IDK but I asked Wheeler if they would recalibrate mine and here is their response:

"We do not have the means of re-calibrating our F.A.T Wrenches. The only way to really test it would be to use another tool that can set for in/lbs. and see if it breaks before or after the set on a unit you know is calibrated. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Of course, how would I know if the other tool is correct?

 

Simple, because you are checking it against your fat wrench, Circular Reasoning.

Circular Reasoning
circulus in demonstrando
(also known as: paradoxical thinking, circular argument, circular cause and consequence, reasoning in a circle, vicious circle)
Description: A type of reasoning in which the proposition is supported by the premises, which is supported by the proposition, creating a circle in reasoning where no useful information is being shared. This fallacy is often quite humorous.

 

As long the new units that are out now are consistent that's my main goal. Of course, I wouldn't want the accuracy to be too far off. If set say, to 20 in
lbs to 0 and back is consistent, That's what I'm hoping for. Good point on the calibration!

 

I have a yellow FAT wrench. It stays in it's little case when not in use. No idea if it's accurate or consistent. For my purposes, it works (as far as I know anyhow). That being said, it seems bad to me that Wheeler doesn't have a way of testing them for accuracy.

 

They would have to send it back to China. I have one and also another type of torque wrench that is in in lbs from HF. They both seem to do the job, but then I am not building Rockets etc.

 

Yeah, when they are manufactured I suppose, they just guess at it lol! Doesn't make any sense.

 

After the Yellow one they came out with a Digital that I don't think went over too well. Maybe this is their effort to redeem their selves and give a new image at the same time.

 

They can't check your wrench because they are made in China.

 

At first glance I thought this was going to be about a large woman serving beer.

 

He said "wrench", not "wench". LMAO

 

That would be Wench not wrench.... But you might wrench your back with an extra large wench...?

 

The more the cushion, the less the pushin.

 

I'd guess they found a 'Cheaper Source' of plastic- Black instead of Yellow. Looks about the same otherwise. I wanted something 'more accurate' than 'guessing' where that 'red line' actually indicated, better than 'within a few pounds'. So, I bought a Chinese Digital (that 'said' it was Chinese) one for about the same price as the Digi-Wheeler. I now have confidence in the New Wrench. To heck with Wheeler junk.

 

So, you have greater faith in Chinese junk that's advertised as such, rather than Chinese junk with another name.

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

Unless you are using it to assemble a nuclear reactor, I think they are close enough.

 

I used my yeller FAT wrench this evening to install a scope in Warne rimfire rings. 20 in-lbs for the dovetail and 15 in-lbs for the rings.

 

Based on my experience with the older yellow one, I'm hopng they have improved the design. With the yellow one, the scale was very compressed and the needle overlythick. It was pretty hard to set it with any precission at all. More like a rough guess. Consequently, I always figured I was starting out at +/- 2 in lb from my intended setting even if it broke consistanty. Likely not a big deal but not confidence inspireing either. ( It shouldn't cost $70 to get "close enough"). I ended up upgrading to the Lyman Pro Drive Wrench about 2 years ago. The Lyman is still mechanical (which I like) but it allows me to pick any exact value between 10 and 80 in 1 in-lb increments. It feels better built too. Maybe it's wishfull thinking but I have more confidence in my torques when I can precicely set them. Amazon.com : Lyman Products ProDrive Torque Wrench : Sports & Outdoors

 

I purchased a CooBeast in/lb, click type torque wrench from Amazon. I know, I know, Chinesium, but what isn't made in China anymore? I have a Snap-On analog, needle type unit, and after 40+ years of use, the plastic handle literally crumbled apart. I worked for Burroughs Corp. in the late 70's-early 80's, and they were throwing a large, stocking warehouse basket of them, brand new and unused, in the trash. The field service techs used to use them on the monstrous disk files they manufactured for the banking industry. They were moving to smaller hard drives, similar to what we are familiar with now, and the large (read medium size rolling cabinet style) hard drives were being phased out. I checked it against the Snap-On unit, and cross checking them against each other revealed that they were close enough that there wasn't any practical difference. For $30, I'm not complaining, and it comes in a nice plastic case with 12 different Allen, Torx, Philips, and straight blade bits. It also has 1 in/lb graduations on the adjusting knob, and the scale goes from 10 to 70 in/lbs. Aside from the color of the plastic, it appears to be similar to the F.A.T. wrench. Just my experience, and something to look at if you're in the market for this type of torque wrench, and don't want to spend a lot of dollars on it.

 

That red line is so wide that I never really knew where it was set.

 

Just confirms in my mind that I really don't need one after all.

 

I have one of the old style Fat wrenches, the comments about the scale are spot on.

It is a huge step up from guessing on how tight it is.

If I had to buy another one, I would look into getting a 1/4 drive click style torque wrench.

 

The compressed scale and imprecision of my FatWrench led me to buy this at Harbor Freight. Who knows if it's really more accurate, but it's more easy to be precise down to the pound. And, I feel like Harbor Freight has upped their quality in the last few years; this feels well-made and solid. Note that the shaft is demarcated in five pound increments, but the collar around it adjusts pound at a time based on the shaft setting. So they say, "The mechanism is certified to be accurate up to +/- 6%." https://www.harborfreight.com/10-to-50-in-lb-precision-torque-screwdriver-set-22-piece-58950.html

 

It looks and sounds good

 

I bought a Vanpo from Amazon 40 some bucks.

 

Get a Fix-It-Stick and you will find out what expensive is all about. It is also really hard to hear the click when you reach the setting. But then again I wear hearing aids. The yellow Fat Wrench was easy to find on the bench. You might lose that black one...............................

 

 

I have one from Vortex I bought a few yrs back and a Borka wrench with operates similar to the fix it stick. Vortex claims they will calibrate it yearly but I haven’t had need of them doing it yet, both wrecks jive with each other when I’ve tried comparing them. The Broka works at the same range of torque and is more compact in my bag then the driver type. Both work fine but the Borka is fixed in its settings while the Vortex is adjustable in 1# increments

 

Smart torque tested at the top of them all.
Roast away everyone.
I like where I spent my hard earned dollars.

 

Smart torque tested at the top of them all.
Roast away everyone.
I like where I spent my hard earned dollars. View attachment 610785

Got a link or company name or something to find that specific one?

 

I don't have a fat wrench, but have often considered purchasing one to the point of even having it in my basket and putting it back.
My hesitation hasn't specially been the brand but the type of technology.
I have some experience with torque wrenches in general of most types of mechanical construction and in my professional shop have went to digital load cells for my guys mainly because they are easier for them to use and seem To be harder for them to destroy......, however I don’t necessarily know them to be more accurate.?.?.
Especially in more " cost effective" categories wouldn't a load cell be easier and more accurate???

 

I like them just cause every object I've had for 60+ years is getting heavier.........and I'm guessing based on that, my "feel" for "tight enough" isn't as tight as when I was 20, so the wrench allows me to get it the same tightness every time <I hope>

 

Maybe evertbody knows this, but they reccomend relieving all of the spring tension when not in use.

 

Another reason I went to digital at the shop.