Tried the cheap harbor freight torque wrench on head bolts, surprised by the result

Last week I had to do a head gasket on a 2002 Civic and my Snap-on torque wrench was in for calibration. So I grabbed a $45 Pittsburgh from Harbor Freight, figured it would be off by a lot. Clicked at 44 ft-lbs like the spec said, then I checked it against the Snap-on when I got it back. It was within 1 ft-lb, which honestly shocked me. I torqued all ten head bolts with it and the car runs fine. The plastic case feels cheap and the click is weak, but the readings held up. I used it once though, not sure I'd trust it for daily use. Anyone else had decent luck with the budget torque wrenches, or did I just get a unicorn?

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craig.john28d ago

That 1 ft-lb difference is honestly better than some of the expensive digital ones I've seen tested. I had a similar thing happen with a cheap beam style torque wrench I bought for a lawnmower engine rebuild, and it was dead on at 25 ft-lbs. The real worry with the budget ones is if they stay accurate after getting dropped or used a hundred times, not the first use. Sounds like you got lucky, but for a one-off head gasket job on an old Civic, it clearly did the job. Would you use it again for something critical, or was it a one-time gamble?