Always thought those fancy torque wrenches with digital readouts were overkill for most jobs

Got a Snap-on TechAngle as a gift last year and figured I'd just use it for the big stuff. Ended up using it on a Cessna 172's prop bolts last week, and the angle measurement feature caught a stretch I would've missed with my old clicker. It was just a few degrees off spec, but enough to make me rethink the tool. Anyone else find a 'gimmick' tool that actually earned its keep on the line?

3 comments

3 Comments

sage30824d ago

My Milwaukee M12 ratchet seemed like a toy. Now I use it daily.

the_willow24d ago

My old torque wrench was basically a calibrated club. I used to think the angle gauge was just for head bolts on race engines, something I'd never touch. Then it saved my bacon on a simple water pump job where the bolts had stretched. Felt pretty silly for calling it a gimmick when it spotted the problem before I put it all back together.

mia70024d ago

Remember when people said you didn't need a scan tool for older cars? My OBD1 Civic taught me otherwise. I chased a misfire for a week, swapping parts I couldn't afford. Borrowed a friend's basic scanner and it pointed right at the coolant temp sensor. Five minute fix after days of headache. Felt like a total genius for about two seconds before realizing how dumb I'd been.