That cheap Harbor Freight torque wrench I swore I'd never use saved my butt yesterday

I've been turning wrenches for about 8 years now and always laughed at guys using those cheap beam-style torque wrenches. But yesterday I was doing a valve cover gasket on a 2010 Honda Accord at my buddy's shop in Tulsa and my good digital one crapped out mid-job. I grabbed his $20 Harbor Freight special just to finish and it clicked exactly right on every fastener. I torqued one bolt later with my borrowed Snap-On just to test and it was dead on. Now I'm wondering if I've been way too snobby about tools. Anyone else have a cheap tool that surprised the crap out of you?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_smith1d ago

Man I was the same way for years. I remember rolling my eyes at a buddy who swore by his Pittsburgh 1/2 inch drive from Harbor Freight. Then my Craftsman digital torque wrench started acting up on a suspension job and I had to borrow his cheap one. It clicked at 85 foot pounds and I checked it with a borrowed Matco and it was within a pound. Made me feel like a fool for spending so much on my nice one. Now I keep one of those cheap ones in my truck as a backup and it hasn't let me down yet.

harper_smith1d ago

You are missing the point entirely. The cheap torque wrench might be fine for a weekend job, but on a daily use basis in a shop where you need consistent accuracy, the cheap ones fall apart. The internals on those Pittsburgh wrenches are made of pot metal. I have seen two of them crack at the pivot point after six months of steady use. The Craftsman digital might have been finicky, but at least it is built to last longer than a couple of seasons. Spending extra money on a tool you depend on for a living is not foolish, it is insurance against failure at the worst time.