If you are a professional mechanic or technician, or a do-it-yourself kind of person, you will be looking for the perfect tools for your motorcycle, truck, car or home improvement and repair jobs. In your search, you will come across sources comparing torque wrench vs breaker bar.
Not to be confused with each other, these are completely different tools. They do different jobs. Therefore, you cannot buy one in place of the other. If you are really hands on, you will have to buy the two of them.
In your day-to-day job or routine maintenance of your car or motorcycle, you will need to loosen and tighten many fasteners. You will need to do this even for your bicycles, lawnmowers and some appliances.
A torque wrench can tighten fasteners to the manufacturer-recommended torque level. A breaker bar can loosen very tight fasteners without breaking them. You can see why you will need the two tools.
To understand the differences between breaker bar vs torque wrench, we shall look at both tools in more detail.
What is a torque wrench?
In our article on what is a torque wrench and how to use one, we discussed in detail the different types of torque wrenches.
However, the most outstanding, perhaps even the most important thing to remember is that the torque wrench is for tightening fasteners. You should not use it for loosening fasteners.
To delve deeper into this, think about it this way … torque is the force that you apply to a fastener when you are twisting it, to tighten it. Therefore, torque is like force that you apply on the fastener. It is also like pressure that you apply on a fastener to tighten it.
Now, fasteners may be made of heavy-duty steel. However, they have their endurance. When you exceed it by applying too much twisting force (torque), they can break!
That is why we have these tools called torque wrenches. They measure the pressure or force you are applying on your fasteners.
These tools are designed to alert you when you attain the torque level you had set. For instance, an electronic/digital torque wrench can vibrate, buzz or flash an LED light to let you know when to stop tightening a fastener.
If you work in noisy environments, these torque wrenches are best. They are very accurate and easy to use since they have a clear digital readout.
Others such as the manual torque wrench give a clicking sound when you reach the torque that you had set. It can be hard to use such in noisy spaces, but they are very accurate and affordable to buy.
Some, like the break-over wrenches, are designed to fail, or stop working when the set torque level is attained.
Some torque wrenches also come in the ratcheting head design. What this means is that when you are tightening a fastener, you do not need to remove it from the fastener after every tightening cycle.
What is a breaker bar?
As the name of this tool seems to suggest, this is a sort of a breaker bar that “breaks” loose super tight nuts and other fasteners.
Therefore, while the torque wrench is used for tightening fasteners, the breaker bar is used for loosening them.
By design, this is a very simple tool. It comes with a bolt socket attached to a long handle. The long handle helps to make the work of loosening the bolts and nuts easily.
When bolts and nuts are rusted over, they can become too hard to loosen. You need to apply a huge amount of torque to loosen them.
In some instances, you can also use the breaker bar to tighten fasteners. However, only use it to tighten bolts and nuts when there is no need to measure torque.
Using the breaker bar requires the application of brutal force. Rusted bolts and nuts require a lot of force to get them loose. You can apply as much force as you need to and you will not damage the breaker bar.
How does a breaker bar work?
Because of the nature of work that this tool, also called the power bar is designed to do, it is made of high quality, heavy-duty material.
You can use it for all loosening jobs that need brutal power in the workshop and it will not sustain any damage.
The handle is longer and the head is designed in such a way that it takes the fastener deeply, so that there is no risk of slipping off.
If you have a three-foot handle on the breaker bar, the tool power can increase to 1000 ft-lb of torque! In the case of torque wrenches, only the electric types or air-compressor powered ones) can generate such a huge amount of torque.
A breaker bar works by giving you more leverage. You can use your body weight as the main force to get stuck and rusty fasteners loose faster.
Torque wrench vs breaker bar: Main differences
Every vehicle mechanic will have a breaker bar and a torque wrench in their tools collection. Read on to see the main differences between these two tools:
1. Purpose/Intended use: tighten vs loosen
Mainly, one loosens, while the other tightens fasteners.
When you buy any kind of tool, you must use it for the purpose for which it is intended. In this case, the breaker bar is intended to be used to loosen nuts and bolts.
The torque wrench is intended to tighten nuts. It measures the amount of torque that you are applying on the fastener.
Some models such as the electronic ones can show you the real-time amount of torque that you have applied on a nut or bolt.
While breaker bars are mostly used to loosen tightly stuck fasteners, well, you can still use them to tighten fasteners that don’t require you to measure torque.
2. Maximum torque they can bear
We said that torque is the twisting force applied on a fastener. Therefore, when buying tightening or loosening tools, their maximum torque level is an important consideration.
Torque wrenches, unless they are electric or air-powered, are designed to handle a low level of torque. Some smaller torque wrenches come with a low torque range of 0 to 250 ft-lb.
Once you have determined the torque level of the fasteners you are tightening, you can preset the torque on the wrench before you start using it.
Breaker bars have a higher torque rating. You can use them on jobs that require huge torque applications.
If you have large nuts and bolts that you need to tighten, you can use the breaker bar. Since you cannot preset the torque on breaker bars, you will have to gauge or estimate whether they are tight enough.
3. Maintenance needs
Torque wrenches require some maintenance. If you use it to tighten fasteners for 5000 cycles, you should take it for calibration because it will have lost its accuracy.
It is also recommended that you calibrate the wrench once in 12 months. So, even if you have not done 5000 cycles yet with it, make sure it is calibrated once a year.
If you use a beam torque wrench, you can calibrate it yourself by twisting it a bit until the pointer beam rests at zero when you keep it on a flat surface.
You also have to handle the torque wrench carefully. For instance, if you drop it on the floor, it will lose its calibration.
A breaker bar on the other hand does not require too much maintenance or care. Just use it and store it properly.
Since it does not measure torque, calibration is not required. Even if this tool is mishandled, it cannot sustain damage.
4. Durability
Torque wrenches are too sensitive. If you use them to apply higher torque than their rating, they are going to shatter easily.
It is important that you only use them to apply torque within their range. If it is rated for 150 ft-lb maximum torque, do not use it to apply 200 ft-lb.
Breaker bars are designed to handle more torque, say, thousands. As a result, they last long without sustaining any damage.
Breaker bars also don’t require you to set them up for use. Just take it and use it to loosen a fastener if it fits.
5. Automation and speed
Torque wrenches give more flexibility. For instance, if you have to do many recurring tasks with an electric torque wrench, just set the torque level and use it.
A torque wrench can help you achieve much more and faster too. When you tighten fasteners, that’s final.
If you use a breaker bar to tighten them, you might have to finish the job off with a calibrated torque wrench. However, please note that a power bar is best for loosening rather than tightening.
6. Which offers more choice?
Torque wrenches come in many types. Some are digital, some are electronic and some are click or manual torque wrenches. We also have impact torque wrenches that can do incredibly heavy jobs.
When it comes to the breaker bar, there are not many types. You get just one, so you do not have much variety to choose from. Also, these bars do not have any additional features or functions. You just get one with its basic usability.
7. Cost – breaker bar is cheaper
The cost of buying a breaker bar is so much cheaper as compared to that of buying a torque wrench. In addition, you might have to foot more cost for calibrating the torque wrench, since you might have to send it to a calibration lab. Remember to use a plastic storage case to store the torque wrenches in the right conditions.
Because of their rugged nature and general usability, breaker bars are so affordable to buy. They do not have sensitive functions such as torque level setting. You just use them to loosen your heavy nuts and bolts.
Overall, torque wrenches can cost a lot of money depending on the model or type that you choose. If you choose electronic ones, they will cost a good one.
The click type and the beam/dual beam torque wrenches are the most affordable in the market. Most of the others are costlier than the breaker bar.
Do not just buy the breaker bar because it is cheaper. You must tighten many torque sensitive parts in the engine bay with a torque wrench. Besides, the power bar is mainly designed for loosening tight bolts and nuts.
8. Convenience and speed
If you are looking for a tool you can use with speed, ease and convenience, go for the breaker bar. You can use it if you need to get a bolt or nut tightened faster.
It won’t measure the torque, but fasteners that aren’t in sensitive places can be tightened without measuring the torque. There are no settings to input. As long as the breaker bar socket fits, go ahead and use it.
If you have no experience, you can use a breaker bar. With a torque wrench, you must know how to read and set the torque level. Unfortunately, not everyone can be able to do this.
9. Size and leverage
Breaker bars are larger, are made of sturdier materials and they work well under great force or pressure. You can throw your entire body weight behind a breaker bar.
A power bar with a three-foot handle can garner up to 1000 ft-lb of torque, and give you more leverage than a torque wrench, which comes in a small size and with a shorter handle.
Some breaker bars are up to 40 inches long while most torque wrenches start at 9 inches, or just slightly longer.
Using torque wrench as breaker bar
The temptation to use a torque wrench as a breaker bar will be there – to use it to loosen fasteners. However, don’t do it!
If you store the calibrated wrench badly and it drops, it loses its calibration. You can imagine what would happen if you use it for a purpose the opposite of what it should do.
Can you use a breaker bar as a torque wrench? The answer is yes and no. Yes because you can use it to tighten fasteners and no because if the fasteners are torque-sensitive, it is just best not to use it.
Unfortunately, you do not have this advantage when using a torque wrench. It is purely for tightening things, not loosening.
Torque Wrench vs Breaker Bar: FAQ
We have said that you can only use a torque wrench to tighten fasteners. We have also said you can use a breaker bar for loosening mostly but also tightening fasteners that are not torque-sensitive. If you still need more clarification, this section on the frequently asked questions and their answers is going to help you:
Can you use a torque wrench to loosen bolts?
It is your torque wrench, so no matter what we tell you, you will do what you want to do. Many people have used a torque wrench to loosen bolts. However, as tool people, we would not recommend this at all. Perhaps you can use it once, if you do not have a breaker bar.
It might not sustain damage. But the calibration might go off. This will affect its accuracy when you do need to use it to torque your motorcycle, nut lugs or engine bay fasteners.
If you have used yours to loosen bolts, have someone check the calibration. Do not be surprised if you find that it’s off by far.
Do not use your torque wrench to torque fasteners before checking the calibration if you have used it to loosen bolts.
Can I use torque wrench as breaker bar?
The torque mechanism is entirely different, and more complicated than the breaker bar head. You should not use a torque wrench as a breaker bar because it can damage the mechanism.
Using it one time might not damage the mechanism, but it will still throw your calibration off.
Can you tighten a bolt with a breaker bar?
You can use a breaker bar to tighten fasteners that are not torque-sensitive. However, there are two things to note here… because of the sheer size and design of this tool, it can damage small fasteners if you use it to tighten them.
If you work in a workshop or garage, it is best to have breaker bars and torque wrenches so that you can use the most appropriate tool for the job. For rusted or stuck fasteners, the breaker bar can generate large torque levels to get them loose.
Use the breaker bar to tighten large fasteners such as truck wheel lugs. However, perhaps you want to tighten them to about 70% so that you can finish the job with a calibrated torque wrench.
Breaker bar vs torque wrench: best to buy
| Best Torque Wrench | Best Breaker Bar |
| Park Tool Ratcheting Click Type Torque Wrench
It has a wide torque range but you can increase torque by small portions of 0.4Nm Has a 9-inch shaft for easier use on engine bay parts The square head drive is 3/8-inches, so it is best for motorcycle parts and small fasteners in the car You can use it for tightening fasteners in the counterclockwise direction Please note, the click could be louder so it is easy to miss it if you are using it in noisy environments |
MAXPOWER 1/2-Inch and 3/8-Inch Drive
It comes with ½-inch and 3/8-inch drives for more variety and flexibility at work It can deliver up to 378lb.ft torque when using the ½-inch bar The head rotates, so you can work from any angle The shaft is long at 24 inches and it has a contoured handle for better grip Has a spring-load ball bearing to hold sockets securely so they do not drop |
Wrapping Up
If you have been asking what to buy between torque wrench vs breaker bar, it is best to buy both of these tools.
As a technician, mechanic or a hands-on DIY-er, you will find a lot of use for both the breaker bar and the torque wrench.
You can use the torque wrenches, and torque screwdrivers for tightening torque-sensitive jobs on your car or motorcycle parts.
The breaker bar comes in very handy when you need a huge torque level to loosen rusted bolts and nuts.
You may use a breaker bar to tighten bolts and nuts, well, when you do not need to torque them. However, you must never use a torque wrench to loosen fasteners. That can damage its head and throw its calibration (and accuracy) off.