Talked with a young mechanic about torque wrenches and his answer surprised me

Guy fresh out of A&P school told me he trusts his digital torque wrench over my old beam style because the numbers dont lie, but after we spent 20 minutes comparing readings on a Cessna landing gear nut he admitted the old one felt smoother and now Im wondering if we are losing the feel part of this trade, has anyone else had that kind of conversation with a new hire?

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kevinw942d ago

You ever watch someone argue with a torque wrench like it's a stubborn mule? My buddy runs a small shop and he hired this kid who swore his digital one was gospel. They spent an hour on a tractor lug nut, and the digital kept clicking at different spots every time. The kid got frustrated, handed it to my buddy, and my buddy torqued it by feel with the beam style in one smooth pull. The digital said he was off by 5 foot-pounds, but the kid just stared at the tool like it had betrayed him. That old wrench still lives in the drawer next to the new one, and the kid uses it whenever the digital acts funny.