Cycling · Head-to-head
Park Tool CC-4.2 Chain Checker vs Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Chain Checkers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The CC-4.2 reads three wear thresholds instead of two, covers 5 to 13-speed, and names Campagnolo Ekar and both awkward SRAM chains. The Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II is the runner-up because it isolates roller play by design and folds in two other jobs.
Park Tool CC-4.2 Chain Checker
Buy itThe gauge with the most specific published chain coverage here, and the only drop-in gauge reading three wear thresholds.
- Indicates 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 percent wear, so it suits modern and older chains from one tool
- Park Tool states it works on any 5 to 13-speed derailleur chain plus single-speed chains
- Names the difficult chains explicitly: SRAM T-Type, SRAM Flattop, Shimano XTR 12-speed and Campagnolo Ekar 13-speed
- A drop-in laser-cut gauge that contacts the chain in three places
- Park Tool does not publish a material for it
- A drop-in gauge is a reading you take rather than a measurement you can log over time
- Does nothing else, where the Pedro's tool includes two more functions
Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II
Buy itA three-point gauge that isolates roller wear, with a chain hook and a chainring nut wrench built in.
- Precision laser-cut design measuring 0.5 and 0.75 percent chain wear
- Pedro's states the three-point design isolates pin wear from roller wear, which is where simple gauges overstate wear
- Approved by SRAM for use on Eagle 12-speed and Flattop chains
- Adds a chain hook tool and a chainring nut wrench, so one tool covers three jobs
- Reads two thresholds rather than the three on the CC-4.2
- States 1 to 13-speed coverage but names no 13-speed chain, where the CC-4.2 names Campagnolo Ekar
- The SRAM approval is named for Eagle and Flattop, with nothing stated about T-Type
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Park Tool CC-4.2 Chain Checker Our pick | Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone who owns a 12 or 13-speed drivetrain, or expects to soon. | The home mechanic who would rather carry one tool that does three jobs. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $ · budget |
| Wear thresholds read | 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 percent | 0.5 and 0.75 percent |
| Published speed coverage | 5 to 13-speed plus single-speed | 1 to 13-speed |
| SRAM Flattop | Named as covered | SRAM approved |
| SRAM T-Type | Named as covered | Not stated |
| 13-speed | Campagnolo Ekar named | Covered, no chain named |
| Isolates roller wear | Three contact points | Stated explicitly |
| Reading method | Drop-in gauge | Drop-in gauge |
| Extra functions | None | Chain hook, chainring nut wrench |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Park Tool CC-4.2 Chain Checker if
anyone who owns a 12 or 13-speed drivetrain, or expects to soon.
Know before buying: park Tool does not publish a material for it.
Pick the Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II if
the home mechanic who would rather carry one tool that does three jobs.
Know before buying: reads two thresholds rather than the three on the CC-4.2.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Park Tool CC-4.2 Chain Checker - The gauge with the most specific published chain coverage here, and the only drop-in gauge reading three wear thresholds. Choose the Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II instead if the home mechanic who would rather carry one tool that does three jobs.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Chain Checkers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).