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Warning: cheap torque wrench cost me a night shift redoing bolts

I bought a Harbor Freight torque wrench for like $35 last month thinking it was fine for occasional use. Ended up overtorquing 12 bolts on a landing gear panel and had to stay till midnight redoing everything the next day. Anyone else get burned by budget tools on critical jobs?
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2 Comments
terry1
terry115d ago
$35 torque wrench should come with a free prayer for the bolts.
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janaw11
janaw1115d ago
terry1 is not wrong about that prayer, but I'd add a free set of crossed fingers too. Those cheap wrenches can be off by 10 or 15 foot pounds right out of the box, which is basically useless for anything critical. I tested one once against a friends Snap-on and it clicked way before the real torque hit, so I stripped a bolt thinking I was under spec. That kind of tool is okay for lawn mower blades or fence posts, @terry1, but never for engine work or suspension parts where the margin is tight. Did you buy one and have a bad experience with it?
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