Tried a cheap torque wrench from Harbor Freight and it snapped a bolt on my crankset

I figured a $15 tool would be fine for basic work, but it didn't click until way past the spec and stripped a chainring bolt. Now I borrow a Park Tool one from a friend for anything under 10 Nm. Anyone else had a budget tool fail on them?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.kevin17d ago

Switched to a beam style after that, and @the_richard nailed it.

the_richard17d ago

Budgets are funny like that... I once borrowed a torque wrench from a buddy that was off by like 40 percent and it wrecked a set of handlebars on my touring bike. Now I just use the beam style ones for anything delicate, they're ugly but they don't lie. Harbor Freight tools are okay for hammering stuff but not for precision work, that's for sure.