Warning: don't buy those cheap spoke wrenches on Amazon

I bought a 4-pack of spoke wrenches for $6 on Amazon last month. First wheel I tried to true, the #2 size stripped after three turns of a nipple. Spent the next hour fighting a rounded-out nipple with pliers. Had to replace three spokes on that rear wheel because I messed them up so bad. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way or did I just get a bad batch?

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robin_wright2mo ago

Used to think cheap tools were fine but those things made me a believer in Park Tool real quick.

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elliot_miller222mo ago

My 1990 Trek 520 has been rolling on the same Mavic wheels for 12 years with a $3 spoke wrench I got at a local swap meet. I mean, the thing is stamped steel and just says "Taiwan" on it. I've had to true those wheels maybe 20 times over rough gravel and potholes and it's never stripped a nipple or rounded anything out. Maybe it's just me but I bet a lot of the issue is how much force people put on those nipples when they're cranking them down. If you're muscling a spoke wrench like a lug nut you're gonna strip anything cheap or not. Idk, maybe I got lucky with my junk wrench but it's outlasted my buddy's Park Tool that broke after two years.

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