Electronic torque wrench

[DavidEBSmith]

Just saw this on a tool blog, an electronic torque wrench coming soon from GearWrench. Supposed to be about $200 street price. It looks like they've done a nice job of copying the Snap-On electronic torque wrench (which is really really fun to use), wiht a couple of added features.

 

http://www.gearwrench.com/specialty_tools/electronic_xl_torque_wrenches/

 

[g_nuse]

These, like the electronic digital air gauges sound really cool, right up until you need it and the battery is dead.

[gdouglas]

A friend of mine has the Snap-on version. It is very nice. You don't even have to worry about backing off the setting to preserve calibration when not in use. I will be on the lookout for this wrench, especially for being around the $200 range. I think my friends Snappy was around $450.

[David]

If you buy one, let us know how it is. I have two electronic Snap-On torque wrenches and really like them.

[David]

These, like the electronic digital air gauges sound really cool, right up until you need it and the battery is dead.

 

You don' have AA batteries in your house? It's not like it's some exotic battery size.

[g_nuse]

I do have that size battery, but I use my old click/click elbow and analog torque wrench.

[DavidEBSmith]

I have two electronic Snap-On torque wrenches and really like them.

 

Well, yeah, I have the Snap-On, too. Love that BZZZZZ when you hit the proper torque. Makes me grin every time. But it is crazy expensive. This one is getting down into the price range of the good clicker wrenches. And the multi-color indicator lights are really bling.

[RFW]

These things, as well as LCD tire pressure gauges, give a false sense of accuracy. Sure, they read out to 10 decimal places (well OK, I exaggerate a bit). This give a false sense of accuracy. For example, I have a digital tire gauge that reads out in 0.1psi increments. But its stated accuracy is +/-1 psi. It is misleading for a readout to be 10 times more accurate (or more) than the actual accuracy of the device!

 

The worst thing about these types of torque wrenches is that you have no clue if they actually are accurate not in use. With a beam-type torque wrench, the accuracy cannot change over time, because the elastic modulus of steel never changes. Besides, with all the other souces of inaccuracy such as bolt friction etc., having a torque wrench that reads out to a claimed accuracy of 2% or 3%, is rather pointless.

[DavidEBSmith]

Well, you have no clue if any torque wrench is accurate unless it's calibrated to a traceable standard. If you think that a $15 Sears beam wrench is more closely calibrated to a traceable standard than a $XXX Snap-On wrench, well, OK.

 

The GearWrench torque wrench is rated to +/- 2%. At 40 Nm, that's +/- 0.8 Nm. No way I could ever read a Sears beam wrench to +/- 0.8 Nm, assuming it was at an angle I could see (the oil drain plug on the RT being a prime offender). So, no, I don't know if it's really 40.1 or 40.2, but I know that it's between 39.2 and 40.8. Do that on your beam wrench.

 

Finally, the electronic wrenches are built around strain gauges. No more moving parts than the beam wrench. Similar principle, in fact, except the beam wrench you measure the deflection by looking at a mechanical scale, and the electronic wrench you measure the deflection with an electronic circuit. If the elastic modulus of the steel in the beam wrench allows it to return to the exact same place after bending, the elastic modulus of the steel that the strain gauge is attached to in the electronic wrench does the same.

 

And having a wrench that reads to a high degree of accuracy isn't pointless because it reduces uncertainty in one part of the system. Yah, there's lots of other sources of inaccuracy, why add another?

[Motonut]

Thanks for the link and information. However, let no one assume that the warranty is more than one year... it's shameful marketing to have a webpage specifically for one product and depict "lifetime warranty" when it just ain't so. Sells torque wrenches though!

 

I have some other Gearwrench products and like them just fine... innovative and well built.

 

I'll more than likely have my favorite NAPA dealer get me one of these.

[RPG]

cool, but both my Sears Craftsman beam type units have never failed me and as of yet, haven't required a new battery.

 

Not saying I wouldn't like one though.

 

Rick