In the mechanical field, the nuts, bolts, and fasteners are a very common term. Also, these have a great importance in every mechanical equipment that we use in daily life. Most of the high-end part of the equipment that we use are lighter and stiffer along with being stronger. Expense, however, comes as a free term with the quality tools.
While working with these tools, each one of us would look for a design that is supposed to make the work easier. Adding to this, many problems are seen that are faced with the use of the fasteners like snapped bolts and stripped threads. In order to lay back such trivial problems, a tool called the Torque Wrench introduces itself as the perfect solution.
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What is a Torque Wrench?
The torque wrench is basically just like any other wrench tool with a difference that a torque wrench is used to apply a specific torque to the fasteners. Normally, when we talk about the fasteners, we are mostly referring to the nuts or bolts. As far as general appearance is considered, it resembles the look of a socket wrench used for tightening the bolts.
However, the real thing accompanies the application of some special mechanism that provides a specific torque to the bolts. In a place where the tightness of the screws or bolts is a paramount requirement, a torque wrench is used. You can measure the torque that will be applied to the fastener and match it to the value required for your work.
Top five reasons why you must buy a Torque Wrench
As much as an essential tool it is for the mechanical professionals to have, a torque wrench can be purchased and used by the normal individual too. It is not that hard to use and every time you happen to change your car tire, having one in the back will help you go a long way at being able to do your work yourself.
So, here are the top five reasons as to why you need to buy and add a torque wrench to your tool set at the earliest.
- Essential tool box item: When we talk about the importance of tools, all of them are important at certain times. A torque wrench, however, holds a different kind of importance. This tool sets your bolt tightening limit to the ideal limit, which is necessary for safety. Altogether, it forms up an essential tool box item that everyone must have.
- Smoother Rides: At certain times, when the wheel hubs are not torqued properly, it is quite easy to tell that something is wrong. You could be able to hear some strange noises or unwanted vibrations while driving. However, if you have them torqued properly through the use of a torque wrench, what you are going to get are safe and smoother rides, all along.
- Save on maintenance: When wheel hubs are poorly fastened, not only do they affect your ride, but they can also open gates to newer problems with your other car components. As seen, improper tightening of the wheel hubs damages the tapped bearings. So, to cut down on the maintenance time and cost, a good use of torque wrench will go a long way.
- No reworking: During the installation process when you have installed the wheels hubs without the use of a torque wrench, they are likely to pose problems during the testing phase. Going down on reworking all the wheel installation is not at all pleasant. But you can easily avoid all that by the use of a torque wrench that will get the work done right in the first place itself.
- Prevention of breakdowns: Unadjusted wheel hubs sometimes not only result in the production of some vibrations and weird noises, but it could also cause something more dangerous. Your car could lose balance and run into dangerous situations. While a torque wrench can easily take care of all that by maintaining the wheel hubs correctly.
Factors to consider before buying a Torque Wrench
Before buying a torque wrench, there are some important points that you will be required to kept in mind so that you can buy the right kind of torque wrench.
So, here are the important pointers that must be considered while buying a torque wrench.
- Type of Torque Wrench: When it comes to the type of the torque wrench, there are basically 3 to be seen. These are the click-type torque wrenches, electronic and the beam torque wrench. The click and the electronic torque wrenches are the most widely used ones and beam wrench may be a little less reliable. Type of the wrench can be chosen according to the nature of the work.
- The size of the Torque Wrench: Talking about the sizes of the torque wrench, there is 4, namely: 1/4’’ drive, 3/8’’ drive, ½’’ drive and the ¾’’ drive. Each one of these sizes is meant for a differently sized nut and bolt. For example, the ¼’’ drive is used for extremely small ones while ¾’’ is meant for very large ones. Size is chosen according to the application of work.
- Accuracy: A torque wrench must always be tested for its accuracy before buying it. As an ideal measure of the accuracy, a count of 5% accuracy or more is considered essential to be present. Factory accuracy must always be maintained and that is why it must be recalibrated occasionally.
- Good grip: Your torque wrench must offer a great grip since it is all about the hands that are at work and the tool needs to be handled in just the right way. While working, your hands may be wet or greasy. In such a case, a poor grip of the wrench will only make tasks more frustrating. It is advice to check the grip before buying the torque wrench.
- Scale visibility: Since you will be required to check and read the scale each time to set the torque wrench to work, it is recommended to buy a torque wrench that offers a clear-cut display of the scale. You must not face any problem in reading the scale and it must be large and clear enough to read anytime you want.
Top 4 Torque Wrench Reviews of 2019
1. TEKTON 24335 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench
It is a torque wrench by TEKTON that lets you confidently tighten fasteners to precise specifications and ensure that the parts are properly secured without being damaged. The key features of this torque wrench are mentioned as follows.
- This wrench emits a click that can be heard and felt when the preset value is reached.
- It features a high-contrast dual-range scale that is very easy to read, even in low light.
- It comes with the reversible ratchet head that drives in both directions and measures torque in the clockwise direction.
- It features a durable all-steel construction and has no plastic parts that would break or wear out.
- It ships pre-calibrated to +/- 4% accuracy and comes ready to use.
- It has a very simple and reliable mechanical operation inside the handle and it produces a click you can hear and feel, alerting you to stop applying force.
- It comes with a high-contrast, dual-range scale which is easy to read, even in low-light situations.
- This design doesn’t need any batteries and features an all steel construction.
- It comes with the 1/2 in. drive torque wrench, a Storage case and an Operator’s manual with torque conversion chart.
- The overall dimensions of this torque wrench are 18.5 x 1.8 x 1.2 inches.
- The total weight of this torque wrench is 2.2 pounds.
2. VENZO Bicycle Bike Torque Wrench Allen Key Tool Socket Set Kit
It is a torque wrench by VENZO which comes with a gauge that is perfect for the bicycle carbon parts. The key features of this torque wrench are mentioned as follows.
- It is an essential bike tool and is a must have tool for installing bolts and bike parts.
- It comes with a quality bit set as all the most common bits are included in the package for your convenience.
- Its best bit is the longer 5mm Allen key which allows reaching the bolts easily.
- The Torque range is 2-24 NM which covers most bike parts installation and it comes with a Gauge that is perfect for bicycle carbon parts.
- It is a 1/4” Torque Fix Set.
- This torque wrench tolerance in Accuracy is +/- 4%.
- The Allen Keys present are 3 /4 / 5 / 6 / 8 / 10 mm, plus 5mm Longer Allen Key for easy use.
- It offers the T25 and T30 Torques.
- It is a high-quality wrench and is great for bicycle parts or bolts.
- It comes with a one year warranty.
- The total weight of this torque wrench is 1.6 pounds.
3. TEKTON 24340 1/2-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench
It is a torque wrench by TEKTON which has been sized for cars, trucks, tractors, and other large equipment and lets you confidently tighten fasteners to precise specifications. The key features of this torque wrench are mentioned as follows.
- This wrench emits a click that can be heard and felt when the preset value is reached.
- It features a high-contrast dual-range scale that is very easy to read, even in low light.
- It comes with the reversible ratchet head that drives in both directions and measures torque in the clockwise direction.
- It features a durable all-steel construction and has no plastic parts that would break or wear out.
- It ships pre-calibrated to +/- 4% accuracy and comes ready to use.
- It has a very simple and reliable mechanical operation inside the handle and it produces a click you can hear and feel, alerting you to stop applying force.
- It comes with a high-contrast, dual-range scale which is easy to read, even in low-light situations.
- Its other specifications are Range – ft.-lb.: 25-250 ft.-lb., Range – Nm: 33.9-338.9 Nm, Increment: 1 ft.-lb. (1.36 Nm), Accuracy: ± 4 percent.
- The total length of this torque wrench is 25 inches and the ratchet is 24 tooth.
- The total weight of this torque wrench is 4.4 pounds.
- The overall dimensions of this torque wrench are 25 x 2 x 1.2 inches.
4. TEKTON 24320 1/4-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench
It is a torque wrench by TEKTON that has been sized for motorcycles, bicycles, and small equipment that ensures that all the parts are properly secured without being damaged. They key features of this torque wrench are mentioned as follows.
- This wrench emits a click that can be heard and felt when the preset value is reached.
- It features a high-contrast dual-range scale that is very easy to read, even in low light.
- It comes with the reversible ratchet head that drives in both directions and measures torque in the clockwise direction.
- It features a durable all-steel construction and has no plastic parts that would break or wear out.
- It ships pre-calibrated to +/- 4% accuracy and comes ready to use.
- It has a very simple and reliable mechanical operation inside the handle and it produces a click you can hear and feel, alerting you to stop applying force.
- It comes with a high-contrast, dual-range scale which is easy to read, even in low-light situations.
- The other specifications are Range – in.-lb.: 20-200 in.-lb., range – Nm: 2.26-22.6 Nm, Increment: 1 in.-lb. (0.113 Nm), Accuracy: ± 4 percent, Length: 10-7/8 inch and the Ratchet: 24 teeth.
- The overall dimensions of this torque wrench are 10.5 x 1 x 0.8 inches.
Torque wrenches are undoubtedly an essential part of every toolbox and a must have for every professional. Depending on the right kind of configuration for you, choose the one that will suit your applications the best.
