Unior Euro17 Review

Unior is a lesser-known bike tool company in the US, but they have been designing and manufacturing tools in Slovenia for over a century. They produce their own steel and have a reputation for making quality, durable wrenches, so our testers were excited to get their hands on the Euro17. With 17 features, the Euro17 is the most capable multi-tool in Unior's line, and it has everything you need to sort out common trailside issues in a simple, easy to use package. A black oxide coating on the tip of each chrome plated tool ensures that they will never spin or round out, but, for the high price tag, the plastic used in much of the tool's construction didn't inspire confidence in our testers.

Performance Comparison

Features

The Euro17 has all of the basic features covered with a few luxuries added. It holds all of the common hex sizes with 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm wrenches along with T10 and T25 Torx wrenches, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers, and a chain tool. Less commonly used tools include a valve tool for Presta and Schrader, and 3.3, 3.45, and DT spoke wrench sizes.

Ergonomics

Ergonomically, the Euro17 performed relatively well among the tools we tested. The smooth plastic frame provides a comfortable surface for the palm, and each wrench on the tool is long enough to reach bolts that are recessed or in tight places. Its shape and construction kept it from ranking among our top ergonomic scorers. During high-torque operations, the plastic frame tends to flex torsionally, and the 3 x 2 1/4 body is slightly too short and wide to fit perfectly in the palm. Comparatively, the slightly longer and narrower body of the Crankbrothers F15 fits the palm well and provides great leverage.

Our testers found that the Euro17's chain breaker was its best ergonomic feature. The valve tool threads into the underside of the chain breaker to provide leverage for your left hand while the body of the tool provides leverage for the right hand. Compared to the tools that use small flaps as handles for the left hand when breaking a chain, the Euro17 provided a great experience.

Portability

Coming in at 174 grams, the Euro17 is far from the lightest tool we tested, but with wrenches that fit seamlessly into its smooth plastic frame, it fits comfortably in a jersey or bib pocket. Unlike the Lezyne RAP-21 CO2 and the Park Tool I-Beam 3, the body of the Euro17 doesn't have any bulging tools or awkward shapes that make it uncomfortable to ride with.

Riders who are hunting for the most lightweight setup will want to opt for something less bulky. The ToPeak Ninja 16+ tips the scales at just 93 grams with just one less function than the Euro17.

Ease of Use

While the Euro17 isn't the most lightweight or feature-rich tool we reviewed, it ranked among the most user-friendly. Every wrench on the tool is easy to find visually and folds out from either end of the frame. You don't have to deal with a case or cover every time you want to make a quick adjustment, and, other than the removable valve tool the Euro17 remains in one piece, so there are no extra parts to keep track of while performing a repair.

For users that are looking for a quick and simple tool to use while out riding, the Euro17 is a great choice. Other tools we reviewed like the Blackburn Switch Wrap, or the OneUp EDC provide benefits in portability but sacrifice the expedience that you get with the simplicity of the Euro17.

Durability

Our testers rated the durability of the Euro17 favorably but also saw some areas of concern. The chrome-plated tools with black oxide coated tips inspire confidence that this tool can stand the test of time, but the plastic frame says otherwise. Any time we used the tool to tighten a bolt, we noticed that the frame would flex and twist. All of that movement fatiguing the plastic concerned our testers that the frame might crack or snap over time.

Throughout our testing, we didn't see any problems with the tool tips. We also didn't see any issues with the frame, but we feel the plastic on this tool would likely fail sooner than the metal frame construction of other tools.

Value

The Euro17 is among the most expensive tools in our test. Unior has a great reputation for quality and durability, but, given the questions our testers had about the plastic frame, we can't recommend purchasing it based on reputation alone. If you're looking for something unique, easy to use, and you want to support a European manufacturer, then this is the tool for you. Otherwise, we think you will find better value with some of the other tools we tested.

Conclusion