You just bought your first car from a second hand car yard. Oh, the joy and the excitement, oh, the hassle. It just happens that you can't afford a new car nowadays and you know what? I for one really don't consider it's worth it anyway. Second hand cars are OK for me (although I don't even have a driver's license) even though they just might need some fixing for starters. If you can handle buying a second hand car, it's quite probable you can handle fixing it too, but sometimes it's just better to take it to a service garage.

Fixing the engine is the hardest thing in repairing a car. Taking it apart is the easy step, with the hard one being putting it back together. Ever wondered why an engine just doesn't run like it did when you fix it at home and runs even better if a handyman fixes it with the right tools? One of the major (and I really mean that) reasons is the misplacing and tying screws and bolts.

First of all, when you put the engine block back, you must place the screws all in their place and then begin screwing them easily and always over diagonals. Applying too much torque will damage the threads, while too little will "provide" loosening risks. That's why professionals use keys that measure torque so they don't tie any screw by the eye.

Such a key is the Digital Ratchet Monkey Type. It's a specialized tool and the bad part is you don't know that you need one until you… need one. Whether you're working on your car, or bike, or anything else that implies mechanics, this will give you a precise torque reading, allowing easy adjustment, tweaking and fine tuning on any mechanical project.

Being a monkey type ratchet, it will provide you with accurate torque measurement regardless of bolt or nut size, between 10 and 36mm. It features LED lighting for easy reading, a custom buzzer to alert you of excess torque, laser-etched gradations, ergonomic handle, and a torque range between 15 and 85 N.m.

Made of stainless steel and sporting a total length of 85mm, it comes with a $323 price tag although I have a slight suspicion the maker forgot to add a "." between 8 and 5 and mistyped mm instead of inches, otherwise this key can only be used by children.


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is