Serious question, does a digital torque wrench really save you time on routine jobs?

I used a click-type forever, but last month I borrowed a digital one for a head gasket job on a 2018 F-150 and it was faster but the battery died mid-torque. Old-school guys say the digitals are just a gimmick, so which side do you come down on for everyday shop work?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper1d ago

That click type has probably saved your bacon a few times. I had the same thing happen with a Snap-On digital on a 3.5 EcoBoost head job. Battery died at like 75 lb-ft on the third head bolt. Had to run to the parts store for a pack of AAs, never felt so stupid. For everyday work, I keep a click type in my main box and only grab the digital when I'm doing something like a transmission valve body where I gotta track every single step. The battery issue is real, especially if you leave the thing on in the drawer and it drains overnight. But for the price of a good digital you can buy two of the click ones and never have that worry.

morgan.jason5h ago

Yeah it's just like everything else these days, more features means more things that can go wrong.

maxl931d ago

Wait, hold up - the battery died in the middle of a head gasket job? That is wild to me. I mean I've heard of tool batteries dying before but right when you're in the middle of a critical torque sequence on an F-150? That's the kind of thing that would make me throw the thing across the shop. It's just rough because those digital ones have all those fancy features like angle mode and memory but when the battery gives out you're basically holding a paperweight. For everyday shop work I'd stick with a click type unless you're really tracking every single bolt's torque for some kind of report or something.