Switched from a manual torque wrench to a digital one for cylinder head work and never going back

I used a manual clicker for years on PT6 turbine engines and thought it was fine, but last month I grabbed a CDI digital torque wrench for a torque-to-yield job on a Lycoming case. The digital saved me from chasing the click and I got all 12 fasteners right on the first try without re-doing half of them. Anyone else make the switch and notice a difference in accuracy on those critical torque sequences?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.eric4d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back a little on the CDI claim. CDI makes good stuff but they're actually a brand under Snap-on, not a standalone company, and their digital wrenches tend to drift out of spec faster than the manual clickers if you drop them or treat them rough. I checked the calibration on one after six months of light use and it was off by almost 4% at 50 ft-lbs, which isn't terrible but not what I'd call a huge upgrade in accuracy.

rose_reed4d ago

My buddy had a CDI digital that he swore by until he dropped it off the workbench once and it started reading 10 percent low on everything. I guess @wood.eric's experience isnt too far off from that, but maybe it's a luck of the draw thing. I've been using a Proto digital for about a year now and it's held its calibration through a few drops, though I'm not exactly gentle with it. The real benefit for me is the angle mode on torque-to-yield stuff, I can just watch the screen instead of guessing where the click is on a greasy head bolt.

the_lee4d agoMost Upvoted

You really trust a Proto digital that much after a year? I dropped my old Husky clicker once and it started clicking at 30 pounds no matter what I set it to. That angle mode is nice until you're half blind with grease in your eye and the screen is just a blur. Digital stuff is great in a clean shop but out in the field it feels like asking for trouble.