Torque wrench rabbit hole

[pressureangle]

I have several , click and beam styles....Just because you're using a torque wrench doesn't mean you don't pay attention to the force you apply and how the fastener "feels" as it's tightened.....

Exactly.

The human body is a fantastic and fantastically accurate measuring device. Once you 'get the feel' for a certain torque you can repeat that as well as any torque wrench, within the limitations of your strength; your body can do something no torque wrench can do, too, which is feel the condition of the metal as you tighten. If the threads start to pull, the bolt twists, or anything else you can stop short or reverse and repair before something bad happens. That's why I don't use torque wrenches on common fasteners smaller than 3/8".

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ed the Rocket Scientist told me one time that NASA did a test and found the most repetitive torque on small fasteners were done by the hand of a skilled mechanic.

[rider33]

for everyday things I think �feel� in the hands of a good mechanic works fine but for critical applications a well calibrated torq wrench with the engineer-specified torq settings is apt to be much better at anticipating variances in materials and bolt composition. A whole lot of money in in high tech applications is spent on torq metrics,  it maybe overkill for a lot of things but for key engine assemblies and in particular for softer bolts a good torq wrench can save you a lot of time & aggravation.  Also,  just because the bolt didn�t snap off does not mean it has not been compromised.
Too loose and the bolt can back out,  too tight and the metal can be stressed and thus more prone to failure down the line.  You don�t need a map to travel but it can help to keep you on track, �just saying.

[pressureangle]

for everyday things I think �feel� in the hands of a good mechanic works fine but for critical applications a well calibrated torq wrench with the engineer-specified torq settings is apt to be much better at anticipating variances in materials and bolt composition. A whole lot of money in in high tech applications is spent on torq metrics,  it maybe overkill for a lot of things but for key engine assemblies and in particular for softer bolts a good torq wrench can save you a lot of time & aggravation.  Also,  just because the bolt didn�t snap off does not mean it has not been compromised.
Too loose and the bolt can back out,  too tight and the metal can be stressed and thus more prone to failure down the line.  You don�t need a map to travel but it can help to keep you on track, �just saying.

I think you're wrong.

As stated above, once you have a feel for a particular combination of fastener and material, human repeatability is as good or better, and no torque wrench can allow at all for variance in the combination of material, tolerance, and lubrication.