I thought those $700 digital torque wrenches were a scam until I tested one on a 777 elevator actuator

I've been using click-type torque wrenches for 15 years and figured the digital ones were just overpriced gadgets. Then last week my buddy let me borrow his Snap-on digital after I snapped a bolt on a flap actuator. Has anyone else found a real difference in accuracy or is it just convenience?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilychen4d agoTop Commenter

Back in 2016 I was working on an older 737 and had a digital torque wrench fail mid job, so I swore them off for years. Then I borrowed a friends CDI digital to set some control cables and the repeatability was way better than my beam style could ever do. I still keep a click type in my box for quick jobs where I know the feel, but if its something critical like a flight control actuator I will grab the digital every time now. The data logging feature is actually useful when you need to prove out a torque value later, not just a gimmick like I thought.

noahbaker4d ago

Don't you HATE when a tool lets you down like that and then it takes YEARS to trust it again? I had a similar thing happen with a digital torque wrench from Harbor Freight that just went completely dead in the middle of torquing head bolts on my project car. I was SO mad I swore off digitals and went back to my old click type for everything. But then a buddy let me borrow his Snap-On digital for setting the pinion preload on my rear axle and I could not BELIEVE how consistent it was compared to my beam style. It was like night and day. I still keep the old click type around for when I'm just being lazy and know the feel, but for anything that absolutely has to be right I will use the digital every single time now.