Scored a crazy deal on a torque wrench - too good to be true?

Hey folks, so I was at a garage sale and this old guy was selling a Craftsman digital torque wrench, like the pro series, for $20. Said he used it once for an engine build and it's been in his garage since. It looks brand new. I couldn't resist and bought it. But now I'm wondering if it's accurate or if I got scammed. What do you guys think? Should I test it somehow before trusting it on my projects?

Dude, $20 for a digital torque wrench? That's a steal, but I'd be suspicious too. I mean, if it's a genuine Craftsman, it's probably fine. But you can't be too careful with torque wrenches - they're precision tools. Best way to test it is to compare it to a known good one, or you could send it to a calibration service. But honestly, for $20, even if it's off by a few ft-lbs, it's still better than no wrench. Just don't use it for anything critical before verifying.

I'm with Chris on this. I've seen too many people trust a cheap torque wrench and end up with stripped threads or worse. But since it's a Craftsman, it's probably good. You can do a simple test at home with a known weight and a lever arm, you know, physics style. That'll give you a rough idea if it's accurate. Also, check the battery and the settings. Digital ones can be finicky if the battery is low or if it's been dropped. But for $20, I'd take the risk. Just be cautious.

Hey, I'm a gearhead, so torque wrenches are my bread and butter. I've got like three of them. If it's a Craftsman digital, those are usually pretty solid. I'd say test it out on a lug nut or something that has a known torque spec. But also, check if it has a calibration certificate or not. If the guy was a serious enthusiast, he might have kept the paperwork. But even without it, it's probably fine. At $20, you can't go wrong. I'd use it for engine work, but I'd be wary of using it on head bolts or something that requires exact torque.