I should have set an alarm

I've had my head up my ass for some time apparently.  Quite a bit ago, I was playing around with some prototype stuff for Fix It Sticks, makers of the T Way Wrench that I thought was pointless until I got one and now find myself passing over the single Allens and y-wrench on my bench in favor of this perfect tool.

Old image obvs, because Sizemore still has eye parts in his head part and there's no hole in the elbow of my flannel shirt.

I was waiting until the prototypes were a "real thing" a person could buy before I mentioned them, but apparently I'm not very good at Internet because they've been out there longer than I thought.

This is what I'm carrying at work right now.  White tire lever prototype, black production tire lever, and 15mm Axle Nut Wrench.

I used to carry two Park Tool tire levers and a Surly Jethro Tule, neither of which would fit in my Tülbag.  I have to leave all this with my bike when I go into the courthouse, because no tools allowed... because tire levers kill more people than vending machines every year.

With the Surly 15mm, I could never get my tarck nuts tight enough by hand without it hurting my palm... until someone pointed out to me that I can stand on it and get things tight enough that way.  Slipping rear wheels suck on tarck bikes.

So when Fix It Sticks sent me the stubby prototype 15mm wrench, I assumed it might not be enough to tighten my tarck nuts sufficiently due to its size.  For years, I've either used the "stand on it" method at work, or if I'm at home, I break out the gigantic pedal wrench I got from the Trans-Sylvania Epic years ago.

This makes my tarck nuts super tight.

But I guess that's why they sent it to me, so I could find out and report back.  And I did.

15mm wrench on the Replaceable Edition Fix It Sticks in T-handle mode.

Time and time again, I was able to tighten it just as well as if I had used the other methods.  I know this, because I would hog them down with the giant wrench or by standing on the Jethro Tule, and I could still break it free by hand using the Fix It Sticks 15mm... without hurting my hand parts.  If I ever stood on the Jethro or used the pedal wrench, I'd surely have to loosen it with my feet.

As far as the tire levers go, I know I'm just gonna get a lot of "you should be able to remove a tire with your bare hands, little man" comments.  What can I say?  I run some super durable, not very pliable tires on some ancient rims on my work bike.  I appreciate all the help I can get when I need to fix a flat.  Plus, my manicures are expensive.

They attach to the Replaceable Edition Fix It Sticks ONLY, and when snapped on these long steel tools that can handle 40nm of torque (the steel part, not the plastic tire lever), you don't have to worry about snapping levers on stubborn tires.  These things are beefy.

I'm going to have to go ahead and give both these items my Seal of Semi-Approval tho.

Why semi?

I like these tools a bunch... but I only have one set, and I'm too lazy to swap them from my messenger bag to my Hip Monkey fanny pack when I'm transitioning from messenger to commuter and back.  I just have an assortment of tools that I've scabbed together in there.  It's partly laziness but mostly I'm afraid I'll forget to put my Tülbag back in my pack before heading home and that's when I'll probably need them the most.

So more or less, I'm giving myself my Seal of Semi-Approval.  Not the tools actually.