Unseen tools

[Runner94]

On the cover page of the Garage Journal you have a posting about the hex wrench set from Griot's Garage catalog. I'll say this up front. THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT ABOUT GRIOTS' OR ANY OTHER CATALOG SALES ENTITY. My comment is about that type of tool. I have many allen and hex wrenches in my tool box. Most work fine. But you come to that one job that you get a stubborn set screw or bolt that requires a little more effort to remove. OK, we soak it in penetrating oil, hoping to get it loose but it doesn't help. We heat them, tap them, and slam them with a hammer. With all this you finally put the hex/allen wrench in to try and you ROUND OFF THE WRENCH. This has happened to me whether it is a large or small screw or bolt. The metal that is used in some of these wrenches is questionable. Granted where they are made is an important issue but is it about where they are made? Or does the price enter into the quality. Is the $19.99 item from Griots as good as the one from Snap-on or Matco. Or is the $5.99 set from HF really worse than the ones from Wally world. Who knows. Who can guess. I have sets from Sears and HF and I have old Allen sets from my father. They all are prone to rounding off. Why is it the screws and bolts are harder material than the wrenches that are used to remove them. Yes, the screws and bolts have to be to do their job, but the tools should be able to do their job also.

Any comments. These comments also do not reflect complaints about other tools by other manufacturers, and I don't think it's about the name on the product as much as the product. Let's get everyones point of view.

 

[ranger_dood]

Hmm... I've never rounded an allen wrench off, but I've twisted them around pretty good.

I bought a set of Husky keys at the Depot, and I've been very happy with them, for $20. They served me very well when I was running RC cars.

 

[eschoendorff]

Hmm... I've never rounded an allen wrench off, but I've twisted them around pretty good.

Me too. And Torx! I haev teh Bondhus (made in USA) allen wrenches and they work pretty well. Got a set of SAE and metric at HF for about $10-15. If it is a really stubborn bolt, I use a hex socket.

Those allen-type wrenches are okay, but you have to be realistic about them. They are a relatively low-torque tool (think set-screws). If you need more umph, go to a hex bit socket. Just my .02.

Ed

 

[IntrstlarOvrdrve]

I hear that, I had a set of allens and managed to round them off. I now have a set of snappys..really havent had to use them much but I have yet to round one off

 

[TNToy]

I hear that, I had a set of allens and managed to round them off. I now have a set of snappys..really havent had to use them much but I have yet to round one off

Good luck rounding off a Snap-On or Matco allen socket. I use 3/8" drive allen sockets from the two almost exclusively - never really use an allen key anywhere.

The tip of those will wallow out an 8.8 fastener completely round when run on an impact if they don't break loose. Done it about a half dozen times with the 7mm Snap-On one I use a lot at work, and it's not showing any wear other than the finish rubbing off.

Hex keys stink. Buy a good set of metric and/or SAE allen sockets, and don't look back.

I used to hate Torx fasteners before I started working as a tech on vehicles that use T25s and T30s everywhere, but with a good bit, they're not a problem. At least they're much harder to strip out than an Allen fastener.

If I'm worried an allen, philips/slot, or torx fastener will strip and there's enough room... I grab the impact driver (aka hammer impact) and break it loose with that. Works most of the time. If it doesn't, it's time to weld a nut to the head of the fastener. They look like this:

 

[wythors]

I bought a set of the plastic T-handled Allen wrenches from HF (my second-to-last-ever purchase from them) that I tried to use one time. I was attempting to take the mirror off of a medicine chest. The shaft of the wrench actually twisted completely around without budging the screw. My old Craftsman hex-key got the screw out without any problems at all and the HF **** went out in the garbage that night. That, followed by the debacle with the jack, was what cemented my decision to never darken their door again.