Contract_Pilot
Well-known member
Who makes a good quality Allen T Handle Set? Eklind, Bondhus, Etc? I Want some that are hard and will not strip easy?
Quality Allen T Handle Set?
- Thread starter Contract_Pilot
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bob15
Well-known member
Both Eklind and Bondhus are very good and very strong. I also have Wiha set that is very good and has a side key for breaking screw loose with.
cptn_zippy
Well-known member
I have a set of metric t-handle bondhus...they are excellent. I've used them pretty hard over the past couple of years, and they still are in great condition.
sonvolt
Well-known member
I have a Wiha set and they are awesome, Bondhus is a good as well
alan camby
Well-known member
The Eklind, I have seen, have the hex bent into the shape of a handle and have a springy feel while in use. Some, if not all, of the Bondhus have a welded bar welded on for the T handle. The welded seems like a better design to me.
^ Agreed, I use both the Bondhus and Eklind, very high quality products. We do a lot of teardowns of pumps that are submerged for long periods of time, and most of the hardware is allen, and only had minimal failures that are to be expected with abuse.
Both are good, but for T handles Bondhus is a better product, Elkind makes better folding hex sets.
OP
Contract_Pilot
Well-known member
Thanks, Yea i have look at Bondhus and Eklind at the local supplier they look soft was wondering if there are any made out of actual tool steel that is hard? Cannot find any data on the RC Hardness of the tools. I know my friends snap-on keep rounding out on the small ones.
Another Friend has a SAE set of old Sliding T Handel's he cannot remember the brand (EU or UK Mfg) but they have been used over 10 years not a round out they look to be made from drill rod and milled!
Another Friend has a SAE set of old Sliding T Handel's he cannot remember the brand (EU or UK Mfg) but they have been used over 10 years not a round out they look to be made from drill rod and milled!
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You want SAE or metric?
There have been a number of threads about this here on Garage Journal. When I was making this decision I went with Bondhus and have not been disappointed.
Take a look at the Bondhus Web site. They have some pretty impressive test reports comparing several manufacturers of hex (allen) wrenches.
I have a couple of the bondhus t handle sets and they are good, but I find myself preferring theWera Stainless 3950 L keys. They are HARD. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00...SY165_QL70&dpPl=1&dpID=314VLYOMJoL&ref=plSrch
I haven't found an equivalent T handle unfortunately.
ahm
I haven't found an equivalent T handle unfortunately.
ahm
FMC1959
Well-known member
Have zero experience with Ekland. I have a small Bondhus set for 20 years, works well and when it comes to Allen wrenches/keys, Bondhus probably get the most recommendations.
I just got these recently, they are beautiful and feel great, but not had them long enough to tell you they will last long and not have the rounded head problem.
http://www.trident-supply.com/Beta-Tools-96-T-S11-11-WRENCHES-96T-IN-BOX-p/3178-000960951.htm
Same goes for these...love them but cannot give you long term results.
http://www.trident-supply.com/Beta-Tools-953-S9-9-T-HANDLE-WRENCHES-953-IN-BOX-p/3178-009530301.htm
Aside from the Bondhus which would be a sure thing, Hazet & PB Swiss would be something to look at. They have great reputation with the metal quality and hardness they use, though price could be up there.
http://tools-from-germany.com/en/HA...ents/HAZET-163-189/6-T-Handle-Screwdriver-Set
http://www.pbswisstools.com/en/quality-hand-tools-qht/key-l-wrenches.html
An alternative?
http://shop.pbtools.us/T-handle-1-4-Bit-Driver-with-C6-bit-storage-455-M.htm
&
http://shop.pbtools.us/PB-C6-213Z-1-4-Screwdriver-Hex-Key-Bits-SAE_c198.htm
I just got these recently, they are beautiful and feel great, but not had them long enough to tell you they will last long and not have the rounded head problem.
http://www.trident-supply.com/Beta-Tools-96-T-S11-11-WRENCHES-96T-IN-BOX-p/3178-000960951.htm
Same goes for these...love them but cannot give you long term results.
http://www.trident-supply.com/Beta-Tools-953-S9-9-T-HANDLE-WRENCHES-953-IN-BOX-p/3178-009530301.htm
Aside from the Bondhus which would be a sure thing, Hazet & PB Swiss would be something to look at. They have great reputation with the metal quality and hardness they use, though price could be up there.
http://tools-from-germany.com/en/HA...ents/HAZET-163-189/6-T-Handle-Screwdriver-Set
http://www.pbswisstools.com/en/quality-hand-tools-qht/key-l-wrenches.html
An alternative?
http://shop.pbtools.us/T-handle-1-4-Bit-Driver-with-C6-bit-storage-455-M.htm
&
http://shop.pbtools.us/PB-C6-213Z-1-4-Screwdriver-Hex-Key-Bits-SAE_c198.htm
I have the snapon L/T combination set, good quality however the painted on numbers come off easily and the etched in size is hard to see with use. They do seem to "spring" on tight fasteners causing your hands to sting but they fit tight in fasteners and after 8 years they have no noticable wear on them.
rice rocket
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- Mar 24, 2011
- Messages
- 3,175
I second this. The Betas are awesome, I've had the ball ends for almost 4 years now, never rounded anything. I think woodstockva mentioned this earlier, but Beta is apparently the only mfg who forges the tips? You won't be disappointed.
I have the craftsman T handle sets and also the snap on screwdriver sets. The snap on I have had since the late 80s and they've never failed me. The craftsman I've only had for a couple years but use them a lot with no issues. I work on a lot of bicycle stuff that requires a great deal of hex tools. As far as return on long-term investment everything then I bought from snap on is actually worth more now than what I paid for it originally. It seems like the old hard handle snap on stuff is going crazy prices on eBay if it's in good condition
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nicksnothereman
Well-known member
10 sets of husky t handles at 10 bucks a pop.
I'd say get the old style bondhus but man do they **** to actually use even if they got coated handles. If you want quality for not a lot of money the craftsman probably fit the bill if they're us made (armstrong?).
I'll be honest with you though, the husky china ones ain't bad at all. If you use them a lot they might not hold up like the higher quality brands but for me between those and the bostitch t handle shank set I have and hex sockets I'm pretty much set for life.
The klein aren't bad but they ain't us made (the couple I have are from estonia or somewhere like that
)...maybe I just got the poor people's ones I don't know. They probably have a nicer set at least I'd hope they do, the ones I have make the husky set look like snap on.
Krokodil
Well-known member
I have a set of Hafu that I like.
woodstockva
Well-known member
Yes....that is absolutely something to keep in mind.
If the hex portion makes up the entire length of the shaft, then it has been made by pushing metal through an extruder (kind of like kids play-doh making fake spaghetti) to form it. The BETA ones are forged for extra strength/durability. They are extremely popular with motorcyclists/motorcycle mechanics.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
I have the Bondhus sets and they have held up impressively well. Bondhus products in general have treated me well, and they are a great bargain for USA made tools.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
I second Bondhus. These are available in both non-ball and ball end. These guys make high quality stuff period. Never a problem with any of their tools.
afazz
Well-known member
I work at a machine assembly plant, where everything is new and built with Allen bolts, and we use Eklind. They have just the right weight and inertia to spin bolts in and out quickly. Bondhus is great quality as well, they're heavier duty than the Eklind, but they're also physically heavier so they can slow you down in a production environment. At home I use Facom and Snapon, they're tough but they don't balance so you can't spin them quickly.
Art From De Leon
Well-known member
I prefer my Matco over my Snap-on.
itsvegas
Well-known member
The Beta look really nice and orange is always a plus. Cheapest place to get these at?
FMC1959
Well-known member
There are not a lot places to buy Beta, in NA, a good place is Trident Supply.
http://www.trident-supply.com/default.asp?m=0
A supporter of GJ and overall good place to deal with. I got mine for Xmas from my Gf, who got them from Trident when they had a 25% off sale. If you are not in a hurry, keep your eyes open for a sale, otherwise their regular price isn't too bad.
knobby
Well-known member
The straight tip set rather than the ball end set would be best if only buying one set. The reason for this is that the ball end keys are much more breakage prone if you lean into them
rdn2blazer
Well-known member
T-handles allens are the one tool I have never ever needed or had a use for. I have a complete set, two infact. I reach for a regular ball end "L" allen wrench evertime before a T wrench. With a ball end allen wrench you can back out or drive in an allen socket fastener with one hand with continuous rotation quickly with ease if used correctly.
You just put the long side of the wrench inbetween your middle and ring finger, or index and middle finger whichever is comfortable for you, at the base of the fingers in the radius of them. Not sure what thats actually called anatomy wise, the crook of the finger hell I don't know, anyway you put your thumb on the end of the short side of the allen, curl your fingers closed somewhat, and you should be able to rotate the hell out of the allen wrench rather quickly in the righty tighty or lefty loosy direction. I've been doing this and using this method for 20+ years as a machinist. I've only seen machinists do it honestly. You can not do this with a T wrench due to the handle being bulky and not being able to grip it in the manor you need to do it this way.
With a T wrench you have to hold the T wrench with one hand and twirly spin it with the other hand with one finger. I'm a machinist, I work with and know many machinists and do not know of one who uses T wrenches for socket head cap screws and in our industry thats 99% of what we use. Just my .02 cents.
You just put the long side of the wrench inbetween your middle and ring finger, or index and middle finger whichever is comfortable for you, at the base of the fingers in the radius of them. Not sure what thats actually called anatomy wise, the crook of the finger hell I don't know, anyway you put your thumb on the end of the short side of the allen, curl your fingers closed somewhat, and you should be able to rotate the hell out of the allen wrench rather quickly in the righty tighty or lefty loosy direction. I've been doing this and using this method for 20+ years as a machinist. I've only seen machinists do it honestly. You can not do this with a T wrench due to the handle being bulky and not being able to grip it in the manor you need to do it this way.
With a T wrench you have to hold the T wrench with one hand and twirly spin it with the other hand with one finger. I'm a machinist, I work with and know many machinists and do not know of one who uses T wrenches for socket head cap screws and in our industry thats 99% of what we use. Just my .02 cents.
sherrod624
Well-known member
couldn't find any that fit the bill of what i need so i made some
vincentshumai
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- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
- Messages
- 86
Another vote for Bondhus
OP
Contract_Pilot
Well-known member
Well, After looking my deciding factor for Eklind was the 5/64 the Bondhus sets only go down to 3/32 & warranty support. A local tool supplier stocks Eklind singles (no sets) they said it dont matter were I buy them if one rounds out they will replace like sears just walk in. If the local supplier had sets i would have supported them.
With $15.00 off at Zoro + Free shipping was $60.00 for the Metric 8 pce and SAE 11 pce set + a 22 Piece long L type. No to bad.
The Bondhus look a bit better built but i require a T Handel in 5/64.. 4" of thread with a L key takes way to long.
With $15.00 off at Zoro + Free shipping was $60.00 for the Metric 8 pce and SAE 11 pce set + a 22 Piece long L type. No to bad.
The Bondhus look a bit better built but i require a T Handel in 5/64.. 4" of thread with a L key takes way to long.
OP
Contract_Pilot
Well-known member
Been using the Eklind now a few months = fantastic not one has rounded out even with using a cheater pipe. I did get one to twist a little (almost to snapping point) still serviceable after abuse but local dealer swapped it asap n.q.a. like sears used to be. Very happy with the set's metric and standard! I think ill buy more single's from local dealer for the machines I use them on the most!
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rick carpenter
Well-known member
I used Bondhus t-handle and screwdriver-handle metric allens at my former work, including ball ends. It was a print shop and while we didn't abuse tools we didn't baby them either. Absolutely no problems whatsoever.
Wamsutta
Well-known member
I was going to mention that. That springy feel is useful on bicycle fasteners as a torque indicator. When it gets springy, the fastener is usually plenty tight.
decaf
Well-known member
When it comes too T-handles, i only use these two.
They are from motion pro and are great.
1/4" and 3/8".
Best thing is that i can use hex,sockets,bits and so on...
Its an absolute must have tool when it comes to motorcrossbikes.
They are from motion pro and are great.
1/4" and 3/8".
Best thing is that i can use hex,sockets,bits and so on...
Its an absolute must have tool when it comes to motorcrossbikes.
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I have the tee handle set from craftsman from 20 years ago. They were made by Eklind. The handles are thick steel coated with vinyl, rather than the plastic handles with the stubby Allen on one side.
What I like about my wrenches is exactly what you said. They are balanced evenly which makes them great for spinning screws in and out. Ditto, their high inertia, due to their heavy steel handles, seems to help. I also like how wide the tee is. You can kinda bump them to crack stuff loose or get just the right tightness.
Have been thinking of replacing my worn Husky t-handle set. I had my eyes on Park till looking at this thread. How do the park P-handle ones compare to the Bondhus, has anyone used both? I do want the small wrench sticking out the side of the T, I find that very useful sometimes and Bondhus or Eklind doesn't have that, just a plain handle...