Is a $50 torque wrench worth it or will a $15 one strip your bolts?

I spent $50 on a beam-style torque wrench after my $15 click-type one over-tightened my crank bolts. My buddy says I'm wasting money and the cheap one is fine for bike stuff. Anyone else have bad luck with budget torque wrenches?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire37822d ago

...and honestly the real issue nobody talks about is how you use the thing, not just what you paid for it. I've seen guys snap bolts with a $300 Snap-On because they didn't clean the threads first or used it cold out the box. A $15 torque wrench that's never been dropped and you calibrate with a bucket of water and a ruler every spring is more reliable than a $50 one that lives in the toolbox getting banged around. What's your storage situation like, do you actually keep the adjustment backed off when it's sitting around?

jake_martin1622d ago

@claire378 you really think a bucket of water and a ruler is accurate? i bet that $50 beam style won't lie to you like a cheap clicker will. storage matters but so does the tool's basic design.