Doug5150

For tightening smaller bolts, a lot of the clickers don't go all the way down to zero but the beam ones always do.

The Park TW-1 is one of the smaller beam wrenches around. Kinda not cheap tho.
https://www.parktool.com/product/torque-wrench-tw-1

JBC353

Under ideal conditions a beam type works great. That is where you can look directly down at the scale while using the tool. So no beam types in my tool chests. Clicker types work well in most conditions and I have three that cover the ranges I usually encounter.

Checking the calibration is easy using the hanging weight methods and there are videos on the intertubz that show how. Always check a newly acquired wrench and every few years after.

Many years ago I spent a very frustrating morning torquing the head bolts of a Volvo diesel in a cramped engine compartment of a nasty tupperware sailboat. There was only about 4" of clearance between the head and the bottom of the cockpit sole. I was using a big ass Snap-On torque wrench that belonged to the boatyard owner. Every second or third nut popped loose as I approached the specified setting. After the third one popped I crawled out, went back to the shop and rigged up test. I was amazed to find the wrench was off by a third.

Apparently Volvo knew about idiots like me and designed the nuts to give way without damaging the head bolts when over torqued. Ragmop (the Snap-On dealer) recalibrated the wrench and everything went back together with no issues.

Lesson learned - check the calibration!

rydabent

+1 for the beam type. They are simple accurate and do not go out of adjustment. Plus the fact that they are the most inexpensive.

In this day and age of CF bikes that have bolt holes imbeded in the plastic, a torque wrench is a necessity.

Murray Missile 

They can go out of calibration if abused or stored improperly. Improper storage meaning thrown in a tool box drawer with other tools on top of the beam.

I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, just relating my experiences. I've seen torque wrenches used for breaker bars, pry bars, hammers, you name it.

HillRider

If they are physically damaged won't the pointer be offset too so you get an immediate warning something is wrong?

I'm also a fan of beam wrenches from both cost and simplicity standpoints. I've never done any job on a bike where the pointer and scale weren't easily visible. For cars, boats, etc, where the mechanic is often working blind, sure clickers are the thing to have but bikes don't have that problem.

Murray Missile 

Not always, I've seen them where the beam was pushed down and was still on Zero but it affected the travel as it traveled through it's sweep.

I have nothing against beam type wrenches, I like them too. My first torque wrench was a beam type I used for many years until someone borrowed it and never brought it back. My needs require something else now and clickers cover all the bases for me. I understand a beam type is all many of you would ever need, I just want you guys to be aware that they are not indestructible or 100% foolproof as some seem to believe. Properly taken care of they can last a lifetime and be passed on to your heirs but they CAN go out of calibration if they aren't treated properly.

Doug5150

The reason I bought the little Park beam wrench was because I wanted a torque wrench that would work for smaller (non-bicycle) bolts. None of the clickers adjusted down as far.

There is dial torque wrenches that adjust down very low, and that read very accurate--but they're $175 for generic Chinese-made ones and ~$300 for name-brand ones. The Park was the smallest beam wrench I could find, and the $35 for the Park was a bargain by comparison.