$20 Torque Wrench, are they accurate? | Harbor Freight 1/2" and 3/8" Drive Review and Test 

Music? Does it make the video more or less enjoyable for you? Let me know!

I've had my 1/2" Harbor Freight torque wrench for almost a decade and never had any problems with it. Not sure if it would hold up in a shop being used every day but it's perfect for DIY at home use.

I just got it for $13 and it does the job. Im a weekend diy guy and can’t see myself spending $100 for a torque wrench.

I'm glad to see that you did not get hurt and I appreciate the testing.

I had both of those, they are really easy to re-calibrate. They do need to be stored at the lowest torque rating and cycled three times before using from lowest to highest torque. Something to bear in mind at 5lb/ft being off by 33% is something like +-1-2lb/ft which yes, is high but still probably better than not using a torque wrench where you can fairly easily end up with + or - 100% accuracy or more at that level.

Lesson learned , always always wear PPE . My friend lost an eye when a cord like that snapped .Very informative video , thank you .

This is a very important tutorial for inexperienced new diyers that don't have any idea what 20 ft/lbs torque on a 3/8inch ratchet would even begin to feel like! I appreciate it as I never saw that instruction to cycle to full torque setting & back 3 times!!! Fortunately, my old Craftsman pair confirmed my HF pair to be adequate without recalibration. But be damned sure I will be testing them both before going in to retorque my 3 yr old LBJs/Ft Suspension parts while doing my next tire rotation! 83 ft/lbs on my Tundra lugs. Test one for the 1/2inch drive... Glad you survived that Reverse guillotine move 👏 🙌 👍

Excellent video! I have been wondering for several months if those cheaper wrenches are worth using! I had no idea how to test the accuracy. I learned alot. Thank you!

I have used and own many torque wrenches over my 45 years as a mechanic. Snap-On Tools required I have them recalculate my 3/8" drive ft/lb torque wrench every 2 years or they would not warranty it for accuracy. The tool cost me $150.00's back twenty years ago. Their 1/2" drive was much more money. As mechanics we were taught to only trust any torque when set between 20% to 80% of it's max measurements. Below or above those torques we were to chose a smaller or larger tool. We were never allowed to use any tool at the lowest or highest settings. So why are those numbers on there anyway?? I own only six torque wrenches today. Ranging from 1/4" to 3/4" drive. Four of them are Harbor Freight tools.

You do know that these wrenches can be recalibrated. Any torque wrench would need to be checked and calibrated periodically, regardless of brand or cost. These wrenches, while they are very inexpensive, are very easily calibrated. Your demonstration was very clear, however it would have been helpful to go through the calibration procedure while you had your rig set up and also it's important to release the spring tension when storing a torque wrench as that will shorten the calibration period. Good video.

Good testing. helps sort out whether to use on less critical, not very critical torques. Thank you sir!

It’s important to remember to return the wrench to the lowest setting when storing your torque wrench.

I have these two also. Used them to install performance rear end suspension parts on my 2012 mustang. Had to use an aluminum extension over the torque wrench (and my leg) under the car to reach spec, but it made it. Before that I used them maintain my 92’ Celica. Almost 200k on that car. Sold it to my brother and he drives it daily. The wrenches need to be maintained. Open up the pawl, disassemble, and re-oil them. Motor oils fine. They work good and cheap for DIY. I have not had an issue with either one. I paid 25 for the 1/2” and 19 for the 3/8” I’m glad these are available at that price range. Thanks HF.

FYI, they also sell an electronic torque wrench addition. Like 20 some odd bucks. It just beeps when you hit the set torque. I measured it on a snapon and craftsman torque wrenches and it is quite accurate. I use that in line with my HF torque wrenches for a sanity/accuracy check. The battery sucks on it but it does the job if you need some real accurate low torque (in/lb) or real accurate torque specs.

I have had both my g these for about 5 years now and they have always worked great for me.

Bro, your opening on this is EPIC🤘

Glad I found this video. Didn't think about my inexpensive O'Reilly wrench being way off. Never saw directions about cycling it before use. Will check how accurate it is now thanks to your vid as I use it to tighten my daily driver lug nuts. Only mechanical issue I have had with it was the top two black screws holding the head piece together came loose and out due to no locktite being on them. Was easy enough to screw it back together.

Thanks for doing this. I'm actually more comfortable buying this wrench now.

glad you didn't get hurt on that! Very interesting test. I bought those plus the 1/4" one. My 3/8" doesn't seem to trigger. The 1/2" one seems to work fine. Haven't used the 1/4" yet. Of course I haven't tested them to see if they are accurate or not, only that they trigger

Thanks for all your work. Very informative and useful.

Thanks for the video. Great information here on checking torque wrench accuracy.

Interesting for me, I used this method to check my cheap (metric) torque wrench out, having to work out the force of gravity into the equation and convert Newtons to Newton meters! That was fun, found out that my wrench was off, so found a few YT videos on how to calibrate it, a little grub screw under a rubber plug about half way down the length of the wrench needed to be adjusted took about 15 minutes and done! Cheers for your input

I found this video extremely helpful. I recently did the valve cover gaskets on my wife's truck and they are still leaking and was really dreading having to re do them, but now that I found this video I am leaning much more to the torque values being off

I bought a digital torque wrench and it’s one of he best purchases ever. I love it. Definitely worth the money.

Thanks. This saved me a lot of money. I recently bought a Tesla. Great car, but it comes without a spare tire. Bought a spare from Modern Spare (comes with a jack & J-bar lug wrench). Tesla lug nuts need 129 ft-lbs. I'll buy the ½" drive for $20 instead of a more expensive one. With the spare, a tire inflator and this torque wrench, I'll be safe on the road. You saved me ~$80.

For my job in water work, aka municipal water, I've bought roughly 6 of the 1/2 inch for tightening down or torqueing our mechanical joints for various things like new install and water break repairs. For $20 or less these are perfect for our work. Our bolts are 3/4" generaly and these torque wrenches have been perfect for us. Gets us close enough for our work. The thing is they are subjected to very harsh conditions in general. Muddy, wet, sandy trenches aren't kind to tools in general so that's why we've purchased the 6 or so wrenches in the time I was the foreman. Great for us and a god send. It's aweful to spend $120.00 on a wrench that gets dropped in water on a cold night.

Excellent post, thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the review. Considering the wrench would be mainly for my motorcycle, I’m torn after reading the comments about the calibration.

Excellent test thank you for your good help...👍🏻👍🏻

Excellent test. Learnt a lot from your test.

Good info and it applies to all other torque wrenches too, not just the Hazard Fraud. Thanks and God bless!

I got one for my AR, and I misread the weight setting 😆 silly mistake, so now I'm onto crush washer nunber 2! Thanks for the video. I don't feel completely crazy for buying it.

Awesome video, thank you I feel better about getting the torque wrench

Very educational video. Thank you!

Yes, sometimes you need to reverse it. Not to loosen, but for left hand threads. Mower blade on a push mower is an example

I saw a video where the tester calibrated the wrench by disassembling the handle, tighten or loosen a nit inside, so I think with your setup you could calibrate then easily!

On the case, it's just as good as the snap on. Had the 3/8 and 1/2 inch digital. Retired and sold them. 480 and 800. Had to pull the head on my 22r. Used the Harbor freight 1/2 inch. So far so good.

Something to consider in your testing is that you had the weight wrench unsupported which could be throwing off your measurement would be more accurate if you tested horizontally and pulled it with a come along and had a load force tester inline

Very wise and humble of you to show us your 75 pound kite… lmao! Really though some people actually might believe that is viable and seeing this might’ve saved their foot.

My first torque wrench was a cheap one. From 40 nm to 200 nm. At 110 it only did 40 nm. Got a new one... at 110 it was 190. Swapt it for a beta tool ... if it got to be good you need good tools

I like that you used actual weight and not another digital tool to test the torque wrench

Great video, and great way of critiquing yourself

I been havin my torque wrench over 6 years and the henges on the box are still good as new

I have a good digital 3/8 Gearwrench 120xp torque wrench for my engines... but I do have the quarter inch Pittsburgh Pro from Freight and a 3/4 inch Pittsburgh Pro from Harbor Freight ($80) and they are actually really good to me... they out perform the 20 bucks and 80 bucks... Do that with an expensive torque wrench and your results will be pretty much the same most torque wrenches work best at the higher end of their capacity.. So if you're trying to tighten something Titan something at 10 foot pounds get a quarter inch torque wrench not a 3/8 or 1/2 in ....and vice versa if you want something at 128 ft lb get a 3/8 or 1/2 in .... right tool for the job....

if I want a near 100% accurate 5 ft lbs, can I take the 33% inaccuracy error of 5 ft lbs, and add that to 5 ft lbs to make it an accurate 5 ft lbs? If so, is 33% of 5 at 1.65 ft pnds added to 5 ft lbs to get the accurate torque wrench setting 6.65 ft lbs? Or would I need to take the accurate 1.65 ft lb X 5 innaccurate ft pnds to get my near accurate torque setting at 8.25 ft lbs?

For this to be more accurate, you should factor in the weight of the handle, rope, and pipe. Will make a difference especially in the lower ranges as the percentage of total weight would be greater. Otherwise great, well thought out test and greatly appreciate you taking the time to make this!

I would be curious about consistency of the readings. Using the 3/8" wrench, are the readings the same ( even if off ) across multiple uses , re-initializing ( min-max settings , 3 times ) .

The mfr of my Toyota says 13 ft lbs for spark plugs. I am so glad I saw this first. Thanks.

As others mentioned the wrench should be more accurate up some from the lower settings. Anyways nice video, makes me want to test my Harbor Freight 3/4” drive. I had to purchase this in the past for my axle nut torque on my 03 Yukon for it was above 150 ft lb. My lug nuts on my 2010 Ford F150 are specified at 150ft lb believe it or not, “I just used my one Torque Wrench the other day on the truck.”

I bought the 3/8 to do small jobs like spark plugs which I used it yesterday on my moms fiesta and it did well..I only plan on doin Lil things like oil,and brakes as well so..I won't use it but 3-6 times a yr..

I used ru-vid.comUgkx4ynqaujg7rZKFapA8s29kTpRszJGa3-K this for the first time today to replace the front wheel bearing on my rwd 98 dodge dakota. This had absolutely no issue removing or reinstalling the lug nuts and it took off the axle nut without any struggle. Sounds like it's got some muscle to it. Time will tell

Awesome video thank you!

thanks for this informative video. I bought a 1/4" drive one 5 years ago. Never used it. I guess I may as well throw it in the garbage and get the 1/2" drive.

Found this video right after learning that the 'weight at some distance' method is a flawed method for testing the accuracy of a click type torque wrench. I am not an expert, but just passing on what I learned. Because of how the mechanism works, the applied torque at the head actually depends on where you hold the handle. They are almost always calibrated to a perpendicular force applied to the center of the handle, so applying force anywhere else as you did in this video will yield incorrect torque even with a calibrated mechanism. Counterintuitive right? It is because the pivot point for the mechanism that measures the torque and the pivot point for the head are at different positions; changing where you apply the force on the handle changes the relative size of these two levers, which yields different applies torques even with a calibrated mechanism. Here is experimental evidence demonstrating this effect from Park Tool, maker of high quality torque wrenches for bikes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BPe1-bDFVRM.html And here is an explanation of a click-type torque wrench's mechanism and the math of why grip position matters in this design: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0f746pF1xc0.html

That seems like a pretty fair test idea, Have you compared those torque wrenches to others, performing the same kind of test? I would like to see a similar test with old fashion style Beam torque wrenches, For some comparison.

I just got my 1/2" version Pittsburgh Pro for free with a coupon. It looks good enough for wheels and suspension components. Probably won't assemble a long block with it, but for everything else it'll get a go from me.

I really enjoyed watching your video and did so out of curiousity. It raises a lot of concerns in my mind as to your methodology in testing these click type torque wrenches. These click torque wrenches do not depend on the distance from the socket to measure torque. I am not really understanding why you are trying to do that. The internal mechanism is completely independent from where your grip is ont the handle. The internal mechanism is set to click on the dialed in torque setting no matter where you grip the handle: In fact, you can put a 5' cheater bar on the handle and it will still click off at the correct value. The way these kinds of wrenches are built, it is like a torque wrench inside a socket wrench, where you literally have no interaction with the actual torque measurement aparatus (click point). The only interaction you, as the end user, have is adjusting the calibration by disassembling the knobs on the end of the wrench handle. What this basically means is if you pull on the handle of the wrench next to the head, or put on a cheater bar to make it 5' long, the torque wrench will always click off at the setting dialed in, it just does not care how much leverage you apply to the handle (distance down the handle shaft you pull from). The measuring of how far down the handle you put your weights makes no difference in other words. I am not sure if maybe you were trying to find something out that I am just not understanding, but it sounds like you are unaware of how this kind of torque wrench works. I cringed when it nearly popped you in the face, as this was for nothing. I guess you could use this kind of setup to do an actual calibration of the wrench, but it would make more sense to use either a pully to pull up on the wrench or a baggage scale to pull up on the wrench so it is not so dangerous. Here at my work location, we use a deflection torque wrench to place head-to-head with our click type torque wrenches since they are not calibratable and easier to validate than a click type. Doing that head-to-head allows you to apply force to the click torque wrench in the vice and so you pull on the deflection torque wrench so you see the actual analog torque value and watch for the click of the wrench in the vice. I am not sure if what I am telling is making sense to you, but you really need to understand how these click torque wrenches work better for your own safety. I fear someone is going to follow your direction and get really hurt for no reason.. Keep up the work on your videos, as I enjoy watch them as well! mrstan

first thing you thought was did i string my eye out !!!! and where the hell are my safety glasses !!!! nice video

Well by using your chart, just remember to compensate for the 3/8 at low torque. I have the 1/2 and 4% is good enough and glad it is accurate over range. Thanks

I just bought the 3/8" wrench (before watching this video) but I don't feel so bad with my purchase. I bought it on the SMALL chance there might be a day when I need to tear appart my lawn mower or snow blower engines and neeed to torque them back into spec. I can live with them being off by ~ 8%. I just need to remember to set the torque a bit higher than spec.

Thanks for the test. Could you try and calibrate the 3/8” one and test again?

decent wrench for a diy person doing basic work drain plugs, lugnuts ETC, not delicate things like motors. Good test

I just bought the 1/4 inch and 3/8's on sale for $11 for that price even if its 1/3rd off I plan to use it. I mean I dont worry about torque on anything besides headbolts and main bearings. Everything i just make tight is tight

Thanks for the series of tests. Perhaps the tests should have included the weight of the heavy duty string and the swinging weight. Otherwise, it will affect the accuracy, especially on light weight tests. Thanks again for your tests.

Your test on the 3/8" drive version looks like it would be very easy to recalibrate, as it is off by pretty much the same amount at each test point, so it's just a straight linear adjustment that's needed. And most accuracy specs are measured as percent of full scale, not percent of reading, which would mean that the 3/8" drive wrench you tested meets its torque spec accuracy claim.

I have multiple HF torque wrenches and have them set up for dedicated uses. The one I use most is my "car" one that I keep with it so I can torque lug nuts when my wife's car or my truck need to have tire rotations done. For $22 bucks, I can afford to leave it in my truck toolbox.

I can't tell where the torque settings are on these wrenches, will the collar be exactly at the line?? after I filled in the markings with black sharpie and wiped it off I could see it A LOT better.

LOL sorry but you got a chuckle out of me glad you were OK thx for an honest display

Thank you for teaching me

First of all, you should never use these at the low end. They won't be accurate. Use a smaller torque wrench. Second, the weight of the handle plus the string+pipe will make it click sooner. Other than that, a good video. I did this with my HF torque wrenches using my lug nuts instead of welding a socket. The 1/2" and 3/8" were within a couple of pounds in the middle ranges. Good enough for what I use them for. I got them for $9.99 on sale. Good deal!

My 1/2” wrench came apart after light use. The screws and pawls all came out after a tire change use. I had it for about 6yrs and use it 1x/year

those "that would've broke my face" moments, make you appreciate all you have LOL

Did you account for the weght of the torque wrench handle? That adds about 1.2 lf-ft when horizontal, so explains just a bit of your error at the low end.

They have a reverse on them for torquing left hand threaded fasteners. Not that many out here but ... YES ... they do exist.

Very good advice to check them out

broke transmission pan bolt with these despite putting it at only 8 ft lbs, which was bit less then official torque specs in service manual, at least got no leaks after tightening by feel afterwards

I always make sure to have a good supply of paracord on hand as it's typically good for about 800 lb

Thank you for the video glad you didn't get hurt. I have a stupid question for a newbie. Can I buy the half inch and get an adapter to bring it back down to 3/8 that way it's more accurate up to a 150 pounds of torque?

I purchased a set of these to work on my dirtbike and something told me they were not correct because I was tightening down stuff pretty tight and still no click The video help to substantiate my thoughts . Because I would set say to 20 lbs and it clicks at 30 lbs . I just quit using them before I broke something.

I bought two of these Harbor Freight torque wrench a 3/8 Drive and half inch Drive when I check them out they were dialed to a torque setting they weren't zeroed out who knows how long they've been sitting in the package like that a return debit got my money back who knows how if they're accurate or not

Glad you didn't get hurt!

17:08 is where i got confused…you did test that showed the small one was off a great deal but then said “if you buy these the small one might be accurate, your big one might be off” why the test and result’s then?because your results show the exact opposite. Also a few recommendations would have been great

I have both 1/2 and 3/8 inch. They seem to work ok at times. The 3/8 doesn’t alway work for me, not sure why? Sometimes it doesn’t trigger at low torque values. I just end up hand tightening so as to not over torque. Better than nothing, but would rather have an electronic one. 1/2 is good for wheel bolts and suspension work.

I tested my harbor freight one on a torque tester on the snap on truck. My torque wrench has been used and abused and it was accurate to 1lbs up to 150lbs.

AVE reference was solid gold!

Great Video!

OMG... THATS SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE DONE.. GLAD YOU DIDNT GET HURT BROTHER!!!

I have the 3/8 and it's accurate enough to not lose or break any bolts.

Just an FYI: In normal usage, socket adapters or extensions will have an effect on the torque wrench's accuracy due to torsion.

I bought the 1/2” drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight mainly to torque the castle nut on my AR-15 (spec calls for (38-42 foot pounds, so we set it for 40 foot pounds, right in the middle of the range). All the advice I read online from other shooters said to not waste money on a high end torque wrench if you’re not an armorer and just doing it for your own rifles, and to just get a torque wrench from Harbor Freight, so I did. My castle nut wrench is probably the best available, and it’s a 1/2” drive, so it’s nice to know that the 1/2” torque wrench is within spec. If I was building dozens of rifles for clients as a business, I’d invest in a better wrench, but for just a few, the Harbor Freight wrench will provide the required torque so I can stake the castle nut with confidence that it’s as tight as it should be, and it will stay put unless I decide to remove it.

Your video is realy good, I do stupid rigging and stuff like that over my life time, I just take my HFT torque wrenchs on my Snap-on dealer truck and test them every now and then. The 1/2 drive is good for lug nuts and as a loner in stead of my Snap-on torque wrenchs but I think there ok for the price if u don't need torque wrenchs every day 🔧🔧🔧🔧🔧

you could get a quinn torque adapter for your testing, waaayyy easier

Point 1 they're not reversible to loosen a nut or bolt, they're reversible to torque left hand threads. Point 2 the 1/2" wrench was accurate enough for most home mechanic jobs and the 3/8" one could most likely be recalibrated to acceptable limits. As always you get what you pay for. But for most jobs they're fine. After checking them I'd trust them for putting together a car or motorcycle engine.

Do you not need to grind the Chrome up of the socket before you Weld it?

They have a lifetime warranty I think. Good test.

Would love to see you do this test with there Icon tools

Snapped a trans pan bolt off with this, had it set for 7lb-ft and it never clicked. I should've stopped after a few turns but I wasn't familiar with how much 7lb-ft actually is, and it was still very easy to turn.

This is consistent with my experience. I get accurate and consistent results with the 1/2" torque wrench and the 3/8" one gives me inconsistent and inaccurate results. The 1/4" one works good too. Mine overtorques though and I found that out trying to torque differential cover bolts on my F-250. They called for 25 ft-lbs and it snapped them right off. The 1/2" did fine for that job. I did calibrate both of them after that but I just don't trust it. I honestly should throw it away because I'll never use it again for anything important.

I broke my Pittsburg half inch(junk) so I bought the Quinn. I like it so far .

Did you weigh the weights before testing? Not sure what the tolerance are on those. Also even if they are dead on you are applying more torque than the weight you hung. You need to measure the weight of the rope. The weight of the rope will be less significant at higher torque settings.