Torque wrenches - brand importance?

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mvcap
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by mvcap

Looking to get a good torque wrench and wondering if a bike-specific brand (Park) is worth it vs. something found at Home Depot? I like saving money when possible, but when it comes to tools like this, where do you draw the line? Would appreciate any experience/input you may have, thank you!

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maverick_1
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by maverick_1

IMHO, most important criteria of a torque wrench is what sort of accuracy it provides.
Refer to the below article and you'll get the idea.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... est-46517/

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2lo8
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by 2lo8

The $10 harbor freight one is fine.
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mvcap
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by mvcap

maverick_1 that link was excellent, thank you!

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C36
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by C36

The mots important point to me is the ability to calibrate them. I have no doubt that for most of us the utilisation is anything but intense, but when we consider the low accuracy of mechanical torque wrenches, any additional drift in the release torque is an issue.


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BRM
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by BRM

(short version)

A good article about torque wrenches would at least start by a description of the different main types and their specific use. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/6-type ... -explained (for your bike you want a click-type)

I knew a guy that ruined some things on his bike after buying and using a torque tool because he was waiting on the click that never came (he had bought a deflecting type, lol)

A torque wrench is a precise instrument that need to be handled with care.
Besides the shape, easiness of use, easiness of reading out, size, bulkiness, no sharp edges, reversibility, etc etc (there are many parameters you can bring in) you want definitely a tool that can be trusted in a way that it will perform equally for a long period of time. Therefore skip the ultra cheap ones. A budget tool is also not worth calibrating. Because most calibrating services are not exactly cheap.

As mentioned a torque wrench is performing best somewhere in the mid range of the tool capacity.
For your bike a tool that works within 2-25 Nm is a good standard recommendation.

Fixed Nm tools I would not recommend. Better buy an adjustable one.
You don’t need a bike brand tool. On the contrary there are many respectable tool brands way better than those bikebrands. Often they have their own service channels for calibration too.

I have 2 Gedore torque wrenches. Got them with a special offer from Gedore. (just as many other brands they have seasonal/annual offers for promotion) Still on the price but way cheaper than normal. And there is my recommendation: While this is an international forum, look in your location for special offers. Prices for exactly the same tool can vary dramatically.

The bikeradar topic only shows a handful tools, there are many more others. Also it is just a collection based on what manufacturers probably have sent to them to test. Makes it a limited test where you can’t do much with. Where are the real big names in tool land?

Bike specific: I miss the Syntace torque tool (formaly they had a calibration service of 25 euro, dunno if it still exist)
A-brands normal wrench type: Just fill in yourself
A-brands with T-handle or pistol like grip are also interesting for bike mechanics: Wiha, Pb Swiss Tools, CDI, etc


Then you also have to know how to use a torque wrench proper.
Most times given Nm is the torque for the bolt and is max torque.
Lubrication has effect on torque. (Lubrication factor)
You can bring in parameters as the material of the bolt, threads, specific lubes to calculate the right Nm. All these things have their own influence. In other industries this is known but not common in the mediocre bike industry. They seldom or never give you right instructions with the right Nm.
So just have in mind : With lube you always should lower the torque. And you always lower Nm in a way you stay on the safe side. A torque wrench for bike purposes doesn’t prevent you from disasters but makes you can work with a specific controlled amount of Nm all the time.

Never use your torque wrench as a normal wrench.
Store the torque wrench in a safe place, so not in your toolbox but in a closet.
Set it back to zero Nm when stored.

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sugarkane
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by sugarkane

i have 2 of the Effetto Mariposa pro 2 units and get them recalibrated once a year..
i do use them daily an a lot though, they are a little over kill for home use, the last one i had recalibrated came back with 0% deviation at 5mn and 1.2% at 16nm so they are very accurate especially when you have them professionally calibrated.

for traveling or on the bike i use the new silca t wrench, which is a very nice home use/ travel set up that has a very good bit collection and carry case

3Pio
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by 3Pio

Im using Park Tool, and have two of them.. TW-1 up to 7nm,and the TW-2 is from 10nm to 70 nm

http://www.parktool.com/product/torque-wrench-tw-1

http://www.parktool.com/product/torque-wrench-tw-2

No need to send them to calibration or something.. Just check if the dial is on Zero and thats it. If it's not, using a screwdriver it can be calibrated to be :) (never needed until now).

Both are discontinued, but if u try hard u can still find them...

Im using them often and very satisfied until now. Also never torque to max values provided. For example bolts on stem are up to 5 nm, im going 4 or 4 1/2. Or brake levers on handlebar are declared to go up to 4, im setting them 3 1/2...Bolt on seatpost clamp is declared up to 6 nm.. Im setting max 5 nm, often 4 1/2...

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BRM
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by BRM

It's funny that there are Always people that try to change topics into a simply sumup what they have and use instead of a reaction on the Original question in the Startpost.

Something with living in your own world . . . .

And before you know it is nothing more than a meaningless look what I have topic.

p3dalfaster
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by p3dalfaster

I have the Lifeline for smaller stuff, and Park Tools for bigger. Both seem to work excellent.

evan326
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by evan326

BRM wrote:I have 2 Gedore torque wrenches.



BRM wrote:It's funny that there are Always people that try to change topics into a simply sumup what they have and use instead of a reaction on the Original question in the Startpost.

vinuneuro
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by vinuneuro

I previously worked in quality engineering at a large corporation, part of my responsibility included maintaining calibration of our measuring tools and transducers for iso certification. My suggestion would be to go for Snap-On/CDI or Proto. Snap-On/CDI is what you'll find in 90% of companies dealing with high precision manufactured components.

With torque wrenches, important to remember that their accuracy is only guaranteed from 20% of full scale (whether they say so or not). So if you have a 10-100 in-lb model, the accuracy is guaranteed from 20-100 in-lb. For 10-20 you will have to have the unit measured and checked.

Snap-On/CDI torque wrenches come with a calibration certificate with each unit (most companies will send even new ones to be calibrated but you don't need to). If you store it properly and only use minimally, you'll be fine having it calibrated once every few years. If it is not stored correctly (stored zeroed out, ie. at the minimum value) it should be calibrated at least once a year. If it is dropped, it should be calibrated.

Here's a good list of the main CDI torque wrenches. 1501-MRMH, 2002-MRMH or 2502-MRMH should cover most things. You would need 7502-MRMH for crank/bottom bracket related jobs. All of them have both in-lb and Nm scales. $120-130 for an industrial quality torque wrench that will last you a lifetime is a good deal.

http://www.snaponindustrialbrands.com/D ... %20111.pdf
Last edited by vinuneuro on Mon Jun 05, 2017 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Calnago
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by Calnago

BRM wrote:...And before you know it is nothing more than a meaningless look what I have topic.

Look what I have...
Image

Seriously though, you can never go wrong by getting the best tools you can afford. My most used wrench is the 1/4" drive Snap-On, second from right, with the blue "For Rectal Use Only" sticker on it (that always draws attention). It's electronic, very sensitive and as @vinuneruo points out, very accurate. But damn is it big for only doing small stuff (range of 2.7Nm to ~26Nm). And it eats batteries like Shimano shifters eat cables. But for at home use (which is basically a shop in my case) it gets the most use. Then on the far right you have the cheaper Craftsman brand which is for the heavy duty jobs like Bottom brackets and cassette lockrings. I actually think this is one of the most important judging by how many bottom brackets I see that are so poorly done, in many ways.
But if you do all your own work at home, I'd say two wrenches are good to have... one that gets you in the 2-16Nm range (the Effetto second from left is very nice and great for travel), and another for the bottom bracket and cassette lockrings where you want around 40-60Nm range.
Even though I think I'm pretty good at just going by feel (if I had to) these days, I still use a torque wrench.
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srshaw
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by srshaw

I also worry about the click never coming, and usually set the torque low and increase gradually up to spec. I think this is usually good practise especially if tightening several bolts in sequence.

I use a norbar wrench.

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BRM
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by BRM

evan326 wrote:
BRM wrote:I have 2 Gedore torque wrenches.



BRM wrote:It's funny that there are Always people that try to change topics into a simply sumup what they have and use instead of a reaction on the Original question in the Startpost.


You really think you can make a point by extracting 2 sentences from a whole writing?

You are the perfect example what is wrong with people on this forum.
You have a major problem with normal interpretation. (like many others here)

The focus is NOT on what I bought, on the contrary , the focus is on a method to buy an a brand depending on offers in your own location.

Very very different than just to dump in this topic just what I use.
My post is informative and helpfull to people that are in the market for a good deal on torque wrenches.


Your only post in this topic is trying to make me a fool.
There is no post from evan326 about the subject self.
Says enough about the intentions of evan326.
Too many people here that think and act like children and you are one of them.

by Weenie


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