Prestacycle Professional Three Way 'Y' Bits Tool

The Prestacycle Professional Three Way 'Y' Bits Tool is a premium quality workshop tool that should last a lifetime as it uses standard 1/4in hex bits which can be replaced if and when they wear out. It also means you can make up your own combination of bits – and this is where it shines.

This three-way tool comes with the holder – the three-way tool itself – and two bit holders, each containing six bits.

> Buy now: Prestacycle Professional Three Way 'Y' Bits Tool for £30 from Prestacycle

Both the tool and the bits are premium quality. Prestacycle doesn't quote a maximum torque for the tool, but it worked fine up to full GRRR.

The included bits are a good selection, covering the vast majority of fasteners you might find on a bicycle. Specifically, they are 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm hex; 10, 20, 25 and 30 Torx, and a Phillips 1.

Round bit holding

The round bit holders have a hole in the middle that fits the three-way tool's arm. It can be used to stand the tool in...

...or to store up to three round bit holders. And still stand the tool.

The holders work well for standing the tool up and for not-losing-bits purposes.

The experience of extracting and inserting bits doesn't feel as premium as the rest of the tool, though. As Steve found when he was reviewing the Prestaratchet Micro, it's quite fiddly to pull the bits out – it's not a one-handed operation – and the writing on the bits (if you've oriented them so the writing is visible) is partly obscured by the holder.

They are certainly no patch on my holy grail of bit holding and ease of swapping – the case for the Topeak Torq Stick Pro I reviewed a while ago. But then that's a rather different beast, costing £164.99 (including the tool and bits).

Three-way bit holding

The Pro version of the three-way tool itself has what Prestacycle calls MagGlide – a mechanism that holds the bits more securely than they would with just the magnet you get on the non-Pro version. The idea is that the bit stays in the tool until you release it. And that would be great if it worked.

I found the bits came out too easily for my liking, and more easily than I thought they would based on Prestacycle's product information. I can pull bits out with little effort, though it is easier if you release them first.

The upshot of this is that the bit can stay in whatever you're nipping up or undoing, rather than staying in the tool. Thru-axles are a good example of this, an application for which I think a three-way tool is ideal. Or would be if the bit didn't stay in the axle every time.

If I had bought this tool, I would probably look at investing in Prestacycle's (or another brand's) longer 50mm hex bits, so you can retract the tool from the fastener by holding the hex bit itself. Though this sort of workaround shouldn't be necessary.

Is it the best thing since sliced bread?

I've been using a Park Tool AWS1 (with 4, 5 and 6mm Allen keys) for years. I like using it, it has a place on the tool board in the shed, and it gets used regularly. But not for everything, because not every fastener on a bike is suitable for a three-way tool shape. Sometimes there isn't the space for the two other arms to rotate – disc brake calliper bolts on a bike with mudguards, for example.

All this is a long-winded way of saying that I'm down with three-way tools. Where the Park Tool one is utilitarian and does the job, the Prestacycle is beautifully made and feels reassuring in the hand. Using the tool – ignoring the bit-changing niggles for a moment – is a joy.

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And I'm fully on board with the exchangeable bits, especially from a durability point of view. If you wear out one of the bits through (ab)use, you put a new bit in and away you go. With the Park Tool type, it's game over.

For myself, the combination of 4, 5 and 6mm hex key is the most useful one and is how I had it the vast majority of the time. I can imagine, though, that it would be very useful to have your own custom combination of hex bits on a three-way tool.

Value

On the face of it, £30 sounds like a lot, especially if you compare it with the Park Tool AWS1, which is £16.99 (less if you shop around). And there are versions of the same type that are cheaper still, like the Halfords one for £5.99.

Neither of those has exchangeable bits, though, so if you round one off, you need to spend again.

If you do want exchangeable bits, the only cheaper option I found was Prestacycle's non-Pro version, which costs £20. You don't get the MagGlide system, and you don't get the two round bit holders with 12 bits either. If I was going to spend, I'd go for the Pro.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a well-made tool that looks beautiful and should last for as long as 1/4in hex bits are available. It's a premium tool, and with the 12 bits included, I think £30 is a fair price.

The MagGlide system doesn't hold the bits securely enough to match the premium feel of the rest of the tool, however, and the round bit holders hold them a little too well, though both of these niggles can be worked around.

For me, the durability and the option to build your custom combination three-way tool are the key selling factors. If this sounds like what you're after and you can live with the niggles, this will be just the job.

> Buy now: Prestacycle Professional Three Way 'Y' Bits Tool for £30 from Prestacycle

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Verdict

Premium quality tool that lets you build your custom combination and should last a lifetime