[Closed] Best Spoke Key?

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I'd go for a Buddy Spokey myself - good and reliable for tuning but a bit big for a fast wheelbuilder 😉

Spokey grips nipples well and is easy to work out how much you have turned due to its nice flat design so is easy to 1/2 or 1/4 or 1/8 of a turn on spokes.

I got one of these Park tools keys to start with:
[img] http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/public/dnbGmZ-HlLsUpyQLBqC8EjYVCgB_7lMu6VejaWvHDMjml3mtFcDdlHW_Yz90TDxQT2S-CLq5yL5NrarUoEp0UQhwp11u1Z2yui492nXfAaGWC2cc6fVTyTLWz4V6QR_mQJXIopUVT0z24YFJfDxUFOCW1mwY4F3CFUNwYEBsCIEJzvQv_L-dpu3Iuj7g1VLq [/img]

But it started rounding the nipples off and then got a Buddy one which has been fab - I do only use it for the odd tweak rather than a full wheel build though.

Park (black) FTW.

Buddy's are great & really comfortable, but I personally use these:
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as I find them easier to work with & a bit quicker doing the first tensioning.
*EDIT* You'll need the Park Black one for the Hopes, but not 100% sure if it'll be the same for your Fulcrums, although very likely.

Spokey - last years (mine is 10+ and has built countless wheels) and allow much tighter tensions without rounding the spokes than standard designs like the Park one pictured above.

higher tensions? Higher that 1200NM? There won't be many wheels around that need to go tighter & I don't have problems at that.

No idea on the numbers but I'm not really talking about building new wheels which are always easy and you'd have to be doing something silly to round off nipples on. It's when the nipples/spokes aren't new and they either stick a bit or the wheel's been bashed about and using a spokey allows enough tension to get it running true enough again.

If you're rounding nipples then you need to look at your wheelbuilding 😛

Park is comfier & easier to use.

I have park ones too FWIW. Never use them though.

And, thanks for your concern Al, but I know my wheelbuilding is just fine 😉

Ken! Valid point re seized nipples...but if you're letting your wheels get into that state... 😀

They're not my wheels...

so park or spokey then? i presume its the red spokey i would be needing.

Hope Hoops use DT spokes & nipples so 0.127" (3.23mm) nipples= black Park one, don't know what colour Spokey it would be.

This thread's reminded me that I've had the same Spokey for over twenty years! Good as gold, never lets me down.

Iirc the red wits perfect but the yellow is a little larger which is handy for building a bit quicker. I use the double grip pro one as its got more surface area in contact with the nipple

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make sure, if you go for the buddy, you get the one with the double metal bit like above, rather than the single metal bit like the one further up the post.

I use the single grip Amateur Spokey. To make it go onto the spoke more easily I put a small chamfer on the plastic around the top surface of the jaw to fully expose the metal because it's the plastic that binds on the nipple.

OP What happened to your Hope Hoops?

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love my sapim one.

I used the Park one but find it can get painful after doing a lot of high tensionings. I'm a fan of the Spokey Pros (though they ironically seem easier to misplace)

goldenwonder - Member
Hope Hoops use DT spokes & nipples so 0.127" (3.23mm) nipples= black Park one, don't know what colour Spokey it would be.

not so sure all hope hoops use dt spokes - i know that's what the spec says but mine came with sapim spokes. (on stans crest btw)

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yep pro's (yellow and red) have double inserts.. only a quid more as well.