brians27•2d agoProlific Poster

Used to swear by Park Tools, then a shop vet changed my mind

I was pretty loyal to Park Tool brand for years. Then I overheard this old mechanic at a shop in Portland say their cone wrenches are way too thick for modern hubs. He showed me how a $7 set of generic thin wrenches from a hardware store fits better and doesn't round off the flats. I tried it on a Shimano hub last weekend and he was right, no slipping at all. Anyone else find cheaper tools that work better than the big brands?

2 comments

2 Comments

barnes.morgan2d ago

Wait, are we talking about the same cone wrenches? I mean, I've got a set of Park cone wrenches from like 2015 and they're super thin, almost too flexible. Maybe the newer ones got thicker? But yeah, I've had the same experience with their 15mm pedal wrench, it's too chunky to fit on some cheap pedals I had. A $8 Stanley box wrench from the hardware store worked way better for that one job. Makes you wonder if Park is just banking on the name and not keeping up with how stuff actually fits now.

garcia.charles2d ago

Honestly, wonder if Park intentionally makes their wrenches thicker now just so they wear out slower and you have to buy another set later.