My favorite shop tools

A question I seem to get asked a lot at work is: "What's your favorite tool?"
Honestly, that's a tough question. I love tools. I like working with all my tools, and I really like getting new tools. If I had to narrow it down though, I guess this could be my top 6:

Phil Wood spoke machine

 The Phil Wood machine is probably my favorite tool in the shop. It cuts and threads a spoke to any size in 1 rotation of the crank. A pretty expensive tool, but saves a ton of time and money in not having to order special length spokes or stock a bunch of different sizes.

Enduro BB30 bearing press/remover

 The first few times I messed with BB30 systems I didn't really like them. I thought the ease if installation and general maintenance wasn't worth the weight savings or performance benefits over a standard external bearing system. That is until I used the Enduro BB30 tool. It makes bearing installation and removal super easy and smooth.

Park modified 5mm T-handle hex

 Nothing fancy here, but by far the tool I use the most every day. I bet you could dis-assemble a modern day bike about 75% with this tool alone. I've modified this one by cutting the ball end off the long end and cutting the plastic back about 1/4" on the short end to allow it to get into Shimano rear derailleurs, recessed front brake nuts, ETC.

Shaved down short end

 The modified Park 5 mill in action on a Shimano derailleur. I wish Park would make a version like this.

Grease gun

I've been using this thing forever. It's at least 15 years old and I've used it at 3 different shops I've worked at. I don't use it as much anymore because most bearings are the sealed type and usually get replaced as opposed to being overhauled. It still comes in handy for putting grease in tight spots so you don't have to get your hands greasy and speedplay pedals. Maybe I should fill it with that carbon paste stuff since that's what gets used the most nowadays.

Park 1" wrench with friends

Probably the second most used tool I use daily. I use it all the time for pulling/installing cassettes and it has great leverage for removing tight bottom brackets.

Park truing stand with finished custom wheel

It seems like in a lot of bike shops, wheel building has become a lost art. With so many pre-built wheel sets available today, not a lot of shops still do custom wheel builds. I'm fortunate to work in a shop that builds quite a few. That's good because I really enjoy the entire process. The good old standard park truing stand is another tool I love to use.