Ordered a 12,30EUR set of Hazet screwdrivers off of Amazon.de cause it seemed like a really good deal. Somehow they messed up the order cause I got a set of allen keys I did not order at all. Can't be mad about that. They seem to be decently made. Maybe I'm a little spoiled but if I put them next to my knurled PB Swiss set or my Bondhus set they just don't seem to hold that fine of a finish. In general, it's what I expect from a German tool brand.
Those hex keys are made by Inbus.
No, they’re not quite the quality of Bondhus or PB.
Like many German tool manufacturers, Hazet are basically a forging company. Their core range of tools - wrenches, socket wrenches, tool boxes, and in Hazet’s case the many specialised tools they offer, are all made in house, and are high quality (albeit in the German style).
But all the other things needed to fill up the catalogue - hex keys, screwdrivers, pliers, are all bought in.
Where Hazet are concerned, I don’t always agree with where they source their bought in tools. Their Oplast screwdrivers (especially the slightly better ones) are “o.k.” but they’re not the quality of the older ones. All you say regarding hex keys is true.
But I think we have to accept that German tool manufacturers are very different to U.S. ones there are never going to be Hazet tool trucks worldwide!
So Hazet have to look after their existing customers. Many of those are industrial, and that’s a world that has got much more price sensitive. If Hazet were to reintroduce their beautiful forged screwdrivers today, and charge what they had to, I doubt their traditional customers would buy them.
You also see Hazet in some high street stores in Germany. Often not the core tools, sometimes just rebranded things like these drivers and hex keys. I view them almost as “merchandising”.
If I was Hazet I wouldn’t do this. It’s devalued their name. But if it brings them some income, and allows them to sell me decent stuff at reasonable prices, who am I to say their strategy is wrong!