Ball End Hex Socket Set help.

[GophersGarage]

Looking to add some to my tool box. I have read about many snapping them off and creating more issues.

However I do think they are needed to have "just in case"

What are your thoughts? Brands?

I see Gearwrench and Tekton coming up often.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I have the Carlyle ones at work and they do very well. Now that Carlyle has changed though I’m not sure if they are still offered or the quality as I haven’t tried any of the new stuff so I would be looking at Tekton or Capri.

 

[BombShelter]

I was just using my older Craftsman Set yesterday, the extra little angle is perfect for some applications but the set only gets used a few times a year. I'd also keep an eye on Wiha, they always have lots of sales this time of year.

Ball End Hex Bit Sockets

Wiha BallEnd Hex Bit Socket 1/4 Sq Drive 9/64

www.wihatools.com

 

[JradM]

Bondhus is as good as it gets, but they sell a weird set where you have to source your own sockets to insert the hexes into. They probably have a complete version too - but I've not seen it.

 

[Jeeper99]

Ball end hex, especially the long version are a fragile tool similar to ratcheting wrenches. Not great for breaking things loose though extremely handy. If you abuse them, they will break, the material removed for the ball is a natural failure point.

I have a set of the long Icons at work, they have held up well. I'm planning on buying the long Tekton set for home and wish they would come out with short ball ends. The Icon neck down at the ball in smaller sizes making them hard to fit deep into holes threaded for set screws. I bought a set of the 1/4" drive long non ball end Tekton hex sockets. They have been very handy for things like set screws on couplers buried without the built in failure point of missing material for the ball end.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Bondhus is as good as it gets, but they sell a weird set where you have to source your own sockets to insert the hexes into. They probably have a complete version too - but I've not seen it.

https://www.zoro.com/bondhus-metric-ballend-sockets-bits-tool-set-w-proguard-w-case-8-pc-30887/i/G6464928/

That's one example there are more

 

[L.Cheapo]

I just used my Bondhus ball end L shaped hex keys a week ago in a situation where nothing else would have worked. I was happy to have them and save myself hours of disassembly and reassembly. I know you asked about socket style, but the L keys are cheap enough that they're worth having too!

 

[liliysdad]

I have Mac and Cornwell sets, which I imagine are both VIM. They are fine, but they are fragile tools. I haven’t broken any of them yet, but I’ve gotten into a number of situations where I knew I was close.

I need to get a good set of non ball end sockets for general use.

 

[Dave455]

Like a lot of these things, it depends on what you do.

In my experience, there are relatively few cases when you really need them for automotive work, but there are some cases when they make life easier. Other applications, it’s different, and some sort of ball hex can be essential.

I also find that I need short length regular hex bits a lot. In fact I use them primarily. If I didn’t have them I would need ball hex a lot more.

No, the ball hex are not as strong as the regular hex. If you use a hex key with a ball tip the amount of torque you can exert is very limited, but put one of these ball hex sockets on a ratchet and yes, they can be broken. So if feasible, use a regular hex to break loose a fastener then switch.

As to brands, you don’t have the choice in ball hex that you do in regular. I know how easily I can twist regular hex bits, so I really would want ball hex to be good quality.

I don’t own any Bondhus but everything else Bondhus I own is superb, so I’d be happy with those. While I‘m sure they make the hex part, I doubt they make the socket, but they are not usually the weakest part.

My choice would probably be KoKen (regular not Z Series). I find them reasonably strong, they offer regular hex or ball hex in a variety of lengths, and they are not expensive (at least not where I am).

KoKen supply replacement bits inexpensively, so I’d order a set with the sockets.


Second choice would probably be Hazet. I don’t have their ball hex but I rate their regular hex quite highly - they are also tough, and beautifully finished - so I’d be confidant of the ball hex.


Snap On offer these as well. Nice tools, but for me very expensive. The Snap On ball hex are approximately 4 x the price of the Hazet, and they are not 4 x as nice. The sockets are beautifully finished though, and the warranty is worth having in this instance.

 

[bwringer]

Yup, ball end sockets in short and long are worth having if you work on a lot of equipment or motorcycles that use awkwardly placed hex fasteners. I'm into motorcycles, so I use mine a lot.

Truthfully... mine came from Harbor Freight and they've been fine. If I were starting over, I would get Icon or Tekton. Lots of companies make great hex keys, but I would give the edge to Wera's hex-plus. However, I don't think they make long bit sockets.

As with any tool that requires a brain to operate, you'll find lots of moaning from morons who applied 1000 foot-pounds and snapped them off. Crack it loose, then go in with the ball end.

 

[RoninB4]

--Brand will be less important IMO, the "neck" profile (in cross section) from different brands will only offer a marginal amount of strength more than other brands. Ball ends break off because people use them in situations that exceed the design limitations. Ball end hex keys were never designed for breaking/setting the torque on fasteners, they were designed for spinning the fastener in/out. Breaking/setting torque should be done with a standard ended hex key. It's not a failure of the steel or the heat treating, it's the failure of the user. So if the fastener is in an inconvenient location either drill an access hole or cut/grind a standard hex key to fit. Hex keys are considered perishable tooling, they do wear out with use if/when the corners start to round over.

 

[Gebirgekind]

Check out Eight Tools in Japan, they advertise their "taper head" bits with strength to fastening torque. I've been using their hex keys and they're on par with if not better than PB Swiss for fit and durability, at around half the price. The bit sockets look just as nice and are available through Zoro and others. And they might indeed hold up to higher torque, but like others have said of course try to break free with a regular hex when possible.

 

[GophersGarage]

Thanks to everyone. Yes I do have a full set of short and long version of the standard hex sockets.

I was working on a timing belt cover and recall wishing I had something to help remove some of the tough to get to bolts. This is what made me aware of the idea of buying a set of ball version hex sockets.

I don't expect ball to be as strong like standard.

 

[W-Cummins]

So can someone tell me why I need an extended ball hex? I can see the use for the short ones, but what is the case for the long ones?? If I need a long hex for clearance to get on the fasteners I get it. But if you can't get to the bolts due to clearance (if the bolt is down in a hole) you don't need a ball end.

 

[Stubby1743]

If you can find them, EIGHT brand hex keys from Japan are some of the best you can get. They only make hex keys (in all their forms) and so have become very good at it.

Here is the catalogue page for the socket types.

Socket bit | EIGHT TOOL

www.eight-tool.co.jp

 

[liliysdad]

So can someone tell me why I need an extended ball hex? I can see the use for the short ones, but what is the case for the long ones?? If I need a long hex for clearance to get on the fasteners I get it. But if you can't get to the bolts due to clearance (if the bolt is down in a hole) you don't need a ball end.

They are very handy when working with obstructed fasteners. They work almost like a universal, giving access around and behind things, or where the fastener is very close to a vertical edge.

 

[bwringer]

So can someone tell me why I need an extended ball hex? I can see the use for the short ones, but what is the case for the long ones?? If I need a long hex for clearance to get on the fasteners I get it. But if you can't get to the bolts due to clearance (if the bolt is down in a hole) you don't need a ball end.

I can't recall ever needing one on a car or truck (where socket head hex fasteners are fairly rare in the first place), but I've needed these on motorcycles many times.

The usual issue is that you have something above the fastener that is in the way of where the ratchet would need to be. With a long bit with a ball end, you can often sneak past the obstruction at a little bit of an angle.

I also have a set of "stubby" L-keys for restricted access situations. These have a shorter short end than usual (and I've made my own stubbys by lopping off part of a normal hex key more than once).

You need all kinds of exotic access solutions on hand when you're working on motorcycles. Pretty much everything will end up being used somewhere sometime.

One issue I've started seeing more is the torx fasteners scattered around Harleys and European motorcycles. Ball end torx tools do exist, and I have a set of these keys, but they can't apply much torque. A lot of torx fasteners absolutely require a longer bit to reach past or through other parts.

For example, a long torx bit is the only possible way to reach the turn signal mount bolt on some Harleys; there's no room at all for a key or a short bit. Even then, the long bit is cocked sideways at a little bit of an angle, and the whole thing is pretty marginal.

Basically, you need an assortment of solutions on hand because serviceability is just not an engineering and design priority for any vehicle. Every cubic millimeter seems to have something in it that's in your way.

 

[dnschmidt]

If you want the best EIGHT is where it's at. Better than P. B. Swiss or anybody else. They must make these things from the same metal as Captain America's shield that stuff from Wakanda. Expensive, but as Rick Flare once said: "If you want to be the best you've got to beat the best." and in my opinion these beat P. B. Swiss the former champion.

 

[KnurledNut]

How I roll. Pun intended.
Included are some ball end driver shafts in small sizes: .050, 1/16, 1.27mm 1.5mm ride in a reamer tube. And oddball sizes like 3.5mm, 4.5mm etc.
Both square and ball ends of these can be used.
Driven with a Snap-on mini chuck.
I find the socket portion of bit sockets redundant and needless weight and bulk in my vocation. If you work primarily out of a toolbox in a shop, yeah they are very convenient and the better format.
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I know this thread is about sockets but ball ends with a holding feature can prevent a headache.

 

[Steve_P]

Because it's probably likely that you will break one of these someday, I would go with something readily available in North America, like Tekton. I don't have a dedicated socket drive set of these but have loose straight hex bits like shown in the post above, L keys (of course), and recently added a Wiha drive-lock set that includes ball end hex.

 

[Outlier]

So can someone tell me why I need an extended ball hex? I can see the use for the short ones, but what is the case for the long ones?? If I need a long hex for clearance to get on the fasteners I get it. But if you can't get to the bolts due to clearance (if the bolt is down in a hole) you don't need a ball end.

My main use case for them was late 90s and early 2000s VWs. They were a godsend for working on my ALH diesel Golf.

VW got away from them and went to using more TORX and XZN/triple squares on the newer stuff.

 

[Dave455]

How I roll. Pun intended.
View attachment 2457719

KnurledNut - can you tell us some more about your roll up set?

That is incredibly comprehensive yet compact, and the long bits probably carry easier than bit sockets.

Are all the bits Bondhus?

I like the ones with the 1/4” hex shanks.

 

[KnurledNut]

KnurledNut - can you tell us some more about your roll up set?

That is incredibly comprehensive yet compact, and the long bits probably carry easier than bit sockets.

Are all the bits Bondhus?

I like the ones with the 1/4” hex shanks.

I'll try to expound on it when I get a little more time. Thanks for the interest.
It is extremely versatile, containing a diverse selection of both SAE and metric, in an impressively small compact profile.