Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
They're $20 for a good enough one, so cost is a non-issue. I use mine for bottom bracket and square taper crank installation, and they're a good idea when carbon fiber parts are in the picture.
OK, do you know what the difference is between a $20 Harbor Freight torque wrench and a $45 one from Sears? The Sears wrench is calibrated, and comes with a certificate of calibration. I've worked in manufacturing facilities where they bought those cheap HF wrenches, and I was the person who calibrated them. They were regularly 25% off, and maybe 1 out of 15 was so bad that it couldn't calibrate at all.