Am I the only one who doesn't trust torque wrenches from Harbor Freight?

I know they're cheap and everyone says they're fine for basic stuff, but I tried one on a Cessna 172 spark plug install last month and it clicked way too early. I double-checked with my old Snap-on and it was off by almost 10 foot-pounds. That's a big deal when you're torquing cylinder head bolts or prop hardware. I get that we all want to save money, but on aircraft work I think the risk isn't worth it. Has anyone else had a cheap torque wrench let them down on critical fasteners?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jennifer9d ago

Yeah the "fine for basic stuff" argument always made sense to me until I read this. I was one of those guys who thought a cheap torque wrench was fine for lug nuts and oil drain plugs. But hearing it was off by 10 foot-pounds on a Cessna spark plug install is scary. That's not just a little off, that's a big miss on something that could cause a cylinder or prop issue in the air. I used to roll my eyes at guys spending Snap-on money but this kinda stuff really opens your eyes.

hugoj865d ago

That 10 foot-pound error on the Cessna plug - did you check it after the fact to see if the Harbor Freight wrench was just inconsistent or if it was consistently reading low across multiple clicks?