hex key organization

[63mothership]

just wondering how some of yall organize loss hex keys? trying to get a lot of mine organized.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

I will try to remember to take a picture of how I did it when I get home.

 

[63mothership]

I will try to remember to take a picture of how I did it when I get home.

thanks

 

[drink]

I haven't misplaced any so far. My hex keys are store in the cases or in plastic caddies. Some plastic storage containers are better than others. The folding thing in the picture has had some hex keys to drop out but I put them back in. The markings and slots help to account for them all.

 

[MF'er]

Bondhus sells hex key holders seperately. I think i got some from jbtoolsales.com.

 

[tool_scrounge]

Labeled Plastic organizer drawers in the tool box. Years ago I found someone who had 10lbs of loose allen wrenches he wanted gone for the cost of flat rate shipping. So I bought the bunch. But sorting that many hex keys was a pain, so I made a simple go/no-go tool as shown to help me quickly sort the different sizes. I worked great and now I have more than I will ever need.

 

[lastgoodusername]

so simple, but yet SO BRILLIANT. I will be copying this idea. Thanks

 

[esvee]

I bought the bondhus set that comes with a stand, which are my main go-to. If I need more than one, I'm happy to dig in my excess tools bins, since needing multiple hex keys at once is pretty rare.

 

[JBradley500]

The typical hex key drawer looks something like this.

 

[63mothership]

Trying to decide if I should just go ahead a get a new set of hex keys or just make holders for all the ones I have. Then if I get new ones just go through all of them if I break or bend one

 

[63mothership]

Can anyone tell me if the bondhus if they are a good set of hex keys and if they can stand up to being used alot? (2-3) times a week on personal stuff. Or if there is a better set

 

[firworks]

The typical hex key drawer looks something like this.

I have 3 drawers of my tool box that look like that sadly. You get a lot of miscellaneous Hex and Torx keys buying tool auction flats.

 

[383 240z]

Can anyone tell me if the bondhus if they are a good set of hex keys and if they can stand up to being used alot? (2-3) times a week on personal stuff. Or if there is a better set

I used Bondus keys daily in the machine shop, like 10-15 times a day. I have the black and the gold sets. They both worked very well and you can get an SAE&metric set on Amazon for about $20

 

[MrGiggles]

I don't have many keys anymore. I have been using hex sockets (organized with socket strips), one piece folding hex key sets, and T-handles which are organized in the holder they came with.

I haven't found a hex key setup that I liked aside from the one piece sets. Even the Snap-On boxes are a pain in my opinion. In order to pull one key, any that are larger need to be folded out of the way first.

 

[2oolhound]

I used to arrange them by size in one of the narrow top drawers until they got too deep and I had to dig for them like this:



Now I've (presently) got enough drawer real-estate that I have dedicated a 12" drawer each for metric and sae. It works great, I grab 3 or 4 in the range I need and it doesn't take much to put them back in order for next time.:





My road boxes have the fold out of the handle kits.

 

[davethorik]

I have Eklind hex keys in Inch and Metric that stay in their plastic holders. Larger sizes are laid out like 2oolhound^

I keep hex bit sockets separately with other sockets/drive tools of the same size.

 

[ssdave]

2oolhound has got it figured out about as good as it gets. I have mine more or less mixed up in drawers, with several sets in the bondhus holders in my user boxes. They're a pain, you have to rotate the longer keys out of the way to get a shorter one out. But, they're great for organization. What I do more often is use t-handle ones, and I rack those on the pegboard on a long peg, in order of size.

Mostly, I use the plastic drawer of miscellaneous ones for replacing the broken hex out of a socket. I cut off the key to the length I want with a dremel tool, and use it to replace the broken one. Very rarely, I break a hex key out of one of the sets and have to replace it.

I might be the guy that was referenced above as selling a 10 pound lot of keys to get rid of them. After going through toolboxes for years and setting the keys aside in drawers, I got disgusted with them and ebayed them in large lots, keeping just 2 to 5 of larger sizes, and maybe 8 or 10 of small sizes that break easily. Now, when I get a toolbox with a bunch in it, I either throw them in with a medium flat rate priority box lot of misc tools to ebay, or donate them to the thrift store. I don't consider them worth the storage space after the first few that I've already stored.

 

[63mothership]

I bought the bondhus set that comes with a stand, which are my main go-to. If I need more than one, I'm happy to dig in my excess tools bins, since needing multiple hex keys at once is pretty rare.

what are the advantages to the t-handles vs the l-keys? I personally mainly use l-keys as that's all I have, but I have used t-handles and they seem nice but I don't feel they could replace l-keys or worth the extra price

 

[63mothership]

I used to arrange them by size in one of the narrow top drawers until they got too deep and I had to dig for them like this:



Now I've (presently) got enough drawer real-estate that I have dedicated a 12" drawer each for metric and sae. It works great, I grab 3 or 4 in the range I need and it doesn't take much to put them back in order for next time.:





My road boxes have the fold out of the handle kits.

I think I might just do that with the ones I have and get rid of some of the extras, probably just gonna get a magnetic rail to lay down so they stay in place and order. I also got some of the hex keys that go to the fold out hex keys that I need to make a new handle to

 

[four.cycle]

all dumped into a quart zip-lock bag. SAE/metric. black/chrome. it's a merry merry mix.
I always seem to be able to find the right size, though.

found an ancient "Holo-Krome" set in the box that has a nice built-in rack. classy.

have a couple NOS "Great Neck" sets that have never been opened in drawers somewhere. brother-in-law was sales manager for Great Neck and gave me all his samples when he left the company.

those fold-up thingies are quick. I think there's at least a couple of them around here somewhere.

but generally I go for the zip-lock, because I know it's got every size in it.

 

[63mothership]

I used Bondus keys daily in the machine shop, like 10-15 times a day. I have the black and the gold sets. They both worked very well and you can get an SAE&metric set on Amazon for about $20

going to look into getting a set of the bondhus as a lot of mine are just ones I found in junkyards or in the middle of the road. so I don't really have a matching set. they also have really good reviews and seem like they will last and not break

 

[davethorik]

found an ancient "Holo-Krome" set in the box that has a nice built-in rack. classy.

Got any pics? We buy a LOT of Holo-Krome shcs where I work. Apparently it was common for fastener companies to make their own hex keys back in the day, or at least have their name put on them. I bought a single 3/4 L-key off ebay that is stamped Brighton USA, another fastener mfg.

 

[owenst7]

Bondhus makes great hex keys. They're also made in USA.

 

[rice rocket]

The crux of the problem is you're hoarding keys you'll never use. Toss the garbage ones, keep the nice ones. Consolidate down to a few, complete sets.

I have a bunch of hex stuff in a few styles.

 

[Mr. T]

what are the advantages to the t-handles vs the l-keys? I personally mainly use l-keys as that's all I have, but I have used t-handles and they seem nice but I don't feel they could replace l-keys or worth the extra price

To me T-handles give a better "feel" for tightening consistently. But that's not a scientific assessment. L-keys are better for breaking a fastener loose. That and Ts are nice for deeper holes.

Here's my hex drawer.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Good T handle hex keys I consider essential for tool and die work.

 

[OccupantRJ]

My wall hanger version.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84541

 

[lastgoodusername]

The crux of the problem is you're hoarding keys you'll never use. Toss the garbage ones, keep the nice ones. Consolidate down to a few, complete sets.

I have a bunch of hex stuff in a few styles.

wiser words were never spoken concerning allen wrenchs.

 

[steed andersen]

The crux of the problem is you're hoarding keys you'll never use. Toss the garbage ones, keep the nice ones. Consolidate down to a few, complete sets.

I have a bunch of hex stuff in a few styles.

X-ZACTLY.

 

[Skysurfer]

 

[Outlawmws]

Labeled Plastic organizer drawers in the tool box. Years ago I found someone who had 10lbs of loose allen wrenches he wanted gone for the cost of flat rate shipping. So I bought the bunch. But sorting that many hex keys was a pain, so I made a simple go/no-go tool as shown to help me quickly sort the different sizes. I worked great and now I have more than I will ever need.

so simple, but yet SO BRILLIANT. I will be copying this idea. Thanks

!!!! (and a "why didn't I think of that?" )

 

[Outlawmws]

I used to arrange them by size in one of the narrow top drawers until they got too deep and I had to dig for them like this:



Now I've (presently) got enough drawer real-estate that I have dedicated a 12" drawer each for metric and sae. It works great, I grab 3 or 4 in the range I need and it doesn't take much to put them back in order for next time.:





My road boxes have the fold out of the handle kits.

Also liking this idea, and thinking 2 sliding trays (2 levels - MM & SAE) setup with the flat stuff, in a drawer deep enough to keep them above the bulkier ones with handles and fold out keys Hmmmm ...