Unior Tools Launches Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Tool Set

Nov 27, 2019
by uniortools  
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Press Release: Unior

Unior has been producing high-quality hand tools in the heart of Europe for a century and we're proud to continue our tradition of European manufacturing today, 100 years later. As part of our 100th-anniversary celebrations, we're introducing a limited-edition 100th Anniversary Bike Tools Set. 100 sets will be produced, each marked with a unique serial number.

Unique to the tools included in the 100th Anniversary Set are aluminum handles in a black anodized finish. The tools are organized in a laser-cut SOS foam tool tray for a perfect fit in the matching black steel case, which also features our 100th-anniversary logo on the top. Inside you will find a great selection of bike tools that will cover most basic service operations on a bicycle. And yes, a bottle opener is included.



The set contains:

Master Chain Tool
Pro Socket Handle
Cassette Lockring Tool
Cassette Wrench (11/12)
Bottom Bracket Socket BSA30/DUB
Hexagon wrench (1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10)
Torx® wrench (TR10, TR15, TR25)
Round Spoke Wrench
Bottle Opener



Check out the 100th Anniversary Bike Tools Set here.

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Views: 1,111    Faves: 1    Comments: 0


Author Info:
uniortools avatar

Member since May 26, 2014
19 articles

37 Comments
  • 29 1
 I don't need this but I do want this. Looking good.
  • 1 0
 ..sorry
  • 26 1
 Limited edition tools. What a time to be alive.
  • 6 1
 100 years making tools is sure a worthy thing to celebrate
  • 2 0
 Well! perhaps you have not noticed that it is included with bottle opener Wink
  • 1 0
 @pk71: Elsewhere, including a bottle opener rises the price of a limited edition box set by almost 1000 $...
  • 2 0
 @FuzzyL: they could even put at least a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino
  • 6 0
 If you're any kind of decent bike tech, literally any tool in your hand is also a bottle opener. I've yet to understand why these kits always give you an opener. It's not a church key, just a top popper. After a Bic lighter, my next favorite opener is a Swingline stapler. From there it is a pedal wrench after that I just grab the first metallic item and employ it as a lever.
  • 5 1
 ... and the price tag?...
no information here and on the HP...
even though you can put it in your shopping cart and order ist...
  • 3 0
 From what I read on another site, you can't buy them - they're being offered to pro mechanics first. Apparently if you contact your local Unior rep and tell them cost isn't going to be an issue you may get lucky..!
  • 14 0
 @philstone: For a pro mechanics' set it looks quite limited.
  • 2 0
 @jollyXroger: I don't think this a kit you take on the world cup with you, more like a hang on the wall because Unior gave you one at the anniversary type thing.
  • 3 0
 If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
  • 1 0
 It will be available in january 2020. Price will be around €500 for this set.
  • 2 0
 Who's had experience with Unior tools? Never used any. Is it decebt quality Silca/Wera/Facom kind of level stuff or more Silverline/Park level ?
  • 6 0
 Unior tools are by far and wide a go to for good reliable tools here in Serbia. It's "local" as it was once made in Yugoslavia, and now it Slovenia, but a lot of mechanics swear by them, and to be honest, I don't know the price, but compared for most of the other tools, they're just meant to work, and not look pretty.

I can compare their fine electronics tools with iFixIt, and Imho, they're better then iFixIt.
  • 6 0
 I think it's more of the latter. As far as people from the wrenching business tell me (a friend of mine wrenching on trucks and construction machinery from his company, a coworker who used to service CNCs, etc.) there are better and more expensive tools out there. Just like there are much worse tools out there. I'm speaking about the general tools, wrenches, allen keys, etc.

On the other hand i've just made a huge order of Unior tools to finally make my home setup 'servicable' - i currently have a mish-mash of tools that are thrown around drawers and it's high time to make it more organised. The order includes a lot of general tools (sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, Torx and allen keys, etc.) and bike specific parts as well. For bike specific tools, i wouldn't look anywhere but Unior (though i am likely a bit biased, being Slovenian). Once you're there, why not take care of your complete workshop as well? I could say i'm an advanced homegamer when it comes to bike servicing (with the latest purchase and some modifications to the servicing space, there won't be a job I would be afraid to hae a look at) and i've had zero issues with Unior stuff.
  • 6 0
 Oh, FWIW, main business of Unior is forging metals (therefore tool making). One of the high end products from the forging arm are also connecting rods for internal combustion engines. As far as i know, Unior forged rods are used by the likes of Ferrari and VAG (Audi and Lamborghini) in the high performance engines.
  • 5 0
 @Primoz: I've got a mish-mash of tools too (including stuff from Unior) but I've got nothing against that. It is the way it goes, right? You get a bike, soon enough you get an allen key set for basic adjustments. Then comes the time to replace the chain so you get a chain breaker. Then a cassette tool and chain whip, cone span, crank extractor, bottom bracket tool, spoke tool... Then you see complete sets like these and it looks sweet. But is it worth getting if you already have your stuff? And if you only need one size spoke tool and prefer the one from Park so it doesn't fit in the box? And where does the pedal spanner fit? I think most of us who already have tools got them because that's what they prefer over the other alternatives on offer. And of course it is well worth to store and order them properly, but luckily there are great toolboxes or wall mounts available for that.

As for the quality, I think Unior is well beyond fine for the home mechanic. I prefer it over Park just because it is more local to me, but in fact that's also why I'm using stuff from Tacx too (which is even more local) and it is keeping up good enough.

But yeah out of curiousity, people buying these complete sets. Is it because they currently don't own these tools, is it as an extra set to leave in the car for trips, does it replace their current tools completely and if so, what happens to the perfectly fine tools you currently own?
  • 2 0
 Have been using both Unior and Park tools for over a decade, I'd say they're definitely on the same level as far as durability, precision, and ease of usage goes. Both hold up fine not just for a home mechanic, but for a shop as well, plenty of local bike shops are using one or both tool brands. As a local, I will of course support Unior, but can't give any comparison for Silca/Wera as I haven't been using them.
  • 2 0
 Well i have shitty allen keys, certain ring and open ended wrenches of different qualities and from different makers, a 1/2" ratchet (more or less still from Yugoslavia, there's quite a bit of Unior in there as well) and then i bought some cheaper parts to service my bike, like a BB tool, a cassette tool, cone spanners, etc. I bought a set of cable pliers from Pedros (comes with a ferrule crimper) and a DT nipple wrench because i have aluminium nipples.

A year or two ago i bought a set of T-handle allen wrenches from Unior in my local hardware store on a whim. Now, i'm adding L-shaped aleln wrenches, TORX T-handle wrenches (even though i already also have a T-25), 1/2" sockets and a set of 1/4" sockets and a racthet, three sizes of circlip pliers (because the one size i ordered off AliExpress is shitte), i'm buying torque wrenches, a DUB BB tool, a proper chain breaker (i'm tired of using the one from the multitool), i ordered a BB wrench for center lock rotors, a cassette tool with a 12 mm rod for centering (i don't like how wobbly the one i have is), a filter strap wrench (aircans for shocks), suspension sockets, a wheel truing stand (more or less the final piece of the puzzle), a general spoke wrench (if the DT one won't fit) and i splurged on the bearing press set. I'll continue to use the chineese cone wrenches and the crank extractor because they work well enough (unlike say circlip pliers) and i don't use them that much to splurge on proper sets. For allen, torx, phillips and similar bolts i have a bits set from Bosch which is tried and tested from work.

This will cover all the bike needs and general home use as well. And that was the main goal. It's not ALL Unior, but the vast majority and most used pieces are. And i bought it in one go because i could otherwise be in a shop every day. Better to cry once and be done with it. Plus i knew what i needed and wanted from experience and a general feeling of what i'll be doing on my bike, so i didn't buy any unneeded stuff (at least not much of it). The circlip pliers might be in that category, but battling with a Guide RS lever and the circlip in there makes them worth it all on their own.
  • 1 0
 Oh and it's not the mish mash itself bothering me, it's the fact that there are a few Allen wrenches in the pile that are shitty and chewed up. And mostly the fact that there are quite a few pieces missing that I think are essential. I can get by more or less, but why not add the few pieces if I'm out there buying a wheel truing stand and the like to have a complete setup? Like I said, cry once.
  • 1 0
 I have a unior kit as well as some park tools and some silca stuff. I also have a ton of automotive tools because that's how I make my living.

They're on par with park tools. The silca stuff is definitely nicer but kinda unnecessary.

The only problem I had with the unior stuff was the chain breaker exploded while I was trying to shorten a link. It was cast and it looked like it split on a poor casting line. I tossed it but I've good luck with the other stuff. I chose the unior chain whip (it has a spring to hold the chain on the casette) over my park tool chainwhip.
  • 2 0
 @dragonaut: it's definitely better than Silverline, comparable to Park Tools (professional line) and generally not as good as Facom or Wera. Facom make extremely nice wrenches, ratchets and sockets and Wera's Hex Plus hex keys are the best ones available and their screwdrivers amongst the best (together with PB Swiss and Wiha).
I would personally never buy all tools from the same brand. But for bike specific tools only, you can do a lot worse than Unior. It's the general tools like hex keys where there are better alternatives available. Not because Unior make crappy tools, but because general tools sold within bike specific tool lines always come with a premium and because there are manufacturers making excellent general tools.
  • 2 0
 Also, check m.pinkbike.com/news/inside-unior-tools-2017.html for a look behind the curtains.
  • 1 0
 @Mac1987: FYI, Unior is a tool making company first and a bike tool making company second. So the general tools sold with the bike line are from the primary general tool line. It's not like with Park who, as far as i know, built the business from the bike side up. For Unior it's the other way around.
  • 1 0
 @Primoz: yes I know. But they do produce bike specific tools also. My point is: when buying a general tool set with things like hex keys and spanners, the value is probably better than when buying a bike specific set that includes them. This applies to a Park Tools set vs a Bahco set, but probably also when comparing a Unior bike specific set with a Unior general set. It is therefore probably wise to buy the individual bike specific tools when needed and spend the rest of your money on a general tool set, be it from Unior or other manufacturers.
When comparing the quality of the general tools, I would put Unior significantly above Silverline and Park Tools home line, roughly equal to Park Tools shop line and below Facom/Gedore/Gazet/Snap-On/Wera/Knipex.
  • 1 0
 @Primoz: also, I stand by my point that Unior bike tools are some of the best and their general tools are pretty good, but not the absolute best. Not because a Unior bike tool is better quality than a Unior general tool, but because the range of available general tools is far larger than with bike tools, with a lot of cheaper, more expensive, worse, better tools and everything in between. On a scale from 0-10, Unior tools would be an 8. There aren't many 8+ bike tools, but many 9-10 general tools.
  • 1 0
 With all this said, how much quality do we as home mechanics need from our bicycle tools? Sure your allen key set should be good and accurate. I once got a set where the 2.5mm allen key was 2.3mm, that's unacceptable. Most sets marketed toward bicycle wrenching come with ball end allen key sey set and even though they have their place, when they're not necessary I'd take the regular straight end set any day. But other than that, how wrong can you go with a cheap pedal spanner, chain whip, cassette tool and other stuff like that? And what happens earlier, will your crank extractor break or will you simply no longer need a crank extractor for the bike you're getting next? Just like the bike brands do, pick your guns. Great suspension is a good investment but the most basic stem should do the job just fine. Something similar goes for tools. Something that could possibly wear your components (like poorly fitting allen keys) has highest priority. But a pedal spanner, chain whip or cassette tool, if they did the job twenty years ago they will still do the job for you today.

To me it seems like if you're investing in actual workshop quality tool designed to survive daily use, you're either wasting your money on some sweet pieces of workshop decoration or you really need to ride more and wrench less.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: fair point and the answer for most would be: no we don't need shop quality tools. But that's the nice thing. Instead of buying Park Tools spanners, you can choose to A. buy better quality for the same money or B. buy comparable quality for less money.
Also, we don't need XTR shifters, Hope brakes and Fox 36 Factory/Rockshox Lyrik/Manitou Mezzer/etc. forks. You don't have to 'need' them to appreciate their quality. Good tools fit better, feel better and work better. But the cheaper but still decent tools will take apart and rebuild your bike just the same (as long as the fit is good enough and you don't strip any fasteners). A torque wrench is the only tool most people don't have but sometimes need.
  • 2 0
 @Mac1987: Agree about the quality and all and the range of choices.

As for needing or wanting XTR, i'd argue we're first and foremost bike nerds so we appreciate the level 10 quality. A beginner will be blown away by XT level of equipment. The average homegamer is even below the XT level beginner and you have to be a huge nerd to appreciate the level 10 tool manufacturers, let alone see the 'worth' in buying those. But nevertheless i stand by my point of cry once. My intention is to have the tools i ordered for my whole life in terms of the general tools. Hex nuts, allen and torx bolts aren't going anywhere. And i'm in a place in my life where i know damn well that buying cheap will cost me money, time and nerves because i'll have to buy another one of better quality right when i'll need it the most, and i'm in a place in my life where i can and want to afford nice tools. So i went for it.
  • 1 0
 @Primoz: agreed, I also prefer the level 10 tools and bike parts Smile . But I also totally understand that objectively speaking, some tools are overkill for my use and a lot of people are perfectly happy with level 7 tools.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, I get that. For me wearing or breaking tools because I went too cheap makes me feel bad too. But level 7 stuff in most cases is just fine for me and will keep up. Now I never thought about it in terms of levels but my box is a mix of Tacx, Unior, Park, Wiha, not bike specific hardware store stuff and very product specific tools (for brake and fork). As I mentioned, the allen key set should be great quality, don't want to strip bolts. I get that there is a joy in working with great tools and I probably feel that way too. But I may also take pride in working with something not too dumbed down. I recall not too long ago there was this PB article where the author acted like a chain whip is an impossible tool to work with and was overly excited on the alternative, similar to what this Unior kit comes with. I learned to work with the chain whip and I'm fine with it the way it is. I was also used to work with very accurate lathes with sharp and hard WC ceramic cutting tools. Then in in one place I got a lathe with considerable play and less accurate steel cutting tools. I adapted to it and even though the process was slower, the products still came out great and accurate. I think I took pride of that. Now of course I'm not saying this is something to strive for but at least there are positives on both sides of the coin.

As for bike components, I probably don't care that much about fancy stuff. My BTR frame was expensive because I had a very clear idea of what it should be like and went for custom geometry. I enjoyed the process and am happy the way it turned out. It probably only has additional value to me because it was made for me the way I wanted it to be. But the rest of the components is just "level 7" stuff. Zee gearing, Louise (06 master, 07 caliper) brakes, Truvativ Ruktion cranks. Moving parts like headset (Hope) and hubs (Syntace) maybe level 8 but that's it. If it is holding me back, I'll sort that out. But I wouldn't take any pride upgrading to XTR, it wouldn't make me any happier. Actually, I'm happy that my frankenbrakes are still going strong Wink .
  • 1 0
 www.velociao.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/P1240311.jpg

Your cool union, but ya gotta a long way to go to catch up to campy
  • 1 0
 I always wanted the complete Campy tool set. I still have the bottom bracket cup and extracting wrench's, along with the headset and cone wrench's I purchased almost 40 years ago. I still use the open ended headset wrench's to remove the canister oil filter cap on GM 2.0 lt. engines.
  • 3 1
 Kinda hard to care about these after Abbey just showed their tool box.
  • 3 0
 & G$ his







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