Cheap 1/4" Torque Wrench?

[Badot]

I'm looking for a 1/4" (20-200ish in-lb range) torque wrench for working on my motorcycle - problem is, any cheaper ones I find online have more than their fair share of bad reviews...

Is there any sub-$50 torque wrench that will be more accurate than just buying a cheap spring scale and taping it to my ratchet?

 

[Bluethunder3320]

this is the one i have, been using it about a year and its fantastic.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-drive-click-stop-torque-wrench-2696.html

 

[Badot]

Looked at that, a lot of the reviews make me nervous. Can anyone else confirm that the HF ones are any good? Not that I don't take your word for it Blue, but I imagine there may be a wide range that the wrenches can fall into and you're taking a gamble on them.

 

[Bluethunder3320]

true. but you could get a extended warranty for not that much more (shouldnt be more than 10$ i think)

EDIT: NOPE comes with a lifetime free.

 

[Badot]

I'm not concerned about the longevity of the tool so much as having stuff wrongly torqued and potentially damaged because of it, and I don't have anything on hand to make sure it torques properly before I use it, save for some rather rudimentary tests I could do.

 

[oldbikerarlo]

We used them on aircraft engines, never had a problem, they were sent in for inspection and calibration. and yearly after that, mine never changed in 7 yrs.

If it got dropped it was no big deal

 

[Badot]

Alright... I suppose I'll give one of them a shot, thanks guys.