this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
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I use the technique of buy a cheap (not CHEAPEST per se) tool that does the job the first time around and if I use it enough that it breaks, then spend more money on a better one. For your average home mechanic you dont need to drop hundreds of dollars on snap(MAC, etc) tools. Half of the chain auto shops you go to will just crank everything down to German torque anyways and call it a day so even taking the time to use an average quality torque wrench you are already going to be accurate enough.
Source: aircraft mechanic of 10 years and home mechanic who verifies the calibration of his cheap TEKTON torque wrenches for home use using the same test stand at work that I test the snap on ones for airworthiness certification. News flash, my TEKTON ones have been within spec every time over the course of 3 years.
For 30nm I would probably suggest a 3/8" drive torque wrench. Mine does 13.6-108.5Nm. You will also eventually need a 1/2" drive for stuff like lug nuts and maybe a 1/4" drive eventually if you torque small fasteners too.
Whatever torque wrenches you do get, don't throw them around or drop them and ALWAYS store them at the lowest setting (for click style torque wrenches). If you store them at a higher torque setting it will throw the calibration out of whack.