Gearwrench 120Xp Torque Wrench 3/8 Inch Drive

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I decided that it was time and added the 3/8 torque wrench to my tool box, what a perfect addition. Smooth, crisp, love the carrying case, the head has enough flex angle to get the job done without feeling floppy or lose. My only regret is waiting,

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Just when I am worried about torquing the spark plugs on my Subaru, I received this flex head torque wrench. Here is a picture showing how valuable it is to have a TW with a flex head. All my other TWs have fixed heads. This new addition definitely upped my game by a huge amount! All my other TWs just won't work. Using the GW 85188 TW is overall similar to using other TWs with some interesting differences. First there is not a nob at the end of the handle to enable or disable adjustment. Instead, there is a metal collar. Pulling down the collar will enable adjustment. Once the desired setting is reached, releasing the collar will lock. This is a bit awkward when I have to adjust the setting from the lowest 5 ft lbs to 75 ft lbs. Holding down the collar seems a bit of a hassle. However, at the same time, I do not have to worry about forgetting to lock down the torque setting by turning the nob at the end of the handle. Overall, I like this design because I like to have different kind of tools. When precision is the paramount goal, maybe it is reasonable to sacrifice a bit of convenience. The torque setting is accurate up to 0.5 ft lbs. It can be set to something like 25.5 ft lbs. But not 25.4 ft lbs. The collar will not lock outside of 0.5 ft lbs intervals. Another notable feature is that there are two lines in the center of the handle clearly marking the place where force should be applied. That is neat. It is heavily promoted that the torque wrench is accurate within +/-3% of the torque setting. Once I read the instruction more carefully, this high accuracy only applies to the top 80% of the torque range. The full torque range is 5-75 ft lbs and that implies the TW is only super accurate in the 19-75 ft lbs range. Within the 5-19 ft lbs range, we are not sure about the accuracy. However, in the Certificate of Calibration, the TW is tested at three settings, i.e., 15/45/75 ft lbs. The results for the 15 ft lbs are really interesting and important because that cover most spark plugs. For my TW, the actual readings for the 15 ft lbs setting are 15.15, 15.15, 15.15, 15.2 and 15.2. That translates to torque errors of 1%, 1%, 1%, 1.3% and 1.3%. The average accuracy is about 1.1%. That is even closer than the 3% promoted for the top 80% of the range. (In case you are interested, the average accuracy readings for the 45/75 settings are 0.09% and 1.25%.) It seems that this TW might be a lot more accurate than advertised with the most accurate part being in the middle of the range. The accuracy at 45 ft lbs is a lot more than at both 15 ft lbs and 75 ft lbs. Another interesting observation is that among all the 15 tests, only 1 test shows that the actual torque is less than the intended torque spec. That makes a lot of sense because TYPICALLY slightly higher than spec is more desirable than slightly lower than spec. Therefore, when making these torque wrenches, GearWrench probably set the target torque slightly above the required torque spec. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain that out of 15 tests, the actual torque is lower than spec only once. There are a few other places where it is quite interesting 1 I looked over the instruction several times and I did not notice that the TW needs to be stored at its minimum torque setting, which is a common requirement for other TWs. That certainly makes life easier. 2 In the Certificate of Calibration, the stamp shows ‘SATA QC3'. This shows that most likely these TWs were made in the SATA factory. However, I have bought SATA tools in the past, and I consider them of lower quality than GearWrench. Coming out of the same factory does not imply the tools are of the same quality. Possible improvements 1 I think it maybe a good idea to use a normal 90T ratchet head rather than the 120XP design with dual 60T paws. When access is an issue, a thinner head is more desirable than one additional degree of swing. 2 It would also be nice to add more flex positions. As of now, there are only three positions where the flexible head can stay with the help of a ball bearing. That seems a bit restrictive. Typically flex head ratchets with similar design have five such positions. In fact, it would be REALLY desirable if GearWrench can equip this TW with a locking flexible head. That would certainly add more flex positions and the locking feature is especially desirable on a torque wrench where you really want to make the ratchet steady while slowly applying torque. 3 Finally, I was a bit disappointed that there are a couple of typos in the instruction material. I can only read English. There is an obvious typo in the formula to adjust torque spec when used with an extension. There is another, less significant, typo in the example on how to operate the TW to adjust torque setting values. Finding typos in a manual is a big issue for me. It dampens my enthusiasm quite a bit.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This torque wrench is fantastic. First off, the easy use of changing the torque is nice. Once you lock it in place it stays and doesn't move while using the wrench. The flex head makes this wrench so versatile. I used this on my rzr while making repairs and meeting all the specs was easy with this wrench. I have a competitors torque wrench and it doesn't even compare to this one. This wrench is my go to from now on. Thank you gearwrench for making a quality and easy to use wrench.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This tool is great in all the right ways. The first thing that I noticed was the case. It has nice locks and foam to protect the tool. It is better quality then my snap on and Matco cases. The wrench itself has a beautiful finish and feels good in the hands. When using it the click is very noticeable and would. And the accuracy is comparable to any click style torque wrench. This is another product that gearwrench has done a great job with.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I gotcha really like the size and capabilities of this torque wrench. I really enjoy the flex head, it really makes it great for some of the harder to reach areas. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a new torque wrench. I appreciate it's all metal construction also.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] As soon as you open the molded case, this torque wrench is all about business. It is a perfect torque wrench for low torque, high importance instances from spark plugs to re-assembly of a clutch basket and flywheel. The flex head makes it perfect for those tight, hard to reach bolts to torque. Specifically, on higher end exotic cars where space is at a premium. You just can't beat the feel and sound of a click type torque wrench. Speaking of feel the ratcheting mechanism is top tier, right along with the “big three” if not better in my opinion. An amazing added bonus is that it displays both Newton Meters and Foot Pound measurements. Working almost exclusively on European cars, where manufacturers always put torque specifications in NM, it is an awesome little bonus.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I've used a few different brands of torque wrenches, but this one is by far the nicest. The case is extremely nice, and the tool feels so great in your hand, and the adjustments are made easily. The flex head will definitely come in handy as well. I couldn't ask for a better torque wrench.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Gearwrench 120 xp flex head Torque Wrench part # 85188. 5-75 ft. lbs. Good for low torque applications. Good quality tool and comes in a nice foam lined case. 10 - 100 lbs. would probably be a better range.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] the few time i haven been able to use this has been amazing. the numbers are easy to read and the ease of turning the handle to the specific torque rating is smooth. the flex head on it is a big plus! overall the tool is amazing! would defianatly buy again!!!!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I got this as a much needed upgrade from my older non-flex 3/8" one. Initial impressions was that it had a good solid feel, clean machining, and smooth dialing setting action. Several of the 'upgrades' that I liked over my older one are... ...longer length for better reach and greater leverage ...when adjusting the torque it was incredibly easy to set the desired value as the black background had really nice contrast for readability ...the flexible head helped to reach into tighter areas Being the first flex head torque wrench that I had used, I did have some initial difficulty trying to keep the length of the wrench aligned with the flexible head to make sure the appropriate torque was applied during tightening. The larger job that it was used on recently was changing/tightening the plugs on a 2011 Durango Hemi ...and the longer length came in handy reaching into the back of the engine. It was easy work wiggly it into some of the tighter spots with the socket and extension on. One feature that I thought would be nice to have on this would be the ability to lock the flex head in place so as to not have wrestle with it to keep it aligned when getting closer to the torque setting. As for durability, will need some more time to tell.