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Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:51 pm

I bought two torque wrenches from Sears earlier today. They were on sale 40% off. I bought a inch pound and a foot pound both 3/8 drive.

When I got home I reviewed my purchase and to my surprise and horror they have a 90 day warranty and MADE IN CHINA.

My question is are there any new USA made torque wrenches available?

To heel with the "sale" price - If I can not buy new then I will be satisfied with a well used functional made in the USA wrench.

Yes, I did an internet search which yielded some made in USA but then the details said differently i.e. Crescent Tools: Made in USA - NO!

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:23 pm

Hello,
Good luck with that.... We have become a Global economy, didn't you hear that?. We are the consumers and they(China) are the producers....

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:31 pm

Yep, that ship sailed years ago.
Although China is capable of making quality stuff, but it's hard to find since everyone wants it cheap.

Time to hit the garage sales and flea markets, the quality USA made stuff is sitting in Dad's basement, and now that he's moved to the care home his kids want it gone now.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:34 pm

busdaddy wrote: Time to hit the garage sales and flea markets, the quality USA made stuff is sitting in Dad's basement, and now that he's moved to the care home his kids want it gone now.
Not sure i'd trust a torque wrench without knowing its history. At a minimum i'd get it calibrated.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:45 pm

Glenn wrote: busdaddy wrote: Time to hit the garage sales and flea markets, the quality USA made stuff is sitting in Dad's basement, and now that he's moved to the care home his kids want it gone now.
Not sure i'd trust a torque wrench without knowing its history. At a minimum i'd get it calibrated.
Well yes, of course, I assumed one would have a used tool like that checked before going at something important with it.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:02 pm

Sears has had a limit on torque wrench warrantees for a long time, at least on the dial in setting click type.
The last one I had crapped out after about 6 months, with maybe 20 uses?
Torque wrench is one place to get high quality. Nothing like snapping off bolts that screw into your engine in awkward spots with some pos thing your kid has used as a breaker bar.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:10 pm

I only get quality, it's an investment in doing the job right.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 5:08 pm

Glenn wrote: I only get quality, it's an investment in doing the job right.

I'm not a pro like Glenn. For decades I had a beam-type 3/8 torque wrench, built my 1835cc engine with that decades ago.

Now I have 3 different sizes of Harbor Freight click-type torque wrenches (lifetime warrantied), and have been satisfied. The limit on the 1/2" drive unit was 150 ft lbs, so when I needed up to 250 ft lb range for gland nut or rear axle nuts, I got the free loaner torque wrench from O'Reilly a couple of times.

Nowadays, and for the future, I have a Torque Tool, so I no longer need a 250 ft lb unit.

Tue Dec 22, 2020 5:10 pm

Reference

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=40

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=700633&highlight=torque+wrench

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=523715&highlight=torque+wrench

These are but three examples of a topic that’s been beat to death. It always ends the same way. People that are in the business of wrenching full time and then you got the hobbyists and finally the ones that can barely compose a sentence. Who are you going to believe?

Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:21 pm

I have quite a few tq wrenches... the harbor fright units are closer than any others over the entire range. the crapsman were shite. the mac tool was shite, the snapon was...a tad beter but for what i paid for it..fucken shite. good quality beams work extreamly well as do most dial type witch i use for rotating tq. the only down side to the harbor fright are the 150 poundfeet limit.foot pound? well they dont go very high.but 1 they click every time with out fail. and are withen 2% the entire range. hell my over $150 snappon shit isant even withen 6% over the entire range.the crapsman dont click all the time, the mac is off and dont always click. the snappon dont always click...my crapsman were american made,I dont have any china crapsman tools. and best thing?? the on sale price of $9.98 harborfright price of each of the 3 or 4 that I have. Ive wore out many crapsman tools..I have not yet wore out any harborfright tools.... harborfright employes more americans than crapsman, and cost much less and better quality. somebody that thinks that they are paying more for a better quailty tq wrench becasue it's amreican made or looks pretty.probably doen not know how to use them or check them or even oh never mind.lookey what I have it's shiney.

Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:41 am

I have an older Craftsmen Torque Wrench I bought maybe 30 years ago, when they still made pretty good tools. It is my go to torque wrench when I want to get a fastener close to the proper torque . I have a 3/8 drive one from Napa that is OK and a 1/4 from HF that does alright too. I have never had them calibrated or checked out never had a fastener come lose or fail maybe i am just lucky :) . I also have a 3/4 drive from Napa and it only get used for a flywheel gland nut or the rear axle nuts.

Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:26 am

going to Sears and thinking you bought something made in the USA

have you been living under a rock, sir?

Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:23 am

I wasent aware sears was still around till this week when driving in another town, I past a sears store about the size of my garage :shock: looks like appliances and lawnmowers. I didnt bother stopping. my brother worked for sears for 19 years, they dont like you getting 20 years. he was the top refereration tech in the south east. how stupid is that to cut loose the main go to guy?? thus the closuer of sears stores&service.you cant fix stupid. he had around $100000.00 in sears stock....witch he cashed in promptley...

Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:42 am

Wow Sears still exists? Lol I know they do they took ours out last year. Your USA options will be limited probably to SK, Proto, I think Precision Instruments is still USA and of course Snap-on and stuff like that all of which are expensive. I’ve got a Husky torque wrench that works great and got some Harbor Freight ones too that I had the Snap-on guy test and calibrate on his truck they are actually pretty accurate. I hope when Craftsman comes back they will make their torque wrenches in the USA like they did before. :)

Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:49 am

mark tucker wrote: I wasent aware sears was still around till this week when driving in another town, I past a sears store about the size of my garage :shock: looks like appliances and lawnmowers. I didnt bother stopping. my brother worked for sears for 19 years, they dont like you getting 20 years. he was the top refereration tech in the south east. how stupid is that to cut loose the main go to guy?? thus the closuer of sears stores&service.you cant fix stupid. he had around $100000.00 in sears stock....witch he cashed in promptley...

Here you go buddy go on over and bash Sears some more. It’s deja vu all over again. 😄
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=670300

Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:14 am

Channelock, proudly made in Erie PA

Great stuff

Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:57 am

Abscate wrote: Channelock, proudly made in Erie PA

Great stuff

This is not channelock it is craftsman but your mention made me think of them. There was a time when I used these at work doing systems work on 727s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channellock

Thu Dec 24, 2020 3:03 pm

I agree Channellock is great stuff made in USA I have lots of their pliers and the Craftsman USA pliers too. :D

Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:17 pm

Zundfolge1432 wrote: Abscate wrote: Channelock, proudly made in Erie PA

Great stuff

This is not channelock it is craftsman but your mention made me think of them. There was a time when I used these at work doing systems work on 727s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channellock

You could pry open the Cooper vane with those, I’ve found.

Ooops, wait. How do I delete this?

Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:43 pm