Harbor Freight torque wrench vs Snap-on - is the cheap one really that bad?

I used a Harbor Freight torque wrench for years doing basic suspension work on my old truck. Last week I finally splurged on a Snap-on after a buddy kept telling me I was risking it. Did a side by side test on a wheel bearing nut rated at 180 ft-lbs... the Harbor Freight clicked at 165 while the Snap-on hit right at 180. That 15 ft-lb difference is enough to mess up a hub assembly over time. Still, the cheap one got me through a lot of jobs without issues - what do you guys think, is the extra cash worth it for weekend warriors like me?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindahunt21d ago

Wait, aren't you supposed to check torque specs in inch-pounds versus foot-pounds first though?

king.ruby21d ago

Jump straight to checking the calibration before you trust any torque wrench. I did the same test on mine with a beam style wrench and found my Harbor Freight was off by about 12 ft-lbs at 150, which is close to what you saw. For stuff like wheel lugs or suspension bolts where you're not right at the limit, the cheap one works fine. But for critical stuff like head bolts or axle nuts where you need that exact number, the extra cash is worth it to avoid a headache. I keep the cheap one for general use and pull out the good one for anything that would leave me stranded if it failed.