Hello Danno
The choice of torque wrench manufacturer is far more simple than the choice of supplier as many are rebranded.
In general, I would avoid most shiny silver wrenches! These include Sealey/Premier, Draper (sometimes a shiny silver torque wrench repainted black), Teng (a shiny silver torque wrench repainted red and dull silver), GS and Lidl etc. They tend to drift out of calibration quite easily with moderate to high use and the measurement values have more variation. They are also often batch calibrated when manufactured and it is completely possible for these to be inaccurate from new! The shiny silver torque wrench you have pictured, I cannot see clearly as I only have telephone screen but it looks like a Britool design (possibly rebranded or unbranded)...so out of the shiny silver options it's got potential for being ok or at least saved by calibration.
Snap-On an exception to the shiny silver options but your "not too pricey" would rule these out. I find them in general reliable when tested and accurate throughout the range even with very high useage.
Britool AVT EVT HVT style. I find these awkward to adjust for frequent use, especially the larger sizes. Most do not have a ratchet style head so are also not the easiest to get the correct positioning. They tend to read high at the low end of the scale and low at the high end of the scale. They do not drift out of calibration as easily as the shiny silver category even with high use.
Norbar are a great option with many rebranded options available. They are now (since around 2018) owned by Snap On. Rebrands include Sykes Pickavant Motorq range and Halfords among others. They have a good level of accuracy and are generally reliable even with high use.
So Halfords is a great option for a reliable, not too pricey torque wrench, especially if you can obtain a "Trade card". They also come with a lifetime warranty (excluding calibration). I prefer the previous models that Halfords released rather than the new range (rebranded Norbar professional range).
There are of course other brands and manufacturers including my favourite Stahlwille, beautifully made, very simple to adjust and highly accurate...but not cheap.
Other general thoughts about torque wrenches.
Make sure that the wrench is working well within it scale limits. They tend to become less accurate at the extremes of the scale, particularly with the cheaper brands.
Exercise the wrench a few times before use particularly with the cheaper brands or if infrequently used. For example a shiny silver torque wrench may read 10% out on the first pull, 5% out on the second pull and 3% out on the third..and then the readings will be more consistent thereafter.
Wind your torque wrench off after use, just to the end of the numerical scale to release spring tension, no need to keep winding until it meets the stop as this can do more harm than good.
