For what we pay I think Park tools are pretty good quality in general; especially the bike-specific tools (cone wrenches, bottom bracket tools, etc). For general tools I prefer Snap-On, Mac, Cornwell, etc. For hex (Allen) wrenches I prefer Bondhus and PB Swiss.

Nothing beats high quality tools. I have found over the years that poor or even average quality tools do not save you and time or money over high quality tools. The fit and performance of high quality tools is unmatched.

Many will espouse the brilliance of Harbor Freight and the like but unless it's a one-off tool that I won't hardly ever use, I buy the best tools I can afford. In the long-run, especially if the person is young, they'll pay off in less frustration, fewer broken or stripped parts, etc.

What really makes me scratch my head is why some folks will spend over $2,000 for a carbon bike and buy a cheap torque wrench to mount parts. That's penny wise a dollar foolish if you ask me.

In short, Park is great stuff for the money for bike-specific tools, for general tools I'd buy better. For bike-specific taps and dies, I'd lean toward Park for those.


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