Recommend me an All...
 

MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch

[Closed] Recommend me an Allen key set.

37 Posts
32 Users
0 Reactions
243 Views
Posts: 13192
Free Member
Topic starter
 

I'm compiling a Christmas wish list. Looking at all the hex key sets on Amazon how do I know which are good and which are shite?
recommend me a professional set which will last a lifetime, preferably in a case or holder type affair.
Thanks


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:02 pm
Posts: 39502
Free Member
 

Bondhaus

wera hex plus

wiha

Facom

Beta

Bahco

Teng


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:05 pm
Posts: 13192
Free Member
Posts: 39502
Free Member
 

yeah thats them

Good success with them so far.

only annoying thing is the 3 and 4 are both similar colours.

Actual hex part is good as is the ball end , not rounded off anything yet .


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:08 pm
Posts: 251
Full Member
 

I have this one, it's been very good.

[url= http://www.axminster.co.uk/proxxon-8-piece-l-handle-metric-hex-key-set-953160 ]http://www.axminster.co.uk/proxxon-8-piece-l-handle-metric-hex-key-set-953160[/url]


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:09 pm
Posts: 228
Free Member
 

Wera ones are what I use at work, nice and distinctive no one can thief them.
Sleeves can come loose but a bit of tape around the shaft sorts that


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:15 pm
Posts: 6
Free Member
 

I have a wera set. Great for most things but.... the milled ends are'nt very deep so you can't use them for any recessed hex heads.
You don't get many of these on bikes but it's a pain when you do. I'm looking at you spyre pad adjustment screw.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:16 pm
Posts: 76
Free Member
 

My Bondhus set is the same condition as when I bought they - super tough and the same price.. I think colour coding looks good though


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:19 pm
Posts: 39502
Free Member
 

bondhaus are my favorite . they just last.

*looking back fondly to when park were just rebranded bondhaus and good quality rather than the gash you get now painted blue*


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:27 pm
Posts: 40432
Free Member
 

Different colours for different sizes is a stroke of genius.

*Pops off to look for Humbrol enamels*


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:39 pm
Posts: 13356
Free Member
 

Had these same Facoms since around 1990 ish when I was a mechanic. Still great.

[url= https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/696/22713103780_095e805dac_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/696/22713103780_095e805dac_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/AB5ArA ]


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:40 pm
 Kuco
Posts: 7203
Full Member
 

I've got the Facom ones and highly recommend them.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 4:52 pm
Posts: 10953
Free Member
 

[img] [/img]

[url= http://www.pbswisstools.co.uk/catalog/PB_Swiss_Tools/Rainbow_Ballpoint_Hex_Keys.html ]PB Swiss[/url]

FTW


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 6:35 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Another one for Bondhaus. Only cost £8 or £9 last year, yet should last a lifetime.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 6:39 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've a Bondhaus Gorilla set (the bright/silver ones).

Must of had them 10 years now and they're still like new, well apart from the 3mm that I snapped the ball end off by using a tube on the short part of it. They're used every day in a workshop environment.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 7:26 pm
Posts: 7121
Free Member
 

Any good make.. I went with the coloured wera ones


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:00 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

If I had money to burn...

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:06 pm
Posts: 2053
Full Member
 

+1 for Wera. A bit more costly than some but this makes them a good present!


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:38 pm
Posts: 5631
Full Member
 

Bondhaus.

I still have some from when I was an apprentice. Used daily and with vim and vigor. Some are nearly 30 years old.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:47 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've a set of 20 year old facom Allen keys, the 2.5mm is a bit tired but that's because it was used very regularly to unscrew badly threaded bolts at work.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:49 pm
Posts: 3106
Full Member
 

We have a couple of Wera sets in our mechanical workshop at work. Both the 5mm keys have sheared in the same place.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 8:51 pm
Posts: 1197
Full Member
 

I splashed out on some allen keys a few years ago. Whilst the tools themselves are great, the holder (like many of the above) is a bit annoying.

If you have to remove a larger tool to get at a smaller one it just gets annoying... and there should be no getting annoyed with good tools. Sure you could forgo the holder and put them somewhere else, but then you soon find yourself wondering where you put one. Also not good.

When you're at that critical moment working on something and you've got your hands full and you suddenly realise you need another smaller allen key. If you can't easily get hold of it then your posh tools are at risk of being useless.

A lot of waffling and no real input other than make sure the holder of your good allen keys is also good.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 9:09 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Wilko's. Looks just like the red ones above. Probably not as good, but never let me down, no rust, good size range, ball heads, £12.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 9:10 pm
Posts: 44170
Full Member
 

Budget but decent quality are the halfords professional range


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 9:39 pm
Posts: 119
Free Member
Posts: 2332
Full Member
 

Once you've used the Wera you'll not want to go back to a normal allen key. The shaping of the hex ends really works to prevent rounding & get more leverage. IMHO the best of those here.


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:09 pm
 DezB
Posts: 54367
Free Member
 

Get a set of these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008RXS5K4
They're far more useful than the usual L shaped ones.

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:30 pm
Posts: 39502
Free Member
 

40 QUID !!!


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:31 pm
 DezB
Posts: 54367
Free Member
 

Well, he did specify Amazon! I got em from Ebay for £17.99 🙂


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:34 pm
Posts: 108
Free Member
 

do they come with an allen key to adjust them, or do you have to buy another set 🙂


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:56 pm
Posts: 1862
Free Member
 

Why oh why does nobody make a good set of T handled keys that are colour coded...


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 10:58 pm
Posts: 119
Free Member
 

Worst ones I've ever tried blue point t handle and small snap on hex socket mounted ones , the BP ones did not last long and the small snap on 1/4 drive socket ones also wore far to soon.

Bigger snap on hex socket ones seem fine just not the less than 5 mm ones


 
Posted : 03/11/2016 11:09 pm
Posts: 545
Free Member
 

I've just bought this set on Amazon, first use tonight seemed ok.
Just wish the previous owner of my bike had used a decent set and not rounded off the calliper bolts
[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-08375-Double-Ended-T-Handle-Hexagon/dp/B0038XQRY4 ]amazon link[/url]


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 12:30 am
 sbob
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

When I was working in a machine shop, everyone used Bondhus.


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 4:06 am
Posts: 3099
Free Member
 

Another vote for the wera multicoloured set, fantastic. I love them so much the matching torx wera set is on my Christmas list! (If people even stick to the helpful list!)


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 6:27 am
 CHB
Posts: 3226
Full Member
 

Facom are the best I have had. There is a Bahco set on Amazon for about £12 that is very good too, I have two of those sets!
I have tried Wera and Bondhus, but the tools I have had from them have not been as good as I expected.


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 7:17 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've got a set of T handle Allen and Torx keys from Wiha. Take up a bit of room in the shed compared with a little set but a joy to use on the bike for all but the fiddly small bits.

http://cpc.farnell.com/wiha/26248/torx-set-t-handle-6pc/dp/TL11155

http://cpc.farnell.com/wiha/26247/hex-set-t-handle-6pc/dp/TL11154


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 10:22 am
Posts: 2644
Free Member
 

I've got a Bahco set which is good enough. However they've been banished to the car since I bought the coloured Wera ones. I've also got a perfectly good torx set but as I've just discovered you can get coloured Wera ones of those....


 
Posted : 04/11/2016 10:36 am