Click type:

Click-type torque wrench, with a socket attached, adjusted by turning the knurled handleA more sophisticated method of presetting torque is with a calibrated clutch mechanism. At the point where the desired torque is reached, the clutch slips, signaling the desired torque and preventing additional tightening. The most common form uses a ball detent and spring, with the spring preloaded by an adjustable screw thread, calibrated in torque units.

The ball detent transmits force until the preset torque is reached, at which point the force exerted by the spring is overcome and the ball "clicks" out of its socket. The advantage of this design is greater precision and a positive action at the set point. A number of variations of this design exist for different applications and different torque ranges. A modification of this design is used in some drills to prevent gouging the heads of screws while tightening them.