Torque and Chrome

Walmart torque wrench any good?

I saw a torque wrench at Walmart the other day for $25 dollars. Question is are these wrenches close to accurate at all? I wouldn't mind if it's off by a little bit. I mainly want to use it to torque down my head bolts and occasionally to toque down the lug nuts on my wheels. May be some other things that I know the stock torque specifications of. Does anyone have any first hand experience with these "cheap" Walmart torque wrenches? And don't even say "oh you should get a Snap-On there better" because I'm not going to spend $300 bucks on something I'm probably not going to use much.

Public Comments

1. i've tried number of inexpensive torque wrenches over the years. there are a few good ones, but most suck ass. craftsman has much better quality, for a much better price than snap-on. and always remember to get it calibrated periodically
2. They aren't that accurate to the pin point but as long as you take care of it you should be fine. Always turn the torque wrench to zero over long periods of time or else the torque sticks inside will start to mess up.
3. Think about it....Wal-Mart+tool=cheap. If you are taking the time to torque something, get a decent brand wrench.
4. I bought an even cheaper one at Harbor Freight for $15. The cheap ones are perfect for Torquing lug nuts. I was sceptical about using them for head bolts though. But, I torqued all 10 of mine at 53 lbs and haven't had a problem with them since. I defintely wouldn't trust it for anything less then 30lbs or anythin requiring inch pounds. But anything high torque is fine. I could never justify spending $300 for some Snap On.
5. If it's slightly off and stays just slightly but I would not trust is longevity I would do a little shopping around maybe home depot
6. I would recommend "Craftsman", they are economical and I know of people who have gotten very good quality use from them. I know of three people who race during the summer for fun and use Craftsman tools exclusively. And of course they still have their lifetime warranty. I also used to work in the auto repair business and it was not uncommon to see mechanics who had mostly "Craftsman" tools.
7. You know the saying,you get what you pay for.