I caught one of my torque drivers under-reading by 6 Ncm on a 35 Ncm check with a digital gauge, and since then I’ve set a 6-month calibration cycle. Are you verifying in-house or sending them out, and have you noticed any effect on primary stability and early postoperative comfort when the torque is truly accurate?
I’ve found ‘click ≠ torque’: I always apply a slow 2–3 s ramp on the digital tester and in the mouth, which tightened up our readings and cut down on day‑1 soreness and the odd cover screw loosening; bone quality still rules primary stability though. Are you ramping or snapping to the click when you verify at 35 Ncm?
@OP We verify in-house monthly on a digital analyzer with three 2–3 s pulls and tag out anything beyond ±6% (ISO 6789), then send them out yearly for calibration: https://www.tekton.com/learn/torque-wrench-calibration-iso-6789. Accurate torque has trimmed day‑1 soreness and fewer looseners here, but the bigger win was matching osteotomy/under‑prep to D3/D4 bone — are you adjusting drill protocol alongside the calibration cycle?
Quick tip: @OP, check at two set points (15 and 35 Ncm) and with the exact driver insert you place with — worn inserts often read low, and swapping the insert can fix it without a send‑out. Since adding that and a simple cycle log, we’ve had fewer early ‘pressurey’ calls, though I still tag out anything that drifts after a sterilization run; and yes, I store them unlocked — torque drivers are like bathroom scales, they drift.