Repeat after me: Cheap tools are a false economy

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roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
£2 PlanetX multi tool, as found in saddle bag after latest ride. Came complete with cheese forged chain splitter and auto- self destruct mechanism.

Hoping the Park Tool replacement will fare much better.
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Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
No probs with the Park that's for sure. Wouldn't be without my Crank Bros multi;

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I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Had a similar experience with a cheap bottle opener this weekend while camping. Tried to take the top off a beer bottle and it just snapped. God knows what would of happened if we had actually tried to remove the cork from a wine bottle. The body also split when I was throwing it in the bin, whole thing was made from cheap imitation monkey metal
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
Having started my career in an aero-engineering environment, I learned that lesson a very long time ago and it's stuck with me ever since.
 

silva

Über Member
Location
Belgium
Repeat after me. Do not insert the chain between the skinny forks in the chain tool but use the fat far end instead.
Yes, the chain tool on the picture clearly has been used like that.
And apparently, this occurs often enough since dealers put warnings for this next to their chain tool article for sale.
The skinny forks are solely ment to center the chain link / pin, not to support it on their own, they should just pass the applied force to the back side, not absorb it themselves.
 

winjim

Smash the cistern
Those cheap metal puzzles are utter tosh - spend a £100 or so and get a decent one like this:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abO5HPo9l_c

That's a beautiful thing.
 
Same thing happened to my cheapo wiggle version. A bit of threadlock would have sorted it out, but I lost a bunch of spacers and it went in the recycling bin. Very frustrating.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Same thing happened to my cheapo wiggle version. A bit of threadlock would have sorted it out, but I couldn't get it back together in the right order again and it went in the recycling bin. Very frustrating.

FTFY :tongue:

I have a drawer full of them. Everytime they send you a bike they include a pedal spanner and multitool. It's not that I have bought that many bikes but having had to return one or two for warranty attention they always get reshipped with a fresh toolset..... Shame really because although I won't use them I cannot bring myself to throw them out.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
I have a cheap multitool from the bargain bucket of some bike shop or other that often comes loose (I've never had it fall to bits). It's held together with an allen bolt, which gives me a little conundrum. How do I tighten this bolt? I know I'll use my mutitool. Ah ... hang on.
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
Check which allen keys and screwdrivers (if any) you you actually NEED for your bike, and carry only those. I'll bet most of us don't require all the tools on our multitool (me too :okay:)
 
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