Torque wrench recommendation under $50

[ilovemybike]

I have the second Venzo one listed above - no issues at all. Seems very solid.

I would be inclined to wait 6 weeks for Black Friday to see if there are any deals. Some time ago (I can't remember exactly when) I posted a deal here where the Giant set was selling for under $70.

I ended up getting the Venzo one on discount before the Black Friday sales.

https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/venz ... VZ-F33-031

It’s arrived but Im not sure whether I need to do something special when using for the first time. It says on the instructions that if the torque wrench has not been used before I should operate it a few times on a low torque setting so the lubricant has a chance to recoat before use.

So this is what I did, I set it on 2NM. The direction toggle is pointing to the right at 5 o clock and I’m using the wrench on one of my cage bottle mount bolts which is supposed to adjust to 4 nM. However I don’t hear the click. The bolt it almost tightened completely but no click. Is 2NM enough to test this? I only hear the dial clicks when I push downwards. Have I done something wrong?

https://youtu.be/rQybDrF0Oj0
This video at the 25 second mark says the complete opposite and says must be activated at high torque setting 5 times to activate.

[skyblot]

Given the choice between the manufacturers' instructions, or some dude on youtube I'd be choosing the manufacturer of your item...

2nm is still noticeably tight, it's not "almost tightened". At low torques, there may not be a very audible "click", but you'll feel the torque wrench "give" as it slips across the limiter inside. Low torques can be more a matter of feel than hearing.

Maybe choose a bigger bolt to try it on, an M6 bolt but still use the low setting on the torque wrench. M6 are typically around 9nm, set the tq wrench at 4 or 5 and you'll hear and feel it clearly.

Ummm, dumb question, you are turning the bolt in the tightening direction? (No offence intended...)
The direction of the ratchet toggle isn't a universal convention, I have ratchets with the toggle pointing in opposite directions for the same turning direction. The torque wrench may not click if turning the wrong way...

[P!N20]

I didn’t do any preparatory tightening when I got mine, but I’m the kind of person to read the instructions when things go wrong.

Make sure you’re reading the torque setting from the gauge in the centre, not just the dial on the end. (I’m sure you know this if you read the instructions.)

[ilovemybike]

Ummm, dumb question, you are turning the bolt in the tightening direction? (No offence intended...)
The direction of the ratchet toggle isn't a universal convention, I have ratchets with the toggle pointing in opposite directions for the same turning direction. The torque wrench may not click if turning the wrong way...

haha not at all, I asked myself the same thing. At first, I wasn't sure I was turning in the right direction but I followed the video of the one I brought and it was the right direction.

It turns out that I may not have gone all the way so it didn't click. The 2NM was surprisingly tight, I watched a youtube video earlier, and the guy said, 4NM is like as far as you can go with the longer side of a small allen key. The 2NM i tried with the wrench I thought seemed more like 4NM torque. When I tried 5NM with the 5mm allen key on the headset bolt, I did get a noticeable click so the wrench must be working and i didn't go tight enough earlier on the 2NM setting.

Make sure you’re reading the torque setting from the gauge in the centre, not just the dial on the end. (I’m sure you know this if you read the instructions.)

lol, i don't think i can get this wrong. My torque wrench only has one reading, it doesn't have dials at the end.

Well, I'm learning heaps on bike maintenance - this wasn't something I planned when I brought my bike and decided I wanted to cycle . Thanks to you guys for helping!