Better sticking with Park Tool cone wrenches over cheap multi-tools

Bought a set of generic cone wrenches off Amazon last month. Thought I was saving money. First rear hub adjustment and the 15mm slipped right off the locknut. Swapped to a proper Park Tool CB-4 and it grabbed perfectly. Was the extra $12 worth it? Yeah, I think so. Anyone else find cheap tools just don't hold up?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse99414h ago

Laughing at that Amazon special bending under tension because I had the exact same thing happen with a pedal wrench. It folded like a cheap paperclip the first time I actually put any force on it. Thought I was being smart saving a few bucks, ended up just wasting time and money ordering a real tool anyway. At least you can use the broken one as a doorstop or something, right? Makes you wonder what other corners they cut in the factory.

lilykelly20h ago

Yeah but here's the thing about cheap tools, they know exactly what they're doing. They make 'em just barely good enough to work once or twice before they give up on life. I had a set of those no-name cone wrenches where the steel was so soft it would actually bend under tension. Park Tool stuff costs more 'cause they actually harden their metal properly, which is apparently a lost art these days. You can't cheap out on something that's literally holding your wheel together at speed. Twelve bucks is nothing when you think about the alternative being a wheel falling off going downhill. I'll take the extra $12 for peace of mind over a hospital bill any day.