Tool Torque screw driver options?

[Janger]

Hi,
I need a torque settable/adjustable screwdriver to tighten in the range of 1ft pound to 5 or perhaps 10 ft pounds. There are a lot on amazon - not sure what to get. There is a fancy wera brand at kms tools. $90. https://www.kmstools.com/wera-series-7400-kraftform-adjustable-torque-screwdriver.html but it only goes up to 29 inch pounds. Any leads people? It would be nice if it was not $100 but still decently accurate.

@johnnielsen - you always know where to get stuff - got an opinion on this one?

 

[PeterT]

I was looking myself recently. Wera are sure nice but spendy. How accurate do you need to be?
On amazon

Amazon.ca : wera torque wrench

One of their lines has interchangeable heads if I understand correct.

Wera 05075652001 - Click-Torque X2 Torque Wrench 10-50 Nm

Find the tools you can trust with a perfect balance of price, performance and quality

canucktools.ca

Other prospects Tekton (Asian)
https://www.kbctools.ca/itemdetail/1-909-2432

Drive torque wrenches with dial gages

https://www.amazon.ca/NEWTRY-Torque-Wrench-1-10Nm-Torsion/dp/B078MHYBB7/ref=sr_1_29?crid=Q5SNKOVUIRAZ&keywords=dial%2Btorque%2Bwrench&qid=1647492203&sprefix=dial%2Btorque%2Bwrench%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-29&th=1

 

[Janger]

I need something on the lower end of torque - 1 Ft pound to 5 ft-pound or 2 to 10 Nm

Lezyne Torque Drive Wrench | MEC

Torque Drive Wrench: Get your bolts dialed in with this super-sleek little torque wrench. Leznye’s compact Torque Drive wrench will fit easily in a tool roll or hip pack. Machined from a

www.mec.ca

or this French bicycle type wrench.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01DIRD5CG/ref=sw_img_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

 

[Janger]

and then there are these digital torque meters - which are about as much as a torque screwdriver.

like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085L9WZBW/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B085KZC43J&pd_rd_w=cTpnx&pf_rd_p=8e308614-8b7b-45e9-9526-75d8e163854c&pd_rd_wg=IEfnu&pf_rd_r=X3Q3D3F6RZV2H4D7BA5G&pd_rd_r=5dae2e0d-e044-4ff5-846d-dd068052c030&s=hi&smid=A1M5JVVE07X0KQ&th=1

 

[PeterT]

Are you particular about the drive system - like 1/4" square socket system or hex? I saw those digital in-between boxes too, but they look kind of clunky for any kind of smallish work.

The nice thing about the needle dial indicator style is you can see the torque value increasing & just stop when you need to. A lot of these settable ones I think are meant to clutch out, more meant as over-torque protection once some value is set.

I wish I had some kind of known digital reference. When I use to use tear down & assembly my RC stuff I used my cheapo battery powered hex driver just to speed things up. The low clutch settings are actually quite low. It kind of equated to finger tight, then I went around the bolts by hand. It would be interesting to know how much torque the upper range is & how consistent it is. I know this isn't what you are looking for but just throwing out info. I even made myself a set of hex ended tools with metric ball hex wrenches down to teeny sizes. Finally I see them available here & there but they were kind of unobtanium a while back.

 

[Janger]

I’m not too fussed about the drive system. I have various adapters so either hex or 1/4 would be ok.

For a reference one could assemble a known weight (say 5 or 20 pounds) on the end of a 12” bar to get a certain torque. I think that would give you something calibrate against.

I think an analog dial would be much easier to read than a digital value. Would the numbers just be jumping all over on a lcd display? Anybody got one who can comment? Can you turn a nut to 25 ft lbs and hit that number while watching the little box?

 

[Chicken lights]

I’m not too fussed about the drive system. I have various adapters so either hex or 1/4 would be ok.

For a reference one could assemble a known weight (say 5 or 20 pounds) on the end of a 12” bar to get a certain torque. I think that would give you something calibrate against.

I think an analog dial would be much easier to read than a digital value. Would the numbers just be jumping all over on a lcd display? Anybody got one who can comment? Can you turn a nut to 25 ft lbs and hit that number while watching the little box?

Why not an inch pounds torque wrench? 5-10 foot pounds is 60-120 inch pounds, and they make them 1/4” drive

 

[Thomas]

Little pricey but they work well, you set the torque you want and it beeps when you achieve it.

Wheeler® Digital Fat Wrench | Cabela's Canada

• Digitally set and apply the exact amount of torque you need • Perfect for installing delicate base screws, scope rings and more • Large and exacting LCD digital display for ease of use • Offers a 15 inch-lb. to 100 inch-lb. range with +/- 2% accuracy • Audible and visual indicators occur...

www.cabelas.ca

 

[Crankit]

There are reasonable analog torque converters available from Amazon Japan measuring in Nm

I order tools from there a few times a year...their dollar is pretty close to ours. Basically divide the Japanese Yen by 100 to get Canadian $
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/PRC-V...2513&pd_rd_wg=8IyfL&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d

John....That CDI screwdriver is probably a good product as CDI is owned by Snap On, I have a 1/2" drive torque wrench of theirs and it's top notch

 

[Darren]

Snap-On Dial Torque Wrench Torq-O-Meter 1/4" Drive TEC6FUA 8" 0-90 In lbs Tool | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Snap-On Dial Torque Wrench Torq-O-Meter 1/4" Drive TEC6FUA 8" 0-90 In lbs Tool at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.ca

this is what i have for that type of work, very handy. For a lot of repeat work, a breakaway style would probably be better.

 

[6.5 Fan]

I have a Wheeler Fat Wrench, the older style. Works good for what i use it for, mounting scopes, no way to measure how accurate the settings are though. Price was right, 50% off retail of 80.00 back then.

 

[Susquatch]

I need a torque settable/adjustable screwdriver to tighten in the range of 1ft pound to 5 or perhaps 10 ft pounds. There are a lot on amazon - not sure what to get. There is a fancy wera brand

I am a self confessed torque maniac. My career exposed me to its importance. We had an entire division of people in the fastener division that I regularly had to talk to because of torque issues. Most people totally underestimate the importance of torque.

I have and use the Wera screw drivers for low torque. I check their calibration periodically and they are always dead on.

For torque in the range you desire, I think you will find a "screw driver" a bit hard to use. I know it sounds low, but 10 ft lbs is a lot of leverage to apply with a twisting hand motion. For that range I prefer to use a much cheaper in-lb click style wrench like this:

TEKTON 24320 1/4-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench, 20-200 in.-lb. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00C5ZL2EG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_4YXX0DJM5GXSYT5YGPXS

I bought that exact model about 15 years ago on Amazon. So I was a bit shocked when I saw the current price. I do not believe I paid anywhere near that for it. I'm sure there are cheaper versions. But in hindsight, I use it so much that I would say it is worth that.

This style can also be easily calibrated. But torque in that range is much easier to achieve and most wrenches like this are plenty accurate enough.

I do not own a low torque digital unit. I generally don't like digital. However, the really high torque wrenches are out of sight in price and that makes digital the only viable option for me. So I do own a high torque unit at 750 ft lbs. I like it. At those kind of Torque levels, the reading doesn't jump around that much. But even if it did, you cannot see it while gronking on an 8 ft pipe. Thankfully, they emit a beeping tone as you approach the set point. It goes faster and faster as you get close and then emits a solid tone at the set point.



So ya John, given your needs, I'd recommend that you get a 1/4" drive clicker wrench for the range of torques you specified. And don't forget to set it to zero for long term storage. Otherwise the springs in them take a set.

 

[kevin.decelles]

I don't own a screw driver version (yet), but for low torque I have a couple of vintage pieces that are my go-to.

First, the snap-on Torqometer (similar to the one above). It goes up to 150 inch pounds, works in both directions...... and is very accurate


The other tool I have is a Warren and Brown (Austrailia) Tension Wrench. This one exposes the inner workings, very simple. you push in a spring pin, and the flex (tension) on the wrench will release it when you hit the set limit. The limit is set using a sliding wedge.





Like @Susquatch , I also have a digital 3/4" high torque block. When doing some truck repairs, the torque required exceeds my 3/4" torque wrench (I can't get enough torque on it with the length of wrench). The digital block works well as I can get a longer breaker bar/snipe on a standard wrench.

I'd probably go for the Wera set @Janger if I were buying.

 

[Six O Two]

Lots of options on the bicycle tool side, as you've already noted. This is perhaps one of the fanciest...

Ti Torque Tube G2

Featuring three separate scales measure your torque from 2-8nm and keep your cycling components protected even while you are on the go. According to research 70% of cycling carbon damage is done outside of a workshop.

silca.cc

 

[Former Member]

I recent bought this

Beslands Digital Torque Wrench Mini 3/8-Inch 1.3-44.25 ft-lbs Range Accurate of Clockwise ±2% / Counterclockwise ± 2.5% Professional Electronic Short Handle Torque Wrenches with Buzzer & LED https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085NRCNMG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Z17ESDMC9J1A9MVN88ZA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Now low torque screw drivers are expensive for the good stuff.

FYI most of the electronics ones are good because they are based on simple yet effective strain gauge circuits. The difference between cheap and expensive is only on how long the display side of the circuitry lasts.

 

[Susquatch]

FYI most of the electronics ones are good because they are based on simple yet effective strain gauge circuits. The difference between cheap and expensive is only on how long the display side of the circuitry lasts.

I confess that I am surprised by this statement. I certainly agree that they are probably strain gauge based. I don't know that for sure though. Regardless, I'd love to know how the heck you know that the difference between expensive and cheap is only on how long the display side works?

What about AD conversion, temp compensation, calibration, significant digits, rounding, averaging, truncation, component grade, sealing, adhesives, material choice, etc etc.

I spent a large part of my career doing sensor systems design. I've learned not to trust digital anything. Far too much of that work was done by electrical or software people who don't understand mechanical or electro mechanical systems. The process and accuracy of converting a mechanical signal to an analog signal and then from analog to digital is much more complicated than most people know. The circuitry, components, and subsequent design choices made when analysing, processing, and computing those digital signals and presenting them for display provides yet another opportunity for things to go south. For me at least, familiarity breeds contempt.

Perhaps I've gone on this rant too much already, but please allow me to give an example. Almost everyone has a bathroom scale - most of which are also based on strain gauge technology. All I can do is laugh while my wife panics over her daily gains and losses. I've tried to tell her it's just the scales but she ignores me. But you try it! Just get on and off three or more times and compare the numbers. Better yet, weigh a given thing (say a 5 Gal pail of sand or gravel) 3 times a day over the course of a few weeks, record the numbers, and then assess how you feel about the accuracy of that scale. The balance beam at the doctors office will be dead nuts and your old spring based home scale will be ok. Your new digital scale will most likely suck.

I love digital as much as anyone, but I don't automatically trust it. For me, that trust must be earned - not simply given.

Rant over for today. Sorry about that. Please don't take offense to anything said above. It's all just me going on my favorite anti-digital rant.

For what it's worth, I am going to get one of those torque gauges you recommended and try it. I do a LOT of low torque work. I would love to find a reliable digital way to set and measure low torques.

Lord knows I've spent a small fortune on small digital weigh scales. They are all gathering dust. The only thing I trust is an old mechanical balance beam.

 

[Janger]

Talk about off topic!

 

[Janger]

I'm moving the loading conversation to here: https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/weighing-and-accuracy.5118/
It's a new thread - this thread is about torque screwdrivers and low torque wrenches.

 

[Art M]

I’m with Susquatch on digital torque wrenches. Just my experience as a mechanic, unless their high end industrial electronics, mid level mechanicals have been more trustworthy.
Art

 

[YotaBota]

I had a tooth replaced recently with a stud and cap, the dentist used a clicker type torque wrench to tighten the cap onto the stud. The biggest problem I've found with digital anything is the battery going dead at the most inopportune time.