When tightening a torque-to-yield fastener, a digital torque wrench can save a technician a significant amount of time, says Brin Kline, owner of Assured Auto Works in Melbourne, Florida. But when the fastener is in a hard-to-reach area or set at an angle, not just any torque wrench will do. That’s where Kline says the SP Tools USA Flex-Head Torque Angle Pro proved its worth.
“Being able to set the first stage - turning resistance - and the second stage - angle - without having to use another tool [such as a] stand-alone torque angle gauge does save time,” he says.
The digital torque wrench came well packaged and no assembly or setup was required, Kline says. All that was needed to get started was to install the batteries.
Kline notes that a larger, flat head screwdriver or similar tool is required to remove the battery cover. This is something he would like to see modified on future versions of this tool to allow for toolless battery changes.
When they first started using it, Kline and the technicians at Assured Auto Works had some trouble learning to use the Flex-Head Torque Angle Pro’s user interface, Kline says, noting that the included user manual was “a bit confusing.”
Once Kline and the other technicians became familiar with the process of setting the torque and torque angle, however, “the tool was easy to use,” he says and was used for various underhood repairs.
Despite the initial confusion, Kline says there is a lot to like about this digital torque wrench.
“I like that there are many different engineering units [measurement types] to choose from,” he says. “I also really like the flex head, the audible indication, and auto sleep functions.”
The SP Tools USA Flex-Head Torque Angle Pro 3/8” digital torque wrench’s quality and features made it an asset to have in the shop, especially saving technicians time when working on angled torque applications. Kline walked away with a positive impression.
“The tool had a nice feel and was overall impressive,” he says.
