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?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_white2mo ago

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

jamesm482mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you used to think cheap tools were fine too? I was the same way honestly. I figured a hex wrench is a hex wrench, why spend more? Then I tried adjusting my seatpost with a no-name brand and it slipped so bad I thought I was gonna round out the bolt. After that I actually went and got the Park ones and yeah, you can feel the difference immediately. They fit snug and don't wiggle around. It's one of those things where you have to mess up once to learn the lesson. Now I won't even touch a cheap allen key for anything important on my bike.

grace_allen2mo 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.