Picked a cheap spoke wrench over a Park Tool one, now I'm kicking myself

I grabbed a $4 generic spoke wrench from the hardware store instead of spending $12 on the Park Tool SW-0, and after truing one wheel I already rounded off the 14g nipple slots. Has anyone else had luck with the budget wrenches or am I just wasting time and money?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie_white8h ago

Yup, been there. Cheap ones strip instantly, just get the Park.

grace_allen6h ago

Oh man, you're totally right! I remember I bought this cheap hex wrench set from a random website and the first time I used it on my brakes it just twisted right off. Had to spend like an hour trying to get the broken piece out with pliers. Now I just go to the local bike shop and grab the Park ones even if they cost a bit more. Totally worth it to avoid that headache. Plus the Park ones fit the bolts way better and don't strip out even after a ton of use.