I finally broke down and bought that $40 torque wrench from Harbor Freight after 3 years of borrowing my buddy's Snap-On.

I figured it would strip bolts left and right but I've put maybe 50 flight control bolts on with it so far and every one clicked right at the spec. Anyone else found a tool they swore was junk that actually held up?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_wendy3mo ago

Did you torque those flight control bolts to the right spec or just the sticker number?

pat_stone3mo ago

The real trick is Harbor Freight batch quality, yours rolled good but the next one might not.

jadej503mo ago

That's exactly what I was wondering about with the flight control bolts... you really trust that sticker number or did you look up the actual spec? @pat_stone is right about the batch thing, that's the gamble with Harbor Freight stuff. I had a Pittsburgh torque wrench that lasted one job before the internals went loose, but my buddy's been using the same one for years. Glad yours worked out but I'd still check it against another wrench if you can.

aaronsullivan27d ago

And yeah that batch quality thing is real, I took a gamble on a Pittsburgh socket set once that had a 10mm that was slightly off center, but the rest have been fine for years. Honestly you gotta check each tool individually before you walk out the door with it, that's just the game with budget gear. Tbh if yours clicked right on spec for 50 bolts I'd say you got a good one and just run with it.