Are they any torque wrenches with lifetime warranties?

[79big10]

I was reading on the Mac and Snap on websites and they only warranty their torque wrenches for a year. Craftsman also says right on the package that it only has a 1 year warranty.

I have gone to a few pawn shops and I have found

Mac 50-250 lb $110 Looks brand new
2 snap on 50-200 lb $100and $130 fairly old

These seem like good prices to me, but I am wondering if I should buy them if they are not warrantied for life.

Is the Mac and Snap on similiar in quality? I have heard that snap on is the best, but if Mac is just as good I think I should buy it since it is brand new.

I am pretty sure that these used ones would be much better that a new craftsman one.

Any suggestions as to which one of these or different brand would be appreciated

thanks

[1BadZ71Tahoe]

I was reading on the Mac and Snap on websites and they only warranty their torque wrenches for a year. Craftsman also says right on the package that it only has a 1 year warranty.

I have gone to a few pawn shops and I have found

Mac 50-250 lb $110 Looks brand new
2 snap on 50-200 lb $100and $130 fairly old

These seem like good prices to me, but I am wondering if I should buy them if they are not warrantied for life.

Is the Mac and Snap on similiar in quality? I have heard that snap on is the best, but if Mac is just as good I think I should buy it since it is brand new.

I am pretty sure that these used ones would be much better that a new craftsman one.

Any suggestions as to which one of these or different brand would be appreciated

thanks

I just had my OLLLLLLLLLLD (18+ Years) snap on wrenches re-calibrated. 1/2" Ft Lbs, and 3/8" Inch Lbs. It cost 65.00 per wrench. I'm sure MAC has the same sort of thing. Snap-On guys in large towns have a re-calibrator right on their trucks, but I live in the boonies.

- B

[Jokeman]

I dont know of any.

[wrenchguy]

I don't know of anyone that provides a lifetime warranty. I have a Snap on from the 70's with a bad ratcheting head that they don't have parts for any more. Stay away from the craftsman or any other clone (SK). My SK blew up on me, literally, in under 1 year. I also had a craftsman crack at the head, the metal that they use is just weak. Then I sold the rights to my firstborn and switched to Stahlwille, but I don't think that's what your looking for at this point.

I would really have to see the tools to determine what shape the snappy ones were in and what models they were. If they are TQ series (they have a little thumbwheel on the side) then I would get that one. Those are split beam type and don't require the tool to be zeroed out after use. They are very tough, but don't torque left hand threads.

If they are Torqometer (has a dial for the scale) I would stay away from those. They don't handle shock well, I only use mine for light stuff like engine building where I have to make multiple passes. They are generally more accurate, and thus more expensive.

Most likely they are the coil spring type, in which case I would make sure that they were stored at zero. It doesn't mean that the wrench is now bad, it just means that the last person to use it rode the :shortbus: . At that level either brand would get the job done, they generally go for $250-$270 brand new. Bring a socket and try each one out, then buy the one you like.

[retired wrench]

I just got parts for my Cornwell that I have had for over 40 years. They provided the parts at no cost and even paid the shipping. RW

[NEUMANNZZ]

my pittsburg(made in china, harbor freight specials) torque wrenches got a lifetime warranty!:happy:

[99silveradoguy]

I do alot of tire work daily at the shop (normally 10-15 tire jobs daily) figure average 20 lugnuts per vehicle, which are torqued twice (once by me and once by a fellow technician to cover my ass if a customer tries to claim it wasnt tightened.. so 40 torque's per vehicle. were open 364 days a year.... around 145,000 to 218,000 torqued clicks a year... the torque wrench ive been using is a 4 years old , around 900,000 clicks ? and with maintainance and calibrations its still works as good as new. Its a steelman brand torque wrench. more exspensive then craftsman, but about half the cost of a comparable snap-on

http://www.annco.com/products/images/301494.jpg
http://www.annco.com/products/pro_2.cfm?ItemNumber=301494

[RatPoweredTruck]

Has anyone actually seen how they calibrate these things? I am just curious to know how "innacurate" they become as they get more tear and wear. How accurate are they to begin with? 1%-or+? Just wondering how something static like the inside mechanism of these tools can be reset...unless they replace a .50 cent spring and charge people $50 bucks for it. Just wondering if anyone really knows what's up.

[Kidney]

Dunno exactly about how they recalibrate, but I do know proper storage of your click type torque wrench will help keep it reading correctly a lot longer.

You can usually find good deals on CDI torque wrenches on Ebay. If I remember correctly, they make a lot of the truck brand's torque wrenches.