So...

Tired of borrowing my friend's inch pound torque wrench. I have a very nice and accurate U.S. made click type 30-250 Ft. Lb, torque wrench, but the low-end of 30 ft. lb. is just too high for many of rhe bolts on EA-82 engines (oil pan, oil pump, water pump, valve covers, etc.)

 

Up to this point, I've been borrowing my friend's Snap-On 0-600 In. Lb. electronic torque wrench (the "Space Dildo"). It works VERY well, but at $450-ish, it's just plain out of my price range. Besides, I'm more of a low-tech mechanical type guy anyway, I don't trust electronics to be reliable and trouble-free over time.

 

I decided I wanted a dial type torque wrench, since I hate having to remember to reset "clickies" back to zero after use, and you don't get any warning as you're "coming up" on final torque with a clickie. With a dial, you can see the needle approach the final value, which I like,

 

I wanted something that would cover the range of 0-300 inch pounds (0-25 foot pounds) to kind of "fill in" the low end missing with my larger "clickie" U.S. made wrench. I also wanted a memory pointer, so I could see if I over-torqued a fastener for whatever reason.

 

I finally settled on 2 possibilities, a Precision Instruments 0-300 In. Lb. model with memory pointer, and a CDI 0-300 In. Lb. with memory pointer. I did a LOT of shopping around on the internet, and finally gave up on the Precision Instruments wrench - NOBODY seemed to have it in stock. Most dealers had their 150 and 600 In. Lb. models in stock - but the 300 was just not to be found. Too bad... the PI was the one I really wanted of the two.

 

Anyway, I ended up ordering the CDI off Amazon.com, they had the model with inch-pound scale only without the Newton-Meter secondary scale markings - which I never use anyway. Why clutter up your dial face with unnecessary numbers that you don't need?

 

Anyway, it's on the way. Anyone here own or have used one of these? Do you like it? Am I going to regret buying thr CDI instead of the Precision Instruments brand?

What I can tell you about 'generic', low end torque wrenches is they don't hold up well. Now, once in a while use by DIY mechanics, you should be ok. Every day use, forget it. When, not if, they need recalibration, it's a PITA to find someone who will touch it. Dial indicator wrenches are great for small bolts and pinion/side bearing preload setting.  They can be a PITA for use though as there are sometimes you just can't clearly see the dial. That's why the click type is better. Set it and go. Dial indicator types require less recalibration than click type, and if you forget to set a click type back to zero and store it for extended periods, you've just screwed it up. Yours may be tougher to use in certain locations, but if you're not using it frequently, you should be ok. Remember, you always get what you pay for. 20+ years of trial and error have proved that to me.

Well... I paid $150 for it, so I can certainly hope I get what I paid for!

Yeah... I bought American made. I have a bad habit of that, but I sleep pretty well at night knowing the extra money I spend is maybe (just maybe) keeping a job or two in this country.

This is the one I bought, but without the Newton-Meter markings on the dial:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000I1WPFE/ref=pd_aw_sbs_1?pi=SS115&simLd=1

CDI is a industrial subsudary of snap on. They are not the same as snap on but are quality. You won't regret the purchase. I have a ft-lb clicker and its what youd expect for the price.