Can anyone top Bondhus?

[BrandonV]

Good quality tools but they always have a weird smell which bothers me.

Maybe its just me or the Arizona heat causing them to stink up.

 

[sweet victory]

I would agree that Snap On is not single sourcing their hex keys based on what I've seen. Bondhus, Elkind, VIM, zypher, etc. can all be found on the truck.

I realize I never followed up with what decision I went with after starting this thread. I'm **** about documenting my tools for my insurance policy, so I have a nice photo of how I got everything set up when it was new. I still have it set up the same way today. I went with the Bondhus t handles that have the dipped handles. I purchased the SO branded versions for ease of potential warranty. My dealer also sold them to me for almost the same price as the Bondhus MSRP. I find the older, round dipped handles to be far more enjoyable to use than the square handle versions SO sells and they fit in the slotted rack much better.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Who makes the slotted rack you are using?

 

[RoninB4]

With regard to Eklind making hex keys for Snap On, can you recall if they make all of them, or just some?

-I can't speak for all of what Eklind made for Snap-On as I wasn't familiar with the entire line from Snap-On. What I do know is the fold-up set in a stamped metal handle certainly was, still got a few in my tool chest. A simple stamp change in the die was all that was required to make them either Eklind, Snap-On, Park, or a couple of others brands I can't recall. This is called "house branding" and is quite common in manufactured products of all kinds. It makes determining COO rather difficult when all that is done is take out one stamp and put in a different one. I've done this at quite a few different companies.

At the time, some of our customers objected to "Eklind Tool" being on the shank so we had a new stamp created that simply stated "ET". For any hex key products with "ET" on it somewhere I'd say it's likely Eklind Tool.

I can remember, at about that time, Snap On offering what were fairly obviously Eklind hex keys. They were the same shape (including the tips), came in the same finish, and even the same holders (albeit different colours).

-The keys themselves would have manufacturing clues suggesting who made them. Eklind had a certain color after heat treating that the others did not, likely due to the steel and that particular heat treater. I'd heard the VP state this as an intentional result to allow Eklind to visually stand out at a glance. I've compared several different brands and there is a subtle visual difference. The metal fold-up handle was the only type made in-house during the 90's at the Chicago location. The plastic holders were supplied by company that molded them for us. There were no molding presses at the time. Eklind moved from Chicago to the suburbs after I left and I have no idea what they do there now. I left around 1996 IIRC.

Snap On also offered their “own” hex keys, that came in the distinctive silver chrome or gold finish, and were supplied in metal indexes. Were these produced by Eklind also?

-The keys with a finish other than black oxide probably weren't Eklind. I don't recall any hex keys having a different color finish regardless of who the customer was. There may well have been a few flash chrome examples that were special order but the Chicago location wasn't equipped to do anything like that. It's a fairly simple task to send something out to a plater or have a different colored surface treatment applied at the heat treater. Snap-On could very well have just contracted someone else to supply the silver/gold colored hex keys. As for the metal index containers, I've seen some older types that were made well before I started working there. During my tenure, (1993-1996) the only metal index holders for individual keys were stands for the T-handles.

As a matter of interest, I’ve been using Eklind hex keys since about that time, and have found them nothing other than first class! Though I must confess to using Bondhus too, particularly the T handle!

-That's ok, when I arrived I had a preference for the Unbrako brand. Getting free hex keys whenever I wanted did cause me to change brands. Which ball driver did I prefer? At that time there were only 2 brands of ball drivers, Bondhus and Eklnd. I was assigned the ball driver project and travel to German where a new process was being developed to make the ball driver. Bondhus used an opposing broach indexing method to produce their profile, older examples will show this. The new method produced a profile in a fraction of the time with special machinery. Due to industrial espionage going on in Germany the new process was intentionally leaked and other companies also acquired the machinery about 6-12 months after Eklind's machinery touched arrived at O'Hare airport. Now there are dozens of companies that likely use the same process. The profile is a simple programming code change.

 

[RoninB4]

I have attempted to answer questions regarding Eklind hex keys but I may very well have missed a few. If any of you have questions I didn't answer I'll offer my apologies, it was not intentional. I don't mind answering any further questions. For all that I've gotten off this site (thanks Ryan) this is just my way of giving something back. Hope it helped someone.

 

[KnurledNut]

@RoninB4
My first set of Eklind T-handles were likely made when you were there. I bought these brand new from an industrial supply house.
28 years on these without oiling speaks volumes about the rust prevention they used. My Bondhus have not fared that well.

 

[BlitzcrankJapan]

I have been very impressed with Hafu. Made in Germany and have symmetrical handle SAE/Metric/Torx as you requested.

HaFu

www.hafu.de

I also like Vessel and Stahlwille hex keys.
I have Bondhus and Eklind hex keys but have not been impressed with either.
Breaking strength of the hex key is of little importance to me. What is important is how well they grip. How easily they strip the screw or the hex key itself.

 

[sweet victory]

Who makes the slotted rack you are using?

These are snap on's slotted racks for their slots n dots panel.