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What tool do you use that is worth spending more money on?

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What tool do you use that is worth spending more money on?

Old 11-11-17, 11:15 AM
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What tool do you use that is worth spending more money on?

For me, it's a good vise. I have two of them, one is substantial, a large, heavy piece bolted solidly to my workshop bench. When I go through my Flickr pictures, it shows up a lot. I clamp my truing stand to it, hold bottom brackets in place, grab tubing for filing...almost every time I go into the shop it gets used.

What's yours?
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Old 11-11-17, 11:31 AM
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Adjustable wrenches. Cheap ones just don't cut it.
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Old 11-11-17, 11:46 AM
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+1 for a wide and durable vise. 10" Columbian below. Heavy duty tool boxes like the vintage Kennedy below.


Good shelving and shop lighting.

Bike workstands - I use a Park shop stand, a Park Home Mechanics outdoors, a Feedback Sports Mechanic, and a Feedback Sports Ultralight.

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Old 11-11-17, 11:47 AM
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A good, quality set of hex key wrenches, the type with a ball end on the longer leg so that those off center, difficult to get to hex cap screws can be tightened of loosened easily. Buggering those up makes for some aggravation.

The good bench vise runs a really close second though, especially with replaceable jaw faces.

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Old 11-11-17, 12:45 PM
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I endorse the use of a genuine Shimano chain breaker, my two examples have effortlessly cut hundreds of chains and pressed many a special pin back in over at least 20 year's time. Never bent a pin! Even the standard-looking models that I have normally cost more than most others, and well worth it.

My Columbian bench vise was inheritance from my late grand-aunt's basement, and now serves well year after year in my basement.

Oddly though, I didn't actually pay anything for either of the chain breakers either, since Shimano would hand them out to seminar attendees when they introduced a new gruppo and chain width.


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Old 11-11-17, 12:57 PM
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Vices? Yes I have vices But in the shop most work is centered around a very heavy moveable work stand with a six inch bench vice, tool and cylinder gas holders, and such on it. My other indispensable thing is a circa '44, 200 lb "city" anvil, also on a heavy moveable stand.
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Old 11-11-17, 01:18 PM
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I really like my Park Tools cable cutter

The big Park chain breaker is a joy to use too
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Old 11-11-17, 01:24 PM
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While it's possible to make do without them I find it worth it to own real (not DIY) Park dropout alignment tools and a real derailleur hanger adjuster. Very useful for resurrecting old bikes.

On a more basic level:

set of Craftsman metric combination wrenches. (vs adjustable crescent)
set of Bondhus allen wrenches with ball end on the long side (vs whatever is rattling around your tool box)
Park SW spoke wrenches. One black and one red.
Hozan 4th hand
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Old 11-11-17, 02:31 PM
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These high-leverage duckbill pliers seem to be few and far between, but are generally handy and are particularly useful for any number of different front derailer cage tweaks, such as spreading the cage at the bridge or steering the forward-pointing ends of older cages in or out as needed.

Stuff like this turns up on Ebay Tools, as do other vintage tool items.

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Old 11-11-17, 02:36 PM
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Speaking of pliers type things: Knipex ****s. I won't settle for less.

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Old 11-11-17, 02:40 PM
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Truing stand, bike stand, Allen wrenches, headset and bottom bracket wrenches. I can wing it on the rest.
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Old 11-11-17, 02:42 PM
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my park bottom bracket tools were well worth the money
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Old 11-11-17, 03:40 PM
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Any tool that will get the job done correctly, especially when the going gets tough, because as we know, that's when the tough get going. As a professional technician/mechanic I probably have $75k invested in tools, some $200 tools that only made me $20 and $20 tools that made me $1000's. Any tool that helps get it done without damage and breakage in a timely manner is well worth paying for quality which to me is getting even more expensive and harder to come by. Vices are a prime example as plenty of spendy ones won't go the distance. They are one of the one's that people say "I'll get a cheap one since I won't use it that often and then whine about it when it doesn't hold up. When you really need it you need a good one. Mine came from my wife's dad, he was a heavy equipment field mechanic and this one has lived a very hard life and is still here doing its job.
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Old 11-11-17, 03:45 PM
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Probably the very first specialty tool of any kind that I ever purchased, this 40+ year-old tool's present condition belies the vast number of times that it has been used since the mid-1970's.
And, while not very expensive at the time, this Japanese bottom bracket tool has seen use on many, many "hella-stuck" cups and lockrings, assisted by a VBFH on so many of those occasions.
It is a combination of choice material and processing combined with it's just-right dimension details that puts this one at the top of my list for going at it on my latest used-bike find.





And again, while not actually costing anywhere near "too much", this 1-1/2" (38.1mm) 12-point socket turned out to be a superior way to remove and securely set Stronglight fixed bb cups with their shorter octagonal flats.
Without firing up my CAD program, I can't even guess why the exact size of 12-point socket happens to fit so well on the same size (38mm) of octagon, but out of curiosity I located a slightly-smaller 1-7/16" (36.5mm) 12-point socket and it did not fit over the cup.


Last edited by dddd; 11-11-17 at 04:13 PM. Reason: Size details added
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Old 11-11-17, 03:50 PM
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Approx. 30 years ago I bought a new set of Craftsmen socket wrenches for $50, and I've thought many times since how much money and hassle that set has saved me over the years. Truly one of the best investments I've ever made.

I'd like to add JB Weld to that list too, under liquid tools.
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Old 11-11-17, 03:52 PM
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Originally Posted by dddd
These high-leverage duckbill pliers seem to be few and far between, but are generally handy and are particularly useful for any number of different front derailer cage tweaks, such as spreading the cage at the bridge or steering the forward-pointing ends of older cages in or out as needed.

Stuff like this turns up on Ebay Tools, as do other vintage tool items.

you think this is one of the first high quality tools one should get?? that doesn't make sense to me.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by bike_galpal
you think this is one of the first high quality tools one should get?? that doesn't make sense to me.
Old front derailleurs had cages made with two parallel flat plates. You could vastly improve the shifting of them by custom tweaking the shape. Typically a little dog leg in the front lower 1cm of the outer plate was a good starting point. The modern derailleur has preshaped plates based on the old school mechanics' tricks.

So no, it isn't one of the first tools you should get... Just a nice to have thing if you enjoy working on archaic front derailleurs...
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Old 11-11-17, 04:10 PM
  #18  
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Well, my milling machine and lathe, but those are kind of out there for most folks.

For bikes, definitely my Park chain tool. Haven't had the Shimano but against the cheapies, it's sooo much better and worth the extra money.

For cars, a good jack (Hein Warner) and 1/2" and 3/8" electric impacts.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by 16Victor

For cars, a good jack (Hein Warner) and 1/2" and 3/8" electric impacts.
My father in law has a nice jack and I just cannot describe how much of a life saver that thing has been (in addition to his knowledge).
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Old 11-11-17, 04:21 PM
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Maybe not, but this is one of those tools that you have no idea how valuable it can be until you find that one specific use where it saves your bacon which it may do in a 100 different ways. I would recommend getting a good basic bike specific tool set to begin with. If you want it to last it would be Park or Pedros, but you can get by with the value ones until you get the hang of it and then upgrade to the good ones piece by piece as you go along which will not be as costly as stepping all the way up to begin with. Any basic tools like pliers, wrenches, allen or hex keys, screwdrivers, hammers, sockets and ratchets should be good quality so they will last a lifetime for bikes and all else. As stated above a good vise and workstand are invaluable, especially early on. Something like this can get you started and show you what you will need moving forward.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...9aACCD4&adurl=


Originally Posted by bike_galpal
you think this is one of the first high quality tools one should get?? that doesn't make sense to me.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
Adjustable wrenches. Cheap ones just don't cut it.
Snort.

14" or longer. Industrial quality = old. No better way to remove that fixed cup.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:25 PM
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[QUOTE=Salamandrine;19986848]Old front derailleurs had cages made with two parallel flat plates. You could vastly improve the shifting of them by custom tweaking the shape... QUOTE]


Thanks, Salamandrine, and I would add that when using modern chain on some of those old cranksets, or as when trying to get mis-matching triple-ring components to play nice, that tweaking the front derailer can be a make-or-break.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by merziac
Maybe not, but this is one of those tools that you have no idea how valuable it can be until you find that one specific use where it saves your bacon which it may do in a 100 different ways. I would recommend getting a good basic bike specific tool set to begin with. If you want it to last it would be Park or Pedros, but you can get by with the value ones until you get the hang of it and then upgrade to the good ones piece by piece as you go along which will not be as costly as stepping all the way up to begin with. Any basic tools like pliers, wrenches, allen or hex keys, screwdrivers, hammers, sockets and ratchets should be good quality so they will last a lifetime for bikes and all else. As stated above a good vise and workstand are invaluable, especially early on. Something like this can get you started and show you what you will need moving forward.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...9aACCD4&adurl=
sheesh. pin spanners and chain whips? i never ever use those. i already have higher quality cone wrenches than are in that box, a 9-13mm shank socket set, a 14/15mm box wrench made in germany, 1-11mm allen wrenches that are way longer with the ball end, splined bb tool, cassette tool, much nicer looking park tools crank puller, a monkey wrench (kinda my favorite tbh) and much much more. even my sub 8$ shipped allen set and shank socket set from ebay look better quality than that stuff. not impressed with your recommendation.
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Old 11-11-17, 04:31 PM
  #24  
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The "Mighty" Sugino Super Mighty Competition and all else tool, same here also 40+ yr old, always gets the call, NEVER lets me down or screw it up no matter how hard I try, easily worth its weight in gold just like the cranks.


Originally Posted by dddd
Probably the very first specialty tool of any kind that I ever purchased, this 40+ year-old tool's present condition belies the vast number of times that it has been used since the mid-1970's.
And, while not very expensive at the time, this Japanese bottom bracket tool has seen use on many, many "hella-stuck" cups and lockrings, assisted by a VBFH on so many of those occasions.
It is a combination of choice material and processing combined with it's just-right dimension details that puts this one at the top of my list for going at it on my latest used-bike find.





And again, while not actually costing anywhere near "too much", this 1-1/2" (38.1mm) 12-point socket turned out to be a superior way to remove and securely set Stronglight fixed bb cups with their shorter octagonal flats.
Without firing up my CAD program, I can't even guess why the exact size of 12-point socket happens to fit so well on the same size (38mm) of octagon, but out of curiosity I located a slightly-smaller 1-7/16" (36.5mm) 12-point socket and it did not fit over the cup.

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Old 11-11-17, 04:35 PM
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pedal wrench. better than messing w a regular crescent wrench, or worse, an adjustable wrench. pedal wrench is thinner letting me in that tight spot close to the crank arm & longer giving me more leverage. used it today on two bikes
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