I finally believed a $20 harbor freight torque wrench was accurate after checking it against a friends snap-on.

I brought my readings from three different bolts and they matched within 2 ft-lbs every time, has anyone else tested the cheap ones against the expensive brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_adams1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I had the exact same thing happen with mine. I grabbed a cheap Pittsburgh torque wrench from Harbor Freight just to have a backup, and I was shocked when I tested it against my buddy's Snap-on. We did like eight different bolts at different settings and it was never off by more than 1.5 foot-pounds. Tbh, it made me wonder why I ever spent so much on the expensive one in the first place. Ngl, for home use or weekend projects, that $20 wrench is totally fine. I'm not saying it will hold up to daily abuse in a shop, but for the average guy it's a no-brainer.

roses691mo ago

Man, I was the same way with my old Craftsman beam torque wrench for years. I finally picked up one of those $20 Harbor Freight ones and ran it against my buddy's Matco and we were within 1.5 foot-pounds on five different bolts. Feels good to know you're not throwing money away on a tool that does the same damn job.