Harbor Freight - Too good to be true?

[HECDOGGIE]

Ive been in need of a Torque Wrench for some time. I come from a family of men that all have Snap-On / Blue Point / Matco .... SO, when i look for tools, thats what i search for first... Used and on CL...

I have a hard time paying 150.00 for a used TQ Wrench though..

I went to Harbor Freight yesterday and damn near fell out..

10.99 For a 1/2 TQ Wrench with a lifetime warranty ?

Now, my only other question is, Is it accurate ?

I loaded up on Zip ties too ... cant ever have too many zip ties.

[Venom]

For the occasional shade tree mechanic it will be fine. If I was a paid professional or had a race car I wouldn't rely on it.

[Trip McNeely]

Why should you be surprised, Harbor Freight is cheap garbage.

[racrguy]

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1304_torque_wrench_testing/

[danielhv]

I have the same tq wrench. 3 years without any issues. A lot of ppl hate on HF... But I've usually had good luck with their stuff. Is it snap on? No. But it's not snap on price either.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4

[IHaveAMustang]

I have the same tq wrench. 3 years without any issues. A lot of ppl hate on HF... But I've usually had good luck with their stuff. Is it snap on? No. But it's not snap on price either.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4

Me too, I don't know why the hate on HF tools. Some of the stuff they sell is utter crap. But their Pittsburgh line of tools are great. My favorites are the ratcheting box end wrenches. Man those helped with the A/C installation on my 66'.

[Baron Von Crowder]

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...rench_testing/

well that is interesting.

[stephen4785]

Their decently accurate but the one I had was off by about 25-30ft/lbs after a year of use.

[HECDOGGIE]

I also purchased a $199.99 ( original cost ) Compressor, 1.8 HP / 150 PSI / 17 Gallon OPEN BOX for $ 75.00 !!
I could not pass it up .. Hopefully it works well with an Impact and DA -

[Mach1]

Every batch is diff from them, some are good some are not, I have my "racing" HF tq wrench set to 110ft/lb, it's actually 85ft/lb for my lug nugs. I have several diff wrenches to check the "calibration", old beam style is great for that.

[motoman]

I also purchased a $199.99 ( original cost ) Compressor, 1.8 HP / 150 PSI / 17 Gallon OPEN BOX for $ 75.00 !!
I could not pass it up .. Hopefully it works well with an Impact and DA -

Things are hit and miss at HF, I've bought tools that turned out to be complete garbage and broke and I've had other things that I've owned and used over the last 10 years. If it breaks, take it back, and walk out with a new one that same day.

[thesource]

HF's black impact sockets are damn good. I've run them on some pretty stout impacts with zero issues.

[Cooter]

get a "Precision Instruments" brand wrench or a "CDI" brand wrench

You should be able to get a brand new one in your $150 price rance.

CDI has made Snap-On's torque wrenches for decades. I toured their facility in CA and took their factory training out there. Precision Instruments is usually easier to find than an actual CDI labeled wrench.

The ONLY difference is the ratchet head, but it's really a cosmetic difference.

I used to sell and calibrate mechanical and hydraulic torque equipment

[jw33]

They are all about the same in my experience. We test them yearly at work and I have had a Snap-On and a Craftsman both fail while the cheaper shit stays within tolerance....

[racrguy]

well that is interesting.

Yep, I'm going to be picking up one of those heads to use here before too long.