Is their quality a bit crap? I think I've broken two allen keys in my life, both Park.
Just now, was removing a pedal with a HT-6, which is "Specially designed for pedals"
Snapped in my hand, smashed hand on chainring, blood everywhere. My cheapo silverline 6mm had no trouble. The Park one really only gets used when I remove pedals to put the bike in a bike pag, which is sadly not that often.
Bought a meaty great Park tools adjustable spanner, it's crap, the worm drive has deformed in the position I use it most frequently (cassette lock ring tool) despite me always tightening the spanner on to the tool and always using the spanner right way up (i.e. fixed jaw taking force). Can't adjust it now!
Actually now I think about it my dad had a Bahco that survived a decade of similar abuse, might 'inherit' that next time I'm home...
I've always found Park allen keys to not be that durable.
Get yourself some Bondhus or Snap-On sets. I'm pretty sure Bhondus produce the Snap-On sets, as the two sets I have are identical apart from the logo...
My Bhondus set is over 20year old and still going strong, and the Snap-On ones at work have survived lots of abuse. Well apart from the 6mm, but that did involve a bit pipe and oxy-acetylene, however it still works despite now having an additional twist in the hex...
park do various ranges at various price points.
majority of what you find on the shelf of bike shops is junk as most shops stock the lower price points.
their workshop stuff used to(like snap on) be largely rebranded stuff - eg their workshop hex key sets used to be bondhaus(those have lasted , i still have mine)
but even that has been diluted of late.
Pretty much just buy specialist tools from them as its not hard to find better quality for less else where. case in point as mentioned above Bahco wrenchs , estwing hammers , wera screwdrivers etc . not blue not cool but function over form for me.
They are pretty good for the bike specific stuff (work stands, alignment tools, etc), for allen keys and the like you are much better off going with one of the quality tool brands
Snapping allen keys sounds poor regardless of the range you're buying, but I have noted that Park tools come in differing qualities, only the workshop quality stuff will last well (which is fine if you're only using the home mechanic stuff occasionally).
park do various ranges at various price points.
I always managed to get hold of their workshop stuff until i twigged that........
their workshop stuff used to (like snap on) be largely rebranded stuff
Significantly marked up as well. So i just bought the best quality tools at a price i could stand. Mostly less than park. For better quality.
And FWIW the last workshop i was in regularly (full park set up) showed how true this was
but even that has been diluted of late.
Every set of keys or spanners had a couple of broken ones, spanners with damaged jaws and so on. Plenty of gaps in the blue replaced with other colours.........
Wouldn't have been so bad, but the place had only been open ~8 weeks when i first started working there.
I'd probably say, on the whole, that the workshop quality park stuff is now really only suited for the keen home mechanic, or someone who really likes a blue shadow board.
If you painted a jobbie blue and put it in a bike shop people'd pay £30 for it.
My Park track pump didn't seem to like being used to power bottle rockets. Apart from that, I've never had a problem with their tools.
If only we knew someone who could give us an unbiased test over a period of time...
Pedant alert...
I think I’ve broken two allen keys in my life, both Park.
If they were Allen keys then they weren't made by Park.
My Park screwdrivers aren't up to much at all.
As suggested above - only buy 'bike specific' stuff from Park (or other bike tool brands)
You'll not find better than Bondhus or Bahco for hex keys, Bahco for adjustable wrenches, etc.
In fact, i'd recommend Bahco for most hand tools.
Complete segue sorry but I'm intrigued and my brain isn't following...
i.e. fixed jaw taking force
How does that work sorry, surely the load is applied to all the contact surfaces (or single points on each surface if your spanner/wrench doesn't fit properly) no?
Tip for pedals - don't do them up tightly, just a gentle nip will do. They won't come undone, but you'll be able to get them off again easily.
Park have always been overpriced and mostly tat, I can't believe people still fall for this shite.
Park have always been overpriced and mostly tat, I can’t believe people still fall for this shite.
I've never bought Park branded 'generic' tools but their bike-specific stuff has consistently been better quality than any other brands I've bought. What brands do you think are better?
Tip for pedals – don’t do them up tightly, just a gentle nip will do. They won’t come undone, but you’ll be able to get them off again easily.
I've never understood the torque advice for pedals. you can pretty much nip them up by hand and let your pedalling do the rest. i've never had one come loose but had many that are a complete pain to remove
Bondhus make lots of Park’s Allen keys, mine have lasted well over a decade so far. Definitely some fancier brands out there. Some cost rather a lot of course. I like my Beta sliding ones the best.
PB Swiss
Beta
Wera
Wiha
Bondhus
Bahco
this is is a good read for the geeks.
https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/bike-allen-keys-42917/
“Actually now I think about it my dad had a Bahco that survived a decade of similar abuse, might ‘inherit’ that next time I’m home…”
Bahco are the only adjustable spanner that I’d give houseroom to. A couple of mine are over thirty years old and still excellent.
A lot of cycling stuff I'd not do to exact torque settings you risk breaking it or it becomes seized,pedals especially just a fraction turn or nip from screwed in is plenty make sure you grease the threads though.
And remember torque settings change when threads are dry or greased the manufacturer will unlikely say that.
I recently brought a £10 bargain new 105 chain set because a pedal was stuck, it was a simple job of heating it up boiling water for the arm & a blowtorch on the spindle I got it out.
I have known of people cracking a sump on a motorcycle ruined the whole engine 🙄 just tightening the oil drain plug up ! Seen plenty more in my years of bmx's,mtb's,vehicles etc etc.
park do various ranges at various price points.
majority of what you find on the shelf of bike shops is junk as most shops stock the lower price points.
their workshop stuff used to(like snap on) be largely rebranded stuff – eg their workshop hex key sets used to be bondhaus(those have lasted , i still have mine)
This. I have a toolbox full of Park, but I preferred using Campag tools as a mechanic (albeit 20 years ago); the Park cutting tools and headset press stand out in my memory as being markedly inferior. I say that, I love that my kit is all blue and the majority workshop stuff is very good.
I only ever use the jointed hex keys (as recommended on here) for working on the bike these days. They're just so convenient and adaptable. Pedals, bottle cages, seatpost/saddle clamps.. all the awkward stuff is a breeze with these things.
Mine were off ebay, Draper I think.
If only we knew someone who could give us an unbiased test over a period of time…
Yeah like that's going to happen when the entire workshop was kitted out for nothing
As above, Bondhus, Wera and Bacho. I've got a Bacho Senior & Junior Hacksaw and a set of adjustable's that are well over 20 years old and are awesome.
Another vote for Bahco, and Teng. Also Wurth Zebra sockets.
I have snapped a Snap-On torx wrench.
How does that work sorry, surely the load is applied to all the contact surfaces (or single points on each surface if your spanner/wrench doesn’t fit properly) no?
Hmm, not sure actually, intuitively I just imagined most of the torque would be going through the 'top' jaw, but I guess not. Just googled and the only explanation I got was that having the adjustable jaw 'on top' would pull it away from the worm drive, which I guess puts more strain on the tips of the worm thread. Funnily enough I imagine that would cause deformation like mine has, wonder if someone has been using it wrong when I've not been looking...
If you’re looking for new Allen keys to replace your knuckle destroyers I’d recommend Wera hex plus. Colour coded, strong and with a patented design that allows more torque to be applied to fasteners without them rounding. I have other good quality Allen keys from my dads days as a mechanic; they never get used no wheels I’ve got the Wera ones.
Have a look on YouTube for some tests/reviews that explain it better.
13thfloormonk.
one things for sure , your right in that there is a right way and a wrong way to use an adjustable wrench 😉
Ive got quite a bit of park stuff thats bike specific (bike repair stand/wheel building stand/headset press etc) but would never buy anything like an allen key or torque wrench.
My Park bike stand fell apart on second or third use & was replaced under warranty - weld penetration was clearly at fault, it's replacement has been fine, I only buy bike specific tools from Park (cable cutters, bb tools etc) and they have all been fine.
Bahco are the only adjustable spanner that I’d give houseroom to. A couple of mine are over thirty years old and still excellent
I had an old Bahco adjustable spanner but is was imperial so I had to buy a new metric one.
Tip for pedals – don’t do them up tightly, just a gentle nip will do. They won’t come undone, but you’ll be able to get them off again easily.
Bit of grease on the threads too - never had one of my own pedals get stuck as they are never too tight, and always greased. Is it time to bring up the subject of pedal washers again...? 🙂
On the flip side, I have had a friend had to abandon a ride after a loose pedal ground away the threads on his XT cranks in half a mile - he admitted that he probably had only finger tightened the pedals and had forgotten to nip them up with a spanner. You don't need 50nm from a breaker bar, but they absolutely do need to be fastened properly!
I'll echo many of the other comments here. My kit is mostly Teng, Bahco, Wera (their allen keys are excellent) and bits of Park and others for the specialised stuff. Halfords Pro stuff is also pretty good - my spanners are 15 years old and still look in perfect condition. I've always considered Park's allen keys to be a bit "cheap feeling" compared to the Teng and Wera stuff.
For stuff I only use once in a blue moon, I tend to buy less expensive stuff and I don't typically use it enough to wear them out. I do have a Wheels Manufacturing bearing press kit in the wishlist at the moment though - I've got lots of bits and pieces, but it would be lovely to just have a complete set of proper wheel bearing presses to go with the frame bearing kits I already have.
N+1 obviously applies to bikes. Is there a tool equivalent?
I bought one of their multi tools, can't remember the model but it was the biggest most expensive one. The tools literally fell apart from the two handles and I had to find a suitable nut and bolt to secure both sets of tools to each side. They did this within 10 minutes of opening both halves and trying to use the tool. Never again.
