Yet Another GoPro Wrench

[Grant Lamontagne]

As some of you may remember from previous threads (GoPro Tool and Fishbone Tool) I seem to have a weakness for GoPro related tools.  Since I have two GoPro cameras, I can only guess that it the reasoning.

Here is the collection so far:



The new one is the dog bone shaped one, which is kind of interesting.



The first thing you notice is that it has the typical 4 splined wrench that most GoPro screws use, but on the other end is a three splined wrench that is used for another brand of HD action camera, the offerings by AEE, which are very similar to GoPro in many ways.

AEE on the right, GoPro on the left:



I've never used an AEE camera before so I can't comment on the unit itself or how well the three splined screw works over the four splined screw, but I do feel better knowing that when and if the day should come that I get one, I already have a wrench to tighten it up with. 



Additionally in the middle of this unit is a 1/4" hexagonal slot, which makes sense as the other side of the GoPro mount is a 1/4 inch nut that is usually, but not always recessed into a slot to keep it from turning.



I have at least a couple of aftermarket mounts that don't envelop the nut, and so I can see a time when a 1/4" slot could be handy.  Of course, that would mean that you require multiple wrenches as well, one for each end, but I have that covered pretty well as you can see....

I do have a couple of concerns about this one though- it is plastic, and it is hollow and so I am not certain just what level of torque you can put on this before it fails.  I'll put it through some testing and see how it holds up.  I was going to try earlier this morning by putting the GoPro on a dog harness I have (yes, I even have a GoPro mount for my dog!) but as Daisy is far too big for it, it was a complete and utter fail.

The other concern I have is that I have found boxed in type wrenches better for GoPro use rather than pass through types, and that is largely because the closed side keeps the wrench from sliding over the knurling of thumbscrew.

There are some neat ideas in this one, but I think it is far from ideal, and I think there are much better ones out there, but I'll hold off on a final word until it's seen some use.

Def

[kaput]

Huh? I didn't even know this was a thing, and now I have to have one! 

[kaput]

The new ones cool, but I doubt I'll ever get a different action cam since I am so invested in GoPro currently. So which do you prefer between the fish bone (name?) and GoPro branded wrench?

[Grant Lamontagne]

So far I think the name brand Gopro wrench is the best, followed by the Fishbone.

The rest are all functional but the pass through nature of the thinner ones just cause the wrench to slip one way or the other off the thumb screw.

I have two Hero2 cameras and a Contour GPS.   What have you got?

Def

[kaput]

So far I think the name brand Gopro wrench is the best, followed by the Fishbone.

The rest are all functional but the pass through nature of the thinner ones just cause the wrench to slip one way or the other off the thumb screw.

I have two Hero2 cameras and a Contour GPS.   What have you got?

Def

I have the GoPro hero4 silver edition, got silver instead of black this time because of the lid screen on the back, it really helps me to quickly frame the shot. Using the cell phone is nice, but I constantly had connection issues and battery drain. And a buttload of accessories.

I have issues with having not enough of the long screws, and when trying to tighten the smaller ones to attachments it gets tough, I don't think the wrench would help in that regard, unless it was "T" shaped. But, I still need to have one in my collection.

By the way, I use it for mountain biking and disc golfing mainly, also water sports and miscellaneous. And of course the obligatory selfie with the that nice wide angle.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I bought my Hero2's just around the time the Hero3 was scheduled to come out, so I got them both pretty cheap.  Honestly I don't see much point to upgrading, although I do like the high frame rate option on the Hero4 Black.  I can shoot at 100fps with the Hero2's, but to go to 240fps would be pretty nice.

The smaller size of the newer models is definitely a bonus too, although I have an awful lot invested in the Hero2's that I cringe at the thought of starting over- I have the wifi backpacks and the addon battery packs for the Hero2's that I don't think fit on the Hero4.  Luckily all of the various mounts would carry over at least.

Def