Which torque wrench should I buy?

Just stay away from Craftsman! If price is no problem, get the Facom, or a Snap-On, u can't go wrong with either. Also look into S-K, it's actually cheaper than Craftsman and it's of better quality. U can get it at The Tool Warehouse. I have an S-K.

--Andrew

SpaceMonkey said:

I posted this on .org this afternoon, and wanted to get some opinions over here too...

I need to get a 1/2" torque wrench and am wondering what experiences other people have had (or what other people use). I was considering...

Facom $300 from ultimategarage.com
Griots $175 from Griots.com
Craftsman $90 from Sears

and was also suggested the following...

Husky $65 from HomeDepot
Gorilla $30 from tirerack.com

Price isn't the biggest factor for me, I just want one that will be high quality and last if I take good care of it.

I was thinking Griots may be good since it comes with free calibrations ... is that a minor issue though? :dunno:

Click to expand...

I have 2 Craftsmans, one older one made by SK and one newer one made by someone else, and the SK one is WAY better.

The SK ones are close to Sears prices, and unless you're gonna get a Facom or SnapOn or something, I think its the best deal.

I'll also vouch for the Tool Warehouse. The website could use polish, but I've bought from them and had a very good experience.

size?

If I get the Gorilla wrench, what size socket should I get? I'm thinking 17mm thin wall?

thanks
tim

Re: size?

SchwartzBlack said:

If I get the Gorilla wrench, what size socket should I get? I'm thinking 17mm thin wall?

thanks
tim

Click to expand...

That's the same combo that I bought.

17mm should work with just about every BMW made.

I've got a 17 yeard old Craftsman and it works great. I get it checked every few years and it's right on.

i always thought Craftsman products were considered good values? has that changed? where do you buy S-K products?

Magna said:

i always thought Craftsman products were considered good values? has that changed? where do you buy S-K products?

Click to expand...

I've replied your PM via email coz the msg was too long for PM... anyway, I mentioned unofficialbmw.com, here'r some of the links I was referring to:

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/tools/all_craftsman_vs_snapon.html
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/tools/all_quality_tools.html

--Andrew

I was a mechanic at one time and had both Craftsman, Snap-on, and Matco. Snap-on will cost ya 3X the Craftsman and 2X the Matco.

They are great if ya wanna go in hock the price of your car for a toolset. Most people I see breaking tools are using the wrong tool (a thinwall 12 pt socket on a big torqued bolt, or taking a hammer to a wrench to loosen a bolt they can't get by hand) I have never broken a tool.

I also don't like Snap-on wrenches because they are smooth and chrome plated...which looks great but try to hang on to one with your hands oily or coated with brakefluid.

If ya got the cash to blow, by all means get Snap-on or Facom, if you are on a budget Craftsman works fine... just use the right tool for the right job.

Where/how do you get your torque wrench checked ?
I have a 3/8" Husky from Home Depot which replaced an ancient Craftsman bar-type wrench.

Okay, say I do spring for the Facom...

How often should I get it calibrated?

And where could I get that service done, since I'd get the wrench mailorder?