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Changed my tune on those cheap torque wrenches after a head gasket job

I always used the shop's good torque wrench for head bolts, but mine broke so I grabbed a $40 one from the parts store. It felt fine setting it, but when I checked with a borrowed Snap-on after the first pass, it was off by almost 15 foot-pounds. Had to back everything off and start over, which cost me half a day. What's a good mid-range brand you guys trust that won't break the bank?
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4 Comments
the_jessica
the_jessica1mo agoMost Upvoted
Ever wonder if those cheap ones are just rebranded from the same factory?
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stella22
stella221mo ago
Man, my buddy learned that lesson the hard way too. He was putting his lifters back in with a bargain wrench. It clicked way early, he thought he was good. Next day, it sounded like a coffee can full of bolts at startup. Had to tear it all down again and found several bolts just finger tight. That click lied.
3
wells.christopher
That's a rough way to find out. For mid-range, Gearwrench gets a lot of good talk. Their click-type wrenches seem to hold calibration pretty well without the truck brand price.
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paul87
paul871mo ago
Gearwrench is solid for the money, lasts way longer than the junk stuff.
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