Just realized torque sticks aren't the lazy shortcut I thought they were
My old lead tech at the shop in Reno always called them a crutch for guys who couldn't feel a wrench, but last week a Toyota came in with two snapped studs from a guy using a breaker bar and I finally got it. Anybody here still hand-torque every lug or have you made the switch too?
That "crutch for guys who couldn't feel a wrench" line is exactly the mindset that needs to die. Problem is your hands can't feel 76 ft-lbs, nobody can, you just get good at guessing and guessing is how that Toyota ended up with two snapped studs. And even the torque stick thing gets messed up, because a stick rated for 80 ft-lbs on a weak 1/2 impact might only hit 65, but throw it on a high torque gun with a fresh battery and you're over 100 easy. It's a starting point, not a magic wand, you still finish with a real torque wrench.