Had a young apprentice ask me why we still use impact wrenches on tube sheets

He said we should switch to torque wrenches for everything because his school taught him precision is king. Then I handed him a 1 inch impact and told him to break free a 20 year old rusted bolt on a 6 foot ladder and his face went white. Has anyone else had to explain the difference between classroom and real world torque?

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juliam4010d ago

Laugh watching them realize that school torque specs don't mean squat when you're hanging off a ladder with one hand. It's the same thing I see in home repairs honestly, people buy all these fancy digital torque wrenches for their car then can't get a lug nut off with a four-way because they've never had to deal with rust or a cross threaded bolt from the last guy. The classroom gives you the perfect world version, but the real world is full of corrosion, uneven surfaces, and bolts that haven't been touched since the Reagan administration. I've got a torque wrench I use for final tightening on some things, but half the job is just getting the dang fastener to move in the first place without snapping it. You learn real quick that precision is great when you can afford it, but survival comes first when you're on the clock and the bolt is fighting back.