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
The Snap-on torque wrench, by an established reputation, is obviously a better piece of equipment. However, I believe that your reporting was biased towards the Snap-on wrench. For what the wrench will be used for, and for the price, the Tekton wrench is a much better unit. Six hundred dollars ($600.00) for a wrench, Snap-on, that IS VERY ridiculous, flex-head or not!
Yes and keep in mind that with modern torque wrenches, it's more important that they're properly calibrated and properly used than the brand name. Even an expensive Snap On wrench can give crap results if you're not using it correctly. Also, that flexhead does eat away a bit at the accuracy that you'll get when you're actually flexing it.
Own the Tekton 1/4”- 200 in/lb. 3/8 - 80 ft/lb. 1/2” - 250ft/lb 3/4” - 300 ft/lb. All for about 1/3 the cost of the 1 Snap-On. These are perfect for me the home gamer. So far the reliability is good. Thx for the vid
I’m with you foxwood67, I’ve got the 1/4”, 3/8” & 1/2” (no 3/4”); all from Amazon and about $45 each. I’ve tested mine for accuracy with a scale and all within advertised variance of 4% but usually in the 2% range. Great value and I just don’t see the value in spending more since these work so well..
It is a precision instrument made for professional use. The tool makes you money so those prices really aren't too unreasonable. I would not trust a 60 dollar torque wrench to handle daily use at a commercial or industrial environment. I personally have 2 digital torque wrenches 3 micrometer style wrenches and 2 TQ series torque wrenches all from Snap On and they were worth every single penny. At the end of the year I send the wrenches off to get re-calibrated and after a full year of use they were still accurate and has not lost it's calibration. Whereas my first torque wrench when I bought it for DIY purposes it couldn't even be calibrated because it was so inaccurate (Mastercraft).
Himmel Weint I was a master tech for over 15 years and have had snap on, Cornwell, Mac, Matco etc and snap on is NOT worth the money and greatly overpriced. the old snap on tools were great, but the new stuff is garbage. snap on is an over seas sell out and a joke today.
Exactly. They wonder why everyone is buying stuff from overseas.... They want us to buy domestic products, but make them 10 times the price of the competition. There is NO reason that a simple electronic torque wrench should cost 600$. The Chinese manufacturers are catching up quality wise very quickly. If they don't smarten up soon, they will be dead in the water
Snap on had very good tools. No doubt about it. As a DIYer with a low budget, Tekton. I'm not a professional, I don't make a living wrenching so personally I can't justify the snap on. I am aware of the tool's limitations so naturally, tight tolerances need precision tools. For home use and turning a nut here and a bolt there, the $41 (depending on model) price tag on Amazon is certainly more attractive. I get to do more with my money rather than having a one trick pony in the tool chest. Found a deal on Amazon for $23 and free shipping. If it doesn't work, simply return it and move on to something else.
When testing the torque wrenches I would have marked the nut and wheel with a hash mark and the loosen the nut. Go back and tighten with the tekton and see if the nut lines up with the hash marks and the same torque setting.
boostedmaniac that's a good idea. If you tighten to the click (on a click torque wrench) and then reapply torque (even with the same wrench) you will advance the nut. So boostedmaniac's test plan would make sense. I also wanted to say, I think a Tekton/Snap On comparison is a valid demonstration of the trade off between cost, features and MAYBE some accuracy. Then each of us has to answer the question: What is that marginal accuracy worth? Good video. Thanks!
Good comparison, but you left out what some people, like me, would consider a con for the that model of Snapon. I don't like relying on batteries. They end up being dead when you need them most or worse yet, dying while being stored and puking acid, destroying your $600 tool, or you always have to make sure you remember to take them out when not in use, then have to put them back in every time you need to use it.
I own the snap on torque wrench, and those batteries in there literally never die, it's only on when you're using, i dont think it'll die while being stored, whoever buys the torque wrench is going to be using it every day. If you're a DIY'er buy whatever works, if you're a professional, buy snap on.
I used one of these Digital Snap On ones for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I found out that hand placement was key. I found that I would accidentally touch the buttons which would in turn do all kinds of weird shit. So then I would have to ask somebody to reset it for me.
When torquing a bolt that is already torqued at the exact same value, you will get slight movement like you did. I would bet that if you torqued those bolts with the Tekton first, and followed up with the Snap-On at the exact same torque, you would get the same slight movement. Proper torque is always found as the bolt is moving and is tightened to the proper torque, so I'm guessing that's why you got that ever so slight turn. Of course when you dropped down to 30 ft. lbs it clicked right away due to the huge difference. It's still a great demo because it shows the Tekton is not a bad torque wrench at all. I just bought one and got it today. Fit and finish wise, Snap-On is light years ahead (Craftsman and Husky are much better too). However, I paid $40 for a 10-80 ft. lb. 3/8 wrench from Tekton. Husky is $70 for 20-100 ft. lb.and Snap-On $374 for 10-75 ft lb! The Snap-On is not $335 better! Especially for home use. I'm curious about the accuracy, so I will be checking it at work...we have great torque checker for wrenches.
for a real test you would have loosened the nuts again set them to 80 ft lbs per the Tekton and then tried the snap-on on it to see if it beeps right away at 78.4 ft lbs (4% accuracy minus 2% applied to 80 ft lbs)
I personally own a Snap on 3FR250. It has flex head also.. Beeps and vibrates when at set torque. But the selling point on that wrench was that it did angle plus. You can preset a angle say 75 deg.. and if your in a very tight space, you can get 15 deg. out of each turn it will remember how far you have gone and you can ratchet it. That's what sold me. I work on stuff that requires different angles when torquing and this takes that guess work out of was that 90 deg.. or 75 deg?? I don't know it was worth the $350. People at work ask all the time to use it because of the angle feature. I don't lend it out to people because I see the way some people treat their own tools, and I don't want some 300 pound Gorilla trashing my nice wrench. I hope someone found this useful.. Thanks for the great vid. btw.
I love those Snap On digital torque wrenches I have one in 1/2" and one in 3/8" and I absolutely love them. Very very good wrenches the angle feature also sold me on them.
"Most accurate torque wrench money can buy?" Digital torque wrenches +/- 1% Indicated Value accuracy. Sturtevant Richmont Torque Tools and Torque Calibration Equipment Includes FREE tabulated calibration certificate from our ISO 17025 certified calibration laboratory.
You could also buy CDI torque wrenches, they make them for snapon. you can find the at half the price. if you don't believe me just punch the snapon part number into amazon and the CDI wrench will pop up because they use the same part number.
Other problems with digital torque wrenches if the digital part fails or dies and won't work even after battery change sometimes it could cost more to change and replace the digital part then compared to buying a brand new mechanical electronics are always 10 times higher cost and even replacement cost
I don't have anything against Snap-On but they don't manufacture the most accurate digital torque wrench on the market, you should investigate a little bit more because there a couple of German manufactures that have better torque wrenches like HAZET, MATADOR, GEDORE, STHALWILLE. Nothing against Snap On, great tools but not the best on a lot of applications.
matador is nice stuff. i used a friends who does heavy machine work. and i loved it. then he said it was almost 800$ i said yeah its not that nice LOL.
i dont know much a bout tekton but wrenches in that price bracket used every day last about 2 to 3 weeks. i wood never use one to put on a cylinder head and i think it might be a little better than a lug wrench
the cobalt is a really good wrench. they are made in taiwan and re-calibrated in the U.S. by equipment accurate to .25%. The result is a wrench that is very accurate and lifetime warranty. that is kick ass. please fix the hole in your drywall!!! i see insulation. take care. lates
"snap on is known for making the very best tools today..." sorry but as an ex professional mechanic with over 15 years experience, that is utterly BS. snap on used to make great tools, today they are overpriced overseas sub standard tools. there are by far better tools in various areas at a much better price. snap on sheep are ridiculous
Had you used the Snap-on on the second pass same sequence instead of switching to the Tekton the lugnuts still would have moved. Do you even wrench bro?
I own the tekton wrench that goes to 250lb. It should be noted that all of their wrenches are capable of rust building up if not maintained well. I learned this the hardway but nothing like a soak in generic rust remover.
Great review. The question is : can you deal with a few foot pound plus or minus for 500$ difference? The answer is yes for the most time. The fact that it's digital don't make you same a lot of time. Tekton is a good brand for the price.
A torque wrench is a very specific tool and consideration should be given to how it will be used. Snap-On Techangles are great especially for Machine Shops and techs that work on and need exact torque specs (ex. heads, engine rebuilds, headers, manifolds, ext.) For the everyday DIYer or lower/entry level lube tech, the Snap-On might be overkill. That being said, I believe you made the right choice if you just want a torque wrench for rechecking wheel lug torques at final exit and a service writer will be doing it daily. With dozens of vehicles to recheck daily digital wrenches will go through batteries in a heartbeat, even with rechargeable ones which can add to long term costs of ownership. Just make sure they zero-out the manual ones if they will be sitting unused for extended periods. I have Snap-On Techangles, BrownLines Steel, Blackhawk and Kobalts, each has its time and place in my shop, but find myself mostly using the Kobalts for 80% of all my R.O.s. Very good build quality, very accurate for the $, easy to warranty if need be. Carlyle also makes a nice digital torque wrench at a decent price point, you should be able to check it out easily being you're a Napa Shop.
@boo boo It is, but the Snap On isn't going to prevent that from happening any better than a properly used Tekton will. If you need that level of precision, you're probably going to be looking at a better torque wrench that involves torque angle as well.
@@rustler08 "The poors are at it again." That's funny, considering "the poors" are Snap-on's primary market. You think young mechanics just starting out are rich? Obviously not. They can "afford" Snap-on because Snap-on offers financing / payment plans (with a healthy dose of interest of course), which keeps people in dept to them for years and years. "When your crappy torque wrench costs you more than $550 in repairs, you'll regret that." Uh huh. By the way, the most accurate torque wrenches don't cost $600, nor are they particularly expensive at all. The old beam style torque wrenches like this - c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_881131012??hei=64&wid=64&qlt=50 - are inherently dead-on accurate (not +/- 2% like that $600 one, but literally dead-on) as long as the needle is pointing to zero when you start and the printed gauge has accurately spaced lines. The laws of physics don't allow them to be anything less than dead-on accurate, and they never need to be calibrated. Making sure the needle is pointing to zero is the only "calibration" they ever need, and that can be done by bending the needle if necessary.
Snap On is a professional tool, long term dependability when its used 6 days a week. But Tekton is replacing the old Craftsman line as far as quality. Price, warranty for pros or DIY
I work in the aerospace industry and we use the digital snap on torque wrench and there have been times when i use it and it beeps and vibrates before i get to the desired torque, i always beep it twice before I move on to the next nut. All our torque wrenches are scientifically calibrated every year. I’m not a fan of the snap on. I wanted to see if the tekton was a decent wrench for my dh bike.
Think of how many tools are required to run a dealership. I don't think a dealership can afford to overpay like this in very many cases. So, the idea with Snap-On in this case is to pay an order of magnitude more to improve accuracy from four to two percent. I don't see a lug nut as requiring two percent accuracy. I haven't ever read a story in a newspaper that a dealer was being sued because they torqued the lug nuts to only four percent accuracy. Since you want to make a profit on your work, the cost for equipping your personnel to go around checking lug nuts at two percent accuracy will be passed on to the customer. I'll be going down the street to your competitor who torques his lug nuts to four percent accuracy. The Snap-On is best suited for a Ferrari dealership where the owners don't care what they pay for maintenance.
Clearly you have no idea what your talking about. In most repair shops, yes dealerships and independent shops, the mechanics purchase their own tools, this includes the torque wrenches. And most professional mechanics will purchase snap-on torque wrenches. They don't use a separate torque wrench for your wheels vs engine work, they would use the same torque wrench. It's don't mater if they are working on a GEO Metro or a Caddy, same tools. Many techs don't even use torque wrenches on your wheels but use torque sticks on a impact gun. And guess what, peoples brakes are screwed up all the time as a result. The reason you don't read about it in the paper is because first of all, most tech's are ignorant on the matter. Theirs a reason their are service bulletins on this very issue. The problem is the issue does not show itself immediately. but maybe 12000 miles later. Brakes end up pulsating. And good luck proving the tech did any wrong or the shop to take any responsibility for it. They will simply tell you that you are hard on your brakes amongst other excuses. I am a certified mechanic.
My TechWrench broke after the third use. What happens is if you rotate the handle (plastic component) just a little bit, it can have a power disconnect causing no torque reading or beep when torquing. This can lead to over-torquing a bolt really easily. After paying the repair fee from Snap-On (because it was after their initial warranty), they sent me a wrench with a broken endcap (where the batteries are retained). It does hold, but you would think they would provide a brand-new cap in replacement of the broken one. Just so you're aware, this was a common problem with the Digital line (TechWrench). Would I spend that much again for the Snap-On name? Not a chance.
I went with a Precision Instruments torque wrench. I previously gave Tekton a shot with one of their long ratchets, but it kept breaking, and it was replaced with a SnapOn FLL80. Hasn't broken after two years. S-O makes good stuff, but they don't make everything they sell. Sometimes that dilutes their brand with lower quality, sometimes that just means you can save money buy skipping the middle man. Precision Instruments supposedly makes some of Snap-On's torque wrenches, and I'm betting on that being a fact.
That flat split beam torque wrench is actually made by precision instruments. Its sold with their name on it for less than half the price. Same wrench. Pretty sure snap on doesn't make anything but their hard line stuff anymore and its only a matter of time before that goes out.
There's a $60 version, and $25 version that have different torque ranges. Not sure which one was $41 but just giving a heads up that there are different versions. They also have different connection sizes, 3/8th, 1/2". Make sure what you're looking at is the one intended which is the $60 version with 1/2" connection. *Looks like the one that's $25 right now is normally $40ish.
I bought one of the cheap Torque wrenches and I got my friend to test it. I could not believe how much the wrench was off. Was not close to accurate. It was even sent with certification. I returned it and bought a snap on non digital one.
First thing you need to realize is that Snap-On does NOT make that Torque Wrench. CDI builds it for them and more often than not CDI can be sourced at a lower price.
Most home mechanix do not have the experience to invest in a $500 tool; but I find that Harbor Freight and Amazon have really good prices on all of their tools and you can research other buyers before forking over your money. However, I have a few Tekton tools (from Amazon) and never have had one problem. MOST people will choose the lower price tag but it is a worthy consideration.
Thank you for the video. I wish it were not so long winded. The Snap On is not worth $600. not even an "If" period. The Tekton on the other hand is worth much more than the $59 hands down. Purchase five Tekton for the price of one Snap On. And, yes they will both last the same amount of time. The digital will break down on the Snap On before the manual Tekton will seize to work.
Precision instruments makes a bar type torque wrench that Snap on uses, its only $155 on Amazon. It is superior to the click torque wrench your using for several reasons. It can stay set at a torque setting without effecting its accuracy and its a 1% tolerance and it is very durable.
Ah, Snap-On isn’t the best tool in the market. Sure, it’s pretty good, but it isn’t better than any number of other brands, just more expensive, because you’re paying that guy to drive around all day in his truck. S-K, Proto and others are just as good.
Snap on is too expensive, but I think it's the warranty that is good. You run a shop, it's a write off (lol), for the weekender, I'd go with the Tekton or Tacklife.. I'd also be afraid of damaging the display on the digital.
I have the 3/8" Tekton torque wrench and I like it! For the price you can't beat it. I have the kobalt 1/2" torque wrench and that is a beast and the quality of the build seems great! I hate the Harbor freight ones. I was thinking about getting the Husky 1/4" drive torque wrench. I wish these cheaper ones had the flex head though
+Jursaw I have also heard good things about the Kobalt torque wrench, I'll have to check one out....So far the Tekton is working great I'm curious to see how long it will hold up at the shop.
Mine failed after a year. I have stored it at 75* F/24 * C, and ALWAYS at the lowest setting/ 0 tension on spring. After a good amount of use, it's now become a breaker bar.
should use beam wrenches for lug nuts. unless you just want to throw money away getting those clickers/digitals recalibrated every time some 250 lb gorilla drops it.
The newer version of Snap On Techangle has the improved battery cap. The one shown here is prone to come off and the cap's contact with the battery has an intermittent connection problem. The newer version is vastly improved with solid brass contact. Another point is that Snap On should never increase the torque wrench for a wide setting from 15ft/lbs all the way to 300 ft/lbs. No self-respecting mechanic will use such a low setting (i.e. 15 ft/lbs) for smaller fasteners risking breaking it.
$600 for a torque wrench! :0 And here I've been happy with my humble Gearhead torque wrench that I bought at Pepboys with a 30% discount coupon. I would love to try one of those Snap On's for a day just to feel the difference.
Thank you for your presentation. My opinion is that in your particular environment, go with the Tekton. The Snap On is just overkill for tightening lug bolts. With the Tekton you have the audible click and the tactile feel of the click. So work is going to move a bit faster while getting the same level of Q.C. In fact, an economical move might be to go with the 150 lb. 1/2" Tekton. It is shorter and 22 bucks cheaper. But still the same accuracy specs. Personally, as a lover of good tools, if I had the cash I would love a Snap On or other high end digital. btw I very much like your attitude toward quality control and customer safety.
For a tool sitting in a bay and not locked up in an assembly room the Teton is the way to go. Besides, this is for lug nuts not engine assemblies. I would never be using a 600 dollar wrench for general use in tightening wheels. I think you made a good call with the Tekton.
Gear wrench clicker seems like a decent wrench and has a flex head for 180 usd but it isn't smooth like snap-on's model. I own a CDI branded snap-on digital 3/8", it seems OK but not as sturdy as a traditional wrench, too much plastic.
It would help if you even knew how to use a torque wrench. They make calibration equipment to check the torque settings. What you are doing is telling you nothing. First of all, you don't but you hand on the head of the torque wrench while torquing. Second you don't put your hand on the bar and push, only the handle where your hand is supposed to sit. Third you want to do this in smooth motion. Yes, I'm a certified mechanic. I have a college degree in Automotive Technology. I worked in the repair industry and also on prototype vehicles as a engineer for one of the big three. I also was head of quality control for a HVAC company. We manufactured and installed HVAC units on commercial vehicles. One thing we did was in-house calibration checks on the torque wrenches we used. I think your video is demonstrating bad practices and not properly evaluating the torque wrench. Their is a reason those other torque wrenches cost so much vs the Tekton. A torque wrench is precision tool that needs calibration and it needs frequent checks to ensure it is within calibration. I am not saying you need to purchase a Snap-on, but I also would never trust my work on a cheap torque wrench either. Their is a reason we have TTY bolts, because sometimes, even your best torque wrenches are not accurate enough.
I have the Tekton 1/2 inch torque wrench, I'm a DYI guy so it more than suits my use. FYI you can't compare Snap On to Tekton. I only paid $38.00 for the Tekton on Amazon.
$600 torque wrench....GTHOH!! Snap-On = iphones you can do just as good if not better for way less with the competition. you people are buying a logo and that's it.
It’s like everything in life. You pay for what you get. It’s hard to believe that a $55 dollar torque wrench vs $600 will last longer. But at that price who care I buy one every couple of year if they are accurate that’s the question.Thank you for the great demonstration. Peace stay safe
tekton all the way. over rated snap on. common sense rules. craftsman is B.S. if i buy a tool that cost $400.00 or more it should do better and do everything and more. you do not have to buy a tank tool to fix a F150 or Dodge Ram. keep it simple. Be versatile.
Your shop uses torque wrenches on lug nuts? Every shop I have ever either used or worked at just hank lug nuts down until the impact driver stops... And I hate it. That can warp wheels and rotors and or make it impossible to get them off.
That’s not a valid test method. To restart a nut after it stopped moving can take considerably more torque than what it was set to by the snap on wrench. Also the tekton could be clicking anywhere below 80 and not moving the nut. To be somewhat comparable you should mark the position of the nut against the wheel, loosen it back up, then retighten it with the snapon wrench and see if the mark goes to the same spot on on the wheel
If your working on other peoples cars for money I hope you are spending the money on a superior tool like snap on when it comes to something as important as a torque wrench. Both safety and longevity of repairs will be effected by your choice. If your only working on your own car, go ahead and spend as little as you want.
Actually most accurate type of torque wrench instruments are dial electronic type of torque wrench, like those made by "Proto","JETCO","Mac Tools","Snap-on" and "CDI". Precision Accuracy of those instruments are usually +/- 1% in both directions.Accuracy valid from 10% to 100% of full scale. Doesn't get more accurate than that.
No, the most accurate type of torque wrench is the old beam style like this - c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_881131012??hei=64&wid=64&qlt=50 . Those are inherently dead-on accurate (as long as the needle is pointing to zero when you start and the lines on the gauge are accurately printed). Not +/- 1%, but literally dead-on. The laws of physics make it impossible for them to be anything less than dead-on accurate. The only variance in accuracy will come from human error when reading the needle position against the printed gauge. They never need to be calibrated because their accuracy is inherent to the intrinsic properties of the material used to construct them. The only "calibration" one might need is to make sure the needle is pointing to zero, which you can do by simply bending the needle if you need to.
just another snapon fan boy. their tools haven't been that great for about 20 years. if he would have tried the snap on wrench would have moved some of the nuts a little bit. just the way it works after you tighten all the bolts the 1st few will be a bit losser than the last one. a real test would be to test against a gage and see if it meets the over and under.
those green snap on thump dial torque wrenchs are made by precision instruments. probably the digital ones to. on Amazon their 150$ Snap on does not make the best stuff for everything. best and only thing is to buy thier sockets and at that the tolerances are some of the best I've seen. a lot of snap on is rebranded tools. like the tap and die is Irwin...my shop uses the thumb dial ones.
Roberson Merriweather zi have watched so many vids and channels my brain is scrambled . I always sub the channel if it has some content or will have some in the future, that way always have someone to watch
I have harbor freight Pittsburg torque wrench snap on torque wrenches and even tekton I love my snap on tools but tekton and Pittsburgh aren't bad for there prices and do get the jobs done also have a few huskys and a kobalt
