Park Tool Pedal Wrench PW-3

When I picked up my first and only bicycle specific tool kit, the Park Tool PW-3 Pedal wrench was included with it. After owning it for exactly 10 years, these are my impressions:

Out of the Box:

The Park tool PW-3 looked great right out of the box. Made from Cro-Moly steel, it’s not secret Park Tool designed this wrench to last. Dipping the handle in liquid vinyl and hardened, the PW-3 is comfy to hold and offers excellent grip, even with greasy hands. 

One side of wrench works with 15mm and the other side works with 9/16". The PW-3 is nominally 32cm (12.5") long.

Performance:

After 10 years of use, the steel shows very little signs of wear although it has gone through the ringer. The vinyl handle certainly is not as durable, and after trying to use the handle as a mallet, I quickly learned that. Not being designed to be such a multi-tool, I feel the vinyl Park Tool chose will last for a very long time used as it was designed to be.

The 15mm and 9/16” options are actually very convenient at times and is not found on their professional model, the PW-4. Sometimes I found myself having a hard time finding a good angle to loosen overtightened pedals though. The PW-4 is angled which allows for a little bit better angles for tackling more difficult pedals. Putting such an angle on the PW-3 probably wouldn’t be that bad of an idea.

The length of the PW-3 is very good at 12.5” long. Fitting a breaker bar on the end of the wrench is very easy to do as well.

Lastly, because the PW-3 works with two different spindle sizes, it can be difficult to know exactly which side you need to be using. The sizes are stamped into the wrench but can be very hard to read, especially in low lit areas. Painting into the stamped areas would definitely help with this issue.

Bottom Line:

All and all, the Park Tool PW-3 Pedal wrench is pretty darn good. High quality, durable steel construction with a comfy vinyl dipped handle, the functional design is there. Having a straight-entry wrench design can cause some awkward angles where finding leverage is a little difficult but the fact that to works with 15mm as well as 9/16” pedals is a plus not found on other models. At around $25 online, it’s not a terrible design to say the least and is built with quality and durability that Park Tool is known for. Overall rating: 4 Stars.