First off, How did "Why are these hex so expensive" turn into an MSC ***** thread?
The T-handle hex key sets you linked to in the
MSC "made in USA section are expensive because of how they're made. The T-handle is welded out of thick high strength alloy steel, matched to the size of the hex bit it's going to hold. the end then has to be drilled and broached to the size of the hex bit the key is going to hold, and a separate bit is inserted and locked with a set screw. if the tip breaks a separate one can be purchased or a regular L-shaped hex key can be cut down and inserted. This is similar to the way
Snap-On manufactures their hex sockets, and the cost is about the same.
Bristol is the only other company I know of that still manufactures T-handle hex keys this way. I believe Unbrako used to sell T-handles made this way as well but they may have been sourced from Bristol. Most other T-handle hex keys are manufactured using a less expensive process, and if they break you have to replace the entire key.
Two,
MSC sells
Bondhus hex keys. They also sell Eklind if you want high quality USA manufactured hex keys. They also have
Wera,
Wiha, and
Excelite if you don't mind high quality import. I'm not sure whether the Excelite are USA made or not. Under "hex drivers" they also have
Allen and
Proto listed, and under "hex key sets" they also have
Blackhawk,
Ampco,
Certified Insulated Products,
Stanley, and
Paramount, listed.
http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/Han...rs-Accessories/Hex-Driver-Sets?navid=12103437
http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/Han...rivers-Accessories/Hex-Drivers?navid=12103438
This page has the T-handle
Bondhus hex keys if that's what you're looking for. The
Bondhus T-handle sets seem to cost between $35 and $70 dollars. I'll let you figure out whether those are good prices using Google or Amazon or whatever.
http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/Han...Key-Sets?navid=12103427+4294950246+4288225812
The reason the Bondhus hex keys didn't come up in the "made in USA" category has to do with the way the
MSC database was built. There doesn't appear to have been a separate column for COO built into the database, or at least the website. Somebody at MSC simply changed switched the manufacturer info to "made in USA". MSC didn't change the info for all the items that were manufactured in the USA though, probably because purchasers may specifically look for certain brands like Eklind or Bondhus. They probably changed the
BTI/Better Tools for Industry and
Ronco manufacturer info, because few people have probably heard of them, so it wouldn't likely cause any problems.
