GEARWRENCH 85052 3/8-Inch Drive Micrometer Torque Wrench 10-100 ft lb

I purchased this tool for several reasons. The first because it has a DUAL scale. Settings can be made in foot pounds or Newton meters. Handy if you work on European or Japanese made equipment.Second reason was because of the scale of settings (as low as 10 ft pounds). Many torque wrenches start at a much higher setting. Most of my work is on smaller engines or machines so I don't need real high settings.And lastly was the price. I really didn't want to spend more than a hundred bucks. My usage just doesn't warrant it.The manufacturing quality seems good. The scales are pretty easy to read. The lock ring is just so ..so. Not very solid feeling. A factory test of calibration came rubberbanded to the tool. Regardless of what tool you buy, you must use it in blind faith. No one I know has a way to properly check the calibration or accuracy of the settings.My first use involved the re-torqueing of the head bolts on an 8 HP Nissan four stroke outboard that called for 30 Newton meters of torque. This I was able to easily set on the wrench and do the job. So far the head gasket hasn't blown so I'm hopeful that the wrench is accurate.The wrench comes in a solid plastic case which will protect it well.If you buy, don't forget to release the torque tension setting to ZERO when finished using or storing.Why not a five star? I'm a tough grader and I feel that this is not a full blown "professional" level tool. If you are a pro and getting paid for your work, I'm sure there are better, more accurate, longer lasting wrenches out there. For the "average Joe" this should be fine.

I bought this figuring that I'd like a nice torque wrench and had been happy with some other socket sets I've purchased from GearWrench.For $100 there should be better service or it should last more than six (6) uses (and I was within 10-80 ft-lbs. of use each time).After owning this for 1 1/2 years it had a catastrophic failure - the cam gear (for forward and reverse) broke a tooth off and chipped the remaining teeth for the forward direction of the ratchet.The service shop did not have the parts available, APEX tools basically told me if the shop doesn't have them then they don't either - everything goes through that shop for repairs.I was a little nervous buying GearWrench because it would be online purchasing for me as a DIY/home user but I thought for the price they seemed like a decent brand tool with good quality that should last me as a home user - that was an incorrect thought as I am here now writing this review.You're better off buying one from Menards or Farm & Fleet that is guaranteed for LIFE and a fraction of the cos - if it breaks you can walk into the store and get a replacement - now I will have to go buy one so I can finish torquing three (3) bolts on an engine repair.I am a brand loyal buyer and this experience has completely changed my viewpoint - GearWrench/Apex has lost a customer.Yes the wrench felt nice and solid and was ergonomic - however those attributes only matter if the tool WORKS.

When I read the review about this product I thought that I should have it in my collection. I am disappointed due to the fact that the lower end torque range is not easily accomplished because the "click" is barely noticable and the feel that the correct value has been reached is shaky at best. Now in the middle and upper ranges, which I have not used yet, I feel the tool would give a more positive feeling that the torque has been reached. I know these wrenches can go for hundreds of dollars, but if you are at all serious about torquing youll have to spend more to get a positive feel in the lower ranges. I wish I had now!

I like all gearwrench products. This torque wrench is no exception. Ive only had for a few days, and havnt had time to do the project i ordered it for. but i did test it out on random bolt. i gave it four stars because it didnt seem to work right off the bat. or at least it didnt feel like it was working till i ran from 0 to max ft lbs. after that i could feel the click although i wish clicks would be a bit more noticeable. this is my first twrench so i dont have much to compare to, other than borrowing a friends snapon twice. felt about the same regardless of huge price difference. so overall very satisfied with it. comes with instructions and a really nice case.

I'm not a hard-core wrencher. While I do enjoy messing around w/ my car, I haven't really gotten into *major* mechanical stuff (i.e. engine/drivetrain/suspension stuff). Most of my fiddling is limited to simple plug and play electronic mods, and only the super-easiest of bolt on parts. I recently needed a torque wrench and found this one on Amazon. I was looking for a quality piece that wasn't too expensive.I'm pretty happy w/ this one. If you require a torque wrench as part of your everyday kit, maybe there are better options out there. This one suits my needs just fine: Feels sturdy and well made. The markings are easy to read. Setting and locking the wrench are dead simple.

UPDATE 2/11/2014: After 3.5 years, the ratchet/torque gears failed. I don't know the life expectancy of ratchet gears, but I've never had a ratchet tool that I've owned break down before. I've got ratchet wrenches in the garage that I've used for so many years I can't remember when they were purchased. And I hardly even used this Gear Wrench tool. Its main purpose was to torque down the lug nuts on my tires (at 76 pounds) after a tire rotation (every 5000 miles). With two cars averaging 6-7 thousand miles a year, I used this wrench maybe two (three max) time a year. Of course the warranty is done after one year so I have to buy a new torque wrench. I guaranty it will NOT be a Gear Wrench product. Gear Wrench and I are done.Nicely constructed torque wrench. It worked well on my wheel lug nuts (primary reason for purchase). I haven't used it on other nuts/bolts, plugs, etc, yet. I see why some say the chrome-on-chrome legend is somtimes hard to see, but adjusting the surrounding light fixes that fairly easily. Overall, I think it's an excellent tool for a decent price. If it proves otherwise, I'll update my post.