Gorilla Automotive TW605 Torque Wrench

• Includes 5" extension bar and a high impact plastic case.

Precision made, professional quality Adjustable Torque Wrench measures up to 150 ft/lbs.

# Kit Includes:1/2" drive Torque Wrench
# 5" extension bar
# 1/2" x 3/8" adapter
# Hardened steel and chrome plated impact resistant plastic case

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I'm not a professional mechanic, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

I recently decided to take on more of my vehicle's maintenance partly to save money (eventually), and partly because I enjoy it as a hobby unto itself. To me, spending $200 on tools is a lot more fun than paying the mechanic $300 for a job I can do. I get more tools (always a good thing), and I become just a tiny bit more self-sufficient.

I had a sagging rear-end (not me, the truck) and needed to take apart most of the rear suspension to reinforce the springs and replace the shock absorbers. My repair manual listed all these crazy numbers for how tight the fasteners should be. So, while buying all my parts, I pulled the trigger on this torque wrench.

I did a lot of research online. It was mostly about ponies, but what I also read about torque wrenches seemed to conclude that this was the wrench for me. I needed something to handle the larger nuts on the U-bolts that had to be tightened in stages up to 90 foot-pounds (or, roughly, 0.000529789 mile-slugs [on earth]). This wrench performed excellently.

Despite the fact that the ratchet head is enclosed in some cheap-looking stamped sheet casing, it's actually very robust. I still wouldn't drop it on the concrete floor, but that's more because I don't want to affect its accuracy. It's heavy, and feels solid enough to double as a self-defense weapon for when you're attacked in your garage. Wipe off the blood, and it'll be ready to torque many more nuts.

The store brand torque wrenches at my local Depot for Home maintenance equipment were nearly triple the cost of this guy, and felt a lot cheaper. Just so you know, when it inevitably comes up in conversation, a pony is considered to be any mature horse that measures less than 14.2 hands at the withers. You're welcome.

I will say if you're on the fence about this tool because you want to torque things in the lower range (20 to 40 ft-lbs), I would get a smaller tool with a 3/8" drive. This would be an unwieldy beast for smaller applications. I'm considering getting a second, smaller wrench for tighter spaces and a lower torque range.

Pros:
- It torques things.
- The micrometer-style user interface is simple and effective.
- The torque settings are graduated in ft-lbs, in-lbs, and two other forms of angular force measurement that they probably use in Canada or somewhere weird.
- The loud "clicking" noise is accompanied by obvious mechanical feedback while pulling on the wrench past your desired torque setting.
- The ratcheting mechanism feels like a higher-quality ratchet than my not-so-cheap, name brand 1/2" ratchet.
- The packaging and presentation has a picture of a gorilla. How sweet is that?

Cons:
- Makes you 30% more likely to mention it to your friends if they mention anything remotely related to tightening a fastener, after which, they might refer to you as the "tool nerd" or "that guy who always has his truck taken apart in his garage because he apparently can't afford to take it to the shop like a normal person who isn't covered in grease--bacon or otherwise." That last one stung a little.