# Park vs Snap-On Torque Wrench?



## Econoline (Mar 5, 2004)

I have a need for a good quality 1/4" drive torque wrench in the 0-60 in lb range. I can get a new Park TW-1 for $40 or a used Snap-On dial indicator type for about $80. Being a sucker for nice tools, I'm wondering if I could make a case for the used Snap-On. Any thoughts?


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## gdpolk (Aug 3, 2007)

I would get a beam wrench over a dial or clicker any day just because they are easier to keep calibrated. Get a Park or Craftsman and you have good enough quality plus a lifetime guarantee. The Park will keep with the bike specific tools theme but the Craftsman could be taken to any Sears or K-Mart store for free replacement in the event that it does fail whereas the Park would need to be mailed in.

JMO, but for most users a beam style makes the most sense.


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## Econoline (Mar 5, 2004)

I was originally wanting a Craftsman beam type, but they don't seem to offer one in 1/4" drive or in the 0-60 in lb range. So it's either the Park or Snap-On. My other two torque wrenches are both Craftsman clickers but of much higher ranges. Thanks for the comments!


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## 4slomo (Jul 4, 2006)

The TW-1 is probably all that you will ever need for your bike. 

OT: I have a couple of in-lb Snap-On clickers, and I'm much more impressed with their quality than my ft-lb Craftsman clicker. When the head on my Craftsman wore out, I replaced the head with a Snap-On head.


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## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

why do you want a 0-60lb wrench? a 0-150 would cover all small fasteners on a bike and a larger 50 ft lb will take care of cranks/bbs


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## cummins_powered (Mar 5, 2010)

I have a lot of craftsman automotive tools, sockets etc. I own a few snap on tools and they are absolutely top notch tools. craftsman ratchets have NOTHING on snap on ratchets they are the best and their torque wrenches i would say the same for.

I have zero experience with park, but i would vote snap-on for sure.


snap on torque wrenches are over $200 new. so $80 would be a pretty sweet deal


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## Econoline (Mar 5, 2004)

reptilezs said:


> why do you want a 0-60lb wrench? a 0-150 would cover all small fasteners on a bike and a larger 50 ft lb will take care of cranks/bbs


I have a Craftsman 20-200 in lb clicker torque wrench now, but I want something that can do 30 in lb accurately (Eggbeater pedal overhaul). I used the 20-200 wrench at 30 in lb but I suspect it isn't very accurate down there.


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## 4slomo (Jul 4, 2006)

You can generally expect clickers to be accurate within 4-6% error. Maybe take your Craftsman to a certification shop and get it tested, then you'll know how accurate it is thoughout it's range. A shop should charge you $10-20 to test it, mine charged me $10. Getting it recalibrated would obviously cost more.



Econoline said:


> I have a Craftsman 20-200 in lb clicker torque wrench now, but I want something that can do 30 in lb accurately (Eggbeater pedal overhaul). I used the 20-200 wrench at 30 in lb but I suspect it isn't very accurate down there.


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## KrisRayner (Apr 3, 2007)

That's a killer deal on the Snap-On torque wrench. If nothing else, buy it and take it to the swap meet.

Excellent product support from Snap-On. You can send them in and have it calibrated and repaired if need be. I have a 30 year old Snap-On torque wrench, dial indicator type that goes to 350 ft lbs, that needed some repair. Snappy still had all the parts, calibrated, and back to my tool box in a couple weeks.

The dial torque wrenches are typically very accurate, more so than the click type. But your not going to find any part on your bike, or car, that requires a level of accuracy that will make a difference in having a beam, dial, or click style torque wrench.


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## wv_bob (Sep 12, 2005)

gdpolk said:


> The Park will keep with the bike specific tools theme but the Craftsman could be taken to any Sears or K-Mart store for free replacement in the event that it does fail whereas the Park would need to be mailed in.


FWIW, Craftsman torque wrenches only carry a 90 day guarantee


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## redtailin (Mar 28, 2010)

wv_bob said:


> FWIW, Craftsman torque wrenches only carry a 90 day guarantee


The open beam style actually carries the forever warranty while the clicker and digital models have the 90day


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

CDI tools are part of the snap-on company, drastically cheaper, and very high quality. 130 bucks will get you one, new. that'd be about the price of that snapon one plus a calibration.


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## 88 rex (Aug 2, 2007)

Harbor freight


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## ChrisTheo (Sep 17, 2009)

Considering both Park and Snap-on are both high quality tool manufacturers I'd always suggest a new torque wrench over a used torque wrench.

With a new tool it's calibrated the moment you take it out of the box and you know it;s never been abused. With a used torque wrench you're never 100% sure of its condition or if it has ever been abused. 

We use torque wrenches for their accuracy. If there's any doubt of it's accuracy why use it?


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## trevorhy (Aug 19, 2008)

I have the Giustaforza Torque Wrench and it is fantastic. Perfect for everything except the BB. A lot of shops would probably have this.


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

I'd get the Snap On if it doesn't look like it's been abused....it's not that easy to knock clickers out of calibration so they tend to last quite awhile, and 1/4" doesn't get used very much by most industry (if this one did, say in aircraft, then you might be more cautious).


That said, you aren't torquing bolt patterns for evenness....you're putting a nylock nut on a pedal spindle. Close enough will be fine and the nylon in the nut will do the rest. Torque amount isn't always critical. Carbon components...that's a different story. In your case, I think you'd be fine using your mid-range 3/8" wrench at the low end...won't be as accurate of course, but it won't be THAT far off. Bump it up to 35# for the pedal if you're concerned about it...it'll be fine. If you have other uses for the 1/4" wrench, get one


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## ChrisTheo (Sep 17, 2009)

It's worth mentioning that a click type torque wrench can go way out of spec by being stored improperly. It doesn't necessarily have to be dropped to knock it out of calibration. 

If you buy used get it checked out.


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

Getting it "checked out" will run you from $80 to $120. But yeah...they should be backed off to the lowest torque setting for storage if you aren't using it frequently. Not a huge deal, really.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

dont use snapon to recalibrate your torque wrench.. its kind of a rip off. theres a lot of 3rd party companies using the same machines and doing the same job (or better) for 30-50.


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

One Pivot....got any links or names? I know a couple guys that would be interested if it were that cheap and they certify to the usual standards. I think $65 is the cheapest I've ever come across and most are more expensive. 'preciate it if you can...thanks!


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

i have one saved on my other computer.. 50 bucks for 2 (plus shipping). ill dig it up sometime tomorrow.


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## Econoline (Mar 5, 2004)

Econoline said:


> I have a need for a good quality 1/4" drive torque wrench in the 0-60 in lb range. I can get a new Park TW-1 for $40 or a used Snap-On dial indicator type for about $80. Being a sucker for nice tools, I'm wondering if I could make a case for the used Snap-On. Any thoughts?


Got my Park TW-1 from Amazon today. Nice tool, easy to read and seems well made.

Just for fun I connected the Park to my Craftsman 20 - 200in lb clicker set to 30in lb and it clicked at 32in lb on the Park.


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## 4slomo (Jul 4, 2006)

That's about a 7% error, if the Park is perfectly accurate, or about normal error. Check the two against each other over the years and see if the error remains constant, or changes as the clicker wears.



Econoline said:


> Got my Park TW-1 from Amazon today. Nice tool, easy to read and seems well made.
> 
> Just for fun I connected the Park to my Craftsman 20 - 200in lb clicker set to 30in lb and it clicked at 32in lb on the Park.


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

88 rex said:


> Harbor freight


Hopefully that was a joke.....anything that requires precision shouldn't be mentioned with the things that are sold at Harbor freight.

I've had good luck with snap-on torque wrenches. Never used the small version (have the 50 - 200 ft-lb 1/2" drive) been rebuilt once & seems to work well.

Not sure if I'd buy a used one, you don't know how it was treated before. So you add in getting it calibrated, might as well get the new park tools.


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