GearWrench 85078 Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrench with Angle Review

gearwrench 85078 torque wrench
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If you’ve spent much time reading on Floorjacked.com, you know that we love our torque wrenches! Accordingly, when GearWrench reached out to us an offered to send their 3/8” Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrench with Angle to try out, we quickly jumped at the chance!

While torque wrenches have existed for quite some time and are a cornerstone of any mechanic’s tool set, their mechanical complexity coupled with their need for high precision and reliability have always meant that they are relatively sparse from a features perspective. That is, of course, until GearWrench decided to up the game.

Features

When it comes to features, the GearWrench Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrenches with Angle are hard to top. First and foremost, they contain everything you’d expect from a solid torque wrench. Specifically, they have a torque accuracy of 2% clockwise and 3% counterclockwise from 20% to 100% of the torque range. This level of accuracy is more or less industry standard. The ratcheting mechanism allows for a 5 degree swing arc, which is great, as this allows for greater ease of use when working in confined spaces which can be a challenge for many wrenches due to their length. Additionally, as is common on many electronic torque wrenches, the units can be switched between five options depending on your preferences and the type of vehicle you are working on (ft-lb, in-lb, Nm, Kg-m, and Kg-cm). Finally, the handle and electronics housing are resistant to oil and solvents, which is doubly important when you have to protect electronics. We should note that the model GearWrench sent us to try has a torque range of 10-100 ft-lb, which is appropriate for most automotive work.

If you have made it this far, you are probably thinking to yourself that things sound pretty good based on the feature set above. And you’re right! However, this is where things get interesting. The GearWrench Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrenches with Angle have a number of features that are significantly less common and thus distinguish these wrenches from others on the market in a variety of ways.

First is the angle measurement. This wrench allows you to measure angle as well as peak angle. We should also note that it allows you to measure peak torque as well. Another great and unique feature is the “Target Torque Alert,” which provides the user with tactile, auditory, and visual feedback as you are approaching your torque setting, which helps reduce the risk of over-torquing a fastener due to the increased user awareness this wrench provides. It accomplishes this with a trio of indicators including vibration, an audible buzzer, and an LED light that illuminates. Another nice feature is that the wrench lets you store torque presets to save you time if you use a certain torque setting frequently. Finally, the wrench has a flexible head so you can adjust the angle which allows you to gain access to bolts that would otherwise be difficult to reach with a standard torque wrench.
The wrench is battery operated, and requires two AA batteries, which are not included with the wrench. It also comes with a molded plastic case so that you can store it safely.

Build Quality

Overall, the build quality for the GearWrench Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrenches is great! The body is made from steel with a polished finish. It is stout with no discernible flex. The angled head portion is well built and rewards you with a satisfying click as you set it in position.

The handle is sturdy plastic, which also encloses the electronics. Some people may knock plastic on tools, however plastic handles are a reality of electronic torque wrenches as a metal body simply would not allow for cost effective integration of the electronics. The handle is red, which means you will have to really make sure that you wipe the torque wrench down after use otherwise grease marks will easily show if you don’t. Wiping down tools is something you should do anyways to protect your investment, so we don’t view this as a big deal.

As a vote of confidence in their own product, GearWrench offers a one year limited warranty and a 90 day warranty for calibration accuracy.

Value

When it comes to value, GearWrench has been a long time favorite of ours. As far as electronic torque wrenches go, the price point for this is lower than average, whereas the feature set is significantly more extensive than average. As such, the GearWrench Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrenches with Angle represent a strong value proposition.

For our money, the GearWrench Flex Head Electronic Torque Wrenches with Angle are one of the best electronic torque wrench buys out there. Should you choose to pick one up for your next automotive project, we suspect that you will be quite pleased.

As far as where to find the best price, we find that Amazon tends to be pretty competitive so we’d recommend starting there. That said, if you’re still looking to do more research before pulling the trigger, you can read further about torque wrenches in our guide to choosing the best torque wrenches by clicking here. Happy wrenching!

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