Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 12:47:04 -0400
Reply-To: Edward Maglott <emaglott3@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Edward Maglott <emaglott3@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: HF Specials
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEu+1bAmjpRGgqPUof1Psc4DTs2poTiBHJFFG4f6DRTafDA@mail.g
mail.com>
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LOL. Taking a tool back and try to get compensated for consequential
damages? We are clearly in different bicycle worlds. My newest bike
is 11 years old and cost $300. Most of my bikes I got from friends
or out of the trash for free. Fortunately, I work at a college with
an automotive tech curriculum where I can calibrate my torque
wrenches. In % error, the HF cheapy does about as well as my 1980's Craftsman.
About the really stuck ball joints. My '86 has lived in the SE US
all it's life and I have found very few fasteners or parts that are
really stuck bad, so YMMV.
Edward
At 10:34 AM 6/1/2012, Don Hanson wrote:
> I wouldn't even think of using a Harbor Freight torque wrench on any of
>my bikes. At the very fine (and critical) settings that are required and
>the fragile nature of bike frames and components, a low-cost, possibly
>wrongly calibrated, torque wrench can cost you big!. It doesn't take much
>of an error to ruin a bike frame that might be worth $5000. Can you
>imagine the laugh you'd get if you went back to HF and said..."Hey, you
>sold me a faulty torque wrench for $12 and I used it on my carbon bike
>frame. It didn't 'click' and it broke the bottom bracket (or the brake
>bridge) -the frame is now garbage.......You owe me a new frame.....That'll
>be $4800 you owe me for my down-scale carbon frame"
> I could buy two of my very adequate inline VW 5sp vans for what I paid
>for my race bike, not counting the carbon wheels. And mine is not
>expensive, compared to some... There are bicycle torque requirements in the
>5 nm range and 8 nm will cause catastrophic failure. Descending a
>mountain pass at 50mph on a bicycle with carbon handlebars that have been
>torqued with a HF wrench? When they may be over-torqued and ready to snap
>off, causing a high speed face-plant(at the very least)?
>
> Not worth saving a few bucks on the wrench...
>
> I do have one that I use on my Vanagon for wheel lugs and non-critical
>precision torque jobs. The locking function, the extra knurled knob on
>the handle that is supposed to keep the setting locked in...that broke the
>first week I got the thing, and the little retainer ball fell out of the
>socket square drive so the sockets just drop off...pretty much junk, in my
>experience....Good price though..
> Don Hanson
>
>On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 5:30 AM, Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Update: I just got an email coupon for your choice 1/4, 1/2, 3/8
> > wrench for $12.99.
> >
> >
> >
> > Seems like if you wait long enough the torque wrenches are sometimes
> > $9.99. I got the in/lb 1/4" drive one for the odd time I might need
> > that for bicycle work.
> >
> > I did the upper and lower ball joints on my '86 using the press type
> > thing I borrowed from my flaps for free. no problems.
> >
> > Edward
> >
> >
> >
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