Torque and Chrome

What's the difference between a torque wrench and a breaker bar?

Public Comments

1. Torque wrenches are to tighten nuts or bolts to a predetermined psi, and a breaker bar is simply for loosening or tightening bolts.
2. A torque wrench will have a scale on it so you can tighten things evenly to a particular number of pounds of force.
3. The term torque refers to the amount of pressure it takes to make something rotate, such as an axle or drive shaft in a vehicle, or a nut going onto a threaded bolt. A torque wrench is simply a handle to which, usually, a socket is attached in order to turn and tighten a nut onto a bolt. However, instead of just tightening the nut, the torque wrench has either a printed scale with a needle that swings to indicate the amount of foot pounds, (not PSI), that is being applied to the nut, or a joint like a knuckle, that pops or clicks when a preset force level is reached. A breaker bar is usually a large, long, heavy steel handle for sockets that is strictly for loosening very tight nuts and bolts. It has no measurement feature or ratcheting action.
4. Torque wrenches are used to tighten nuts and bolts to specific foot pounds. Could be an adjustable ratchet that autamatically slips when the proper foot pound is reached. Or a cheaper version that has a gaurge and needle and you manually stop when you reach the foot pound you need. A breaker bar is like a ratchet, but without the ratchet part. You attatch sockets to it and use it to break tough nuts and bolts loose.