Originally Posted by
Kuromori
You only need nice cone wrenches in a shop setting since the cheap ones tend to wear/round/bend quicker due to being so thin. For annual hub rebuilds for the home mechanic, cheap ones that come in a $50 bike tool set work fine. Just don't try to abuse them as pedal wrenches. What will make hub adjustment considerably easier though is a way to keep the axle in place while you manipulate the cone and the locknut.
A proper bench vise is a huge asset here. Clamp it on the far locknut and accurate adjustment is a piece of cake. Bench vises, The single biggest reason I bought a house. Both houses I have owned had the existing workbench modified or a new one built early on to mount that vise.
Ben