Originally Posted by cyccommute

The problem I have with the ±20% recommendation is that you can get that kind of variance without using a tool on it. Why spend the money on the tool then? The tool will let you get closer than ±20% so why not use it to do so?

The other problem I have with that recommendation goes back to “all you need is tension” idea. Everyone assumes that the wheel build is bad and that the tension is uneven when spokes break. They never consider that the problem might be with the spokes themselves. My wheels have always been tight and even but even with double butted spokes, breakage was an issue. Going to a spoke with a heavier head stopped the breakage issue. I didn’t change the way I build wheels…they are all built tight and even. The only thing that changed was the spoke. For light riders, they may never break a spoke even on, admittedly, commonly badly build OEM wheels. Heavy riders will likely even break spokes on well built wheels.

Triple butted spokes fix the problem and prevent future problems. I have never been able to understand the resistance to this idea for heavier riders or heavily loaded bicycles.