Bought a $250 torque wrench from Harbor Freight, it failed on the third use

I was doing a simple job torquing some cylinder head bolts on a 172 and the wrench clicked way earlier than it should have. Lucky I double-checked with a borrowed Snap-on, or I could've warped the whole head. Has anyone else had cheap torque tools mess up a job on a critical component?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_rodriguez11d ago

You see that Project Farm video where he tested torque wrenches and the Harbor Freight ones barely held up?

the_faith11d ago

Right, because apparently Harbor Freight thinks "torque wrench" means "vibrometer with a loud click sound for entertainment purposes only." My buddy had one from there and it was basically a dice roll between "loose enough to rattle" and "tight enough to snap the bolt clean off. I guess saving fifty bucks is worth it if you enjoy the adrenaline rush of guessing whether your head gasket is going to hold. At least you caught it before turning your engine block into a modern art sculpture. Maybe they're only good for torquing down lawnmower blade bolts or something.