Needle-nose pliers will round-off the nipples - making further attempts unsuccessful. A spoke-wrench grabs the nipples squarely on 3 - 4 sides. With spoke-wrenches readily available, there is no excuse not to use them. Select the tightest-fitting one for any particular spoke-nipple.
I prefer the Park Tool SW-0, SW-1, and the SW-2. They makes others for sizes differing from these Big-3.
Last edited by Panthers007; 07-13-09 at 09:59 AM.
Reason: 'N' key is shot