I got some sears gift certificates for Christmas and they are burning a hole in my pocket. I've been thinking about getting a torque wrench for a while, because there has been a few times that I needed one. I was wondering if anybody had experience with Craftsman torque wrenches? All my other tools are Craftsman, but I didn't know if someone thought differently about their torque wrenches since they only warrant them for a year. Also what do you recommend to get. I was thinking about getting a 3/8" with a range between 5 and 80 ft/lbs. It wouldn't be used too much. Any thoughts?

Dale,
I've had a Craftsman torque wrench (Digi-torq) model for over 10
years now. No major problems with it. I've had to have it recalibrated once, due to a buddy of mine returned it days later with the wrench set to 150 lb.ft. and he also mentioned that it fell off the fender onto the ground. $60 later and it was good as new. Speaking of calibration..mines way overdue!

Just a friendly tip... With any torque wrench, always set it back to Zero or Stop when you are done using it. And never drop it. And never use it to its maximum rating. If you use it frequently, then its a good idea to get it calibrated every so often.
Happy New Year
Sarge
And I still can't get my @%$# pic to show!

Sarge81 said: ... And I still can't get my @%$# pic to show! ...

Sarge,

E-mail me (Norsky4360@C3VetteRegistry.com) and I'll try to help you resolve your "non-image" issue.

Jim O.
Save the Wave...!!!

Thanks Sarge. The Digi-Torq was the model I was thinking about getting too. I don't think I'd use it too much, but its something I'd like to have ready to use for those times I do need it.

We've got a Craftsman Torque wrench which goes to 100 Ft-lbs or so (I forget exactly how high it goes, but I know it's not 167 ft-lb which I needed for the C4 wheel bearing bolt a few weeks ago). Greg bought it well over 10 years ago and though it's only been occasionally used it's still going fine. I did borrow the big honking torque wrench which goes up to 200 ft-lbs from AutoZone when I had to change the c4 wheel bearings.

I did get a Craftsman torque wrench that broke right away. Although I own a lot of their hand tools, I don't think that things like torque wrenches are their bag. I got one from Proto that I like, and it had a longer handle for the same limits, 150 ft lbs.

I too have the digi Torq and you can also use it to torque those aluminum wheels to 80 lbs and avoid over tightening. I also have a Craftsman torgue wrench I've had over 30 years which is the traditional style with the needle that you approximate on the gauge...hardly accurate but did a lot of engine work with it.