Picked a cheap torque wrench over a Snap-on. No regrets yet.

Had to choose between a $40 Harbor Freight torque wrench and a $300 Snap-on last week. Needed it for a head gasket job on a 2005 Civic. Grabbed the cheap one because I'm on night shift budget mode. Clicked right at 44 ft-lbs on all 10 bolts. Car fired up first try. Anyone else trust the budget stuff for home garage work?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_bell9d ago

Honestly "no regrets yet" is fair. I've got a Harbor Freight one that's been clacking away on my '03 Camry for two years now. It's not perfect but for backyard stuff it gets the job done. Ngl I'd still grab a used Snap-on if I saw one cheap though.

faith_shah889d ago

Yeah that's pretty much where I landed too. I got a Pittsburgh one off the shelf about four years ago and it's still kicking on my old Ford Focus. The trick I found is to keep the oil changed regular and clean the filter after every few uses. I mean they're not built like tanks or anything but for the money they're honestly fine. Just make sure you don't go cranking on rusty bolts with it cause the anvil can crack if you're not careful.