ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Torque screwdrivers

Sometimes you find useful stuff in the strangest places.

Take torque screwdrivers, for instance. There are many connections we make where a torque is specified, and some folks are rumored to actually use torque measuring (or limiting) tools to make sure they apply just the right amount of torque.

One of the main barriers is the price of such tools; prices seem to start somewhere around $200.

Along comes www.midwayusa.com . Catering to the gun owning community, they are offering the "Fat Wrench," a torque measuring screwdriver at a very reasonable price.

http://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/image?saleitemid=718023

I cannot personally speak for the utility of this product ... but I find it promising.

cant speak for this particular item but i have purchased and used many products from Midway USA and all of them are excelent

Has anyone noticed the Sears Craftsman torque screwdriver looks EXACTLY like the Klein but costs less?

Here is the product link.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=718023

If that thing is as fat as it looks, I'd be tempted to get rid of my Klein, which is uncomfortable to use on the higher torque setting if you're doing more than a few terminations.

I, too, have been satisfied with everything I purchased from Midway.

picked up one of these by chance about 20 years ago at a Dept of Defense auction in the south bay, San Diego. New in Box. $14.00. Our tax dollars at work

http://www.seekonk.com/torqstart.html

Based on the reviews (read the lower ones) on their page, I'd pass on this version.

Interesting ... I had not thought to even look for reviews. OOPS! Kudos to the vendor for having such a feature .... and allowing negative posts to stand.

Also interesting is that some of the "4 star" reviews say the same thing as the "1 star" reviews. Go figure.

IMO.... having an unreliable tool is usually worse than having no tool at all. All we can do is hope that an increasing demand for torque drivers will result in a more competitive, innovative market.