Obviously tire levers are better, but sometimes you have to use what is at hand, and the LBS is not always open. Duh. FWIW, the bike that I used the spoon on all the time was a very nice Fiorelli ten speed with all Campy components (this was in 1963). It was my first nice bike and I used it to commute to my caddying job. I changed many flats and the aluminum rims did just fine. It was not a cheap bike, as you incorrectly assumed. BTW, why do think they are sometimes called "tire spoons"? Where do you suppose that came from? Also, there is a huge difference between using a spoon and a flathead screwdriver. One makes sense and the other really IS stupid.