Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Torque wrench tests

First up is an Armstrong 64-031.

1. Thanks to Logger for sending the wrench. Armstrongs are nice wrenches. I've used one of their 1/2" models a good deal.

2. The actual torque values measured were plotted along with the settings on the wrench. This was done to make it easy to see the difference between the Actual vs Desired (i.e. setting on the wrench itself). On the chart below you can see the torque values on the left axis. The bottom axis is simply the setting count and has no real meaning other than it allows the data to be plotted for easy viewing.

3. The wrench was tested 10x at each setting and was extremely repeatable.

4. Since there was some error, I used a curve-fit with the actual data and created a correction table for Logger.

5. A Snap-On calibration fixture was used for the test.

Here's the data and correction tables for the Armstrong 64-031.

Good report. Thank you. I've been thinking about getting a torque wrench for some time. Your reports will help make the buying decision easier.

I have accumulated several torque wrenches over the years; all of them being dedicated to working on my rifles.

IIRC, you will be testing several wrenches in the future. Perhaps we could make this a sticky or at least keep the results in a continuous running thread.

Thank you for your time.

Have you tested a Borka? It takes a little practice to use, but I like it. No idea how accurate it is though.

Some other members have expressed interest in sending a Weaver and Wheeler Fat Wrench for comparison. If so, I'll post the results.

I haven't used a Borka but would like to try one!

After all of this discussion I started to do a bit of looking on line.

I found an old fashioned deflective beam type wrench on Amazon. It is a Park Tool TW1. It is made by the Park Tool company in St Paul, MN. The price was less than $40.00. It came from a bike shop.

The pointer was off of zero by about two inch pounds. Easy fix. Put the square shank in a padded vise, and deflect the pointer until it returns to "0."

When I was a young fella every toolbox around had a beam type torque wrench. Clickers are all the rage now, but it seems that fewer people have a torque wrench of any type these days. I don't know what changed but it seems less fashionable to have a beam type.

I like beam wrenches.

Send it, and I'll test it and report the results.

I've Got a Older Snap-On TQ-1 Torqometer That I Picked Up Years Ago At a Flea Market. Guy Wanted $10. And Me. Being Me. Offered $8.Have To Say It's Been Well Worth The Money. Hard To Do Things With Out One..

Next up is a 1/4" Pittsburgh Pro...

Thanks to SenderoMan for sending the 1/4" Pittsburgh Pro from Harbor Freight Tools. Got to say that he and Logger have been good guys to work with on this little project.

I was running low on time and to keep things apples-to-apples for firearms-use I'm only posting data up to 50 in*lbs for now. Range for this torque wrench is 20-200 in*lbs. I'll try to post results for the entire range at a later date.

Same test procedure and reporting as before. The x-axis is meaningless but makes it easier to plot and show how the actual torque matches the settings on the wrench.

On with the results... and its "PittsburgH".

Thanks for specifying, in* pounds as opposed to, ft. pounds.
Not uncommon to see folks mixing the two and not realizing the difference.
Quote "stock screws were less than 40ft/lbs" from today's posts

The Pittsburgh Pro did much better than I expected. In the 20-50 in*lb range it did fairly well. At higher ranges the first click after making a setting change would be higher than subsequent uses. If this were my wrench and I wanted to be very precise I would exercise the wrench at least once after setting the wrench. In other words... set the wrench to the desired torque value, put square drive in vice (or similar), click a few times, then use. In the 20-50 in*lb range this was not needed, but wouldn't hurt.

Inconvenient? Maybe, but I think you can get this wrench for $20.

Jason

Dang. Still havent sent the wheeler, but I will.

First all, thanks for taking the time to do this.

Second, I'll pick up one of those Pittsburgh wrenches, seems like a deal for $20.

No rush CT. Hoping to get a Weaver too.

Dave,

I had a HFT 1/4" wrench that was off by a lot. Went to look for it for this test but I must have pitched it since it was nowhere to be found. I told this to SenderoMan and he still wanted to send his wrench. I'm glad he did.

I think we need to be careful since I've only got one sample for each/make model. But, if you want to send your wrench, I'll test it for you. Just send a PM.

Jason

Jason,
Thanks for testing these wrenches out and yes I'm glad I did send it! I was a little worried about its accuracy after talking with you and wonder if they are consistent from wrench to wrench. Just glad that I ended up with an accurate one!

If you watch for sales, these can be had for way less than the $20.

My experience with two HF Pittsburgh 1/4" drive torque wrenches was a little different. I wanted a 1/4" torque wrench to torque the intake manifold bolts on my truck. These are critical fasteners that have to be torqued correctly and evenly to avoid problems.

I went to HF and bought one. It did not function. It was totally defective and I returned it for another one. That one functioned but I tested it on a random bolt on my truck, at a couple of different settings, and it didn't feel right. So I tested it it against my calibrated Snap-On 3/8" drive and it did not produce the same torque values.

I returned that POS also. I ended up using my Snap-On, at just below it's normal torque range, and it went together right and tight.

Just MHO but I don't believe HF torque wrenches are tested or calibrated. They're the cheapest of cheap "looks like a torque wrench" chinese crap. You might get lucky but ...

SenderoMan,

No problem. Thanks for sending it.




Fish Head,

I think you get what you pay for. Sometimes you can find a bargain or get lucky. I still think the 1/4" HFT torque wrench is hit/miss. I've seen a few 1/2" versions that have been pretty good for occasional home use. I wouldn't trust any of them without checking first.

You make a great point about paying attention to the "feel". I think that people who don't wrench small fasteners would have a hard time judging this. The average 1/4" torque wrench has a lot of leverage. Probably best to start with a smaller tool (small combo wrench or nutdriver) and tighten lightly by hand then use the torque wrench, while paying attention to feel. We shouldn't be using a torque wrench as a ratchet any way, although many people do.

Spending more money is not always a guarantee for better accuracy. A fella I know grabbed a 1/4" Snap-On to mount a scope to his new T3. I suggested that he check it first. It was set to 25 in*lbs, but the actual torque was 45 in*lbs... off by 80%. I've seen this with another 1/4" Snap-On but both were the digital variety.

Jason