Warning: swapping to a digital torque wrench saved me $300 in rework after I botched 3 connector backshells last month.

Used to just go by feel on those old school click-type wrenches but after torquing a D-sub too hard and cracking the housing on a King radio tray I finally gave in and bought a snap-on digital one now I just set the value and it beeps when I'm done way less guessing has anyone else made the jump or still sticking with analog?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese55118d ago

...honestly I'm the opposite on this one, I think people get too reliant on the digital stuff and forget how to actually feel what they're doing. Those click wrenches will tell you a lot more than a beep if you pay attention to the vibration and the sound, you can catch a bad thread or a burr before it cracks something. Plus I've seen guys drop those digital ones and they're never the same after, they lose calibration or the sensor goes wonky and then you're just guessing anyway. My old man has a beam style torque wrench from the 80s that still works perfect, and I've never had to send a $400 tool in for a software update either.

avery72118d ago

Heard a guy on a podcast talking about how pro mechanics actually prefer click wrenches because they can feel stuff like cross threading way easier... makes sense cause digital tools just give you a number and a beep without telling you anything about what's happening under the hood. Your old man's beam style from the 80s is proof that simple tools last forever if you take care of them, no battery or circuit board to crap out on you. Saw somewhere that some digital torque wrenches drift like 2% per year just sitting in the drawer, which is wild when you think about it. Those software updates people keep talking about for their tools just sound like a way to sell you the same thing twice honestly.