UNIOR Tools / Bike Tools

[Woz]

I've just bought a set of allen keys and they seem well made and reasonably priced.

I didn't know they do a complete line of bike tools too:

http://www.uniortools.com/cgi-bin/cms.c ... 6&cat=2499

Anyone familiar with them? How do they compare to Park?

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I've come across them before. However, i generally find that for non bicycle specific tools, allen keys, screwdrivers, etc. you can get better quality and/or better value from non bicycle brands.

Not long ago I got some very nice Wera allen keys: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Wera-0507359 ... en+key+set

 

[Woz]

Re: Re:

I've come across them before. However, i generally find that for non bicycle specific tools, allen keys, screwdrivers, etc. you can get better quality and/or better value from non bicycle brands.

Not long ago I got some very nice Wera allen keys: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Wera-0507359 ... en+key+set

Yeah, fully agree. If I can get my hands on Engineering / Workshop quality S/H or at a good price I will.

That's the weird thing with UNIOR though, they are just recently going into the bike business
and taking Park head on - even in the USA. They've produced bike maintenance books too :?: :!:

They have been around since 1919. I hope they don't fall foul to doing what Stanley and Bosch have done
producing some really cheap shit which is absolutely no better than Lidl stuff but 50% more in price.

http://www.uniortools.com/cgi-bin/cms.cgi?doc=10679

 

[fettler]

Re:

I've had a set of yellow plastic handle UNIOR pliers for many (20?) years now in my mobile box. They still work great, serrations not rounded & still grip, needle nose pliers haven't spread or twisted. Still feel great confident tools. Hope UNIOR are still the same quality & haven't been passed down through various ownerships with the inevitable quality drop.

 

[NeilM]

Re:

They are not new to the bike market, I have a headset press I have been using for at least the last 5 years, plus a very simple wheel building jig I've had a similar amount of time and a few other cycle tools from them.

They are well made tools and well up to the jobs I use mine for.

Not sure how they stack up against Park though, I don't have any of their tools, well some tyre levels but I don't think they really count.

 

[danson67]

I first came across Unior 20 yrs ago, looking for standard spanners etc at my local engineering supplier, but also have a few of their bike-specific tools now.
Really impressed with the quality...top quality from a leading 'Eastern Europe' manufacturer (Slovenia).

There are also specialised bike tools of a similar quality and value from Cyclus/Ra-Co in Erfurt (ex. East Germany)

Both far better quality than Park, which I find to be pretty utilitarian and expensive.

All the best,

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I've always been rather dubious about Park, I wonder how many of their tools they actually manufacture and how many they buy in and re-brand. Some of their tools look remarkably similar to unbranded or non bike related brands tools costing considerably less.

Other bike tool brands seem to re-brand and mark up prices too:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedros-Cable-C ... B000IZEH3S

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yishik-190mm-C ... 3T2G4VN0QP

With the exception of bike specific stuff, like cone spanners, chain tools, cassette tools etc. I'll always look first to non bike specific brands like:

Wera
Gedore
TengTools
Wiha
Knipex
Bahco
PB Swiss

British brands Sykes-Pickavant and King Dick used to have a good reputation, but their ranges seem rather limited now.

 

[BoyBurning]

Re:

The Unior tools I have are very good, with an inspiring 'weight' to them.

Pedros certainly aren't what they used to be, and agree with above they almost certainly rebrand generic items.

But so do a lot now - including Cyclo for a few items [albeit very cheap ones, not their quality items].

I have quite a few bits from various brands, but the only one I've broken has been by Pedros - it was a freewheel removal tool which snapped the first time I used it, pretty crap.

They replaced it straight away under their lifetime warranty, but I've not used it since and bought one by Cyclo instead.
It's quite 'soft' but much better than the Pedros one which was very very brittle despite looking well made and finished.

Agree with above, PB Swiss, Bahco and Wera for things like hex keys / spanners / saws / sockets / hammers etc - wouldn't touch Park for anything like those.

Despite their hyped reputation, and prices suggesting an excellent product, they really aren't! My ethos is effectively - if it's good enough for work on a building site, or the rigours of a busy car workshop, it's good enough for fiddling with a bike. Park spanners and the like wouldn't last five minutes.

 

[Woz]

Absolutely. Xerxes tool list is spot on. I'm still using Britool spanners that I bought when I was 16, I would
add Facom to the list too - about equiv to Gedore. I have a Knipex pipe wrench which as taken hard abuse
for weird jobs and not budged.

As for bike tools, so far I've been happy with Icetoolz and BBB. I have a few Parktools and agree
nothing really special. The single tool which just works flawlessly over and over again is a
old Cyclo crank remover.

I gave up with specific pedal spanners years ago. As you know our hobby can present some right
20 - 30 year neglected dogs that aren't even a match of a Campag pedal spanner. For years
now I use a ground down Gedore 15mm open ended spanner with the 14mm end cut off inserted
in a 60 cm breaker bar.