Threw $50 down the drain on a cheap chain tool mistake

I tried to save a few bucks by buying a no-name chain tool off Amazon last month. It snapped on the third link I tried to push out, and I ended up mangling a $35 chain in the process. By the time I bought a proper Park Tool replacement, I was out nearly $85 for what should have been a $40 fix. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way with budget tools that just don't hold up?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige_martin9d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree a little bit here. I've actually had pretty good luck with some cheap chain tools, especially if you take your time and don't muscle them. That Park Tool is nice for sure, but sometimes the big mistake is rushing the job, not the tool itself.

evanr799d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, "taking your time and not muscling them" is probably the real trick. I remember one time I was in a hurry trying to fix a buddy's old Schwinn chain, and I snapped the rivet clean off because I was trying to push it too fast. The whole pin just bent and I had to start over with a new master link. Cheap tool or not, that was all me being impatient.