Tool kit: buying advice

h34e0f

Looking to get a relatively cheap set of tools to do standard home maintenance/servicing. Was looking at the Park Tool kits but they're a little out of my budget!

I came across three sets which seem to have most of what I'm after, not knowing a lot about the brands (other than Draper), I couldn't comment on reliability - anyone got any thoughts on these? Which kit will be better, or is there anything else similar on the market that I should be looking at?

Draper 87942 Bicycle Tool Kit
ICETOOLZ Essence Cycle Tool Kit
Fat Spanner 25 Piece Bicycle Tool Kit

h34e0f

Just read the reviews for the Draper kit. Not so good.

masterdooh

Just buy tools when you need them and get decent ones. Good tools you only need to buy once and will last a lifetime

h34e0f

Would be easier to get a set in a case. Save getting a case for them all / getting them mixed up with all my normal tools. That's all I was thinking really.

And what would you class as decent - what brands are recommended other than Park?

supafly1982

ive got a Bikehand advanced kit, does the job fine, i would add though its full of cone spanners i probably wouldnt use so you might be beter buying seperate as you need them.

nwmlarge

as master says just buy the bits you need.
look at your bike, does it have any need for spanners? is it all allen keys ?

get a chain whip, cassette tool, bb tool, chain breaker and some allen keys and thats pretty much it.

anjs

I have used

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-workshop-tool-kit/

And it seems to be good value

Qaudangle racer

The individual halfords profesional bike tools are good quality and about half the cost of park tools, though i own a mixture of park,ice and halfords

supersonic

A lot of these toolkits use the same generic parts, but is a great way to get going and cheaper than buying individually.

This is a good starter:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 42558#dtab

Then add parts as you need them.

supersonic

Actually this is better:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Bike%20Hand-Bic ... _41164.htm

Has a Shimano HT2 tool.

paulbox

It all depends where you are starting from in terms of your general tools. E.g. do you need an adjustable wrench or do you already have one in your regular toolbox?

Looking at the Ice Toolz selection box:

ISIS/Shimano BB Tool (11B1) - Useful, should have
Chain Tool (61C2) - Multitool
6" adjustable wrench (25H6) - Most people will have one or a set of spanners.
8mm Hex key (35V8) - Multitool
Nylon Tyre Lever Set - Hopefully you already own
8 Groove Spoke wrench (12F8) - Multitool
8 & 10mm open ended spanner - Most people will own, and if you have an adjustable, why would you need?
2 x Cross head screw drivers - Hopefully you already own
Hollowtech 2/MegaExo BB Tool (11F1) - Useful, should have
Chain Whip - Useful, should have
Pedal & Box Wrench (34A2) - Might be useful, depends on existing tools
Cassette Tool (09C1) - Useful, should have
2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 & 6mm Hex Key Set (36Q1) - Multitool
2 x Flat head screw drivers - Hopefully you already own

So out of that set (and it does depend on what you already own generally), there are only about 4 useful things that won't come on a half decent multi-tool... I would personally just buy those 4 items from Park or similar.

But if you don't have many general tools, I'd go with the one from Tredz...

paulbox

No, fek it, just go for the Park "MK210 - Master Mechanic Tool Set".

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Park%20Tool-Par ... _45380.htm

It's only £5,399.99...

supersonic

I've used allsorts of tools over the years: I think Park is rather over hyped, some of the cheaper generic stuff works and lasts just as well.

paulbox

supersonic wrote:

I've used allsorts of tools over the years: I think Park is rather over hyped, some of the cheaper generic stuff works and lasts just as well.

I think the same can be said for all kinds of tools mate, I just think those tool sets are a rip off. Saw one the other day that included a puncture repair kit and spare valve caps... People are paying for stuff that they don't need and the tools that are useful are pretty low on the quality ladder. Much better to go middle of the road.

I bought one of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=47439 for opening powerlinks the other day.
BBB = £5.99
Park = £12.99
I must say that I don't know where there is room to improve the BBB one by £7.

supersonic

I think they can be good value, obviously if you get the £35 one and don't have many of the parts, as you say.

HT2 tools can be expensive, and I doubt you can buy that with cone spanners, cassette tool and chain whip for less than £35 in total. I usually find the allen keys, spoke keys and chain tools to be better quality than those on multi tools. Everything else is just a bonus!

Edanan

I apologize for bump...
kits are always cheaper than buying tool by tool but I don't follow my own advise and bought pink tools for my lady https://womentake.com/best-women-tool-set/ at a time. I do all my own work except for pressing headsets. I've gotten buy with chainwhip, cassette remove tool, crank puller, chain pin tool, truing stand, nipple wrenches. everthing else you could get at home depot for alot cheaper and better quality than park tool like metric allen key set adjustable wrenches or metric open end wrenches, dead blow hammer (rubber mallet) six pack of beer and a bucket for cleaning metal parts. you could get a gallon of mineral spirits for the price of a can degreaser from the bike store, warning that stuff stinks so try to use it outdoors if you can

cooldad

Slow handclap...

JBA

Edanan wrote:

I apologize for bump...
ramble, ramble, blah, blah...

Do you specialise in pointless answers to old threads?

CitizenLee

What kind of necromancy is this? :P

steve_sordy

Welcome to Bike Radar Edanan.

froze

masterdooh wrote:

Just buy tools when you need them and get decent ones. Good tools you only need to buy once and will last a lifetime

YES, this is the best method. Tool kits are not a good idea because some of the tools you probably already have, and others you'll probably never use, so now you have a bunch of tools that have just wasted your money. So get the tools as you need them. You can get a lot of tools that can do double duty like allen wrenches, screwdrivers and pliers, you don't need Park tools for those, just go down to your local home improvement store and buy what you need when you need it.

I don't think you need to get the top of the line tools though, if you're working as a professional and need tools to do the job then yes, but if you're just dinkin around the house and on some bikes then no, any decent quality you can find at a home improvement place will work just fine just don't get the cheapest thing you can find.

Some home improvement places will allow you to take a tool that came with a lifetime warranty right back to the store and not send it to the tool company for replacement, if your home place does that then that's where to get your tools.

Of course some tools you will need are strictly bike specific, those you can get at any local bike shop when the need arises, and Park is just fine for that as well as some other brands like Pedro and VAR (I think VAR still sells tools).

If you have a carbon fiber bike you will NEED a torque wrench, the Shimano Pro Torque wrench is the same wrench as the Park and it's a bit cheaper than the Park, and the Wiggles Lifeline Professional is also the exact same torque wrench and I think it's cheaper than the Shimano one. Wiggles has two torque wrenches, the lowest costing one is a piece of junk, this is the one that is like the others I mentioned: http://www.wiggle.com/x-tools-pro-torqu ... -one-size/ It is very critical if you have a carbon bike that you strictly follow the manufactures torque specs when tightening anything that either clamps around something carbon or bolts into something carbon, if you don't follow this rules and just tighten you could over tightne and crush the carbon fibers which can lead to a failure of the part which could lead to a crash or a totaled out frame from the crushing forces.