Allen wrenches?

[Crasen]

I am looking for a good set of hex (allen) wrenches. I want something that will hold up pretty good and they will get used quite a bit. I am not sure if i want to pay for Snap On. But I am willing to pay for more than Craftsman. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Joe B.]

What type of hex wrenches?

I have this Craftsman set and they have worked great for me. They are on sale today for 23.99.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00946383000P
I also really like some of the Eklind produts. I think they make some Craftsman stuff but I'm not sure.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/s_10153_...urpose_Hex+Keys?sbf=Brand&sbv=Eklind&sLevel=2

 

[krusty the clown]

how about genuine allen brand?

 

[billymade]

If you willing to step up a bit; Wiha makes some nice sets and they are good quality German tools :http://www.wihatools.com/300seri/334soft_in.htm

 

[BillK]

I have had the best luck over the years with the genuine Allen brand sets. We use them a bunch at the shop as a lot of our tooling uses them to hold cutting bits in place etc. The Allen ones seem to last the longest before "rounding" off.

 

[krusty the clown]

http://www.armstrongtools.com/catalog/products.jsp?groupID=18


http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2360&select=&page=2


just a few.........

 

[Stuey]

Bondhus !!

Amazon and Enco (www.use-enco.com) sometimes have good promos going on certain sets.

(Made in the USA)

 

[foul_ball]

I love my Bondhus ball-end sets- great fit in the fasteners.

 

[speed bump]

You can buy the Allen brand from Grainger and MSC. Otherwise I reccomend Eklind they are easy to find (almost any Hardware store carries them) and seem to be just as good as the Allens.

 

[JayL]

Is the Ball End better? If I understand correctly it weakens the tool compared to the straight shaft version. How is the grip?

 

[64merc]

Bondhus looks to be pretty good quality, and they claim to have great warranty service.

 

[Rory Bellows]

Wait till enco has a deal on a set. If you look you can find sae, metric and torx in a set for $19.99. Or you could pay the regular 29.99 or such with free shipping code. BTW, Enco has routine sales with 10-15% off an order and shipping is usually free with a code. I am Bondhus but Allen brand is easily available at Enco.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

I bought a set for one work project lately (don't ask); Bondhus was the one everyone said to get for the 9" ones. I picked up the individual 6" Eklind, to leave with the thing after some fixing of it's problems.

 

[Merkava_4]

I am looking for a good set of hex (allen) wrenches.

Are looking for the T- handle type or the L-key type? Bondhus makes both kind and are top drawer quality.

 

[rodm1]

Bondhus if you need a longer wrench. If you need a shorter one go with Eklind. Otherwise they are the same sets. Buy 7mm is not included in there sets.

 

[Kevin54]

Is the Ball End better? If I understand correctly it weakens the tool compared to the straight shaft version. How is the grip?

Not so much better, but it lets you angle the wrench for hard to get socket head screws. I have broken a few but these were the smaller size. But for what they are, I would recommend them. The "L" shaped wrenches only have the ball on the long end. The "T" handles wrenches all have the ball except for the very small ones. Most that I have seen start with the 6-32 with the ball.

 

[Stuey]

The ball end is a bit weaker, but Bondhus compensates for it. On the T-drivers, the smaller sizes are not ball-ended, and the first two or so ball-ended sizes have smaller T-handle parts to prevent unintentional over-torquing that could shear the bal tip off.

 

[Elroy]

But I am willing to pay for more than Craftsman. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Actually Craftsman Allen wrenches are not that bad. If you want the "best" in brand names look for some H-K (Holo Krome). Part of the Allen Group thus the name Allen Wrench.

Ball end drivers are nice for limited access situations. The "o-ring" retainers also come in handy. Sometimes a wrench also needs to be trimmed short. What typically ends up happening is you need at least one complete set in english and another set in metric. Then a set of ball ends in both sizes. Combine these four sets with the miscellaneous ones that get trimmed and modified for special applications.

Then you need the "tee handle" style. Next thing you know you have 8 different sets of "allen" wrenches.

On thing Elroy would recommend. Look for a set that goes down to .050". That little booger get used quit a bit.

Craftsman are fine.

And when you sharpen one make sure you get it good and hot NOT.

 

[Jared]

i got a set of williams hex keys identical to the snap-ons cost me all of 12 bucks.

 

[Crasen]

Thanks for all the replies. I am looking for the L key type hex keys. The t handles and the extra long ones seems to be too big to get into many spots.

 

[Stuey]

I have a set of Gearwrench flexible hex keys that I'm starting to like a LOT. Just something else to consider.

 

[Coach James]

I've got C-man, Eklind, Bondhus and OEM. All work fine for me.

Coach

 

[eschoendorff]

I have Eklind - cheap and made in USA. I don't use them very often, but they work well when i need them.

I do have a fold up set of Allen-branded Allen wrenches that work pretty well... very convenient.

 

[JayL]

Eklind user here. Happy for the money paid. However I'm looking forward to get the ones with T-Handles now.

I just wonder what Allen keys will come with the Craftsman 265 pc tool set I just bought. Probably more of a pain to organize these. The Eklinds do come with a nice holder and this is what I like with it.

 

[kcleere]

Bondhus ball end ... best I've ever used.

 

[kythri]

Craftsman works great for me.

For the record, there isn't actually an "Allen Group" - there's the Danaher corporate portfolio which owns Allen...

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

I've got the L-shaped ball-end jobs in SAE and Metric, and they've worked great...

One of these days, I'll likely pony up for the T-Handles, but I can't justify it right now...