As a young tradesman. I am currently working on building my tool arsenal and these reviews are kinda making my decisions somewhat rational! And probably saving me a lot of money. Thanks boys!
Generally a good rule of thumb with tools is to buy cheap and replace expensive. If you use a tool enough to break it it's worth potentially investing in something more rugged since you know you'll get your money's worth out of it. Though that does fly in the face of the example set by the poor snap-on in this video lol
@@anaveragesniper4846 A battery impact has been a gamechanger. Completely untethered from an air compressor. Doesn't fit in all gaps that the pneumatic did but it's still what I'm using 80% of the time I use an impact.
After a few of these videos you can tell the chemistry between these guyshas gotten much better. They're much more comfortable clowning on each other. Great episode
For anyone wondering about the cheap wrench, it’s the best Amazon purchase i’ve ever made. I’ve been using it constantly for the better part of a year and it’s been great. Glad to know it’s been in spec this whole time :)
Same! I have the 150 ft-lbs model and its awesome. Only complaint is that the little nut that locks the handle keeps coming loose while you tighten, I would much rather have a click in system like the other wrenches in the vid
Snap actions need to be exercised to the full scale of the wrench to dissipate any error within the spring and gearing mechanisms inside the wrench to get a truly accurate reading at specific test points
And what if you leave it cranked up to max torque? i've heard it can lose accuracy if you don't back it down to zero for storage (6mo+) and leave it at a high torque setting since it puts tension on the spring
@@austinh1028 Actually click-type torque wrench should be stored at 20% of their maximum setting, not at zero (Usually, 20% of the maximum setting is the lowest scale setting). Storing at fully loaded torque wrench weakens the spring over time. If you completely offload the spring to the zero setting, other components within the wrench may move a little. This rule doesn't apply to Split-Beam Click-type torque wrench which doesn't have a spring.
Most surprised to learn torque wrenches have a break-in period. Seems like something that would be handled at the factory during assembly and quality control.
@Itz_Hunted youre not wrong but all three of them getting so much closer after being used is sorta in your face undeniable evidence that they benefit from being broken in
It’s not about break in period, it’s actually just larger sample size. Check out “the law of large numbers” the more you record a statistic, it finds it’s true mean
It's not a break in, torque wrenches need a "warm up" to spread the lubricant around the mechanism. Normally not that big a deal if you're just doing lug nuts or subframe bolts or something, but if you're doing critical fasteners like head bolts or crank cap bolts you want to set it to a low torque and click it a few times
I personally got the ep auto wrench as a gift for my birthday and instantly though “wow what a cheap pos”. But 2 years later it’s still going strong and is still just as accurate after many drops!
The EPAuto wrench looks exactly like my Tekton torque wrench. Since it's made in Taiwan, also, they might be the same factory. The Tekton rings in at whopping $65, but it comes with a lifetime warranty. Three years in, mine's still hitting spec no problem.
@@Ardeact they're not really interested in having shit break so customers re-buy, because if a cheap piece of shit breaks we're just gonna get something different therefore, low cost shit usually is more reliable. specially since the diminishing returns makes anything worth considerably more not close to being worth it
Thank you for this. I am so glad I watched this before buying my next torque wrench. I have kids that help me in my shop and on my channel so your tests are more real world than you might think. lol. My youngest was standing on my 350 ftlb torque a while back when I was putting back on an axle nut. Keep the great, informative, and entertaining content coming. You all are awesome.
Tip, use a ratchet strap or a snatchblock pulley system for the stress test so everyone can stay well clear of flying debris. Don't want you guys going blind, getting your teeth smashed etc
Yeah. It was a little irresponsible to assume none of them would break in a dangerous way, especially having bought a notably cheap one. Even if it wasn't the one that failed.
@@Hakkapell Depends if they just test static loads or also test shock and vibrational ones. as well as ones at different temperatures like "how well do the jacks do at sub zero vs +40 degrees C?" all useful info imo.
Feel so bad for Henry and Jobe on this one man you could tell immediately how bad Zach felt afterwards man. Things like that happen in the gaaaraggee and it sucks but awesome y'all are such great friends. Couldn't imagine a better job than working with nothing but cool ass people man!
I’m a new diesel mechanic and I used to have a Mac torque wrench that my dad gave me but he asked for it back and now I need a new one. Is this one that you use good?
Never would I imagine the cheapest torque wrench ended up being the best. Crazy. I bet you anything these things become more expensive effective as of right now.
But it’s not the best. The Snap-On is the best. But ya know, fuck American jobs because tHe tOrQuE WrEnCh DiDnT sUrVivE WiTh A cHeaTeR bAr oN tHe TiP oF ThE HaNdlE.
There is more to tools than just strength, as the above states continued accuracy is arguably more important for someone who swings wrenches for a living.
@@lulzywizard7576 Yeh, but hands up everyone, who used torque wrench as not recommended. I bent a few or the mechanism broke, none became a slingshot. This is a major security risk in design. __________ Even in US law, I guess there is something about the fact that the manufacturer must take into account the use within the established practice, not the use only exactly according to the instructions. (I heard it on the Legal Eagle channel, I don't live in the US and I don't know US laws.) For $ 450 a pretty bad product...
@@bmxrichard21 i'm pretty sure 172% of the limit specified on the box should be enough to absolve said company of issues resulting from the misuse of its product. just about doubling the recommended maximum that it's supposed to be used for is kinda yikes. that said, they picked a more expensive, but less heavy duty option for the pricier one
I luckily found y’all’s channel right when I started working on my truck. I had never changed oil before. Did it easily, working on the wiring my self and radiator. Need to get some tools as I have ALOT of work to do but it’s been fun and informative binge watching these and I got ideas on what to get thanks to y’all👌🏻 Thanks a lot!
Don't forget to check out the local pawn shops in your area when you're looking for tools to add to your collection! Great places to find good tools on the cheap!
I am in calibration. I have calibrated torque wrenches. This is simultaneously the best thing to watch and the worst lol. I have always wanted to do the "physical reliability" test you have done here when a wrench is not passing...otherwise I have some of my personal experience to share below if you all are interested. Something for the future maybe: Use multiple operators to show operator variability, Take data sets of like 30 readings per operator to smooth out the data collected - an erroneous reading once or twice has less impact in a data set of 30 points than it would in 5 points. In the Army, we have typically tested wrenches at 20%, 60%, and 100% of full scale torque for calibrations. Have the wrench mounted at as close to parallel with the floor as possible to minimize the torque gravity is applying and to prevent the tester from accidentally applying to much torque when testing the desired torque setting. Manufacturers might have a "calibration" cert for the wrench when you buy it. This can quickly become a slippery slope of B.S. but verify the accreditation (if any), the calibration points (if any), etc., - basically trust but verify. Make sure you hold the wrench while torquing it from the handle ONLY and nowhere closer as you are technically applying more torque than the setting any other way, though for smaller value torque wrenches this is more of an issue (say 8 or 12 in/lbs.). Maybe have your breaker bar further up on the wrench when you are testing higher torques so you decrease the chances of catastrophic damage to the wrench and flying metal components? I could probably go on but I just want to say, this is still a very good test you all did. I like your guys' content and keep it up! My intent here is to provide some tips to help you all refine your craft. Awesome job.
I would think you mean perpendicular to the floor...and sure their testing methodology could be better but it's tone deaf to think a video from doughnut media is going to be in any more detail than the average Joe can understand. Leave the in depth testing to channels better suited.
@@calebnasiatka5711 Project Farm has a torque wrench comparo that includes 2 of the 3 from this video as well as a bunch of others: ruclips.net/video/HP4uECoH8cc/видео.html
I've heard that military techs do some "break in" method by clicking them at full torque a couple of times before usage so it definitely is plausible they need some light break in
A torque wrench that was my Grandpas, then my Dads, is now mine, so its pretty old maybe 40 years or more. It does say in its manual that you should give it a few clicks to get the grease to move after sitting for a while to make sure its more accurate. It wasn't much of a surprise to me after they started doing a bit of a break in and they became more accurate.
In aircraft maintenance when we check out a torque wrench, we are supposed to set it to the highest setting and get it to click 6 times. This warms the lubricant in the wrench and forces it across the mechanism in the wrench, thus increasing overall accuracy. We have a plate with sockets of different drive sizes weld to it and then bolted to a heavy steel table
military ctk's also send their torque wrenches out for calibration like every 6-months. And they have a policy of never using the bottom 5% of the scale because thats where they are the least accurate. From a usaf aircraft technician
This was cool to watch because I'm a calibration technician and that's exactly how we test torque wrenches. We just have a machine that you crank the handle and it runs the torque wrench up to get a more consistent pop. I will say from my experience, Snap-On and CDI make the best torque wrenches.
@@deathmetaldownhiller7874 So I service and calibrate a lot of different brands, it all depends on what different clients send in. As for the worst brand, I'd have to say Proto or Craftsman. Protos seem to start to become out of tolerance at about the 12-month mark and need adjusted which can be somewhat difficult on those. Craftsman is just bad. We typically put all torque wrenches on a 6 or 12-month cycle but Craftsman we put on about 3-months. I don't know what it is about them, but some of those torque wrenches won't get used more than once or twice per month and they'll constantly need adjustments. Most of the time the clients just have us fail them and they replace it with another one. If you're going to get a torque wrench for work, I would use Snap-On and CDI.
@@nunosimoes6045 I've tested a few but not a lot of them. I think in the last year I've tested maybe 5 or 6 of them. I don't really have enough experience with them to form an opinion on them.
I am honestly pretty sure alot of people do the pipe on tool I think car jacks might be to blame, as at least one design comes with a pipe for extra leverage.
@@d4rkside_europe564 Then you need to upscale your torque wrench.. There's a reason why you find 1" drive 1000ftlb torque wrenches being 6 feet long and your 1/2" drive with a max 300 ftlb only being 2' 1/2". If you need more leverage to hit max torque on your wrench you either need to hit the gym or your over shooting your max torque and using the wrong tool.
According to the graphic during unboxing the Snap-On is only rated to 150ftlb. Still not great considering the others held up to more overages, but may be the reason it broke.
Doing a "torture" test means nothings and if the tool breaks outside what it was designed to do you can not say it's bad. I have Snap on torque wrenches that are still in calibration(checked yearly) and almost 15 years old and get a fair amount of use. They are just more accurate all of the time compared to the stuff. You gotta be real close when dealing with TTY bolts.
@@tjkj-om9oi I have a snap on twin beam and digital. I’ve had them both for almost 5 years now. I use the twin beam daily and the digital when it’s needed. I don’t overload my stuff so they last. I’ve also heard some weird shit about icons warranty
@@tjkj-om9oi I got the cornwell digital 1/4 and 3/8. Only issue I have with them is there isn’t an easy to see counter. You have to go back through the memory and count yourself. I have the snap on 1/2” digital I bought when I was doing heads on a BMW and love the thing. They were 80 NM followed by 2 stages of 80° or some shit like that. I have their twin beam for my wheel wrench
@@tjkj-om9oi it’s a great test for quality though which is the whole purpose of this series. If something can work after being stressed far out of its zone, that means it’s insanely high quality, even if it’s not designed to be used that high.
@@PointlessDrummer It's planned obsolescence, they design them so that they break at the limit, basically the apple of tools, especially since lots of their tools don't have the lifetime guarantee
I hope Henry is ok! This video is great since torque wrenches are so important and I’m planning on buying one soon too! 😂 good to know I can get away with (and my even be better of with) a decent cheap one. Thanks guys!
Not the first time I’ve seen snap on tools fail. Seen many failures on many of their tools. Good thing about them is they either fix them or replace them. With the exception of a few tools. Torque wrench being one of them after one year die to it being a precision tool. Great video. Thanks.
One difference I noticed is that the more expensive ratchets are flex head whereas the cheaper one isn't. While flex heads are more convenient, they are loads more fragile than even a cheaper torque wrench so to me it's no surprise that the cheap wrench outlasted the other two. I guarantee if you got a non flex head icon wrench (maybe not the snap-on since it didn't even fail at the head), it would be a lot closer.
I've never seen a torque wrench with a flex head and I never considered getting one with it. Torque tools are supposed to have little moving parts to transfer torque effectively and accurately. If it's on a ratchet wrench, that's OK.
@@yongling9825 they're fine if you're not torturing them or over-torqueing them, but obviously in a torture test they're just not going to hold up. I own both a regular and flex head torque wrench and only really use the flex head when im torqueing something in an odd or hard to reach spot.
@@yongling9825 there are a few bolts that you just cant use a straight 1/2 torque wrench on. you either start throwing extenders on, or you wing it. 150 is a bit much for a secondary torque wrench though, at least for a lot of people.
You’re absolutely right. I had a stuck lug nut and couldn’t get it off with a flex head breaker bar. Swapped it for a non flex head of the same length and I got the bolt. The more rigidity and stiffness in the solid piece gave me that extra torque I needed. I imagine with the flex head on a torque wrench over time would get a little bit looser and the give will have a less accurate result
Very cool video guys, lots of good info here. As a previous technician and snap on dealer, I can say honestly, save your money when it comes to torque wrenches. Torque wrenches are not used as often as a 10mm socket so I’d say spend your hard earned cash on what you use most frequently. I think snap on hand tools are still the best by far, and a worthy investment for a professional mechanic. However, for the weekend warrior and enthusiast, a nearly full tool cart or a lot of fuel can be had for $450.
I think we should have done one more test. The "I forgot to untorque my torque wrench" test, and leave it there for a month and come back to it. I have the same epauto wrench and I have constantly forgotten to untorque it. I hope my 80ft-lb on the wheel nut actually still is 80 now
I worked at an engineering company that made these torque wrenches for snap-on and the worst employees were always sent there to work... It was actually a joke among us that we were gonna be sent to the Snap-on department if we slip up🤣 yeah, I definitely don't think they're worth the $500 they ask for.. pretty hilarious it broke too. From what I remember they were made by temp workers who would often leave work orders half completed. Definitely not a mark of quality lol
First, I don't believe anything you wrote here. I believe that Snap-on tools are one of the most expensive professional tools on the market and they are made to the highest standard. Snap-on would cancel a contract with any company that doesn't make products to Snap-on standards. I often see on RUclips comments like Snap-on wrenches or sockets are breaking everywhere! Really! I never cared about Snap-on tools and I didn't like their polished finish, I lived in denial. Snap-on and Proto too, wrenches, sockets, extensions, breaker bars, ratchets, and handles are the best mechanical tools you can buy or one of the best. I worked for the bus services of Greater Vancouver public transit on Canada's west coast. We own and service thousands of buses. Our mechanics use mostly Snap-on tools. Even those mechanics who don't care about the best tools are having a few Snap-on tools. Our company is using only Snap-on torque wrenches. I often see returned broken tools with signs, next time get Snap-on but I never ever heard a mechanic say, Snap-on tools are breaking all over the place! Do you ever see heavy-duty mechanics using Icon or similar tools? If you really work in a company that produces any kind of tools or instruments and you or your co-workers are behaving like that, I can tell you that you people are airheads without any morals. You are not hearting only Snap-on, you are hearting hard-working people who buy and use those tools.
While I have never worked for Snap-On I have had a roommate that did. I also work for a company that's like maybe half a mile away from Snap-On and they have a very similar way of treating workers. At lest currently. In both jobs cases there was a marked difference between when the original owners ran them and when they retired. Cost cutting by driving out experience workers and promoting based on ass kissing became the norm (when I started even for the most basic job you had to pass a decent math test to even be considered, now that test is no longer used and the less English you speak the better your odds of getting hired is. Hell on of the shifts hired someone that they said was not intelligent to do their job, which only need a high school level of mathematics, so they instead tasked them with matching orders to parts.... which is a job that requires you to have some degree of common sense and to pay attention since the other departments that make the orders fuck up a lot so I have no idea why they did that. Now every day we have to double check ever job that was worked on before we start to make sure we're not sending out the wrong parts since the orders now are almost always miss matched!). Needless to say all the experienced workers both in production and management left, some taking 30 years or more experience with them. Now the average worker is a temp who barely lasts to the end of their contract and if you don't work for a shift that had contact with the higher ups so you can grease the wheels by brown nosing them then your stay there is going to suck. So if you wonder why quality is going down the shitter it's because the current corporate culture values treating their workers like they are disposable and promoting based on nepotism rather then merit.
@@MrCROBosanceros professional mechanic here. People use Snap-on for the customer service, ease of replacement and easy financing not the superior quality. You can weld 2 wrenches together and the tool truck will replace them same day free of charge no questions asked. If harbor freight had a reliable tool truck with the same warranty 90% of all mechanics would be using them instead. There is little to no difference in quality from basically any modern tools besides electronic/ air tools.
At my job as a machinist, we use a torque wrench similar to the $45 one and it works great. In our case, we use it to consistently torque the vises. Some parts only need a few ft-lbs, and some need a lot more. For what we use it for, it gets the job done!
As an owner of a Snap-On torque wrench (albeit a different style of one) they’re aight. Not really worth the extra money unless you’re brand loyal or probably gonna use it very little.
Nice video, but I am missing some information on the spread of the measurements. Besides average accuracy, I think repeatibility is very important. I'd rather have all my cilinderhead bolts at lets say, 102 nm, than a few at 98, some at 100 and another few at 101 nm.
Given the inherent inaccuracy of measuring bolt tension from tightening torque, a difference of a _few_ Nm is not a big deal let alone one or two Nm. If you're that worried about the actual bolt tension use a stretch gauge. It's basically the only repeatable method there is
Amazing! Thank you! I was in the market for a torque wrench and I was debating which would be the best for my applications/needs..keep up the good work!
I've been told before from more experienced mechanics than myself, that the amount you spend on a tool can often be based on the type of tool it is. Clearly with Torque Wrenches, less is more haha. Also though, the more frequently you use a tool the better quality you'd want the thing to be ofcourse.
Since you have that fancy calibration tool, I'm really curious to see what happens if you crank each wrench to its 250 ft-lbs setting, then leave it in the case for a week before testing it again. Hopefully we all know that's bad, but who hasn't accidentally left their wrench dialed up once or twice? I'd love to see how each one handles it. Well, except the Snap-on, I guess :(
Not true. Like springs on a car, or in a magazine for a gun, springs wear out from constant compression and relief. Ideally you should leave some compression on your torque wrench to avoid completely relieving the spring tension. I keep mine at about ~20 to 30 lb ft on my Matco click style 1/2”. Hasn’t skipped a beat in 10 years.
@@kylemartin5000 The Snap-on manual says to always store a wrench at its lowest setting. While I agree with you from a fatigue failure standpoint, the application in a torque wrench, where the goal is precise load, is much different from automotive suspension or firearms. All the more reason I'd love to see it tested!
A lot of torque wrenches say you need to set them at their lowest setting or close to for long term storage. I know it wouldn’t be exciting to film but maybe set the ones that survived to their highest setting and leave them for awhile then see how they do again. I’d be interested to see how much it affects their accuracy if at all.
For DIY-scale use I LOVE my Craftsman clicker wrench....the handle is super comfortable. Got it on sale for $50 (back when Sears was still a thing) and still goin' strong
In the future could you guys also track min/max values? With things like torque wrenches consistency is also important, and it would be good to see if certain wrenches average consistently, but still have strong outliers on a case by case basis.
i remember my dad would buy tools here and there and i would be like wow what a waste of money you rarely use them and now i'm glad he has so many tools because i can just borrow them from him lmao
Use them while they last. My father had a lot of great tools, but as he aged he stopped taking care of them. When he died most of it was either lost or broken in some way. Feels kind of sad as a lot of these tools were things I remembered from when I was a kid. His father was a furniture carpenter who made works of art. So my dad learned how to make pretty much anything from wood and for him the chisels were close to holy. He always kept them in immaculate condition, perfectly sharp and woe anyone who misused one of his chisels. What he left behind was chipped chisels that looked like they had been sharpened using a file. I still have them, though I've cleaned up a few of them somewhat I know they would not have met his standard as they were when I grew up. Still there's memories there even if the tools are busted.
You know, as for the accuracy, the average means nothing if your reading are all over the place. You really should include the standard deviation as well
dang this was a good one! I didn't even think about the tools breaking in, big duh. I really didnt expect Snap On to be SO precise, but they def put big money in R&D to get that close. But, for a guy like me, who just builds crap and fixes crap here and there (not professionally), the cheapo stuff has been fine for me, hell i even worked as a mechanic for several years with my cheap tools and rarely had problems. Bravo, great episode.
I definitely think you forgot a very important test. Testing the variability of each wrench. The average may be close to a specific range but doesn’t mean that all of the runs were good.
I worked at a tool shop here in Australia for years. We sold cheap & expensive torque wrenches, but primarily Sidchrome torque wrenches (they are made by Warren & Brown) were the more popular type for mechanics. The cheaper ones we were told lose their calibration over time because the spring mechanism in them is not great and the metal loses its memory after a very short period of use! This test really surprises me!! There was a retailer here in Melbourne that made a big display in their front window of the store,they glued together all the snap on tools that were bought into the store into a big pyramid that had a sign above it saying “Snap-On snap first” Smart marketing!
Definitely a good one. My coworker had an Icon torque and after about 6 months, it fell apart in his hands. I stand by using nothing from HF that needs to handle weight/pressure, heat, or impact. I'm curious how my Mac one would have held up against these, though.
In college my senior design project was on a racecar team and over half our shop was Harbor Freight tools and most of them surprisingly held up well to abuse some people put that stuff through. I will say though that when we rebuilt the engine my friend brought his personal torque wrench in that was always stored at 25 ftlbs and rarely dropped so we wouldn't blow a head gasket during the race. And the same for the wheels before race day because we didn't trust our HF torque wrenches stored at 150-250 ftlbs lol.
@@evictioncarpentry2628 to be fair, this tool had a cheater bar out at the weakest point of the torque wrench. Snap on sells bigger half inch torque wrenches. They chose to use the smallest one
Not especially torque wrenches but on other tools you should also test if the rubber handles dissolve in gasoline. I had several cheap chinese screwdrivers that literally fell apart in my hand when fixing carburetors.
Yes, and max deviation. It doesn't matter if it's perfect on average if every 20th use it totally screws up the bolt... Otherwise it was a great show as usual!
Also, if I got this correctly, the EP (while obviously outperforming the others) crept up every time. So, it would be interesting to see what happens if they repeated the test.
As an aircraft mechanic myself, I would say in most circumstances torture testing tools are wonderful, however, a calibrated precise tool shouldn't be treated like that in any circumstance. When it comes to aircraft precision is key, I only use my calibrated snap-on torque wrench for the most accurate torque. Remember you cant pull to the side of the road in an aircraft. At home, I use my icon and it works well for automotive work! Very great video!
I have a feeling many car mechanics treat tools differently than aircraft mechanics. Could be wrong but feel like you guys treat your stuff better. Plus a lot of bolt torque specs on cars have a spec range like lug nuts. Think to Subaru WRX manual is something like 58-72ft lbs
Please don't use the average when trying to benchmark something like that. If half the values were above the rating and half below, you'd get an average that is within spec even if the tool isn't. Please list max and min, or better yet box and wisker plot or if that's too complex just show a graph of all values
@@akfin4763 while standard deviation is great it might be a little too complex for a general audience to grasp. Addtionally I feel min and max values are more important to show the +- tolerance of the tool. To show how loose your loosest bolt would be and how tight the tightest bolt would be.
I mean atleast for my Milwaukee its just a normal ratchet after the motor can produce more torque so really as long as u arent doing crazy high torque loads like over 250 probably ull be fine
My QD series torque wrench is the only snap on tool i would recommend, it came with a certificate of calibration with the results. Including counter clockwise torque. Mine tested at +/- 4%. Hoping for good results. It would be interesting to see how snap on's digital torque wrenches tested.
Absolutely love my Snap-On Digital torque wrenches! They have paid for themselves tenfold and only had them about a year! I do have the mechanical click style as backups and have only used them once
@@Clay3613 digital torque wrenches are amazing for engine work. Whether it be snap on, matco, cornwell, or mac. They all pay for themselves if you work on engines a lot
@@Clay3613 Dealing with aircraft with aluminum fasteners. 4% is insane. 2% or less in spec is the minimum and if that makes the tool cost $650 on a 10 thousand dollar job. Im fine with that.
I thought it was common knowledge to exercise a torque wrench out the box to improve its accuracy. They even recommend exercising them after a drop to help bring the accuracy back. I think that’s why the Icon fell short at first.
@@Megasteel32 you’re not supposed to keep a torque wrench loaded at all every one knows that at least and the manufacturer instructions for almost every torque wrench I’ve seen have said to exercise the wrench to improve accuracy and their second test proved that fact and they didn’t even know it.
@@edgarcorrea7866 I've seen more thorough testing on project farm and that use was with 1000 clicks, most got worse. and no, you're supposed to keep them loaded at the minimum rating, not at 0.
A note for test in the future : I have the Epauto (150lb) one and I am pretty happy about it, that being said I broke the 1/2 to 3/8 adapter while doing my wheels at 100lb torque, so in the future you may want to test the accessories on top of the wrench itself :)
Damn. I've always heard people say you have to warm up a torque wrench to be accurate, but I didn't realize how much better they'd be after that many uses
The snap on was rated at 50 to 150 you said. But then tested it all the way to 250. Was there a typo in there somewhere. Thanks for the video guys, always entertaining to watch.
I think you should've included not just the average for the accuracy, it would've been good to know the standard deviation. Being accurate on average is great, but if you set it to 100 and you get 90 on one click then 110 on another that isn't great
Exactly, if you don’t abuse them or f*ck about with them too much and make sure it’s always used properly, 9 times out of 10 you’re gonna have a good reliable tool that won’t be far behind what Snap-On could offer or even be a better equivalent
You guys are absolutely the most pleasant youtuber ever exist. I love your videos. While you guys are so fun at the same time showing the absolutely true quality and performance of each tool. I can not say enough positive about you. Thank you. 🤩
Would love to see the replacement process for each after they break. I pay a premium for that sort of customer service. There are several items I know I pay more for not because they lost longer or are better in any appreciable way but I know if I break it I will get an instant replacement no questions asked. I don't think Snap-On operates this way but something to think about :)
That's up to dealers I had my snapon dealer replace my prybar that got left in a track of a crawler loader and turned into a pretzel he saw it happen went out and got me a new one
You can still buy 10 of the cheap ones for the price of the snap-on and always have an extra when you need it. No need to wait for snap-on to come long dick you
It's really neat to learn that it is likely a decent idea to break in a torque wrench when you get a new one. In regards to breaking the snap on, y'all got very lucky -- People should not have been in front of you or, give the range of the swing, beside you. Everyone should have been behind you. Please be safe so we don't lose any of you to something preventable.
It's not that it needs to break in, in it's that it needs to warm up. If you're doing something really important with it, you need to "warm it up" by clicking it a bit to spread the lubricant around and smoothen the sucker up again if it's been sitting on a shelf for a bit.
Every torque wrench I've ever owned came with a notice never to use it with a breaker bar extension. I guess this is why. I would have loved to see them used for the other thing the notices say not to do: To use a torque wrench to loosen tight nuts. I'm guessing that risks messing with the calibration?
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
You definitely have to do floor jacks next!
That and jack stands. Some of the most important tools to get right, because if you don’t it might kill you
Amen brother
Agreed! A jack off, if you will!
Engine hoists 😳😳😳
This, just get Nolan to sit on them if they last dammmmmm.
Tool Party has become one of my favorite Donut series. 10/10
Hi low 🥈
Same, but i miss science garage
Jamy and zack are so GOOOOOOOOOOOOD Together
Being they hold vehicles up while you work on them...i wouldnt cheap out with them, esspecily if im working under it or putting stank under it.
@@derekdickinson2643 same 😞
these guys are great together. the whole crew is damn entertaining
I appreciate this, 3D Ratio.
Probably the most fully entertaining car channel. A lot of channels are good but besides Donut and Cleetus I don't watch 100% of the videos
I just want uncle Jerry to make a cameo
As a young tradesman. I am currently working on building my tool arsenal and these reviews are kinda making my decisions somewhat rational! And probably saving me a lot of money. Thanks boys!
I recommend getting at least some quality ratchets so MAC, MATCO, CORNWELL, Snap-On. I would also recommend a quality battery 3/8s impact.
@@anaveragesniper4846bro don’t recommend matco when they just rebrand tools and sell them under matco brand for more money
Project farm is a good resource too
Generally a good rule of thumb with tools is to buy cheap and replace expensive. If you use a tool enough to break it it's worth potentially investing in something more rugged since you know you'll get your money's worth out of it. Though that does fly in the face of the example set by the poor snap-on in this video lol
@@anaveragesniper4846 A battery impact has been a gamechanger. Completely untethered from an air compressor. Doesn't fit in all gaps that the pneumatic did but it's still what I'm using 80% of the time I use an impact.
After a few of these videos you can tell the chemistry between these guyshas gotten much better. They're much more comfortable clowning on each other. Great episode
Gay
@@jimmyswollnuts7662 insecure masculinity
@@jimmyswollnuts7662 imagine being insecure
@@thicniggazincimagine making fun of someone who’s insecure
@@mildly_miffed_man1414 found the gay!
For anyone wondering about the cheap wrench, it’s the best Amazon purchase i’ve ever made. I’ve been using it constantly for the better part of a year and it’s been great. Glad to know it’s been in spec this whole time :)
Was searching the comments to see if anyone had the cheap one 👌😂
@@andrewfox2647 I too own the cheap one and I love it
Same! I have the 150 ft-lbs model and its awesome. Only complaint is that the little nut that locks the handle keeps coming loose while you tighten, I would much rather have a click in system like the other wrenches in the vid
@@p24p14 you can use some pliers to tighten it, that's what I do to keep it from spinning
Anyone got a link??
9:13, Click-type torque wrench (with a spring) needs to be "exercised" through its full range of settings after prolonged storage before use.
Glad Donut cover that
Snap actions need to be exercised to the full scale of the wrench to dissipate any error within the spring and gearing mechanisms inside the wrench to get a truly accurate reading at specific test points
Also depends on the accuracy of the torque calibrator they were using to determine the accuracy of the readings on the calibrator
And what if you leave it cranked up to max torque? i've heard it can lose accuracy if you don't back it down to zero for storage (6mo+) and leave it at a high torque setting since it puts tension on the spring
@@austinh1028 Actually click-type torque wrench should be stored at 20% of their maximum setting, not at zero (Usually, 20% of the maximum setting is the lowest scale setting). Storing at fully loaded torque wrench weakens the spring over time. If you completely offload the spring to the zero setting, other components within the wrench may move a little. This rule doesn't apply to Split-Beam Click-type torque wrench which doesn't have a spring.
Most surprised to learn torque wrenches have a break-in period. Seems like something that would be handled at the factory during assembly and quality control.
@Itz_Hunted youre not wrong but all three of them getting so much closer after being used is sorta in your face undeniable evidence that they benefit from being broken in
Think about what thatd would do to the price
It’s not about break in period, it’s actually just larger sample size. Check out “the law of large numbers” the more you record a statistic, it finds it’s true mean
It's not a break in, torque wrenches need a "warm up" to spread the lubricant around the mechanism. Normally not that big a deal if you're just doing lug nuts or subframe bolts or something, but if you're doing critical fasteners like head bolts or crank cap bolts you want to set it to a low torque and click it a few times
@@ForfeMac sooo,,,,a break in period? thats literally the same way new cars work lmao, low power for x miles
I personally got the ep auto wrench as a gift for my birthday and instantly though “wow what a cheap pos”. But 2 years later it’s still going strong and is still just as accurate after many drops!
most cheap shit just lasts, like a walmart fan or a 2000s toyota
The EPAuto wrench looks exactly like my Tekton torque wrench. Since it's made in Taiwan, also, they might be the same factory. The Tekton rings in at whopping $65, but it comes with a lifetime warranty. Three years in, mine's still hitting spec no problem.
I'm gonna have to save me some money and go with this one!
@@Ardeact they're not really interested in having shit break so customers re-buy, because if a cheap piece of shit breaks we're just gonna get something different
therefore, low cost shit usually is more reliable. specially since the diminishing returns makes anything worth considerably more not close to being worth it
@@yurilopes420 too long i can't read
Thank you for this. I am so glad I watched this before buying my next torque wrench. I have kids that help me in my shop and on my channel so your tests are more real world than you might think. lol. My youngest was standing on my 350 ftlb torque a while back when I was putting back on an axle nut. Keep the great, informative, and entertaining content coming. You all are awesome.
Tip, use a ratchet strap or a snatchblock pulley system for the stress test so everyone can stay well clear of flying debris. Don't want you guys going blind, getting your teeth smashed etc
Yeah. It was a little irresponsible to assume none of them would break in a dangerous way, especially having bought a notably cheap one. Even if it wasn't the one that failed.
@@keeganlytle6278 that's 🐱 shit and a waste of time
As soon as I saw them pulling it towards them on the over torque test, I was like, this is going to end badly.
or a hole in the chest 😬
Should try Jack Stands, and Ramps. Also Ratchet straps, they are vital for when you transport your track car... or custom built offroader
or transport anything.
Those are a lot less interesting to test because they have capacities and they're going to be over it.
@@Hakkapell Depends if they just test static loads or also test shock and vibrational ones. as well as ones at different temperatures like "how well do the jacks do at sub zero vs +40 degrees C?" all useful info imo.
jack stands are shit. I had a set of Heinz Werner crack at the welds while under a 3500
cheap to expensive portable air compressors would be cool. you have durability, max psi tests, stuff like that.
Max psi test...with their run of luck theyll blow them up and thatd be the end of donut
Feel so bad for Henry and Jobe on this one man you could tell immediately how bad Zach felt afterwards man. Things like that happen in the gaaaraggee and it sucks but awesome y'all are such great friends. Couldn't imagine a better job than working with nothing but cool ass people man!
Feeling pretty good about going cheap on my last torque wrench last year with the EPAuto.
I’m a new diesel mechanic and I used to have a Mac torque wrench that my dad gave me but he asked for it back and now I need a new one. Is this one that you use good?
ive had the ep wrench for like 2 years and it’s still going strong after frequent use 👍🏽 it’s def the best for your money
Never would I imagine the cheapest torque wrench ended up being the best. Crazy.
I bet you anything these things become more expensive effective as of right now.
anything American made is always dying to get more money out of pockets
The Icon is the best you can get, price wise and multiple tests have proven it has superior longevity in accuracy over strap on
Damn spoiler. Read it litteraly in the intro
But it’s not the best. The Snap-On is the best. But ya know, fuck American jobs because tHe tOrQuE WrEnCh DiDnT sUrVivE WiTh A cHeaTeR bAr oN tHe TiP oF ThE HaNdlE.
There is more to tools than just strength, as the above states continued accuracy is arguably more important for someone who swings wrenches for a living.
8:00 You can tell they've been training their whole lives, *sometimes even twice a day* , for this moment
10:25 I knew the pipe not being on all the way was kinda sketchy but I never thought THAT was going to happen. That stress riser must have been insane
@@Lofi.z34 The pipe was only covering the handle in all three, it was most likely a faulty one, either that or a significant design flaw
broke at 258. earlier in the intro for it, they showed it was only rated to go up to 150. still, that's sketchy how early that broke
@@lulzywizard7576 Yeh, but hands up everyone, who used torque wrench as not recommended.
I bent a few or the mechanism broke, none became a slingshot. This is a major security risk in design.
__________
Even in US law, I guess there is something about the fact that the manufacturer must take into account the use within the established practice, not the use only exactly according to the instructions. (I heard it on the Legal Eagle channel, I don't live in the US and I don't know US laws.)
For $ 450 a pretty bad product...
@@bmxrichard21 i'm pretty sure 172% of the limit specified on the box should be enough to absolve said company of issues resulting from the misuse of its product. just about doubling the recommended maximum that it's supposed to be used for is kinda yikes. that said, they picked a more expensive, but less heavy duty option for the pricier one
Wrench pipes slaps jerry. );
I luckily found y’all’s channel right when I started working on my truck. I had never changed oil before. Did it easily, working on the wiring my self and radiator. Need to get some tools as I have ALOT of work to do but it’s been fun and informative binge watching these and I got ideas on what to get thanks to y’all👌🏻 Thanks a lot!
Don't forget to check out the local pawn shops in your area when you're looking for tools to add to your collection! Great places to find good tools on the cheap!
@@mtgering never thought of that! Good idea!!
Went from Snap-on to Snap-off.
I am in calibration. I have calibrated torque wrenches. This is simultaneously the best thing to watch and the worst lol. I have always wanted to do the "physical reliability" test you have done here when a wrench is not passing...otherwise I have some of my personal experience to share below if you all are interested.
Something for the future maybe:
Use multiple operators to show operator variability,
Take data sets of like 30 readings per operator to smooth out the data collected - an erroneous reading once or twice has less impact in a data set of 30 points than it would in 5 points.
In the Army, we have typically tested wrenches at 20%, 60%, and 100% of full scale torque for calibrations.
Have the wrench mounted at as close to parallel with the floor as possible to minimize the torque gravity is applying and to prevent the tester from accidentally applying to much torque when testing the desired torque setting.
Manufacturers might have a "calibration" cert for the wrench when you buy it. This can quickly become a slippery slope of B.S. but verify the accreditation (if any), the calibration points (if any), etc., - basically trust but verify.
Make sure you hold the wrench while torquing it from the handle ONLY and nowhere closer as you are technically applying more torque than the setting any other way, though for smaller value torque wrenches this is more of an issue (say 8 or 12 in/lbs.).
Maybe have your breaker bar further up on the wrench when you are testing higher torques so you decrease the chances of catastrophic damage to the wrench and flying metal components?
I could probably go on but I just want to say, this is still a very good test you all did. I like your guys' content and keep it up! My intent here is to provide some tips to help you all refine your craft. Awesome job.
I would think you mean perpendicular to the floor...and sure their testing methodology could be better but it's tone deaf to think a video from doughnut media is going to be in any more detail than the average Joe can understand. Leave the in depth testing to channels better suited.
Great comment
If you want in-depth tool testing Project Farm is the channel to go to. Donut is a fun entertaining and informative channel.
@@calebnasiatka5711 Project Farm has a torque wrench comparo that includes 2 of the 3 from this video as well as a bunch of others: ruclips.net/video/HP4uECoH8cc/видео.html
Dunno man, showing the multiple usage test is already appreciate enough for me.
Love this show. This show puts a smile on my face every Wednsday. Thanks Jerry and Jobe for the great entertainment.
I've heard that military techs do some "break in" method by clicking them at full torque a couple of times before usage so it definitely is plausible they need some light break in
It could also be to test reliability perhaps? Like a shakedown run to make sure nothing is gonna break, before you need to rely on it in the field.
A torque wrench that was my Grandpas, then my Dads, is now mine, so its pretty old maybe 40 years or more. It does say in its manual that you should give it a few clicks to get the grease to move after sitting for a while to make sure its more accurate. It wasn't much of a surprise to me after they started doing a bit of a break in and they became more accurate.
In aircraft maintenance when we check out a torque wrench, we are supposed to set it to the highest setting and get it to click 6 times. This warms the lubricant in the wrench and forces it across the mechanism in the wrench, thus increasing overall accuracy. We have a plate with sockets of different drive sizes weld to it and then bolted to a heavy steel table
Yep six times at full torque
military ctk's also send their torque wrenches out for calibration like every 6-months. And they have a policy of never using the bottom 5% of the scale because thats where they are the least accurate. From a usaf aircraft technician
This was cool to watch because I'm a calibration technician and that's exactly how we test torque wrenches. We just have a machine that you crank the handle and it runs the torque wrench up to get a more consistent pop. I will say from my experience, Snap-On and CDI make the best torque wrenches.
Do you service and calibrate all brands? Who's the worst in your experience?
@@deathmetaldownhiller7874 So I service and calibrate a lot of different brands, it all depends on what different clients send in. As for the worst brand, I'd have to say Proto or Craftsman. Protos seem to start to become out of tolerance at about the 12-month mark and need adjusted which can be somewhat difficult on those. Craftsman is just bad. We typically put all torque wrenches on a 6 or 12-month cycle but Craftsman we put on about 3-months. I don't know what it is about them, but some of those torque wrenches won't get used more than once or twice per month and they'll constantly need adjustments. Most of the time the clients just have us fail them and they replace it with another one. If you're going to get a torque wrench for work, I would use Snap-On and CDI.
I have the half in and 3/8 digital snap on torque wrenches and I absolutely love them. The only snap on tools I don’t regret buying honestly lol
Did you ever tested Tohnichi torque wrenches?
@@nunosimoes6045 I've tested a few but not a lot of them. I think in the last year I've tested maybe 5 or 6 of them. I don't really have enough experience with them to form an opinion on them.
Disappointing performance from the snap on.
Yes it's more accurate but I wouldn't have expected it to break so easily.
Interesting tests at least 👍
??? You put pipes on your torque wrenches?
@@Stg4100 yes I do
I am honestly pretty sure alot of people do the pipe on tool I think car jacks might be to blame, as at least one design comes with a pipe for extra leverage.
@@d4rkside_europe564 Then you need to upscale your torque wrench.. There's a reason why you find 1" drive 1000ftlb torque wrenches being 6 feet long and your 1/2" drive with a max 300 ftlb only being 2' 1/2". If you need more leverage to hit max torque on your wrench you either need to hit the gym or your over shooting your max torque and using the wrong tool.
Crush washers in a pinion is a bitch without a pipe on it
According to the graphic during unboxing the Snap-On is only rated to 150ftlb. Still not great considering the others held up to more overages, but may be the reason it broke.
Doing a "torture" test means nothings and if the tool breaks outside what it was designed to do you can not say it's bad. I have Snap on torque wrenches that are still in calibration(checked yearly) and almost 15 years old and get a fair amount of use. They are just more accurate all of the time compared to the stuff. You gotta be real close when dealing with TTY bolts.
@@tjkj-om9oi I have a snap on twin beam and digital. I’ve had them both for almost 5 years now. I use the twin beam daily and the digital when it’s needed. I don’t overload my stuff so they last. I’ve also heard some weird shit about icons warranty
@@home541_ Yeah I have both the 3/8" and 1/2" Snap on digitals, must haves when dealing with TTY bolts.
@@tjkj-om9oi I got the cornwell digital 1/4 and 3/8. Only issue I have with them is there isn’t an easy to see counter. You have to go back through the memory and count yourself. I have the snap on 1/2” digital I bought when I was doing heads on a BMW and love the thing. They were 80 NM followed by 2 stages of 80° or some shit like that. I have their twin beam for my wheel wrench
@@tjkj-om9oi it’s a great test for quality though which is the whole purpose of this series. If something can work after being stressed far out of its zone, that means it’s insanely high quality, even if it’s not designed to be used that high.
The snap on almost killing you sounds about right. They are made to break so they can sell more when their truck comes around
but most of their tools have a lifetime warranty. I just dont understand why its always the snapon shit thats bad
@@PointlessDrummer It's planned obsolescence, they design them so that they break at the limit, basically the apple of tools, especially since lots of their tools don't have the lifetime guarantee
@@PointlessDrummer they do it on purpose
@@PointlessDrummer this one had a 12 month warranty.
Snap-on more like snap-apart
These tool videos help me a lot, thanks for all the tips and tricks guys!
I hope Henry is ok!
This video is great since torque wrenches are so important and I’m planning on buying one soon too! 😂 good to know I can get away with (and my even be better of with) a decent cheap one. Thanks guys!
Not the first time I’ve seen snap on tools fail. Seen many failures on many of their tools. Good thing about them is they either fix them or replace them. With the exception of a few tools. Torque wrench being one of them after one year die to it being a precision tool. Great video. Thanks.
I'd love to see someone do the same test with the Milwaukee electric digital torque wrench versus snap-on digital torque wrench
Can add a husky one in there too for the cheaper option.
Huh didn't know husky has an electric makes me wonder about hart
this is honestly what i was expecting when i saw the video title
bro they are snap on haters of course theu will find a way for the snap on to lose lmao
@@Ghost.uppercut it literally blew apart when doing the same test as the others tho
One difference I noticed is that the more expensive ratchets are flex head whereas the cheaper one isn't. While flex heads are more convenient, they are loads more fragile than even a cheaper torque wrench so to me it's no surprise that the cheap wrench outlasted the other two. I guarantee if you got a non flex head icon wrench (maybe not the snap-on since it didn't even fail at the head), it would be a lot closer.
I've never seen a torque wrench with a flex head and I never considered getting one with it. Torque tools are supposed to have little moving parts to transfer torque effectively and accurately.
If it's on a ratchet wrench, that's OK.
@@yongling9825 they're fine if you're not torturing them or over-torqueing them, but obviously in a torture test they're just not going to hold up. I own both a regular and flex head torque wrench and only really use the flex head when im torqueing something in an odd or hard to reach spot.
@@yongling9825 there are a few bolts that you just cant use a straight 1/2 torque wrench on. you either start throwing extenders on, or you wing it. 150 is a bit much for a secondary torque wrench though, at least for a lot of people.
I don’t get it a 50-250 1/2 snap on is $450 so why did they compare one not in the same range
You’re absolutely right. I had a stuck lug nut and couldn’t get it off with a flex head breaker bar. Swapped it for a non flex head of the same length and I got the bolt. The more rigidity and stiffness in the solid piece gave me that extra torque I needed. I imagine with the flex head on a torque wrench over time would get a little bit looser and the give will have a less accurate result
It's the flex head design on the Icon. It needs to be stationary like pretty much every other T wrench In the universe.
Very cool video guys, lots of good info here. As a previous technician and snap on dealer, I can say honestly, save your money when it comes to torque wrenches. Torque wrenches are not used as often as a 10mm socket so I’d say spend your hard earned cash on what you use most frequently. I think snap on hand tools are still the best by far, and a worthy investment for a professional mechanic. However, for the weekend warrior and enthusiast, a nearly full tool cart or a lot of fuel can be had for $450.
For the torture test you should see how they before while having dirt or sand in or on them. Great episode!
Why? When are they ever used in those conditions?
@@jakeencinas2389 when I drop them in my bnackyard
I think we should have done one more test. The "I forgot to untorque my torque wrench" test, and leave it there for a month and come back to it. I have the same epauto wrench and I have constantly forgotten to untorque it. I hope my 80ft-lb on the wheel nut actually still is 80 now
you're suppose to untorque your torque wrenches????
@@jacobh.7076 yes. Set to lowest setting after each use
I had no idea I was supposed to do that ..
@@rblbatb me neither!
@@johnseyler5893 shit
I worked at an engineering company that made these torque wrenches for snap-on and the worst employees were always sent there to work... It was actually a joke among us that we were gonna be sent to the Snap-on department if we slip up🤣 yeah, I definitely don't think they're worth the $500 they ask for.. pretty hilarious it broke too. From what I remember they were made by temp workers who would often leave work orders half completed. Definitely not a mark of quality lol
What's the name of the engineering company? Want to make sure I never buy anything made from them.
Fr
First, I don't believe anything you wrote here. I believe that Snap-on tools are one of the most expensive professional tools on the market and they are made to the highest standard. Snap-on would cancel a contract with any company that doesn't make products to Snap-on standards.
I often see on RUclips comments like Snap-on wrenches or sockets are breaking everywhere! Really! I never cared about Snap-on tools and I didn't like their polished finish, I lived in denial. Snap-on and Proto too, wrenches, sockets, extensions, breaker bars, ratchets, and handles are the best mechanical tools you can buy or one of the best. I worked for the bus services of Greater Vancouver public transit on Canada's west coast. We own and service thousands of buses.
Our mechanics use mostly Snap-on tools. Even those mechanics who don't care about the best tools are having a few Snap-on tools. Our company is using only Snap-on torque wrenches. I often see returned broken tools with signs, next time get Snap-on but I never ever heard a mechanic say, Snap-on tools are breaking all over the place! Do you ever see heavy-duty mechanics using Icon or similar tools?
If you really work in a company that produces any kind of tools or instruments and you or your co-workers are behaving like that, I can tell you that you people are airheads without any morals. You are not hearting only Snap-on, you are hearting hard-working people who buy and use those tools.
While I have never worked for Snap-On I have had a roommate that did. I also work for a company that's like maybe half a mile away from Snap-On and they have a very similar way of treating workers. At lest currently. In both jobs cases there was a marked difference between when the original owners ran them and when they retired. Cost cutting by driving out experience workers and promoting based on ass kissing became the norm (when I started even for the most basic job you had to pass a decent math test to even be considered, now that test is no longer used and the less English you speak the better your odds of getting hired is. Hell on of the shifts hired someone that they said was not intelligent to do their job, which only need a high school level of mathematics, so they instead tasked them with matching orders to parts.... which is a job that requires you to have some degree of common sense and to pay attention since the other departments that make the orders fuck up a lot so I have no idea why they did that. Now every day we have to double check ever job that was worked on before we start to make sure we're not sending out the wrong parts since the orders now are almost always miss matched!). Needless to say all the experienced workers both in production and management left, some taking 30 years or more experience with them. Now the average worker is a temp who barely lasts to the end of their contract and if you don't work for a shift that had contact with the higher ups so you can grease the wheels by brown nosing them then your stay there is going to suck. So if you wonder why quality is going down the shitter it's because the current corporate culture values treating their workers like they are disposable and promoting based on nepotism rather then merit.
@@MrCROBosanceros professional mechanic here. People use Snap-on for the customer service, ease of replacement and easy financing not the superior quality. You can weld 2 wrenches together and the tool truck will replace them same day free of charge no questions asked. If harbor freight had a reliable tool truck with the same warranty 90% of all mechanics would be using them instead. There is little to no difference in quality from basically any modern tools besides electronic/ air tools.
At my job as a machinist, we use a torque wrench similar to the $45 one and it works great. In our case, we use it to consistently torque the vises. Some parts only need a few ft-lbs, and some need a lot more. For what we use it for, it gets the job done!
Did I miss it? Where's Snap-Ons reaction ... LOL!🤣 Mans version of Mary Kay down for the count ... No pink truck for you!
As an owner of a Snap-On torque wrench (albeit a different style of one) they’re aight. Not really worth the extra money unless you’re brand loyal or probably gonna use it very little.
Why spend lot money if not use a lot
@@toad3222 bragging rights and idiocy
@@toad3222 because I was new to the whole “buying tools off of the tool truck” thing and the snap-on guy knew that.
What would you recommend as a comparable brand that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg? In your opinion?
Copium at it's finest
Nice video, but I am missing some information on the spread of the measurements. Besides average accuracy, I think repeatibility is very important. I'd rather have all my cilinderhead bolts at lets say, 102 nm, than a few at 98, some at 100 and another few at 101 nm.
Yea from my findings (and project farm’s torque wrench video) Snap-on will almost always give u more repeatable results
Yeah they should give stranded deviation too.
Given the inherent inaccuracy of measuring bolt tension from tightening torque, a difference of a _few_ Nm is not a big deal let alone one or two Nm. If you're that worried about the actual bolt tension use a stretch gauge. It's basically the only repeatable method there is
Uh, isn't average indicative enough of a form of repeatability for you?
@@wpprrz You doomed the comment section, brought logic to it.
Amazing! Thank you! I was in the market for a torque wrench and I was debating which would be the best for my applications/needs..keep up the good work!
One of the funnier episodes I've seen. I lost it when they were doing 420 reps at 100 ft*lbs
I've been told before from more experienced mechanics than myself, that the amount you spend on a tool can often be based on the type of tool it is. Clearly with Torque Wrenches, less is more haha. Also though, the more frequently you use a tool the better quality you'd want the thing to be ofcourse.
Since you have that fancy calibration tool, I'm really curious to see what happens if you crank each wrench to its 250 ft-lbs setting, then leave it in the case for a week before testing it again. Hopefully we all know that's bad, but who hasn't accidentally left their wrench dialed up once or twice? I'd love to see how each one handles it. Well, except the Snap-on, I guess :(
I didn't know..
@@geemy9675 I didn't know either 😅
Not true. Like springs on a car, or in a magazine for a gun, springs wear out from constant compression and relief. Ideally you should leave some compression on your torque wrench to avoid completely relieving the spring tension. I keep mine at about ~20 to 30 lb ft on my Matco click style 1/2”. Hasn’t skipped a beat in 10 years.
@@kylemartin5000 The Snap-on manual says to always store a wrench at its lowest setting. While I agree with you from a fatigue failure standpoint, the application in a torque wrench, where the goal is precise load, is much different from automotive suspension or firearms. All the more reason I'd love to see it tested!
@@kylemartin5000 unless you drop it. Need to send my snapon in again to get fixed. It's about 5 pounds off now due to me being a dumbass
TOOL PARTY TIME!! Great idea to put Jobe and Jerry together, keep it up Donut!!
A lot of torque wrenches say you need to set them at their lowest setting or close to for long term storage. I know it wouldn’t be exciting to film but maybe set the ones that survived to their highest setting and leave them for awhile then see how they do again. I’d be interested to see how much it affects their accuracy if at all.
I really like these videos of both of you guys comparing tools! Keep making more videos like these!
For DIY-scale use I LOVE my Craftsman clicker wrench....the handle is super comfortable.
Got it on sale for $50 (back when Sears was still a thing) and still goin' strong
In the future could you guys also track min/max values? With things like torque wrenches consistency is also important, and it would be good to see if certain wrenches average consistently, but still have strong outliers on a case by case basis.
i remember my dad would buy tools here and there and i would be like wow what a waste of money you rarely use them and now i'm glad he has so many tools because i can just borrow them from him lmao
Use them while they last. My father had a lot of great tools, but as he aged he stopped taking care of them. When he died most of it was either lost or broken in some way. Feels kind of sad as a lot of these tools were things I remembered from when I was a kid. His father was a furniture carpenter who made works of art. So my dad learned how to make pretty much anything from wood and for him the chisels were close to holy. He always kept them in immaculate condition, perfectly sharp and woe anyone who misused one of his chisels. What he left behind was chipped chisels that looked like they had been sharpened using a file.
I still have them, though I've cleaned up a few of them somewhat I know they would not have met his standard as they were when I grew up. Still there's memories there even if the tools are busted.
You know, as for the accuracy, the average means nothing if your reading are all over the place. You really should include the standard deviation as well
its not a metrology channel
im actually very happy with this series.. im going to buy one from ebay motors so im not struggling on the side of the highway
Jeremiah grabbing his chest like he been shot when the wrench broke. Hands down the best part of this episode. I might need to make a gif of that.
dang this was a good one! I didn't even think about the tools breaking in, big duh. I really didnt expect Snap On to be SO precise, but they def put big money in R&D to get that close. But, for a guy like me, who just builds crap and fixes crap here and there (not professionally), the cheapo stuff has been fine for me, hell i even worked as a mechanic for several years with my cheap tools and rarely had problems. Bravo, great episode.
Thank you guys for posting while I’m going to sleep. I get to go sleep watching Donut Media‘s torque wrench stress test.
I definitely think you forgot a very important test. Testing the variability of each wrench. The average may be close to a specific range but doesn’t mean that all of the runs were good.
Came down to see if someone else had said this. The average value really isn't important here, it's the variance.
I worked at a tool shop here in Australia for years. We sold cheap & expensive torque wrenches, but primarily Sidchrome torque wrenches (they are made by Warren & Brown) were the more popular type for mechanics. The cheaper ones we were told lose their calibration over time because the spring mechanism in them is not great and the metal loses its memory after a very short period of use! This test really surprises me!!
There was a retailer here in Melbourne that made a big display in their front window of the store,they glued together all the snap on tools that were bought into the store into a big pyramid that had a sign above it saying “Snap-On snap first”
Smart marketing!
Definitely a good one. My coworker had an Icon torque and after about 6 months, it fell apart in his hands. I stand by using nothing from HF that needs to handle weight/pressure, heat, or impact. I'm curious how my Mac one would have held up against these, though.
Did you tell him it has a lifetime warranty?
@@jalex425 it does, but it's still super lame to have to go and get a new one over and over again.
In college my senior design project was on a racecar team and over half our shop was Harbor Freight tools and most of them surprisingly held up well to abuse some people put that stuff through. I will say though that when we rebuilt the engine my friend brought his personal torque wrench in that was always stored at 25 ftlbs and rarely dropped so we wouldn't blow a head gasket during the race. And the same for the wheels before race day because we didn't trust our HF torque wrenches stored at 150-250 ftlbs lol.
To be fair, over torqueing a torque wrench is the definition of misuse...
😅
What about long-term storage with the spring whind upp?
To be fair, it was over torqued by 8 foot lbs. Lol
Snap on is garbage.
@@evictioncarpentry2628 to be fair, this tool had a cheater bar out at the weakest point of the torque wrench. Snap on sells bigger half inch torque wrenches. They chose to use the smallest one
Tool party has become one of my favorite shows you guys do keep it up!
Given snap-on is kinda like the gold standard, I love seeing it stacked up against other tools. Love this series
By far one of your best series. Great work guys!
These tool videos are really good. Keep making them please!!
Not especially torque wrenches but on other tools you should also test if the rubber handles dissolve in gasoline. I had several cheap chinese screwdrivers that literally fell apart in my hand when fixing carburetors.
Yeah, that would be awesome!
I left a set of Doyle (harbor freight) screw drivers in a bucket of gas for a few days. The coating kind of rubbed off but they still work just fine
I have a 1/2” and 1/4” drive version of the epauto. This testing has shown me that they’re definitely good enough for me.
This is great, I'd been interested to see the distribution of the data. Does the misuse lead to more variability?
For sure. Would love if they put out all the info for every test
Ahhh a statistics nerd - good question!
Yeah, standard deviation is a way better measure for this test than just average. Shame they didn't show that
Their parents must be so proud that these brothers actually get along, and work together even.
You know that durability is gonna really matter when you're wacking zombies in the head with your torque wrench.
Wish you included standard deviation so we could get an idea of the variability, otherwise great comparison!
Yes, and max deviation. It doesn't matter if it's perfect on average if every 20th use it totally screws up the bolt...
Otherwise it was a great show as usual!
Also, if I got this correctly, the EP (while obviously outperforming the others) crept up every time. So, it would be interesting to see what happens if they repeated the test.
As an aircraft mechanic myself, I would say in most circumstances torture testing tools are wonderful, however, a calibrated precise tool shouldn't be treated like that in any circumstance. When it comes to aircraft precision is key, I only use my calibrated snap-on torque wrench for the most accurate torque. Remember you cant pull to the side of the road in an aircraft. At home, I use my icon and it works well for automotive work! Very great video!
I have a feeling many car mechanics treat tools differently than aircraft mechanics. Could be wrong but feel like you guys treat your stuff better. Plus a lot of bolt torque specs on cars have a spec range like lug nuts. Think to Subaru WRX manual is something like 58-72ft lbs
Please don't use the average when trying to benchmark something like that. If half the values were above the rating and half below, you'd get an average that is within spec even if the tool isn't. Please list max and min, or better yet box and wisker plot or if that's too complex just show a graph of all values
Or use standard deviation
I was hoping someone commented this
@@akfin4763 while standard deviation is great it might be a little too complex for a general audience to grasp. Addtionally I feel min and max values are more important to show the +- tolerance of the tool. To show how loose your loosest bolt would be and how tight the tightest bolt would be.
Farm Jack's! Or Jack-All's, that would be a fun and educational video, don't hurt yourselves guys! Lol
Can you guys do the electric ratchets?? See how strong they are, always get scared of over tightening and burning the motor out
I mean atleast for my Milwaukee its just a normal ratchet after the motor can produce more torque so really as long as u arent doing crazy high torque loads like over 250 probably ull be fine
But I highly highly recommend checking out project farm’s youtube whenever your buying tools hes amazing at testing tools
ruclips.net/video/v36w14JQouc/видео.html thats his video on testing electric ratchets
Project farm. RUclips. They didn't create this idea to say the least. He actually tests stuff this is just sillyness mostly
I snapped the drive pin in one of my Amazon specials before the motor gave out. Hint: don't use it to torque the bolts after the motor wimps out 🤣
These are so great in ALL aspects. Especially how the whole crew works together, keeps these coming.
Can't stress enough how much I love this show!
My QD series torque wrench is the only snap on tool i would recommend, it came with a certificate of calibration with the results. Including counter clockwise torque. Mine tested at +/- 4%. Hoping for good results. It would be interesting to see how snap on's digital torque wrenches tested.
I want to see a follow up of you claiming the warranty on that Snap On 🤣
Day 361 of asking Donut to bring old B2B back
Cmon we need this
I have a $90 husky torque wrench, it's never let me down. Though I wish it went lower, it's 50-250 ft lbs
Paid too much for Home Depot garbage.
Absolutely love my Snap-On Digital torque wrenches! They have paid for themselves tenfold and only had them about a year!
I do have the mechanical click style as backups and have only used them once
You got scammed.
@@Clay3613 digital torque wrenches are amazing for engine work. Whether it be snap on, matco, cornwell, or mac. They all pay for themselves if you work on engines a lot
@@Clay3613 Dealing with aircraft with aluminum fasteners. 4% is insane. 2% or less in spec is the minimum and if that makes the tool cost $650 on a 10 thousand dollar job. Im fine with that.
I like this new show a lot. I like the car vids, but I’m not necessarily a huge car guy. But the tools can relate to everybody(:
The trombone sound effect when they throw the tq wrench across the shop is why I've watched this video more than once haha
I thought it was common knowledge to exercise a torque wrench out the box to improve its accuracy. They even recommend exercising them after a drop to help bring the accuracy back. I think that’s why the Icon fell short at first.
i dont think anything on this channel comes close to common sense
that's if it was kept fully loaded. a properly stored torque wrench shouldn't need a break in period (especially new from the factory)
@@Megasteel32 you’re not supposed to keep a torque wrench loaded at all every one knows that at least and the manufacturer instructions for almost every torque wrench I’ve seen have said to exercise the wrench to improve accuracy and their second test proved that fact and they didn’t even know it.
@@edgarcorrea7866 I've seen more thorough testing on project farm and that use was with 1000 clicks, most got worse. and no, you're supposed to keep them loaded at the minimum rating, not at 0.
A note for test in the future : I have the Epauto (150lb) one and I am pretty happy about it, that being said I broke the 1/2 to 3/8 adapter while doing my wheels at 100lb torque, so in the future you may want to test the accessories on top of the wrench itself :)
Damn. I've always heard people say you have to warm up a torque wrench to be accurate, but I didn't realize how much better they'd be after that many uses
idk why the "oh i forgot I actually do need to torque something" part was so funny
The snap on was rated at 50 to 150 you said. But then tested it all the way to 250. Was there a typo in there somewhere. Thanks for the video guys, always entertaining to watch.
I think you should've included not just the average for the accuracy, it would've been good to know the standard deviation. Being accurate on average is great, but if you set it to 100 and you get 90 on one click then 110 on another that isn't great
This show has really shown me i'm usually correct in just getting the cheapest tools lol
Exactly, if you don’t abuse them or f*ck about with them too much and make sure it’s always used properly, 9 times out of 10 you’re gonna have a good reliable tool that won’t be far behind what Snap-On could offer or even be a better equivalent
Were the springs exercised before each use? I'm sure this is why the readings were better after 420 uses compared to the initial readings lol
You guys are absolutely the most pleasant youtuber ever exist. I love your videos. While you guys are so fun at the same time showing the absolutely true quality and performance of each tool. I can not say enough positive about you. Thank you. 🤩
These tool tests are %100 useful and entertaining… win win
Check out the RUclips channel project farm, all he does is testing videos of a super wide variety of things, tools, appliances etc…
Not as entertaining tho, will admit
My 3/8 snap on tech angle torque wrench was $540 and I love it, would definitely recommend to a professional but not for your average person/hobbyist
I've rebuilt a few engines with my 1/2 one. It's nice to have and I wouldn't trust the cheapy ones with a 16k+ engine
Another good test would be when the spring was on tension for a long time before use. Great video though 👍
Would love to see the replacement process for each after they break. I pay a premium for that sort of customer service.
There are several items I know I pay more for not because they lost longer or are better in any appreciable way but I know if I break it I will get an instant replacement no questions asked.
I don't think Snap-On operates this way but something to think about :)
That's up to dealers I had my snapon dealer replace my prybar that got left in a track of a crawler loader and turned into a pretzel he saw it happen went out and got me a new one
You can still buy 10 of the cheap ones for the price of the snap-on and always have an extra when you need it. No need to wait for snap-on to come long dick you
“0.05%…. That’s like, almost 100%” 😂😂😂
1:39 ah yes, because loosening something should be used with a torque wrench😂
Many vehicles use reverse thread on left hand wheel nuts
It's really neat to learn that it is likely a decent idea to break in a torque wrench when you get a new one.
In regards to breaking the snap on, y'all got very lucky -- People should not have been in front of you or, give the range of the swing, beside you. Everyone should have been behind you.
Please be safe so we don't lose any of you to something preventable.
It's not that it needs to break in, in it's that it needs to warm up. If you're doing something really important with it, you need to "warm it up" by clicking it a bit to spread the lubricant around and smoothen the sucker up again if it's been sitting on a shelf for a bit.
Every torque wrench I've ever owned came with a notice never to use it with a breaker bar extension. I guess this is why.
I would have loved to see them used for the other thing the notices say not to do: To use a torque wrench to loosen tight nuts. I'm guessing that risks messing with the calibration?