Chain Tool Recommendations

johnjohn3423

Looking for Chain Tool Recommendations for something that will last, I currently will need this for Shimano 9 and 11 speed chains but something that can accommodate other type chains would be a plus.

Is something like this park tool for €30.20 the way to go.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-5-to-11-spd-and-singlespeed-chain-tool/

cdaly_

I have one of these. It has a support screw at the back and does a pretty good job. Claims to be up to 10-speed though...

at1withmyself

johnjohn3423 wrote: »

Looking for Chain Tool Recommendations for something that will last, I currently will need this for Shimano 9 and 11 speed chains but something that can accommodate other type chains would be a plus.

Is something like this park tool for €30.20 the way to go.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-5-to-11-spd-and-singlespeed-chain-tool/

If you can afford it then yes its the best one I've used, had the previous version for many years and still works perfect but wasn't 11 speed so bought this one to replace. I've used cheaper ones and they will do the job but this one is very easy to use because of the size means improved leverage.

brownian

The park tool one is great

doozerie

I have the previous generation of that Park Tool CT-3.2 and it's still my preferred chain tool of the ones I have. I also have the Park Tool CT-4.3 but I prefer the older one when I can use it (it won't handle 11sp chains, unfortunately), the main reason being that it has a solid (unmoving) shelf built in which allows you to very easily loosen out a stiff link by letting you push the pin away from the outer plate.

The CT-4.3 doesn't have that feature, and from what I can see neither does the CT-3.2, and for that reason I'd look at a different brand if buying an 11sp chain tool today. You don't need that shelf of course, you can loosen a tight link by flexing the chain side to side by hand, but personally I find that a pain.

So personally I wouldn't necesarily buy that Park Tool one, I wouldn't rule it out I'd look at other brands first. I'd look at Campagnolo (I can't remember if that has a shelf on it, it's also expensive), Pedros (I've read glowing review of the Pedros Tutto but I've never used it myself), Shimano/Pro maybe, Rohloff Revolver 3 (handles all the way up to 12sp chains actually) and maybe some of the more "exotic" brands like Var Tools. Lezyne make some good stuff but I don't know if they do a workshop-grade chain tool - they do decent enough small/portable/mini chain tools but I prefer the larger ones when working on a bike at home.

johnjohn3423

doozerie wrote: »

I have the previous generation of that Park Tool CT-3.2 and it's still my preferred chain tool of the ones I have. I also have the Park Tool CT-4.3 but I prefer the older one when I can use it (it won't handle 11sp chains, unfortunately), the main reason being that it has a solid (unmoving) shelf built in which allows you to very easily loosen out a stiff link by letting you push the pin away from the outer plate.

The CT-4.3 doesn't have that feature, and from what I can see neither does the CT-3.2, and for that reason I'd look at a different brand if buying an 11sp chain tool today. You don't need that shelf of course, you can loosen a tight link by flexing the chain side to side by hand, but personally I find that a pain.

So personally I wouldn't necesarily buy that Park Tool one, I wouldn't rule it out I'd look at other brands first. I'd look at Campagnolo (I can't remember if that has a shelf on it, it's also expensive), Pedros (I've read glowing review of the Pedros Tutto but I've never used it myself), Shimano/Pro maybe, Rohloff Revolver 3 (handles all the way up to 12sp chains actually) and maybe some of the more "exotic" brands like Var Tools. Lezyne make some good stuff but I don't know if they do a workshop-grade chain tool - they do decent enough small/portable/mini chain tools but I prefer the larger ones when working on a bike at home.

Thanks for the great overview. As you say I dont need the shelf, so will the CT-3.2 get the job done all be it with a bit of elbow grease if the link is tight. The other options look expensive compared to the CT-3.2 are they really worth the extra money considering I ill only be using this max 3/4 times a year.

doozerie

The shelf isn't necessary, it's just handy at times. Some chains go together without any binding so no shelf required, and with others you can flex the chain side to side to loosen out a tight link anyway (I'm just not a big fan of that, I much prefer to control how the pins move within a link via the tool as you get better control and visibility that way, but it's not a compelling argument it's just me being fussy).