Just imagine you were intending to perform a mechanical repair and you end up doing more damages or having to do the work again. This doesn’t feel good at all. That is why choosing best torque wrench is very important if you want to perform a repair and you wish not to perform it for another time or also prevent more damages in the process of performing any mechanical damage. Actually choosing the best torque wrench is part of the whole process of performing a particular mechanical repair.
Basically before you make a conclusion on the best torque wrench to purchase you will have to ask yourself so many questions. These questions will be like; what type of toque wrench do I want? which is the best brand in the market? Which size of square head drive will I pick? How accurate is it? Is a certificate of calibration included? Whether a storage case is included? All these questions should be in your mind before purchasing a torque wrench.
When choosing best torque wrench you should first know that despite the brand, all torque wrenches actually have the same operating principle but what makes them differ from each other are the prices, durability and accuracy. The best and most popular brand of torque wrenches are; CDI, Teckton, Parktool, Craftman, Snap on and Norbar.
Torque wrench sizes are used for different sizes. In addition to that, there are four sizes of square head drive:
- 1/4-inch drive which is used for bolts and small size nuts which small amounts of torque are required such as Garden equipment, Motorcycle and Bicycle.
- 3/8-inch drive torque wrench which is used mainly for light trucks and passenger vehicles.
- 1/2-inch drive torque wrench drive which is usually used for Service Utility Vehicles, large equipment and also for larger automotive repairs.
- 1-inch drives are used mainly for heavy vehicles like Large Cargo Aircraft, Marine works and Passenger Airlines.
The accuracy of the torque wrench is one of the questions which you ask yourself before purchasing a torque wrench. In the market today, most torque wrenches have an accuracy of (+/-) 5%. A certificate of calibration is a document that certifies the accuracy of the torque wrench against the standard which it is being tested. Most of these certificates are usually valid for one year after date of usage or after three years after the inspection of the torque wrench. Calibration certificates have key features like the model number, serial number, accuracy limits, date of calibration, ambient temperature and the torque setting to which the torque wrench is calibrated.
There are five types of torque wrenches;
- Clicker type wrench.
- Beam type wrench.
- Split beam type.
- Dial.
- Electronic with digital read out.
After Choosing best toque wrench, good results after the mechanical repair will always follow. This is because the best tool was used to perform the repair. With the best toque wrench you will avoid mistakes like over-tightening or under-tightening of nuts and bolts which cause after mirth frustrations like having to re-do the work or causing more damages. Putting all those factors into consideration, whether you want to tighten or loosen a small nut on a garden equipment to making repairs on a large vehicle you will actually manage to make a right choice in choosing best torque wrench.
