picking up a torque wrench tomorrow. anything i should stay away from?

 

one that doesnt work.

haha, nah. i dont think it really matters.

 

i just want one that will last, been using an "aged" one that my grand dad gave to me. i often wonder if the readings it gives are wrong so im just getting a new one for some projects coming up in the next few weeks.

 

well its more of a you get what you pay for thing. For lug nuts and shit like that I think the cheapo craftsman 1/2" ones that are just the gauge type work perfect, but for more precise smaller things I think the craftsman digital 3/8" one works good for the price.

SnapOn ones are nice but expensive, and there are better ones out there

 

I've used my grandpa's old old one with a needle to tell you how much torque

 

I'd go with a Craftsman one. They are pretty good priced.

I also have a Husky one that I use on my lugs. Craftsman I use on everything else not important

 

just have yours re calbrated

 

Don't get a torque wrench that will torque up to 300 lb/ft if you only need to torque something to 5 lb/ft. That will break bolts. If you need something that does small torque figures, get an lb/inch torque wrench and to the math.

Most torque wrenches are horribly inaccurate in their 1st 1/3rd of adjustment.
Check this PDF file from Snap-On about torque wrench error

Craftsman are decent, but if you want to get a $50 wrench recalibrated you're better off buying a new one. Sears charges something to the effect of $75 to recalibrate a torque wrench last time I checked (its been awhile).

I own 3 different torque wrenches. One is a 3/8" drive lb/inch, one is a 3/8" drive lb/ft (up to 100 lb/ft), and the third is a 1/2" drive that goes up to 250 (I think) lb/ft.