Meilleur guide de clé dynamométrique

I like to be precise with my work.  And if you’re like me, when I’m working on something important and it comes time to tighten something down, “hand tight” isn’t good enough.  My hands are different than your hands are different than Shaquille O’Neil’s hands, and I highly doubt we’re all tightening things down with the same force.  That’s why I have a torque wrench.

Pourquoi devrais-je avoir une clé dynamométrique?

In today’s world, many of the items around us are manufactured to a high specification.  Their parts are assembled in a precise way by an assembly line of people and machines.  That means all the nuts and bolts are tightened to exact tolerances by the factory.  Household appliances, furniture, yard machines, cars, airplanes, electronics, bicycles, even power tools – these days, almost everything is built to a certain spec.  As a handyman, the job of reassembling these items requires care and attention to detail.

C'est un outil que tout le monde devrait avoir.

A torque wrench is a calibrated tool designed to dial in the correct amount of torque for any application.  Torque wrenches give a confirmation “click” both physically and audibly when you reach the torque that you set on the wrench.  Generally, the spec is set by twisting the handle on the wrench.  And as you may know, torque is usually measured in pound-inches (lb-in or in/lb), pound-feet (lb-ft or ft/lb), or Newton-meters (Nm or N/m).  And the length of the tool gives you leverage, so you can tighten things without breaking a sweat.

A good torque wrench can stand up to years of abuse, and it can normally handle massive amounts of force before it fails or gives way.  But I found out early on that going down to the local big-box store and buying the cheapest torque wrench they have isn’t always the best idea.  After a few months of use on everything from the motorcycle to the lawn mower, my bottom-shelf wrench started to lose its edge.

What happens when a torque wrench wears out? It doesn’t break like a standard wrench does.  No, it can be a lot worse than that – you may not even know it’s broken.

Quelle est la meilleure clé dynamométrique de haute qualité ?

The ratcheting mechanism can fail or the wrench can physically break, but most of the time that’s not what happens.  A torque wrench is a precision tool designed to measure extreme forces down to the smallest increment.  When that sort of tool goes bad, the measurement starts to lose its precision.  In other words, one day, without telling you, it’s not putting out the torque you think it’s putting out.  That’s why it’s important to buy a high-quality torque wrench la première fois.

Dropping the dough on a high-quality torque wrench with a higher accuracy and more durable construction means you’ll only have to do it once.  Don’t fall for the cheap imitations that will only work a few times and can fall out of spec in only a few months.  Also, stores like Amazon offer affordable protection plans for many of the tools they sell.  That might be worth considering if you put your tools through hard work, or accidentally run them over with your car.  If that last part sounded personal, it’s because it was.

Il convient également de noter que vous ne devez pas utiliser de clé dynamométrique pour desserrer things – that can cause damage to the spring that holds the tension.  Use a breaker bar to loosen things, like celui-ci fait par TEKTON.  And it’s good practice to reset your torque wrench to zero when you’re finished using it, to avoid wearing that spring out prematurely.

Finally, torque wrenches are notorious for being less accurate toward the extreme ends of their measurement ranges.  That means if you dial in the minimum or maximum torque the wrench can do, it won’t be as accurate as it will if you set it more toward the middle.  Keep that in mind as we go down this list – if your projects tend to have smaller torque figures, it would be best to get a torque wrench with a smaller range.

We’ll start with wrenches more suited for around the house, and work our way up to the heavy hitters.  And as a bonus to you, these are all available with free Prime shipping for Amazon Prime members.  Without further ado, let’s dive into the 7 of the best affordable torque wrenches you can buy today.

Clé dynamométrique à entraînement EPAuto de ¼ po

Range: 20 – 200 in/lb, 2.26 – 22.6 Nm

Comme vous pouvez le voir par le prix, la taille du variateur et la plage de couple, ce Clé dynamométrique EPA is meant to be used on smaller projects around the house.  It’s easy to carry in the car or on the jobsite, but it doesn’t have the range or strength of some other wrenches due to its small drive size.  The quarter-inch drive means you’re limited to smaller sockets, and that’s by design.  Note that its maximum torque figure is 200 pouce-pounds – that’s about 16 foot-pounds.  You can do that with your pinky.

For around the house and more delicate precision applications, this is a great wrench to use.  The smaller drive can fit into spaces that other wrenches can’t.  And at 11 inches long, it’s compact enough to carry but still packs a punch.  Just don’t use it on anything too large.

La clé EPAuto est un excellent fourre-tout pour le bricoleur de votre famille.

Avantages

• Bonne qualité à petit prix
• Peut s'intégrer dans des espaces restreints
• Poids léger de 1,75 livres
• Taille de 11 pouces facilement portable
• Construction en acier durable
• Peut supporter un couple de 20 pouces seulement
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• Non conçu pour les travaux à haute intensité
• Pas aussi dur que les autres clés de cette liste
• A une plage précise plus petite
• Le clic de confirmation n'est pas très fort
• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre
• Garantie non spécifiée

AC Delco ARM601-3 Clé dynamométrique numérique à entraînement de 3/8 po

Range: 2 – 37 ft/lb, 2.71 – 50.16 Nm

We’ve left the quarter-inch wrenches behind, and have ventured into the midrange three-eights-inch drive size.  This is a more common drive size at garages, shops, and most jobsites.  It’s a size that offers strength and ease of use – and most of the socket sizes you’ll ever come across will fit this drive comfortably.

You’ll also notice we took a big jump in price.  That’s because AC Delco is a well-known and trusted brand – but it’s not just the name.  It’s also because this is a numérique torque wrench.  Yes, there’s an LCD display on this wrench that will show your chosen torque figure in any of four units: inch pounds, foot pounds, kilograms per centimeter, or Newton meters.

That makes this a very versatile torque wrench.  Powered by three AAA batteries, it’s light, durable, and can last a long time on a set of batteries.  It also has an electronic buzzer that alerts you when you’ve reached the torque spec you’re looking for, so you can’t mistake another noise or vibration for its confirmation click.

It has a Measurement Mode, where the wrench measures how much torque you’re putting out.  And it’s one of the only torque wrenches available that can measure that torque à la fois dans le sens horaire et antihoraire.

It takes a bit longer to set torque values using buttons than it does by twisting a handle.  And with a maximum torque of just 37 pound-feet, we’re still not into the heavy hitters yet.

Even so, this thing is so useful it’s making me want to buy one right now.

Avantages

• Opération numérique
• Entraînement commun de trois huit pouces
• L'écran LCD affiche les valeurs de couple
• Un buzzer audible confirme le couple
• Fabriqué par une marque que vous connaissez et en qui vous avez confiance
• Mesure le couple dans le sens horaire et antihoraire
• 1 an de garantie
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• L'entrée numérique est plus lente que l'utilisation conventionnelle
• Les batteries peuvent mourir à un mauvais moment
• Low torque range, so it’s limited to smaller jobs
• Piles non incluses

TEKTON 24335 Clé dynamométrique à entraînement ½ pouce

Range: 10 – 150 ft/lb, 13.6 – 203.5 Nm

Cette clé dynamométrique TEKTON nous amène dans les clés d'entraînement d'un demi-pouce, qui est la taille d'entraînement à douille la plus polyvalente. Cette taille acceptera naturellement vos plus grandes prises standard ou métriques sans avoir besoin d'un convertisseur.

We’ve also arrived at a much higher torque range, and this wrench can handle anything from 10 to 150 pound feet of torque.  That’s enough to tighten just about anything you’re going to encounter in your day-to-day life.

Cette clé dynamométrique a une construction entièrement en acier, un boîtier solide, un plan de remplacement de qualité à vie et un télémètre à contraste élevé pour effectuer des réglages faciles à la volée. C'est vraiment l'une des meilleures clés de cette liste.

The only negative thing about this wrench is that because of the way the handle is tightened, by tightening a nut at the base of the handle to lock it down, a few people have mentioned that the handle can loosen.  That means the torque value could change by a few pounds during regular use.  That may very well be user error, but it’s worth mentioning.  A small blemish for an otherwise very good wrench.

For six bucks, Amazon will even throw in a four-piece adapter set that lets you use sockets from the other drive sizes.  That’s about the same as an equivalent set over at Harbor Freight, and you don’t have to drive to Harbor Freight to get it.  I suggest you spring the extra money for those – you never know when you might need them.

Avantages

• #1 Best Seller dans Amazon Torque Wrenches
• Entraînement idéal d'un demi-pouce
• Grande plage de couple
• Un design de qualité signifie une facilité d'utilisation
• Excellent prix
• Garantie à vie limitée
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• Rapports de la poignée ne restant pas serrée
• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre

Clé dynamométrique TEKTON 24340 ½ pouce

Range: 25 – 250 ft/lb, 33.9 – 338.9 Nm

Right off the bat, you’re going to wonder why this half-inch drive TEKTON torque wrench costs almost twice as much as the last half-inch drive TEKTON torque wrench.  Two words: it’s bigger.

Avec une plage de couple maximale de 250 lb-pi, ce gros frappeur peut s'attaquer à presque tous les travaux que vous trouveriez normalement dans une maison, un garage ou même une grange. D'une longueur de 25 pouces, il a un effet de levier supplémentaire pour s'attaquer au gros matériel des tracteurs, des camions et des gros équipements. La construction entièrement en acier signifie que cette clé est aussi durable que la dernière TEKTON, et la garantie à vie limitée s'applique également ici.

That also means the “handle sometimes loosens” concern may be present here as well.  Again, that could be user error, but it’s worth mentioning.

This is a great choice if your jobs are just a little more involved than the regularly-scheduled maintenance on your wife’s Honda Passport.  But if you’re working on actual heavy machinery, we still have a long way to go.

Avantages

• Amazon’s Choice pour clés dynamométriques
• Entraînement idéal d'un demi-pouce
• Excellent prix pour la plage de couple
• Un design de qualité signifie une facilité d'utilisation
• Garantie à vie limitée
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• Peu de rapports sur la poignée ne restant pas serrée
• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre

Clé dynamométrique à entraînement ½ pouce Tacklife

Range: 25 – 250 ft/lb, 33.9 – 338.9 Nm

First off, the Tacklife torque wrench comes with a drive extension bar, a case, and a half-inch to three-eights adapter.  That’s pretty convenient if you ask me.  At 25 inches long, it has good leverage.  And at 250 foot-pounds of torque, it can complete a wide range of adjustments.

Don’t let their bold advertisement of “DIN Calibrated” throw you off – that international calibration standard is met by the vast majority of torque wrenches, and it ensures an error rate of 4% or less over the expected life of the tool.  A good thing to have, but not unique to this wrench.

La chose intéressante à propos de Tacklife est qu'ils vous donnent un certificat prouvant que la clé dynamométrique exacte que vous venez de recevoir par la poste a réussi ce test. Tacklife délivre à chaque clé son propre numéro de série et les soutient toutes avec une garantie de 24 mois.

If you’re at all concerned about breaking a torque wrench, this is the one for you.

Avantages

• Entraînement idéal d'un demi-pouce
• Numéro de série individuel et certificat d'exactitude
• Excellent prix pour une plage de couple de 250 livres
• Garantie de 24 mois
• Boîtier, réducteur et extension de lecteur inclus

Les inconvénients

• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre

Precision Instruments C3FR250F Clé dynamométrique à entraînement ½ pouce

Range: 40 – 250 ft/lb, 54.23 – 338.95 Nm

Nous avons fait un bond de prix là-bas, et la raison est juste là dans le nom.

This baby is all about quality.  It has a chrome finish, which means it’s durable.  It has a manual torque lock and dial readout, making it easy to use.  It has an adjustment knob instead of a sleeve and spring setup – that reduces wear.  And because there is no spring tension, it doesn’t have to be reset to zero when you put it away.  You can’t even loosen things with this, and that’s by design… to increase the life of the drive shaft.

This torque wrench has a unique pivoting flex head, unlike the conventional fixed heads of the other tools on this list.  That means you can get into tighter spaces, ones you couldn’t reach otherwise.  And this wrench gives one of the loudest and most distinct clicks when you hit the torque you want.

You’ve no doubt heard of Snap-On.  But did you know it’s Precision Instruments who makes many of Snap-On’s torque wrenches? Those are just dressed up a little more than the ones they put their own name on.

Add to that a Certificate of Accuracy and a one-year warranty, and you’ve got possibly the best layman’s torque wrench money can buy.  Seriously.  It might cost a little more, but this is the one you want.

Avantages

• Entraînement idéal d'un demi-pouce
• Tête pivotante
• Finition chromée sur corps en acier
• Verrouillage manuel du couple
• Lecture du cadran pour le couple
• Pas de ressort à s'user
• Certificat individuel d'exactitude
• 1 an de garantie
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre
• Tête à cliquet non réversible

Clé dynamométrique à entraînement TEKTON 24350 ¾ pouces

Range: 50 – 300 ft/lb, 67.8 – 406.7 Nm

This is the big daddy.  The heavy hitter of affordable torque wrenches.  With a maximum torque of 300 foot-pounds, you may have needed an impact wrench to remove whatever you’re about to tighten.

It’s the only wrench on this list with a three-quarter-inch drive.  That’s because the smaller drives can’t stand up to the kind of torque this thing can produce.  In fact, unless you’re a strongman, you may need to sleeve a pipe or something over this torque wrench to apply the full 300 foot-pounds of torque.  Or maybe that’s just me.

In working on cars and trucks, you may occasionally need to remove a crankshaft bolt that’s just outside the range of a 250 wrench.  That’s the moment you’re going to wish you had a high-range wrench like this one.  And at 26 inches long, it’s not unwieldy either.  It’s one of the cheapest wrenches in the 300 range, and it’s backed by a solid warranty.

Un choix parfait si vous avez besoin de ce petit coup de pouce supplémentaire.

Avantages

• Entraînement robuste de trois quarts de pouce
• Plage de couple élevée
• Toute la construction en acier
• Garantie à vie limitée
• Étui inclus

Les inconvénients

• Mesure uniquement le couple dans le sens des aiguilles d'une montre
• Overkill pour le mécanicien domestique

Était-ce la clé dynamométrique la plus mauvaise qui soit?

You might have noticed I called the Precision Instruments wrench a “layman’s torque wrench”.  That’s because there are entire leagues of tools designed for discerning professionals, high-precision situations, or for use within specific industries.  Want to step into that world? Ladies first.

Wright Tool 8449 Clé dynamométrique à entraînement micro-ajustable de 1 pouce

Range: 300 – 2000 ft/lb, 406.74 – 2711.63 Nm

This wrench weighs 57 pounds.  When you attach the handle, it’s nine feet long.  And yeah, you read that right.  It’s almost quatre mille dollars.  But hey, you get free Prime shipping.  And it’s covered under warranty for as long as you own it.

Why is this thing so expensive? To start, it can torque both clockwise and counterclockwise, because left hand thread is fairly common in some industries.  Despite its huge torque range, it’s still accurate to about 4%.  It’s made of high tensile steel.  It has a positive locking device, so there’s no way to accidentally unlock it.  And it passes some of the highest international standards there are.

En bref, cette clé est épique. Mais vous l'avez probablement obtenu uniquement par le prix. Un gars maigre comme moi devrait se suspendre à la fin de cette chose pour se rapprocher du sommet de la plage de couple.

This sort of tool is used by munitions squadrons, helicopter mechanics, diesel mechanics, and anyone working on something huge.  And by diesel I don’t mean your Cummins, I mean the 100-liter CAT diesel engine powering the dump truck at your local quarry.  And the bolts the size of your fist that hold its wheels on.  Auto racing teams use these for tightening wheels, and you can find them being used in situations where extreme precision is an absolute must.

If you want to go much higher than 2000 pound-feet, you’re getting into hydraulic tools that don’t really count as torque “wrenches” in my book.  So bask in the glory of this badass torque wrench, because it represents the most tightening a human can do without some help from advanced physics.

Avantages

• Plage de couple massive
• Construction solide et ferme
• Livraison gratuite
• Garantie à vie limitée
• Se double d'une barre d'entraînement
• Garantie d'être la clé dynamométrique la plus longue à votre rencontre d'échange locale

Les inconvénients

• Coûte plus qu'une voiture d'occasion
• Pèse plus que votre chien
• Plus long que votre boîte à outils
• Boîtier non inclus

Alors, quelle est la meilleure clé dynamométrique à acheter?

We did it – we learned a lot about the best affordable torque wrenches on the market today.  Take your newfound knowledge and make a great decision – buy yourself a torque wrench.

If you’re looking for the best torque wrench for light jobs around the house, buy the EPAuto.

Si vous voulez la clé dynamométrique de milieu de gamme avec la meilleure garantie, achetez la Tacklife.

Si vous avez besoin de la meilleure clé dynamométrique polyvalente, achetez la Instruments de précision C3FR250F.

Si vous avez beaucoup trop d'argent, achetez le Wright Tool 8449.