From: Built_Well on 24 Oct 2007 02:34 Ray O wrote: > ....I think Cobalt is Lowe's house brand. Some seem to be decent, I wouldn't > be surprised if they are the same supplier as Craftsman tools. ======== The Kobalt torque wrench at Lowe's for $90 is made in the U.S.A., though there are other Kobalt products made in China. Danaher (a U.S. company) currently makes the Kobalt torquer you can get at Lowe's. I can't say who makes the faulty Sears Craftsman 44595 that so many of us have.
From: B A R R Y on 24 Oct 2007 08:01 Built_Well wrote: > > Today, I saw the best "lower price" floor jack yet. The horse is not only dead, it's rotting and covered with maggots. =8^0
From: B A R R Y on 24 Oct 2007 08:09 Bruce L. Bergman wrote: > > This explains one of the reasons why it costs so much more to get an > aircraft engine fixed, they have to figure that $75 fee per torque > wrench (and they will have 4 or 5 of them for different torque values) > every two or three years (as needed) into their overhead. I agree with most of your points, but the shops that maintain my Beechcraft, as well as the Lycoming out front, charge less per hour than the auto shops I use for major work. The difference is a good 25%. All of the auto mechanics I know have a much better standard of living than the non-airline employed A&P's. The extra expense on the bottom line is more related to required inspections and tests at annual than shop charges, and the added IA sign-off charges. I do my own minor auto work, as well as what the FAA allows me to do on the aircraft.
From: Scott Dorsey on 24 Oct 2007 09:01 Built_Well <built_well_toyota(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >Forget answering the question about recalibrating torque wrenches. >I just read Tegger's informative FAQ on torquers. $75 to re-calibrate >one! Like Tegger, I'll just buy a new one. Don't do it, check your own. All you need is a lever arm and a calibrated weight (and you can use a jug of water for the weight). If you neglect the weight of the arm, you just multiply the length of the arm by the mass of the weight and you get torque. A couple pieces of wood, some string, and a water jug will do the job within a couple percent. Check your calibration once a year. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
From: Built_Well on 24 Oct 2007 13:57
Last time I wrote that the Kobalt torque wrench at Lowe's is made by Danaher. I don't know if the Kobalts used to be made by Snap-On at one time, but if you go to Lowe's today, and look at the packaging of the Kobalt 1/2-inch 150 foot-pound torquer, you'll see it has Danaher on the packaging. I think Proto tools are made by Stanley. Stanley might also make /some/ of the Craftsman, Matco, and Mac tools. Here's some info written by Mech1 on the LS1tech.com forum: "WOW! it sounds like some people need to do some research on the tools they use or plan to purchase. First off Proto is a product of Stanley. And no they are not the plain stanley tools made in china like they sell at wal-mart. To me Proto is as good as it gets. They are put through more testing b/c they are industrial tools used by NASA, the military, and other industries. I am a mech in the coal and oil industry. If you have ever been to either i build the dryers & shakers and stuff. You will hardly ever go to the tool room of a wash plant and find a Snap-On or Craftsman tool. <- JUNK. Ok stay with me here. "There are three key players in the tool industry. Stanley, Danahar, & Snap-on all about the same in revenue. Blackhawk is a tool by Proto. Mac is owned by Stanley. Kobalt is a Snap-On tool." [Built_Well's note: I have to disagree with Mech1 here. Maybe Kobalt was a Snap-On in 2004 when Mech1 wrote this, but the Kobalt torquer at Lowe's today is a Danaher.] Back to Mech1: "Craftsman tools was made by Stanley up until 1994 now they are made by Danahar which hires companies from thailand & china to make some of their tools. Craftsmans power tools like cordless drills are made by Ryobi (not sure about spelling) which is why they are such junk. Facom owns S&K (a.k.a Slip & Kill). When it comes down to it if you do your research most of these tools are junk except Proto and williams and maybe snap-on. I'm not saying that a proto tool is not going to fail. Nor am i saying that all Snap-on tools will fail. No tool is perfect. As far as Torque wrenches we have 1 craftsman torque wrench we only use it for1/2" 20 (which is fine thread) bolts which torques at about 135lbs. And the last time i used it it didn't want to click. when it comes to torque 1" bolts to 850 lbs the only tool we trust is a proto torque wrench. We have one machine we have to torque several bolts to 1900 lbs and i don't think a cheap pos is going to last after the first bolt. Now i don't know what you guys are torque n but one hing to keep in mind is lubrication. In some cases if you don't lubricate your bolts with anti-seize your bolt can lock up and yea break your torque wrench. Trust me you don't want this to happen when you are torqueing at 600+ lbs b/c your wrench will break and slip and it hurts. Just remember that if you use anti-seize you have to subtract 20% off your torque. Also using good bolts like L-9's or E8's instead of cheap grade 4's will help also. Well anyways i just happened to come to the page on a search hope i helped someone out. Got any good tool questions look me up." SubVet says: "Mech 1 is correct on those tool companies. In addition to what he said, Williams Tools was bought up by Snap-On. Danaher owns/makes tools for: Armstrong, Matco, Craftsman, AllenTM, KD-Tools, Holo-Krome, NAPA, and SATA. Stanley owns/makes Husky, Mac, and Proto Tools (a very expensive industrial brand), Proto is unique because it goes through addtional testing and certification because it is used by NASA, the military, and industrial customers (including General Motors). As Mentioned SK is owned by Facom....which is a French Company." --- Here's a link to the page where this discussion took place in 2004: http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-130628.html Tool on! |