deepakvrao

My local dealer in India has a couple of the older type TW2 which is now out of production. The TW6 is more than double the cost. Is it worth it for someone like me who might use it for maybe half a dozen times in a year?

rm -rf

I like the beam type torque wrenches, like the TW2. The click type are a little faster, but like you, I only use one occasionally.

These TW2 and TW6 are for higher torque fittings, like cranksets or cassettes. ( For those, I'd be happy to use a no-name inexpensive torque wrench, having the exact torque isn't quite as critical. )

The smaller hex bolts that are in the 4 Nm to 8 Nm range are too low to work with these. I have a TW-1 for the smaller torque ranges. It stops at about 6 Nm, but I can still estimate the few 7 Nm bolts with it.

JonathanGennick 

I have the older, beam-style wrench and use it several times a year for bottom brackets and sometimes on cassette lock rings. It works fine and I've not been motivated to spend on a click-style wrench for those larger bolts and fasteners.

One advantage of the beam-style wrench is that it doesn't need to be sent for calibration each year. I've a click-style wrench for stem-bolts and other smaller bolts, and that one I'm supposed to have professionally calibrated once yearly.

The beam-style is superior for teaching young people about torque and what it means. The click style wrench adds a layer of abstraction that makes it more difficult for a beginner to develop an intuitive understanding of what is being done.

Click-style wrenches seem to me to be more precise in that you can dial in a precise torque value rather than having to eyeball a moving needle. Whereas beam-style wrenches give a pretty good indication of current torque throughout the tightening process because of that moving needle that you can watch as the fastener is made tighter.

I would buy a click-style wrench were I to replace my current TW-2 today. Because marketing is a powerful thing. As well, it is easier to wait for the click than to bend my head over and keep an eye on the moving needle. I enjoy the convenience of the click-style wrench that I use on smaller bolts.

p.s., I am an enthusiast doing an unusual amount of work on bicycles. I use my smaller torque wrench close to daily during the season, and probably still at least once a week during the winter. Hence why I spent the money on a clicker for those small bolts. Huge convenience. Bottom brackets I don't do as often as stem bolts and brake bolts, so I live with the beam-style wrench for those.

dr_lha

I have both a beam wrench and a "click" wrench. The click wrench gets all the use and the beam wrench stays in the drawer. They reason: The click wrench is just so much so much easier and convenient to use. Beam wrenches can be tricky to read accurately, and sometimes the angle just isn't great for reading off the scale when you're using it. A click wrench just goes "click" when it reaches torque. The only real upside of the beam wrench (other than cost) is that it's easy to calibrate.

HillRider

Click-type torque wrenches are much more convenient and indispensable when you are working blind and can't see the wrench. However, they are much more expensive, fragile and require periodic calibration. Beam-type wrenches are cheaper and much tougher and can be "calibrated" just by looking at the pointer. For use on bicycles where the wrench is always in sight, I far prefer the beam type.

Bill Kapaun

A Torque wrench doesn't need to be a "PARK". Torque is torque.
Just get a decent quality brand of the range(s) you need.

Hermes1

I agree stay with those brands know for good quality and you will be well served.

HillRider

The OP is in India so there may not be a Harbor Freight in his neighborhood.

edthesped

Harbor Freight was my first thought, but who knows what's available in India. Harbor Freight Torque Wrenches are cheap and pretty darned accurate.

I was work on my car at work a couple of months ago an whipped out the Harbor Freight torque wrench and one of the guys in the shop laughed at me and told me to get a good torque wrench. He went to his truck and grabbed a Snap On, we tested the two side by side and both were within a couple of pounds of each other. Now I'm not certain when or even if the Snap On has ever been calibrated so the Snap On could be equally out of calibration as the HF is.

deepakvrao

I can order to a US address, so, suggestions for a click type which can handle the larger torques for BB, crank cassette etc? I already have a click type for the lower torque stuff.

My daughter just got into a US college [4 Ivy Leagues to brag about actually], so I have my own 'personal' courier :-)

deepakvrao

This one?

3/8 in. Drive Click Type Torque Wrench

Litespeedlouie

I have some Harbor Freight torque wrenches, and they generally work OK. Probably just fine accuracy for non-aerospace work. Be aware that they are not so finely finished at his price, and the click action can be very subtle at lower torque settings. Also, it likely will not last for as many clicks as an expensive wrench, but they are throwaways at these prices. HF advertises extensively, and with a little effort you can find a Harbor Freight ad with either a coupon for any item at 20% off, OR a coupon for any torque wrench for $11.99 USD instead of the usual $21.99. HF also stocks different batches of seemingly identical items under different stock numbers, just to confuse you apparently.

I wanted to double check accuracy, and you can do this at home by clamping or otherwise securing the ratchet head, and just hanging a known weight at a known place on the handle, and multiplying. For torque over 30 ft-lbs, I tried the suggestion of the Harbor Freight electronic strain gauge torque meter (also sold by others), which supposedly is about 0.3% or better over their entire range. I found the HF matched pretty well, as did my 1/2 inch made-in-USA Sears. If you are really worried, you can find a tool calibrator service to check these wrenches, but probably isn't worth it for these cheap tools.

blacknbluebikes 

Main point is that the majority of your need is to torque between 4 and 8 Nm- and only occasionally at higher levels, like for cranks. Buy a ratchet-style click wrench, preferably in a convenient case including hex-head sockets. You'll use that all the time.