Harbor Freight Torque wrench Tested

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I have a 3/8in drive "clicker" type torque wrench from Harbor freight which I have been meaning to check for a long time. Its the Pittsburg Pro 5 to 80 ft-lb model, all metal and with 1/2ft-lb graduations. I tested it using a bench vise mounted vertical to clamp the ratchet square drive in place and hold the torque wrench horizontal to my eye. The weight was a 40lb kettlebell showing 39lbs on my digital bath scale, and it was placed at 12in and 6in to check the wrench for 19.5ft-lbs and 39ft-lbs (naturally).

At 6in I needed to set the wrench at 18ft-lbs to achieve a click.
At 12in the wrench required a setting of 42ft-lbs to achieve a click.

This results in a +7.7% to -7.7% actual torque output respectively. The measurements seemed pretty consistent as I removed and replaced the weight a couple times each getting the same result, the weight was also removed to adjust the wrench to avoid any loaded bias.

I don't know/remember what the original spec's were for the accuracy, but I would venture probably in the +/-6% range so I figure this is pretty good. Any thoughts?
 
Careful when going to hotrod.com, the site is spammy. Do not install their "recommended" software or follow the popups.
 
Are you sure that isn't something with your computer or malware you already have?

I've personally never got any popup or request to install software on that website. I use Ad Block Plus, though.
 
OP, thanks for doing this test and sharing the results.

The website says 4% accuracy.

I have all the HF clicker torque wrenches.

I haven't done the calibration like you have but my 1/2 inch one seems to check out with the Mercedes dealer and the various Discount Tire folks who torque my wheels.
 
I don't use them that much, but for $30 total its nice to have 3 sizes.

The ratchet is actually smooth for the money.
 
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For wheels I thing repeatibility is as important than how accurate the device is. 78 pounds or 82, for a wheel, I'm more concerned with each lugnut being the same.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
For wheels I thing repeatibility is as important than how accurate the device is. 78 pounds or 82, for a wheel, I'm more concerned with each lugnut being the same.


I agree, its head gaskets and piston rod caps where accuracy matters. I would want something more accurate for that. but for wheels, thats fine.
 
I use a harbor freight clicker torque wrench to assemble my motors, but they're low budget dirty builds that really don't matter in the long haul. When I did the head studs on my 6.0 diesel, I borrowed a legit Matco torque wrench that had a recent calibration.
 
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I'm not trying to be an internet expert, but I've found that how you pull on the wrench can affect the outcome. Because of that alone I wouldn't put your results as god's-honest-truth.



That could be said about any torque wrench then, if its user error.

I would assume that a good amount, 50%+ of overage is built into most torque specs to account for that.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I'm not trying to be an internet expert, but I've found that how you pull on the wrench can affect the outcome. Because of that alone I wouldn't put your results as god's-honest-truth.



That could be said about any torque wrench then, if its user error.

I would assume that a good amount, 50%+ of overage is built into most torque specs to account for that.


Learning how to pull to get consistent, accurate results is useful. I personally found buying a torque adapter to be well worth the cost to test my torque wrenches and find out how much different pulling methods can affect the final torque.
 
i've done two subaru head gasket jobs with HF 1/2 torque wrenches. both work fine to this day. i think the 10 dollars paid for itself.
 
I had to reinstall my front driveshaft last weekend. It has an oddball CV joint with (6) 8mm bolts that need to be torqued to 30 ft lbs. I couldn't get to it with just the wrench and socket (3/8") so I used a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter along with an 8" extension. I could not get it to click at 30 ft lbs for the life of me.. It seemed way too tight. Meanwhile it worked just fine after testing it on a lug. User error perhaps? Did it possibly not like the angle it was at? Did the smaller extension just make it more difficult?

If not, this is my only gripe about my HF torque wrenches. Bought all 3 for $10-$15 with coupons. I also have the digital torque reader.
 
Just some food for thought.

In my experience the HF torque wrenches are extremely good, surprisingly. I bought two wrenches, the 1/2" and 3/8", because they were dirt cheap and my curiosity got the best of me . I work in the nuclear industry and have access to a lot of high end calibration equipment. I routinely carry them to work to test on our NIST calibrated torque cell. In the middle of the range the wrenches were repeatedly accurate within 2%, most of the time 1%.

FWIW, torque is such a fallible measurement it isn't worth getting worked up over accuracy. Thread cleanliness, technique, etc make it an uphill battle.
 
Ah, another 'Harbor Freight now has good tools' thread.

I propose we cut to the chase in future threads. We could just write "Harbor Freight (they're getting better)" each time we mention them. If we can get it into the acronym sticky, then we can just write HF:TGB .
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Ah, another 'Harbor Freight now has good tools' thread.

I propose we cut to the chase in future threads. We could just write "Harbor Freight (they're getting better)" each time we mention them. If we can get it into the acronym sticky, then we can just write HF:TGB .


Well, the torque wrench has been good for years. The one I have is about 7 years old.

Actually, there's some evidence the HF TW may be getting worse. They have been made in Taiwan for years and there have been reports of a new version made in China that doesn't appear as nice. My local store doesn't have the Chinese version, though.
 
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