Would/ do you trust Harbor Freight torque wrench's?

[drumiv]

Like the title says, would you, do you?

[zooknharley]

I have been using one for three years now on both my street and dirtbikes. Seems to work fine for me.

[devendontedavid]

Same here

[BOAB]

Best deal in tools.  Car Craft tested them, as accurate as ones you get off the truck.

[drumiv]

Thanks. So they are accurate?

[RMR MOTOSHOP]

No

[ktmRacer601]

Absolutely I trust them. Used it building my rfs ktm and my 2 stroke ktm.

[CRFRida1605]

I tested mine(1/4, 3/8, and 1/2) against my buddys snapon and couldnt tell a difference. That said I test it every few months or so to be sure it stayed calibrated and I wouldnt assume it came from the store set up properly. If I was a professional mechanic I would have the ones that cost 10 times as much but for me it doesnt make sense whatsoever.

Edited November 1, 2015 by CRFRida1605

[BEN HONDA RACER]

I have HF at home and MATCO at work. Works just as well as the spendy ones.

[MrBlahh]

yep, I trust them 

 

garage journal website has a pretty big harbor freight thread where people talk about what is worth buying and what's not

[BOAB]

Just make sure you zero it out after use.

 

BTW, there was a thread on this very subject months ago. ?

[yz250_TX]

HF is what I've used for years, haven't had any issues. Clicker type torque wrenches aren't all that accurate anyways regardless of brand.

[Missing_Link]

I use a 3/8 and a 1/2. They work well but the numbers don't line up perfectly with the line on one of them.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Missing_Link

[stanmerrell]

Yeah i would totally trust their 1/2 unit...its great as a club. Seriously though, you have to be kidding. Harbor freight is not the place to go for quality.

[SnowMule]

I'm a Test Engineer.  I have a torque calibrator at work.

Also have three HFT torque wrenches at home. 

Out of curiosity, I took them to work a while ago. 

They're not as accurate as our CDI wrenches at work, but they're within tolerance for motorcycles/snowmobiles and surprisingly repeatable. 

 

If you're assembling aircraft/spacecraft, or need NIST traceability.... you know what?  Spend a few bucks and buy the good stuff.

 

For a weekend-warrior wrenching on a dirt bike, snowmobile, ATV, even car/truck... the HFT stuff's fine.

Repeatability's what's important.  Doesn't matter that the head bolts are torqued exactly to the spec, but rather that they're all torqued closely to each other and within an acceptable range.  The HFT stuff does that.

 

[coryf89]

I trust my hand more.

 

only time I ever use a torque wrench is for the 4 head studs.  the rest is by feel.

your brain and common sense are sometimes a lot better/more accurate than some generic number in a book and a worn out, old cheap chinese torque wrench. 

[MrBlahh]

I torque far more than just head studs, if it moves it gets proper torque 

[rolandk]

I have all three. The 1/2" and 3/8" seem to work fine but there have been times the 1/4" went past the setting without clicking so I'm reluctant to use it. Maybe it's defective or my technique is wrong. I don't want to break off a head bolt inside the cylinder so I use my trusty old Craftsman beam torque wrench instead.

[Turboloader]

Wow, cool chart snow mule, I bought a car polishing tool to detail some 18 wheeler tractors for my brothers trucking school, and it lasted a while, then broke.  As for a torque wrench I use northern tools theyre products seem a little tougher for a gorilla like me lol!

[mikeridered]

I torque far more than just head studs, if it moves it gets proper torque 

I'm with you, Mr. Blah. Can't just go to HD or Lowes for fasteners on anything anymore. I have been using Precision Instruments split beam for many years. Used to get them checked by a friend at the airport, but they never needed calibration. So I continue to use them correctly, take care of them, and use them religiously.