RoadGuy

Looks like my latest Park Tool compact chain breaker is ready for the trash heap.

I've broken two other Park Tool chain breakers, and the chain breaker that came in a set ELDI bike tools that I bought years ago.

It's not like I use them all the time, but they don't seem to last long. I'm not talking about breaking the tips, I've have been breaking/bending the handle off, and/or springing/breaking the frame.

The Shimano HG pins and crimped KMC pins are tough, and what usually kills my chain breakers.

I'm not looking for another mini/compact. I'm looking for a larger chain breaker for my garage that's easy to grip, reasonably priced, and most of all, that doesn't break.

If you use a chain breaker that lasted without damage for some years, how about sharing information about it?

jimc101

Shimano CN-27, had it for years, never let me down, if getting today, would get the CN-28 version, as it's the latest version of it.

RocThrower

I've been using the CN-28 to go with my 11 speed chains. I've only had it for a few months, but it seems well-built and I have had no problems with it either.

MileHighMark

I use Cyclo Rivoli chain breakers. Zero issues with KMC, Shimano, or SRAM chains.

RoadGuy

I almost forgot about those. The first chain breakers I had were Cyclo Rivoli. A standard one for non-hyperglide chains, and when I broke that one, then one of the hyperglide compatible ones. That was before I moved on to breaking the Park Tool compact chain breakers.

The shimano hyperglide pins are plenty hard on chain breakers. The Park Tool compact chain breakers seemed to work okay on them, and the first KMC Z72 chain that I had to shorten, BUT it failed to remove the mushroom pin from the KMC X8.93 chain I went went to shorten, and the handle is bent now.

MileHighMark

I have one that's close to 40 years old. It doesn't see much use, but the more modern version in my tool chest keeps my bikes rolling along.

Reynolds 

I use a PRO (Shimano), works OK.

GeneO 

The park CT-3 seems to work fine for me, and you can get replacement pins. Lezyne also makes a portable with replacement pins.

https://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-CHAIN-D...+chain+breaker

I haven't used it enough to vouch for it, but it comes with a spare pin and seems sturdy enough.

HillRider

I've had a Part CT-3 for probably 20 years and never even broke the press pin, never mind the handle or frame. I've used it to both cut and join Shimano, SRAM and Wipperman chains in widths from 6 to 10-speed with out the slightest problem or damage.

I don't know what you are doing but if you've damaged three decent chain tools so far, it's obvious you are using these tools incorrectly. Perhaps you aren't careful to align the screw press pin with the center of the chain pin and are pressing on the chain's side plates. What ever it is, it's not the tool's fault.

JohnDThompson 

I've been using this Gian Robert chain pliers for over 30 years now:

GeneO 

OK, so where can I get one of those.

JohnDThompson 

I suspect they've been out of production for years now. But the VAR #303 chain pliers is very similar (VAR replacement pins work fine in my Gian Robert tool), and often available on eBay:

VAR 303 CHAIN PLIERS CHAIN BREAKER TOOL PROFESSIONAL SHOP TOOL RUBBER HANDLE | eBay

reptilezs

park ct3

Homebrew01

Me too. Got it in 1980 I think.

RoadGuy

The chain breakers that I have broken are all the mini or small type that you keep in your setbag. The Cyclo-Rivoli used to cost about $4, and I used my first one until I broke it on a early Shimano HG chain. At that point I bought a new Cyclo-Rivoli that was supposed to be ungraded to work on Shimano HG chains. That one didn't last, and I started using the breaker that came in a small ELDI bike tool kit. The ELDI breaker worked for a time, and then it broke.

At that point I bought my first Park Tool Compact chain breaker. I don't know what the model number was on the first Park Tool breaker, but it was an earlier compact model, NOT THE CT-3 shop tool or the CT-5 compact tool. The Cyclo-Rivoli breakers were no longer inexpensive, and I figured I might as well step up. the first Park breaker lasted a couple of years, and then broke, and at that point (around 15 years ago), I bought the Park Tool CT-5 compact chain breaker that I've been using (that I just sprung the frame on).

I don't break them all the time, and I take care of my tools. I'm attentive when I use a chain breaker, stopping to make sure the pin is centered on the chain rivet, and backing off the tool to make sure that I hitting the rivet and not the chain plates. I bought my first chain breaker when I was 14, and I'm 58 now. I just think that it's time to buy a shop size/grade tool, because the chain pins are getting tougher and tougher to push out since manufacturers started mushrooming or stamping the pins after inserting them.

So it looks like the majority of people are saying that they are using the Shimano CN-27 or CN-28 tool, or the Park Tool CT-3, both of which are shop size tools (not seatbag compacts). Are there any other heavy duty tools that are available that I should consider?

RoadGuy

Update:

I looked online to check the prices of the chain breaker tools, and it looks like the three that I was considering are not that different in price (KMC, Park 3.2, & Shimano CN28) $30-$35.

Performance is/was running a sale with free shipping on orders that contained a Park Tool, but I like to see what I'm getting as I buy the tool that I need, and not the price. There's a Performance Store that's about 11 miles away from my house and just off the freeway, so I jetted down there hoping to see the Park and Shimano tools. Performance catalogs the Shimano tool at about $60, which is double what I could get it online for, and they don't stock it in the retail store.

I learned about Performance's Lifetime Warranty from visiting their online site, and phoned to question a salesperson to make sure that they had the items I wanted in stock before I ran down to the store. They did, and Performance also offers a 10% Off during lunch on Tuesday sale.

So I drove down to store, looked around (first time in that store since it opened). I picked up the CT-3.2 chain tool $36.99, and a MLP-1.2 Master Link Pliers $15.99, traded in the failed Park CT-5 mini chain breaker (without any hassle, got full current retail value of $16.99), and drove home to play with the tools. The way i figure it, with the 10% Tuesday Discount, I paid about the same prices I would have if I bought online, but I got credit for the CT-5, and got to visit and support the LBS. I planning on going back to buy some tires next week (I spent some time looking at tires when I picked up the tools).

The CT-3.2 pushed out the pins from the KMC X8.93 chain that I'm installing on my Trek 1100 without any problem. It did take more effort to push out the pins than on older design chains that do not have mushroom headed pins or Hyperglide pins. Did not flex or bend any parts of the CT-3.2. There was a scary crack sound when the pins first start to move, and later after I broke the chain, I went looking to see if the tool was damaged (cracking sounds are not good). I found tiny rings of metal from the KMC pins sitting on the push pin of the Park CT-3.2. KMC mushrooms the chain pins after inserting them into the chain links. Pushing out the pins means that the push pin on the tool has to overcome a ridge of metal from the chain pins that is wrapped over the chainplates. In this case, the tool's push pin pushes the pins out, and the ridge of metal broke off as a ring and was left on the push pin. No wonder the compact chain tool would not push the chain pins out. I'd post a photo of the rings of metal left on the CT-3.2 chain tool, but I'm not sure that my camera could take a photo that would show the rings on the tool's push pin, and I'm not set up o post photos anyway.

The chain is being replaced on the Trek 1100 that I bought about two weeks ago ($40 off CraigsList) as it's rusty and I'm converting the bike to a 8-speed cassette since the 7-speed freewheel rear wheel needed some work (what do you expect for $40, the frame and paint are very clean) and the new wheels I bought off CraigsList (two pairs of new Nashbar wheels for $20 in the boxes) came with a rear 8/9/10 freehub. I chose the KMC X8.93 as it's advertised as an extra tough 8-speed chain designed for use with triple cranks (and I like the chrome plate half link look). I guess the extra tough translates into extra tough pins mushroomed to resist the side forces generated by triples.

Now I'm going to install the new chain, and play with the Park Master Link Pliers/tool...