Vent: Thought torque wrenches were a scam for the longest time

I used to think torque wrenches were just a way for tool companies to grab more cash. I mean I worked on cars before getting into planes and I never used one. Just snugged stuff by feel and it held up fine. Then about 6 months ago I was doing a landing gear job on a Cessna 172 and my buddy insisted I borrow his Snap-On digital torque wrench. I was skeptical because I'd never had an issue before. But after torquing a few bolts to spec I realized how much I was overdoing it by hand. That moment convinced me I was dead wrong. Has anyone else fought against using a tool that turned out to be legit?

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3 Comments

robert_anderson693mo ago

Whoa hold on. Digital torque wrench? That's a whole different level. I've been using a cheap click type for years and feel like a caveman now. Never even knew they made digital ones for aviation work. Snap-On too, that's serious money. Glad you saw the light though. I still catch myself guessing sometimes.

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karen_perry383mo ago

Snap-On's actually OTC now, not Snap-On.

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drewsullivan3mo ago

Man I've been that caveman so many times... I'd line up the bolt and just hope the click felt right, then torque it again and get a different click and be like welp close enough. Digital wrenches make you realize how much guessing you were actually doing. The Snap-On one hurt the wallet but at least now when I screw up I can't blame it on my tools haha. I still keep my old click type around for when I'm feeling nostalgic and want to second-guess myself.

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