20742A

Great value. Works better than my click type wrench when lower than 30 ft-lbs.

I bought this 1/2", 29.5-147.5 ft-lbs torque meter to check my cheap Harbor Freight click-type torque wrench that seemed not to match the 100 ft-lbs lug nut torques applied by my dealer. It has proven that my torque wrench was reading low!The instructions are just OK. They are typical of a non-English-speaking company, but better than many. There are no contact details for the company. So, you're on you own after purchase.In simple terms, you turn the device on and set the desired units, which in my case were ft-lbs, as indicated by a small arrow pointing to F-Lbs on the display. Then you choose either Trace or Peak Mode. Peak mode displays the torque being applied and keeps the display showing the maximum torque applied when you stop. You can then put this into memory if you want. It was useful to see when my torque wrench clicked. In Trace mode, the device shows the torque being applied at any moment, but a beep will sound as you approach a preset torque value then a continuous tone once that torque has been achieved. A red LED illuminates in sequence with the beeps and tone. The display reduces and returns to zero when the torque is reduced or removed, unlike in the Peak mode. You pre-set the desired torque for the tone by pressing the + button. The display will show an incrementing reading of torque that will increase faster if you hold the button in for a short time. I found I often overshot the desired torque and had to use the - button, pressing it several times to reduce the torque setting to the desired amount.After a few seconds, the flashing torque setting returns to 0.0, which is the torque being applied (in this free state, nothing). Then, you insert the meter into the socket and wrench and start to tighten the fastener in question. I found you have to be careful not to accidentally press any buttons when you insert the meter. Check the display before you start to use it. It should read 0.0. Once a preset torque is entered, it remains in the meter for next time. Turning it off and turning it back on still retains that pre-set torque. So if you need another torque setting at another time, you will need to adjust the value as needed. The meter shuts itself off after a time to conserve battery power.As you apply torque, the display will show an increasing torque value and as it approaches the pre-set torque, the unit starts beeping and when you reach that torque, it changes to a continuous tone, just like the click of a torque wrench. I had no issues with hearing the beeps and tone and I have "old" ears!I found that the solid tone sounded well before my torque wrench clicked; 30 ft-lbs too early at a setting of 100 ft-lbs on the wrench and 100 ft-lbs on the meter. But which one was correct? - the meter or the torque wrench? Fortunately, I have a simple beam-type torque wrench that is always accurate. When I used that with the meter, the indicator pointed to 100 ft-lbs at exactly the time the solid tone came on. That showed the meter was accurate and that my torque wrench was bad. I re-calibrated the torque wrench and now it clicks at the tone! - AWESOME.I have had no issue with the batteries so far after two days. They are two AAA's, not CR2032's as I was expecting after reading some reviews. The beeps and solid tone are easily heard in quiet locations. The unit is very accurate. The display is small, but I wear glasses and can see it with no problems. Only time will tell how durable this meter is and I will update if anything happens.For $40, this is a great device to get accurate torques or to check and re-calibrate your click-type torque wrenches.It comes in a very sturdy case for storage, which is perfect for a precision instrument. It's also much cheaper than a quality digital torque wrench, which could be 3, 4 or 5 times the cost, at least. It will add about 2 inches of length to the wrench and socket setup. So, tight spaces around the fastener might not be accessible. It is ideal though that any length wrench can be used to apply torque and know what that torque is. This meter measures actual torque at the fastener, independent of wrench length. There are often spaces where a full size torque wrench just doesn't fit, like in a wheel well when repairing brakes.This torque meter has already paid for itself for me! I wish I'd bought one earlier.

Pros:Easy to use and works well.Save $$$ vs buying multiple wrenches.Comes with battery and a nice case.Cons:Small display that is not back-lit and is sometimes hard to read. Especially if you're working in low light conditions. I didn't think this would be a problem but it was.Sometimes it turns off before you can get the wrench to what you're working on (18 second shutoff I believe).Buttons are raised which can sometimes lead to changing your settings if you bump it against something during positioning or turning your wrench.With practice and a good headlamp, these are very minor issues and overall this is a very nice product for the price. If you torque often, you may want something back-lit.

i use this product for DIY along with the neiko 3/4" extendable 39 inch breaker bar to torque my porsche 911 turbo S center lock wheels and it works great! I highly recommend this product.UPDATE: Owned for over a year now, and have used it to torque my porsche 911 wheels to 440 ft. lb. at least 20 times now! It hasnt missed a beat, and I havent even needed to change the batteries yet. Wanted to see how accurate it was, so I attached it to a friends precision instruments $950 torque wrench, and it read 440 ft lb (along with the constant beep) at exact same time the torque wrench clicked. We did this multiple times, and was spot on every time. Amazing quality, and accuracy from this brand especially for the price.

Got tired of borrowing friends large torque wrench, and didn't want to fork over a ton of money for something that I don't use often. This works for what I need. Remember that this is NOT a substitution for a good torque wrench, because there are things that many torque wrenches will do better. For example, a cam-over wrench will prevent overtightening. With this you can easily overtighten if you don't pay attention, or if the unit fails to alert you.It can serve as a good torque wrench though, if you use it right and pay attention. As you tighten the fastener, you'll start to hear short beeps as you get close, about 80%. Then a solid beep when you hit the mark. So like "beep beep beep beep..... beeeeeeeeep". You have to tighten more slowly, as there is no "break" when you hit the mark - so in a way, this is like a beam wrench. You have to line up the display if you want to see it, but it's not very helpful because the digits can jump around anyway. And there is no backlight. There are 2 red LEDs, one on each side of the body, which flash along with the beeps. Power is 2 AA batteries.It stays on for over a minute, plenty of time to start using it. BUT, as mentioned, you have to pay attention. There is NO indication that it is actually on prior to reaching that 80% value, other than the display - which, again, is not backlit, and not super visible. So it is totally possible for it to turn off without knowledge, and to end up overtightening. What this really needs is a backlight, or a power ON / READY light.There is also a simple recording function to get max torque. Useful if you want to know how much it took to remove a bolt, for example.

I use this to check calibration of my torque wrench. However, if you dont own a torque wrench this will allow you to use a normal ratchet or breaker bar to properly torque something. It has visual and audio indicators as well. This let's you program the torque you want to apply and it will indicate when it is getting close and when you have achieved the desired torque. Very useful.