Fnmag, thanks for the empathy. I need to gain the confidence in my new torque wrench. Do you know of a quick way to test if it is functioning or not?
Most states below the border have standards divisions, which certify local labs to calibrate a number of things, including torque wrenches. Probably have them in Canada also.
ALSO...check Youtube. There are several videos on DIY wrench calibration. Note that these will get you close, probably close enough for our uses. In addition to what they show, you should repeat the process over a range of torques..say, low, middle and high on the scale. Don't do it at the extreme low or high values.
A 'bendy' torque wrench uses a scale near the handle with a pointer on the bar to measure the bar's displacement. Someone with a lot of time on their hands translated that into the torque scale. Problem with these is viewing parallax can affect your interpretation of the reading. Again...probably close enough. Plus side is that you don't need to have them calibrated.