[alfa] Cheap Torque Wrenches

[John.Wiltshire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Like Jon Pike, I've had a cheapie K-Mart 1/2" Drive Torque Wrench (made in
Taiwan) for about 20 years.  It still has the sticker on it that says $22.

I spent some time one lazy afternoon comparing it for accuracy with my
brother's (expensive) Warren & Browne torque wrench.  To do this I set both
TWs at a particular torque.  I would then do up a bolt with TW1, then use
TW2 to see if it would turn the bolt some more, or just "click off".  I
would then undo the bolt, re-tighten it with TW2, then see if TW1 would
turn it some more or click off.  Over several tests at different torque
settings, I didn't get any cases where one wrench would turn the bolt more
than the other before clicking off.  My conclusion was that they were both
about as accurate as each other.

A couple of years back I bought a 1/4" Drive Kincrome unit for about $95.
Very Nice.  Made in Taiwan, and the instruction and calibration certificate
that came with it looks near-as-dammit identical to the one that I bought
20 years go, so I'd say that they come out of the same factory.

Most manuals specify a torque range rather than an absolute figure.  If you
set your wrench to the middle of that range - even if your TW is a few
percent out, you shouldn't go far wrong.  I've always been of the opinion
that it isn't just the absolute torque setting that matters, it's the
consistency across all the bolts that hold a particular component that is
important.

Some of the engineers on the forum might be horrified by my approach, but
using my $22 TW, I've never stripped a thread or had a nut or bolt come
loose.

Cheers to all Digesti!
John Wiltshire
Sydney Australia
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