Hex Keys - The Whole Story

[Gebirgekind]

There could be a whole nother thread on Craftsman branded keys, but since this thread is becoming a compendium, it would be unfair to not at least give them a mention here.
I have seen so many of them over the years. The clear front plastic envelopes with loose keys and a snap closure were plentiful and a common household and shop item. The keys were generally high quality. Lots of these still around and in use to this day.

Were these historically made for Craftsman by Eklind or Bondhus? Or maybe Western Forge had a hand?

 

[RoninB4]

Were these historically made for Craftsman by Eklind or Bondhus? Or maybe Western Forge had a hand?

-Eklind made keys and fold-up sets for several other brands. It's somewhat common in manufacturing and sometimes called "house branding". I don't recall all the brands but for many it was just a simple matter of changing/adding the stamp in the die. Several brands had the "Eklind" logo after the other brand right on the hex key or the fold-up handle. At one point some of the brands voiced a complaint that the name "Eklind" being visible would hurt their sales and requested it be removed. We achieved a compromise in changing our stamp for house branded products to "ET". Should that appear on any hex keys for Snap-On, Mac, Park Tools, or maybe (memory fuzzy) Craftsman you now know where they were made.

Also, just because something was made at one factory doesn't mean it always has been or will be. Contracts end and new suppliers are established. Contract negotiations are not always successfully concluded, ask John Bondhus about that.

 

[KnurledNut]

Were these historically made for Craftsman by Eklind or Bondhus? Or maybe Western Forge had a hand?

Most of these pictured have a H or HZ code which denotes Holo-Krome as the source. Those with a V are Easco.

 

[Dave455]

Sorry, I didn't realise there was a British factory, just the Irish factory.

Jack

The U.K. has been a pioneer in many areas.

Sadly, we also pioneered the art of making it too costly to manufacture simple tools in our major towns!

 

[neophyte]

The U.K. has been a pioneer in many areas.

Sadly, we also pioneered the art of making it too costly to manufacture simple tools in our major towns!

Weirdly, Maun Industries is still making pliers in the UK, although the designs and technical data package for the pliers was likely at some point from Schollhorn or Sargent Tools in the USA.

 

[Dave455]

Weirdly, Maun Industries is still making pliers in the UK, although the designs and technical data package for the pliers was likely at some point from Schollhorn or Sargent Tools in the USA.

The original design was “Bernards” patent.

Schollhorn manufactured them in the U.S. and I have Schollhorn pliers purchased by my Grandfather in the U.K. before the war.

Maun started manufacturing them during the war, and may have acquired the rights to manufacture the design in the U.K. (or may have just “ripped ‘em off” as Bernards patent would have long expired by then).

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that the first design produced would have been the model for ammunition belts, since I have seen these with both Maun and Schollhorn marks, and they would have been much in demand then.

Sargent bought out Schollhorn in 1948 so wouldn’t have had any involvement with Maun, and the two product lines have slightly diverged since, with slight differences in design.

Maun actually make a far wider selection of tools than Sargent, many of which trace their lineage back to original Bernard designs, which suggests there may have been some deal struck.

Maun offer many patterns and specialist tools not shown on the website, or in the catalogue. They also manufacture specials to order. They’re quite common in the electrical / electronic assembly world.

With the patent long expired similar designs (generally cutters) are made by many other firms. Record made some, and I’ve seen some with German origins, and others from Japan (Nile Merry).

I have a lot of the Maun pliers and am very used to using them. If I use a regular cutter, they seem to be very hard work when you are used to the compound action. Maun offer parallel pliers with a longitudinal groove and there is nothing better for gripping pins.

 

[Dave455]

Weirdly, Maun Industries is still making pliers in the UK, although the designs and technical data package for the pliers was likely at some point from Schollhorn or Sargent Tools in the USA.

Doing a bit of work on my daily driver last year.

No particular loyalty to any manufacturer, but Maun cutters centre right.

Good rugged tools.

Nice to use and no pvc sleeves to get damaged.

 

[Gebirgekind]

@Gebirgekind
Didnt know those existed. Creative design. Kudos to PB Swiss' product team for trying something different. Initial impressions?

I took them in for a shift today - overall I think they're excellent at doing what they're designed to do . They have a good solid fit and don't feel much looser than other high quality keys despite the extra range of movement. Breaking a bolt loose or torquing down felt great at 90 degs., but a little less secure at 100 degs.; though I think some of that is psychological, it looks like it's camming out but actually still has pretty good purchase from the design.

For those jobs where you need to get a bolt started and then clear an obstacle in the swing path, they help speed up the work so you don't have to reset the key as often. They have the same limitations as any stubby hex key and won't replace my main set, but they're a fine supplement. If I have to get duplicates of any tool style I always try to find something that offers an additional unique capability, so these work for me on an extra workbench.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Maun Industries is still making pliers in the UK, although the designs and technical data package for the pliers was likely at some point from Schollhorn

The original design was “Bernards” patent.

Schollhorn manufactured them in the U.S. and I have Schollhorn pliers purchased by my Grandfather in the U.K. before the war.

Well, well, this thread took an interesting side-vector.

I have an abiding interest in Schollhorn, amassing a decently diverse collection...



...and plenty of research, much of it posted on the Schollhorn thread, linked here, if anyone is interested in doing further reading.

But I never heard of Maun!

Maun started manufacturing them during the war, and may have acquired the rights to manufacture the design in the U.K. (or may have just “ripped ‘em off” as Bernards patent would have long expired by then).

The History section on their website states that it was established January 1, 1944, confirming Dave's info and zeroing in the exact date, but makes no mention of Schollhorn. After looking at a few of them online, I have zero doubt they put some Schollhorn pliers on a bench and reverse engineered the eff out of them. William Bernard had over fifty (50) patents related to parallel jaw pliers, nippers, and cutters as the chief engineer, vice president, and partial owner of William Schollhorn & Company, all between 1890 and 1920, all of them expired by 1944.

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that the first design produced would have been the model for ammunition belts,

If you mean the compound side-cutters that Schollhorn was most famous and popular for (top left, in three different OAL's on my wall of fame...), I would tend to agree with you. Supplied to Infantry, Ordnance Dept, and QMC, it represented the overwhelming majority of all their contracts ($4.5M) during WWII. The other major contracts were sapper's pliers or cap crimpers, supplied to the Corps of Engineers (bottom, far right). But if there was one type of pliers that an enterprising family named Rippon in Mansfield along the river Maun was going to see, use, and get the bright idea to appropriate during WWII, it would've been the side-cutters. They were ubiquitous. Even though Schollhorn made a wide variety of pliers, all parallel-jaw action, the compound side-cutters are synonymous with the 'Bernard' name.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If only to get us back on topic, the only hex keys I seem to have found and kept that are not ALLEN or UNBRAKO, are these Blue Devil jobbies. They snuck into my bag somehow. Probably camouflaged with the black oxide finish. I don't know anything about them. Old? New? US-made?

 

[Dave455]

If only to get us back on topic, the only hex keys I seem to have found and kept that are not ALLEN or UNBRAKO, are these Blue Devil jobbies. They snuck into my bag somehow. Probably camouflaged with the black oxide finish. I don't know anything about them. Old? New? US-made?

“Blue Devil” was I think a trademark (or the U.S. equivalent) of the “Safety Socket Screw Corporation”.

I only know this because my company bought some U.S. made tooling some years ago, and it came with both U.S. made cap screws, and “blue devil” hex keys, both originating from that company.

This was 1990’s, so not really that old. Quality seemed first class though. I only remembered them because they were a manufacturer I hadn‘t encountered before.

I think the company still exists, and still makes cap screws, but I’m not sure about hex keys.

 

[Dave455]

Well, well, this thread took an interesting side-vector.

I have an abiding interest in Schollhorn, amassing a decently diverse collection...



...and plenty of research, much of it posted on the Schollhorn thread, linked here, if anyone is interested in doing further reading.

But I never heard of Maun!

The History section on their website states that it was established January 1, 1944, confirming Dave's info and zeroing in the exact date, but makes no mention of Schollhorn. After looking at a few of them online, I have zero doubt they put some Schollhorn pliers on a bench and reverse engineered the eff out of them. William Bernard had over fifty (50) patents related to parallel jaw pliers, nippers, and cutters as the chief engineer, vice president, and partial owner of William Schollhorn & Company, all between 1890 and 1920, all of them expired by 1944.

If you mean the compound side-cutters that Schollhorn was most famous and popular for (top left, in three different OAL's on my wall of fame...), I would tend to agree with you. Supplied to Infantry, Ordnance Dept, and QMC, it represented the overwhelming majority of all their contracts ($4.5M) during WWII. The other major contracts were sapper's pliers or cap crimpers, supplied to the Corps of Engineers (bottom, far right). But if there was one type of pliers that an enterprising family named Rippon in Mansfield along the river Maun was going to see, use, and get the bright idea to appropriate during WWII, it would've been the side-cutters. They were ubiquitous. Even though Schollhorn made a wide variety of pliers, all parallel-jaw action, the compound side-cutters are synonymous with the 'Bernard' name.

I’ll post some Maun pictures when I’m “back at the ranch”!

Might consider starting a new thread to avoid too much “drift”!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Quality seemed first class though

Sharp corners and durable rust proof finish, so far.

I’ll post some Maun pictures when I’m “back at the ranch”! Might consider starting a new thread to avoid too much “drift”!

No need to post here or separate thread, Dave. I found some good vintage and newer examples online. Interesting that someone developed an entire manufacturing enterprise based on them, and top notch, too. Utica helped Schollhorn meet their contract demands during WWII and they also added them to their line after the war through at least the 60's, in parallel to Sargent continuing to make them. And no worries, I wasn't planning on continuing the discussion. Thanks, though.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

With L-keys, do Torx ones tend to be shorter length for the equivalent size than hex?

My "long" Bondhus Torx set (TLX8) is what I'd consider proportionally normal length by hex key standards. Looking around a bit, in hex there are many short/normal/long/extra-long set options, but in Torx it seems to be just short/long where long means normal.

 

[Gebirgekind]

With L-keys, do Torx ones tend to be shorter length for the equivalent size than hex?

My "long" Bondhus Torx set (TLX8) is what I'd consider proportionally normal length by hex key standards. Looking around a bit, in hex there are many short/normal/long/extra-long set options, but in Torx it seems to be just short/long where long means normal.

That may just be a Bondhus thing. Wera, Wiha, and PB Swiss I know have long versions equivalent to their hexes.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

That may just be a Bondhus thing. Wera, Wiha, and PB Swiss I know have long versions equivalent to their hexes.

It's at least a Facom and Bahco thing too.

 

[Gebirgekind]

It's at least a Facom and Bahco thing too.

There goes my theory about European vs. US. I checked out Eight Tools from the previous posts, it looks like theirs are relatively short too. But those tapered ball-end hex keys really do look great!

 

[ranger08]

Allen 1/4 inch set 19016

 

[134k]

I've been waiting to get these keys in so that I can finally post in one of my favorite threads. I will be putting these to work soon, but wanted to see if I can first fit them in my toolbox. First impressions are that these are lighter than I had thought. Second is that I really didn't want this particular set. I don't have a need for the little pipes or the 10 and 8mm for that matter. I wanted a regular, non-rainbow set, but these ended up costing less than of the regular Eight Tool Sets. Now looking at the site (thank you Whale Supply), the price has gone back to normal. Maybe there was a pricing error?
My first initial gripes about this set...the holder is ****. It just flops around for the smaller keys. It doesn't actually stay closed. The second..from what I anticipated, the colored screen printing is garbage. It's already flaking right out the box. The positives. They are light. Fitment is tight, not close tolerance tight, but like PB Swiss hex key fitment. It's super nice. The ball point end fits snug and I was able to turn a key upside down while mounted in a screw head. Crazy.
More thoughts after I start using these.

 

[RoninB4]

If only to get us back on topic, the only hex keys I seem to have found and kept that are not ALLEN or UNBRAKO, are these Blue Devil jobbies. They snuck into my bag somehow. Probably camouflaged with the black oxide finish. I don't know anything about them. Old? New? US-made?

-Necro reply here. Can't say for certain but I recall changing stamps sometimes for Blue Devil products. It wasn't as common as some of the other house branded products and I don't know how extensive Eklind supplied them but some products were in the mid 90's while I was there. I seem to have a fuzzy memory of fold-up sets for some reason. The blackish appearance could/maybe have indicated an Eklind made key, they used a particular steel and heat treating process to produce a blackish finish for a marketplace difference in appearance. The brand stamps were not centered very well and the size stamp shown for the 1/8 wasn't shimmed correctly. Not much info in my reply but that's all I got from the photos.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Noted. Thanks. I was rained out of my flea markets today, so maybe I will make some time to do some research on Eklind and the Safety Socket Screw Corp that Dave had suggested as the possible OEM earlier.

 

[Dave455]

-Necro reply here. Can't say for certain but I recall changing stamps sometimes for Blue Devil products. It wasn't as common as some of the other house branded products and I don't know how extensive Eklind supplied them but some products were in the mid 90's while I was there. I seem to have a fuzzy memory of fold-up sets for some reason. The blackish appearance could/maybe have indicated an Eklind made key, they used a particular steel and heat treating process to produce a blackish finish for a marketplace difference in appearance. The brand stamps were not centered very well and the size stamp shown for the 1/8 wasn't shimmed correctly. Not much info in my reply but that's all I got from the photos.

That would fit in precisely with the timescales I recall.

^ Noted. Thanks. I was rained out of my flea markets today, so maybe I will make some time to do some research on Eklind and the Safety Socket Screw Corp that Dave had suggested as the possible OEM earlier.

I didn’t necessarily think that Safety Socket Screw were the OEM of the hex keys. Most likely they were not, and if RoninB4 can remember Eklind supplying them, so let it be recorded!

My only involvement was acquiring some U.S made tooling in the 1990’s. It came with screws from the “Safety Socket Screw Corp” and “Blue Devil” hex keys. But the packing for the hex keys was marked “Safety Socket Screw Corp” as well, so I assumed “Blue Devil” was their brand.

I only remembered it because it was one I hadn’t encountered before. Wish I’d “half inched” the hex keys now…!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

^ Gotcha. Thanks.

 

[RoninB4]

I didn’t necessarily think that Safety Socket Screw were the OEM of the hex keys. Most likely they were not, and if RoninB4 can remember Eklind supplying them, so let it be recorded!

-The name of Safety Socket Screw doesn't ring a bell but I hired at Eklind in the mid 90's and a lot had gone one there before. Howard Eklind was trained as a structural engineer (bridges in Chicago) and a lot of products were made during the war years that didn't yield the profits to sustain business. When he hit on hex keys, no info on why/how that happened, Eklind abandoned/divested all else to focus solely on the hex keys. There's other things to say about Howard Eklind but not important to this topic.

 

[Dave455]

-Necro reply here. Can't say for certain but I recall changing stamps sometimes for Blue Devil products.

-The name of Safety Socket Screw doesn't ring a bell but I hired at Eklind in the mid 90's and a lot had gone one there before. Howard Eklind was trained as a structural engineer (bridges in Chicago) and a lot of products were made during the war years that didn't yield the profits to sustain business. When he hit on hex keys, no info on why/how that happened, Eklind abandoned/divested all else to focus solely on the hex keys. There's other things to say about Howard Eklind but not important to this topic.

Here you go -


The keys I remember were, unsurprisingly, blue..

 

[RoninB4]

Here you go -


The keys I remember were, unsurprisingly, blue..

-Very familiar with the location, used to ride the motorcycle a lot in that area. Never had reason to stop in. Recent search shows 700-30,000 SF available for lease as of Dec. 01 2025 so they may no longer be a manufacturing concern and transitioning to another office location strictly consulting for others.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/6501-N-Avondale-Ave-Chicago-IL/38309325/

 

[Dave455]

-Very familiar with the location, used to ride the motorcycle a lot in that area. Never had reason to stop in. Recent search shows 700-30,000 SF available for lease as of Dec. 01 2025 so they may no longer be a manufacturing concern and transitioning to another office location strictly consulting for others.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/6501-N-Avondale-Ave-Chicago-IL/38309325/

That’s a shame. Always sad when a company like that winds down.

 

[Dave455]

I've been waiting to get these keys in so that I can finally post in one of my favorite threads. I will be putting these to work soon, but wanted to see if I can first fit them in my toolbox. First impressions are that these are lighter than I had thought. Second is that I really didn't want this particular set. I don't have a need for the little pipes or the 10 and 8mm for that matter. I wanted a regular, non-rainbow set, but these ended up costing less than of the regular Eight Tool Sets. Now looking at the site (thank you Whale Supply), the price has gone back to normal. Maybe there was a pricing error?
My first initial gripes about this set...the holder is ****. It just flops around for the smaller keys. It doesn't actually stay closed. The second..from what I anticipated, the colored screen printing is garbage. It's already flaking right out the box. The positives. They are light. Fitment is tight, not close tolerance tight, but like PB Swiss hex key fitment. It's super nice. The ball point end fits snug and I was able to turn a key upside down while mounted in a screw head. Crazy.
More thoughts after I start using these.

Thanks for the review.

It’s sad that the colour is flaking. In honesty that’s the problem with most of these coloured hex keys, although these seem worse than most.

I have some of the PB Swiss coloured keys, but the colour is only paint so I know it’s not as durable as the plain ones, and I’ve generally avoided them for that reason.

The Vessel “Rainball” seem to be a bit more durable than some.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I didn’t necessarily think that Safety Socket Screw were the OEM of the hex keys. Most likely they were not...

Not knowing anything about the history of the company except that they had a clever functionally embedded company name and a cool brand name for their hex keys, I wasn't sure why you'd think most likely not. As I am sure you know, Standard Pressed Steel made Unbrako hex keys because they made Unbrako hollow or safety head set and cap screws. Ditto Allen, Bristol (splined), Holo-Krome, etc. They were mated in tooling. The early makers were selling the whole fastening system. So I did some digging. Same story with this outfit.

This is from a 1941 edition of The Tool Engineer trade mag.

Here you go -

Yowza! I'd love to add that pouch to the collection one day.

Very familiar with the location,

They moved there in 1958. They had some prior addresses...

I can't pry the address out of this Snippet-Only source, but they were established in 1931.



This snippet from a 1935 Illini Club of Chicago Directory puts them at 1440 N. Keating.



This 1941 War Production Board mailing list puts them on N. Knox Ave. in what is now Zip Code 60630:

 

[RoninB4]

-If the following reply is of no interest then do please excuse my excess. The Safety Socket Screw Corp. was located in several areas I'm more than a little familiar with and it piqued my interest.

-By the description of products they made socket head stripper bolts, which are extensively used in stamping dies and much less so in other applications. Perhaps the company was a supplier to the stamping die industry, which was big in Chicago way back when.

This snippet from a 1935 Illini Club of Chicago Directory puts them at 1440 N. Keating.

-1440 N. Keating is currently available for sale or lease. It's in a rather run down neighborhood I'd not want to live in, had been that way even when I lived in the area in the early 80's.

This 1941 War Production Board mailing list puts them on N. Knox Ave. in what is now Zip Code 60630:

-The address caught my eye, it's not very far from the old address on Keating. 4440 N. Knox is two blocks from the old Sheldon Lathe plant at 4266 N. Knox where I worked until Sheldon went bankrupt in 1983. You won't find the 4440 N. Knox address on a map as Knox Ave. ends in very close proximity to the I-90 (Kennedy Expressway) that cuts through the city. The construction of the expressway was completed in 1960 and I'd wager that the entire 4400 block was marked for demolition several years before 1958. The advance notice is likely what prompted Safety Socket to move to the location on Avondale in 1958, where they seem to have run the string out. None of this is important and perhaps not even OT to the original post on hex keys but it was a short journey down amnesia lane for me and just another personal footnote in the history Chicago manufacturing. That period of time was, for me, like watching the setting sun.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

None of this is important and perhaps not even OT to the original post on hex keys, but it was a short journey down amnesia lane for me and just another personal footnote in the history Chicago manufacturing. That period of time was, for me, like watching the setting sun.

Well, ever since 'the Great Divide' (ca. 2014) the vibe (and focus) is and generally has been a lot different up here on the General board than down on the Vintage board, but for many of us long-time regulars, and for most of the core contributors on the Vintage board, history - knowing how, why, where and when a manufacturer cut its teeth, made its mark, prospered (or faltered, conglomerated, etc) is the lifeblood of the hand tools collecting hobby..., and a personal lens is always appreciated.

Thanks for the pic of the older Safety Socket Screw Corp plant. Classic privacy glass blocks.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...two blocks from the old Sheldon Lathe plant at 4266 N. Knox where I worked until Sheldon went bankrupt in 1983.

Did it look like this?



(Sorry for the drift, Dave!)

 

[RoninB4]

-Perhaps I should have posted in the Vintage board but my post seemed like an ongoing conversation rather than a new topic so I dropped it here.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It was clearly a continuation, and a good one, to what started way back with my inquiry about the only two "Blue Devil" orphans I have. I doubt Dave will mind. We bumped the thread and there's no danger of a major derailment!

 

[Hakeem]

None of this is important and perhaps not even OT to the original post on hex keys but it was a short journey down amnesia lane for me and just another personal footnote in the history Chicago manufacturing. That period of time was, for me, like watching the setting sun.

As a current resident who is too young to have lived through said period of local manufacturing, I love reading your recollections (and pretty much anything you write, honestly). Hopefully Dave will forgive us for waxing nostalgic!

 

[RoninB4]

Did it look like this?



(Sorry for the drift, Dave!)

-Yep that's the place. I have several stories about Sheldon and was part of the factory dismantling of assets there and at the satellite facility in Lincolnwood. While knocking down the old wooden shelving system at Knox Ave. that held all the parts to the various lathes I came upon a factory Buck chuck in a dusty corner. Buck chucks were included as OEM tooling for some models but this one was still in the original box and had never been mounted. The bankruptcy was just before Christmas and the chuck somehow made it's way home with me as a Christmas bonus to supplement my final paycheck coming in a week. It's arguably the last new Buck chuck to leave the Sheldon factory. I anticipated mounting it on a personal lathe but I never did, never needed to. I've lugged this around since 1983, don't anticipate needing it, and would probably like to see it go to someone wanting to complete/restore a Sheldon. Maybe it would even be one I worked on (my overactive imagination).

-Sorry for the drift Dave.

 

[Dave455]

Not knowing anything about the history of the company except that they had a clever functionally embedded company name and a cool brand name for their hex keys, I wasn't sure why you'd think most likely not. As I am sure you know, Standard Pressed Steel made Unbrako hex keys because they made Unbrako hollow or safety head set and cap screws. Ditto Allen, Bristol (splined), Holo-Krome, etc. They were mated in tooling. The early makers were selling the whole fastening system. So I did some digging. Same story with this outfit.

This is from a 1941 edition of The Tool Engineer trade mag.



Yowza! I'd love to add that pouch to the collection one day.

They moved there in 1958. They had some prior addresses...

I can't pry the address out of this Snippet-Only source, but they were established in 1931.



This snippet from a 1935 Illini Club of Chicago Directory puts them at 1440 N. Keating.



This 1941 War Production Board mailing list puts them on N. Knox Ave. in what is now Zip Code 60630:

The only reason I thought that they might not make the keys in house is that it’s a different process from making screws.

But yes, I’m probably thinking in modern terms, and of course Allen had to make both (as they introduced the technology) as did Unbrako and Holo-Krome, so no reason why others should not.

The tooling my company had was in the 1990’s though, so comparatively speaking that’s “modern times”

RoninB4 - you are dead right (again). It was stripper screws (we call them “shoulder screws” in the U.K.) that were involved.

 

[Dave455]

-Sorry for the drift Dave.

Please don’t be.

All part of the rich history of hex keys…! And like Hakeem, I enjoy reading everything you write.

Strangely, although I am reading about industrial history of a country on a different continent, I could be reading about very local history, and it only serves to remind me how similar the U.K. and the U.S. are in many respects.

 

[RoninB4]

Strangely, although I am reading about industrial history of a country on a different continent, I could be reading about very local history, and it only serves to remind me how similar the U.K. and the U.S. are in many respects.

-For some reason I thought you might feel that way.

 

[four.cycle]

Holo-Krome Screw Corp., Hartford, Connecticut hex key set with steel case