spoke tool - will round your nipples
chain whip - will bend the first time you use it, and take your knuckles with it
chain splitter - will work a few times, then fail when you really need it
lockring spanner - seriously lousy piece of tin
tyre lever, puncture repair , allen keys etc - most people already have
bottom bracket tool, freewheel remover, pedal wrench, crank extractors, headset wrench - all okay, as far as cheap lumps of metal go.
I still have some of these tools in my toolbox, because they work for now. I also have access to a workshop with a lot of nicer tools. The difference is more than just durability. Ultimately, buying better tools as and when you need them will make the experience of working on your bike infinitely more pleasant.
Generally I'd recommend that people apply the same ethics and aesthetics to their tools that they apply to their bikes. If you would balk at the idea of riding a £79.99 bike-shaped-object from Lidl, then you should probably avoid their tools.Stamped steel dropouts and stamped steel spanners have pretty much the same faults.
My experience with these tools:
spoke tool - will round your nipples
chain whip - will bend the first time you use it, and take your knuckles with it
chain splitter - will work a few times, then fail when you really need it
lockring spanner - seriously lousy piece of tin
tyre lever, puncture repair , allen keys etc - most people already have
bottom bracket tool, freewheel remover, pedal wrench, crank extractors, headset wrench - all okay, as far as cheap lumps of metal go.
I still have some of these tools in my toolbox, because they work for now. I also have access to a workshop with a lot of nicer tools. The difference is more than just durability. Ultimately, buying better tools as and when you need them will make the experience of working on your bike infinitely more pleasant.
Generally I'd recommend that people apply the same ethics and aesthetics to their tools that they apply to their bikes. If you would balk at the idea of riding a £79.99 bike-shaped-object from Lidl, then you should probably avoid their tools.Stamped steel dropouts and stamped steel spanners have pretty much the same faults.