Said to be for the more experienced, advanced home mechanic, PRO's Advanced Toolbox with 25 tools hopes to cater for every possible spannering occasion the budding wrencher could encounter.
The 25 tools are seated in a custom-cut foam inlay on one side of the toolbox, the other side is blank foam. The large case has two metal clasps that snap shut on closure, wedging the tools together.
The tool selection is comprised of 2mm to 10mm Allen keys, a Torx Y-wrench with T20, T25 and T30 ends, a dedicated Phillips screwdriver and four individual spoke keys.
There’s a chain whip that’s 12-speed compatible and a chain tool, also 12-speed compatible despite what’s written on the side of the tool, which has a spare pin stashed in the handle.
Also included is a chainring bolt tool, an external Hollowtech II bottom bracket tool (including BB9000 and BBR60 adaptors) and a Shimano crank preload tool.
Rounding off the set are a cassette tool, a set of sprung cable cutters, chain master link pliers, three tyre levers and a 15mm pedal spanner.
Pro Advanced Toolbox performance
In transit, the tools didn’t rattle and neither did they fall out of their slots regardless of how roughly the case was transported.
It also felt robust, although the Pro Advanced Toolbox sticker started to peel during the testing period.
The tools were well-protected inside, and even after dropping the box there was no damage on it except for a few scuffs.
The blank foam on one of the kit’s sides opens up the possibility to add your own tools — perhaps with some of the items the kit is missing — but I suspect PRO wouldn’t advocate this.
As well as the carry box, the tools all felt high quality, and the rubberised handles were a step up from plastic ones, improving tactility, grip and usability. Each tool was well weighted, too, which helped when in use.
The Allen keys were all sharp, but it's a shame the smallest 1.5mm size isn't included, although a 10mm Allen key is present.
Although the BB9000 and BBR60 adaptors are plastic, in reality once they were seated in the driver there was no perceptible reduction in strength compared to a metal one.
The cassette tool was compatible with XD cassettes thanks to its to-the-edge teeth and worked fine with Micro Spline and normal HG cassettes.
The anchor points for the chain whip weren’t the strongest and one cassette, which was particularly stuck, did flex the chain significantly before it loosened. Although the tool didn’t break, if you frequently undo stuck cassettes it might fail after repeated high loads.
The chain breaker tool was easy to use and the spare pin is nice to have. However, there was only one position for chains on the tool, so it wasn’t possible to easily free up stuck links after re-joining chains.
The quick link pliers worked well on SRAM chains but struggled on stiffer Shimano master links. They’re a good inclusion and it's surprising how much easier they make chain maintenance.
The most notable omissions from the kit are a full Torx set, a flat-blade screwdriver, an adjustable spanner and cone spanners. I’ll excuse it for not having a mallet or hammer, though.
Pro Advanced Toolbox bottom line
Despite a few missing tools, the Pro Advanced Toolkit appears to have a high quality list of essentials that should serve you well for years to come, and, by then, you’ll have forgotten the asking price and probably added to the tools to complete your home set-up.
Product
| Brand | pro2 |
| Price | 453.00 AUD,200.00 GBP,290.00 USD |
Features
| Features | Pro Advanced Toolbox 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm Allen key set 1 Phillips screwdriver Torx T25, T30 and T40 Y-tool Shimano crank preload tool Shimano Hollowtech II, BBR60 and BB9000 BB tools Chainring bolt tool Cassette tool Chain whip Chain breaker Master link pliers 15mm pedal spanner 3 tyre levers 4 spoke keys |
