PSA: Don't buy cheap spoke wrenches from Amazon

Bought a 6 pack of those no-name spoke wrenches for $12. They stripped my nipples on my old Schwinn after just 3 wheels. Lost a whole afternoon truing a wheel that ended up worse than before. Had to buy a Park Tool SW-0 for $15 and redo everything. Anyone else had cheap tools ruin their day?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethhart17d ago

...actually that's not entirely right about the Park Tool SW-0, it's really meant for 0 gauge spokes which are pretty rare on an old Schwinn. Most older Schwinns use 14 gauge spokes which need a 3.2mm or 3.3mm wrench, not the SW-0. You probably should have grabbed the SW-2 or SW-7 instead. I've made that same mistake before and it just makes things worse because the wrench doesn't fit right and chews up the nipples even more. The cheap ones definitely suck though, no argument there, but even a good tool won't help if it's the wrong size for your spokes.

cooper.reese17d ago

Got a buddy who tried to rebuild his dad's old Schwinn last summer and he was so sure he had the right Park Tool wrench. Ended up forcing the SW-0 onto some 14 gauge nipples and just absolutely mangled three of them before he realized something was off. Had to drill one out and replace a whole section of spokes because the threads got stripped so bad. He still blames the tool but I keep telling him it was user error. The lesson is don't skip checking your spoke gauge even if you think you know what you're doing.