[Closed] Recommend me some allen keys.

Invisible allen keys?

Bondhus

Wera

Teng

all the usual suspects

I've got a set of Teng which are good.

Wera seem popular and come in pretty colours. Bahco also seem to be OK.

Then decide if you want ball end or not.

I've a nice set of Teng P handles that get used all the time. Normal L-shaped allen keys get the job done but usually nothing like as good. They weren't cheap but they last forever.

Bondhus's basic allen key sets are very good and not expensive. Someone'll probably recommend Wera but imo their hexplus while it's really effective sometimes, isn't the right thing for small bolts- especially if you've got any alu bolts or generally soft shitty ones, the hexplus can damage the bolt just by being too bitey. I'd rather just have a really good fitting standard hex most of the time, and the Weras only come out when I've got something damaged to fight and I don't mind if I damage it more.

Wera 3950

I've got the funky coloured Wera's. They might be the last set I ever buy assuming I don't lose them somewhere.

I've got a set of Facom 83SH JP9A and they're spot on. Useful to have a normal end and a ball end, they're also great as I store them in a tool box so couldn't fit the large t-handle type in.

I've T handle ones from Lidl that have been great, and cheap.

But I want some colourful wera ones!

dont get the stainless wera ones. they look nice but are no good for high torque applications, like crank bolts etc

Wera here. They come in pretty colours which makes it easier to realise that you've lost the yellow one (4mm).

I’ve T handle ones from Lidl

I had a set of them for the van the 5mm wasn't 5mm and was a loose fit in any 5mm head bolt and the small sizes were so bad I didn't dare use them.

Wouldn't regard them quality and/or I would suspect the lack of QC.

dont get the stainless wera ones. they look nice but are no good for high torque applications, like crank bolts etc

Designed to ensure you don't cause foreign element corrosion By introducing ferrous metals to non ferrous metals.

Not really a concern on a bike. Even if you have stainless bolts they are not in a situation where the above would be an issue and more so the stainless grade you'll be buying for your bike won't be very exotic.

Very much the wrong tool for the job .

But shiny

Wera coloured here - they just work and are not daft cost.

My colourful Wera ones have been great but the 5mm's (which gets most use) sleeve has come loose which makes it a bit of a pain! The single replacement is a different colour.

Wera are very good, less than £30 and the hex plus profile is useful to stop possible rounding of bolts. I've had mine a few years and don't see me needing to replace them any time soon

Cheers all - these may be obvious suggestions to you but for me (whose last set was probably about seven quid off ebay) it's really useful.

I got the Bondhus ones in 2010 after a recommendation on here

https://tinyurl.com/46r3jb4u

They've been great

I used a set of t handle Allen keys for years, until the plastic handles broke and I had another motley incomplete collection in another stand on the workbench. I have a large motley collection of metal Allen keys and some super fancy extra long snap on ones from my dad which tbh are the best I’ve used.

But after hunting through my disorganised collection today loookinig for the right Allen key, I decided enough was enough and was about to buy the wera coloured set and these popped up from everyone’s fave retailer so I’ve bought these today, same price as the wera but include the full torx set too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07RC8F1CB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

served my apprentice with Bondhaus, helped pay the mortgage with Wera.

Another wera user here. Allan and torx.

Bought after using both cheap and supposedly high quality others (which were not) and they just work.

Beta 951 fantastic

Been using Swisstool for many years.

We use Bondhus and Wiha where I work, industrial press tool fitting. The pressure we put on them is indane sometimrs, never had one snap or twist yet, even with BFO pipes over them as a handle. The chrome effect Wiha ones are far superior to anything else we've used, think they were quite expensive though, they were ordered in error by our boss.

These bad boys
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wiha+ergostar&id=EC722080995D61CAEEF12A9633F803C96D752181&FORM=IQFRBA

Another recommendation for the wera with the hex plus. Absolutely my favourite tools of the lot, never even come close to rounding anything in the 7/8 years I've had them. Ranging from car/drums/bikes/skates/DIY jobs.
My normal idea is spend the maximum I can afford on everything tooling.

I know it's not really acceptable on here, but my Halfords Advanced set have been great for the last 15 years

I know it’s not really acceptable on here, but my Halfords Advanced set have been great for the last 15 years

Of course it is completely acceptable if you are a home mechanic doing your own bike , I have a lot of Halfords advanced stuff even as a pro shop mechanic in a shop the same screwdriver set has lasted my career out (with the exception of the small flat that I levered something with in a moment of madness and halfords swapped it with no proof of purchase)

I spent 15 years wrenching and the only common factor with knackering a bolt head was the variability of the bolt quality and the moron using the tool as opposed to the allen key quality , if a hex is worn its going to take that touch to get it right rather than the mechanically inept bull in a china shop approach , it follows then that mechanics get to see the aftermath.

Just because it ain't populist doesn't mean its a shoddy pick.

Timely thread for me. Numpty question - should I be getting imperial or metric sized ones?

My colourful Wera ones have been great but the 5mm’s (which gets most use) sleeve has come loose which makes it a bit of a pain!

All but the smallest ones of my Wera set have done this, and I had to superglue them back on.

Would not buy sleeved ones again.

afrothunder88 everything on the bike will be metric

Unless it's a classic

Kept my PB Swiss, gave away my Wera set. Wera had a clunkier holder and the keys are harder to remove, sleeves can also come loose. Note there are diff versions of the colored PB sets, here's one:

Generally I find PB Swiss has the best hand tools..

Had same set off Bondhus for nearly 20 year

I’ve T handle ones from Lidl that have been great, and cheap.

But I want some colourful wera ones!

Same here, though i like the idea of the coloured ones. Once you get to mind which colour is which size, finding the damn things is easy.

I've the standard lidl ones, which come with a plastic T handle you fit to the larger sizes. Cheap they may be but they've performed well, no slipping or chewing or anything like that. More expensive would be better, but probably only if you have them in use daily for long periods.

Wera

I had a set of them for the van the 5mm wasn’t 5mm and was a loose fit in any 5mm head bolt and the small sizes were so bad I didn’t dare use them.

Wouldn’t regard them quality and/or I would suspect the lack of QC.

My experience also. Absolute shite and reminded me to always buy the best tools I can afford. Especially for something that gets used all the time like an allen key set.

I have the Wera hex plus set. As others have said above the sleeves and holder aren't great. The holder is actually quite nasty to use and get keys in and out of. I wouldn't buy again, I think I paid a premium for the pretty colours and brand vs a quality product.

I've had a set of Park Tool P-handles for years. They are silly money these days though.

Also have the Wera multi coloured jobs which are good quality but the P-handle tools are just nicer to use

Unior, good enough for some.

https://uniortools.com/eng/press/news/2021/04/world-tour

Can be used with a torque wrench

https://www.primetools.co.uk/product/facom-jtm-j8mgrppb-3-8-drive-8-piece-hexagon-ogv-grip-bit-socket-set-3-11mm/