I want to get a general use torque wrench as i'm going to be doing more work on the volvo and was going to start having a go at rebuilding the engine which came out of the car last year. I'm currently working on a buget and would like to get one which will cover most of my needs as i know they do vary in the amount of torque they measure.

Any recommendations?

Cheers
Carl

Try your local market. Go for a 1/2" drive one as they are capable of doing head bolts etc. The 3/8" are good for small item that need little torque

I got a Draper Expert at a car show last year, 1/2" one, but only goes down to 40nm. Was £20, and has a "send this off with the torque wrench to be recalibrated" leaflet too, and as Draper are only a couple of miles from here could be useful to me!

I'm on the look out for a 3/8's now that will cover the lower end of the range, I've just been using my Dads old halfords 1/2, which goes down to 20nm anyway.

Halfords Pro ones are very nice, but not particularly cheap....

Ok, cheers for the replies, I will have a look around on the weekend.

I believe Practical Classics did a test a while back, if anyone is a regular reader.

A torque wrench is something I'd like to get sometime, but It's tricky to know how cheap you can go without loosing accuracy. Obviously the saying is often true, you get what you pay for, but I'm not keen on paying over £100 for a Snap-On one

Chris, what did you mean about the leaflet, you send off the wrench and Draper will calibrate it an post it back? Do any independent places test and calibrate them?

I'v got Brittool 1/2 drive torque wrench. Its very good as part of the mechanism is exposed so you can see it move just before it clicks, this is very good for when you're working in noisy enviroments. Its range is from 25nm to 130nm so you can do most things with it.

Thats right MJ, you send it off, and for postage and maybe a beer, I've not looked into it, they'll recalibrate it and send it back. Worst thing you can ever do is leave it set at a high torque though, it'll bend the spring on most!

i got given the one in the argos catalogue last year as a birthpresent and its great!

about £15 aswell

Interesting thread Carl! Well, some of us may remember the "I never use a torque wrench and my boss runs x garage and never does either!" user on here some months ago. Torque settings are there for a reason, in some cases they are just helpful, not crucial, but they are still there for a reason.

I bought a cheap torque wrench, as most of what I'd done could be done by guestimate, but as what I tackled grew in degree of difficulty, thus also accuracy, I got a cheap one quickly when I needed it. It's accurate enough (if you can tell how it is set!), the only thing is setting it is a nightmare, as the dial doesn't actually make much sense numbering wise, so you sort of guess which mark to use, which then takes the accuracy out of it, which is annoying. So, I too am looking to get a bit of an allrounder, but on first glances, it seems as though I'm going to need two to cover the sort of range required for the things I'll be doing. I'd personally go 1/2" drive for both if I can, as then I can always easily adapt down to 3/8".

Pete

Yes, certainly an interesting topic

It's one of those decisions, do you go for a cheap thing as it's all that needed, and maybe have to buy a better one later when needed, or buy a top of the range one now, knowing it could last a lifetime

Nissan use these to check important fasteners.

click me

I just missed one of the 200Nm ones on ebay a while ago. Gutted cos it went for a pathetic amount of cash.