Merida Adjustable Torque Wrench

A no-frills T-shape handle design, Merida's Adjustable Torque Wrench is the perfect tool for quick and easy bolt tightening. It has three torque settings – 4, 5 and 6Nm – and with the 3, 4 and 5mm Allen keys, as well as a T25 Torx key, it'll cater for most common bolts on a bike. Neatly, all keys bar one are hidden inside the case. It's a good price too.

I couldn't be without my trusty torque wrench – or should I say torque wrenches since I have several: a large one for heavy duty tightening of things like bottom brackets, a smaller one for all-round use and a basic beam torque wrench that I occasionally call upon for those low torque bolts (and it'll never need calibrating). But one can never have too many tools for the job.

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This adjustable torque wrench from Merida has, as I've said, three preset torque values, 4, 5 and 6Nm, which makes it ideal for accurately tightening a variety of bolts on a bike that commonly need checking, such as those that hold a seatpost or stem in place. Its relatively small size also makes it easy to carry in a pack if you need to, though I'd say it's a workshop tool first and foremost.

It comes with four keys for different size bolts, 3, 4 and 5mm Allen keys, and a T25 Torx key. Three of the keys are neatly housed inside the handle, while the remaining one sits in the drive end, so you always have them to hand.

The chunky T-shape handle makes it easy to hold the torque wrench firmly, and its relatively stubby nature means you can tighten bolts easily without worrying about the key slipping inside a bolt head.

Adjusting the level of torque is easy – a dial on the top allows you to do this on the fly – although I found it slightly ironic that you need a separate 6mm hex key to adjust it, which sort of spoils the ease of having everything you need in the one unit.

As you might expect, if you've used a torque wrench before, once you reach the torque setting that you've chosen, there's a solid click to the handle that lets you know you don't need to tighten it any more. Some torque wrenches can be a little polite in this respect, making it easy to miss the click, but not so on the Merida, and that's a good thing.

There are loads of torque wrenches out there, so why would you want this one? As someone who's over-tightened and subsequently damaged bolt heads using conventional torque wrenches that have very wide adjustability (and then had the displeasure of using a drill and bolt extractor to remove them), the idiot-proofing of this type of torque wrench brings peace of mind when tightening expensive parts.

Merida recommends recalibrating the torque wrench every so often, or if it hasn't been used for a while, by tightening a bolt using the 6Nm setting 20 times. That should keep it performing accurately for quite some time, which is good to know.

> Buyer’s Guide: 6 of the best torque wrenches for bikes

It's pretty good value too. Compared with similar T-handle torque wrenches that only have a limited adjustment range, it fares well. It's about a third of the price of the Park Tool Adjustable Torque Driver that Liam reviewed a couple years back, and about a tenner less than the very similar Pro Bike Tool Adjustable Torque Wrench.

That said, if you want something that can cover off a wider range of adjustments, you might be better off paying extra to get one with more torque settings, such as the £99.99 PRO 3-15Nm torque wrench set.

If, like me, you already have several bigger torque wrenches with more range, then the Merida torque wrench makes a handy addition. It's good for occasionally checking the tightness of those common low-torque bolts around the bike, and it takes less time to start using than a conventional type – great when you're in a rush.

Verdict

An excellent buy – a solid, inexpensive torque wrench that offers quick and easy bolt tightening