

Tom
 
Beam torque wrenches are always spot on as long as they point to zero at rest. Clickers and digitals are always circumspect, best way to check them is with a beam wrench.

As for dial calipers, you have to keep them closed when not using them to keep the gear rack and pinion gear clean or dirt will wear them out prematurely. I have worn a out a few, but my eyes are not good enough anymore to read a vernier scale so that is what I use. Best to lube the gear and rack with graphite once and a while. Remember, nothing is as accurate as a micrometer.
 
My favorite dial calipers is an early aerospace brand cheapie. Best I have found among the cheapie’s. For as long as they lasted me in the industrial setting I was in, paying for the good quality ones was a waste of money. As for the micrometer I have, my lufkin set I bought at a flea market has not once not met spec when certified calibrated and they were certified every 6 months.
 
I have the 1/2 and 3/8 snap on digital and the 1/2 clicker snap on and love them, use them everyday for work almost and everytime they are checked they are spot on! just remove the batteries after each use!
 
I was at a pawn shop today, dude wanted $400 for a well used snap on digital.
I don't trust my craftsman click anymore.
 
how about the digital cube on a breaker bar? I got a snap-on non ratchet and have only used it 3 times. HF 1/2 drive for me or my Klein inch/lb.
 
My now over 10 year old HF click still agrees with my over 35 year old Craftsman beam.
 
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