I understand about the precision thing. When working in Aviation I
learned about the significance of proper torque.  Definitely do not want
the wrong torque on the bolts holding and engine on the wing or the wing
to the airplane. BUT - I also learned to never ever trust a torque
wrench. In the shop environment, everytime we had a torque job - that
torque wrench got calibrated just before hand. We had a certified torque
meter in the shop against which the wrenches were checked. I would never
trust just "any" torque wrench just out of the box, or one that has been
banging around in the tool box for who knows how long between
calibrations - if it has ever been calibrated.

John

On 6/1/2012 9:34 AM, Don Hanson wrote:
>    I wouldn't even think of using a Harbor Freight torque wrench on any of
> my bikes.  At the very fine (and critical) settings that are required and
> the fragile nature of bike frames and components,  a low-cost, possibly
> wrongly calibrated, torque wrench can cost you big!.   It doesn't take much
> of an error to ruin a bike frame that might be worth $5000.   Can you
> imagine the laugh you'd get if you went back to HF and said..."Hey, you
> sold me a faulty torque wrench for $12 and I used it on my carbon bike
> frame.  It didn't 'click' and it broke the bottom bracket (or the brake
> bridge) -the frame is now garbage.......You owe me a new frame.....That'll
> be $4800 you owe me for my down-scale carbon frame"
>     I could buy two of my very adequate inline VW 5sp vans for what I paid
> for my race bike, not counting the carbon wheels. And mine is not
> expensive, compared to some... There are bicycle torque requirements in the
> 5 nm range and 8 nm will cause catastrophic failure.   Descending a
> mountain pass at 50mph on a bicycle with carbon handlebars that have been
> torqued with a HF wrench?   When they may be over-torqued and ready to snap
> off, causing a high speed face-plant(at the very least)?
>
>   Not worth saving a few bucks on the wrench...
>
>     I do have one that I use on my Vanagon for wheel lugs and non-critical
> precision torque jobs.   The locking function, the extra knurled knob on
> the handle that is supposed to keep the setting locked in...that broke the
> first week I got the thing, and the little retainer ball fell out of the
> socket square drive so the sockets just drop off...pretty much junk, in my
> experience....Good price though..
>    Don Hanson
>
> On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 5:30 AM, Edward Maglott<emaglott3@gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>> Update:  I just got an email coupon for your choice 1/4, 1/2, 3/8
>> wrench for $12.99.
>>
>>
>>
>> Seems like if you wait long enough the torque wrenches are sometimes
>> $9.99.  I got the in/lb 1/4" drive one for the odd time I might need
>> that for bicycle work.
>>
>> I did the upper and lower ball joints on my '86 using the press type
>> thing I borrowed from my flaps for free.  no problems.
>>
>> Edward
>>
>>
>>
> .
>