Torque Wrench Calibration | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Torque Wrench Calibration

ZX600 said:
Snap on is no doubt great quality, I mean if we were all rich that would be the main brand but the fact that one tool is great does not make another one crap.

A Ferrari and a Honda are both priced accordingly and both do what they are bought for, saying Honda is crap because Ferrari is better is a sensationalized generalization
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Completely agree. Also I find Mastercraft tools pretty good in general. If your job entailed the use of tools, Mastercraft would still get you by no problem despite not being the first choice. Their lifetime warranty is also pretty awesome. I snapped the drive head of a 1/2" breaker bar once and CT replaced it no questions asked and with no receipt.

Btw the weight-method of calibrating linked to earlier... I found the instructions a bit confusing at first because no unit is provided for measuring length. At the end it is implied that it should be in feet (which would make sense for a ft-lbs scale).
 
Almost all my tools are Mastercrap! I don't do this for a living & prefer to have different tools rather than a few quality tools. Last week picked up a Dual bevel sliding mitre saw & a mig welder at 60% off. I wished I had picked up the Bosch saw but I would bearly use it more than 3x per year. With the welder, I can't wait to learn mig welding, I got lots of projects lined up
 
I do this for a living. I do have some mastercraft tools, as well as snap on, Matco, Mac. All are good, the top brands are definitely a noticeable difference when used on the daily. Mastercraft sockets are ok. Always had an issue with mastercraft 10 mm sockets. They seem to fit loose compared to a snap on which gives you a better chance at stripping a bolt or nut. As far as ratchets go. The mastercraft ones are crap. I use to replace them daily until I gave in and bought two ratchets from snap on for 300 bucks. Those were purchased 11years ago, used daily and I have never had to have them repaired or replaced under warranty. Saying that though the long mastercraft torque wrench isn't bad.
 
I must be using my tools all wrong. I use mastercraft wrenches (ratcheting) daily and have dropped them from 30-150ft (not regularly, that's bad) and they work fine after 8 years. All the stuff I use at home is mastercraft and I don't remember the last time I stripped a bolt. My torque wrenches are mastercraft, I think I'll get them calibrated, I've had them a few years now and they've served the purpose just fine.
 
People hear something years ago that someone without a clue said and they repeat it because they think they sound cool or knowledgeable, typical Tim Hortons parking lot chat.
 
Matt Rain said:
You can check it yourself with a length of rope and a weight. Or check it against a friend's newer, certified wrench.
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So now it seems I have to get a vise and learn math. I was playing billiards when I should have been in class.
I'll try the wrench I have, and if needed, I'll start a new thread.
 
RockerGuy said:
Almost all my tools are Mastercrap! I don't do this for a living & prefer to have different tools rather than a few quality tools. Last week picked up a Dual bevel sliding mitre saw & a mig welder at 60% off. I wished I had picked up the Bosch saw but I would bearly use it more than 3x per year. With the welder, I can't wait to learn mig welding, I got lots of projects lined up
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I took a 2 day weekend MIG class at Centennial College a few years ago. IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A WELDER but speeds up the starting process. If interested check to see if they still have it, Scarborough campus.
 
nobbie48 said:
I took a 2 day weekend MIG class at Centennial College a few years ago. IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A WELDER but speeds up the starting process. If interested check to see if they still have it, Scarborough campus.
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I will read up first then decide. Thanks
 
Instead of trying to figure out when you need to calibrate your clicker or LED snap on torque wrench why don't you try using a Beam-type torque wrench, they never go out of calibration and they don't care how they're stored. Higher tech doesn't necessarily mean better, although a clicker does help if you're doing a repetitive check on a number of fasteners. Beam type torque wrenches might be the oldest type but they are accurate and durable.
 
For Torque Wrenches, Snap On is worth the money. The Mastercraft ones are okay, but they are very inconsistent with the torque specs if you use it a lot.

I work in an diesel engine rebuild shop and we torque a lot of bolts. I used to check every Technician's Torque Wrenches for calibration every year, so I have a pretty good idea how out of spec each one gets after a year. I would recommend the Princess Auto Torque Wrenches over the Mastercraft ones. But Snap On, Mac and even Proto are worth the extra $ to me.

OP, PM sent.
 
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theassassin said:
Instead of trying to figure out when you need to calibrate your clicker or LED snap on torque wrench why don't you try using a Beam-type torque wrench, they never go out of calibration and they don't care how they're stored. Higher tech doesn't necessarily mean better, although a clicker does help if you're doing a repetitive check on a number of fasteners. Beam type torque wrenches might be the oldest type but they are accurate and durable.
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+1 ,a lot of people talk ***** about princess auto tools but when I worked at the p.a. on dixie many,many years ago they carried quality beam type torque wrenches,of course they were not powerfist,don't remember the brand.As for snap on ,the majority of their tools are quality for sure but I broke one of their $150.00 ratchets years ago,and I wasn't abusing it,guess I just got a lemon.Imho mastercraft make the best bang for your buck tools .
 
My son is a licensed car mechanic. He started with a large 400-piece Mastercraft Maximum tool set when it was on sale and added a few air tools from the Mac student program. As he got a bit more experience, he upgraded a few of his most-used tools to Snapon or Mac. In particular he much prefers the Snapon ratchets to the Mastercraft. The best part is that I got the hand-me-downs. The Mastercraft Maximum ratchets are better than the ones I was using and they are good enough for driveway bike wrenching.

With respect to torque wrenches, I have the Mastercraft Maximum 3/8-inch and he has the Mastercraft Maximum 1/2-inch. Mine doesn't get much use but he uses his all the time. He had to warranty the wrench once. I will ask him about calibration. If money wasn't an issue he would probably buy the Snapon.

Jim
 
jimdb said:
My son is a licensed car mechanic. He started with a large 400-piece Mastercraft Maximum tool set when it was on sale and added a few air tools from the Mac student program. As he got a bit more experience, he upgraded a few of his most-used tools to Snapon or Mac. In particular he much prefers the Snapon ratchets to the Mastercraft. The best part is that I got the hand-me-downs. The Mastercraft Maximum ratchets are better than the ones I was using and they are good enough for driveway bike wrenching.

With respect to torque wrenches, I have the Mastercraft Maximum 3/8-inch and he has the Mastercraft Maximum 1/2-inch. Mine doesn't get much use but he uses his all the time. He had to warranty the wrench once. I will ask him about calibration. If money wasn't an issue he would probably buy the Snapon.

Jim
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Funny - I have probably the exact same set & torque wrenches. The ONLY things I don't like in the whole set are the ratchets.

Also, since I sense this is coming up again:

Mastercraft torque wrenches - complete trash
Mastercraft Maximum torque wrenches - good enough for me
 
Ive wondered how accurate my torque wrenches are,, so I found this ingenious !

I have a beam style 1/2" indestro super..also a 3/8" Taiwan , and a 1/2" clicker ratchet that has no labels left on it.. so really not brand quality..

I did a 20 lb and a 40 lb weight.. lucked into a calibrated weigh scale to check that.

I put a 3/4 hex socket in the vice, and set up the ratchets with the string and weight and turned out they all indicated within a lb of correct! I was pleasantly surprized!


edit, that said.. I found the indestro super could be a quality USA tool...
 
I think I'll buy a beam type just to test the calibration of my Canadian Tire wrenches.
 
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