You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Further to my question about cyclingtips - I was just now looking for recommendations for T shaped hex keys. I want some that won’t round off heads, and don’t cost the earth. I see sets on Amazon that cost 12 quid, and I see the usual Park tools that I suspect are not that much better. Any … err .. tips? Thanks!!
I want some that won’t round off heads, and don’t cost the earth.
Not going to happen 😉 (depending on what your definition of "cost the earth" is)
Wera, PBSwiss, FACOM, Park Tool THH-1 (which i believe are made by FACOM anyway)
Wera are probably the best VFM, but cost is going to depend on how many you need.
I use 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10. Also have 7 and 11 (don't ask).
Plus Torx, why do i have so many tools?
I bought Teng TTHEX7Metric Hex T-Handle Drivers off Amazon, should have bought them years ago, never use conventional Allen keys anymore.
Much harder to lose them too (so many 6mm keys lost over the years!!).
Also have 7 and 11 (don’t ask).
Plus Torx, why do i have so many tools
'French cars (not mine)' is my usual answer - especially the 7mm hex key(s) I possess.
I've used Lidl ones for a good few years and they're ok, but will round if you're a bit hamfisted.
Lifeline pro sliding ones I got for Christmas seem great though, very nice to use. Look exactly the same as park tools. See if they are they still on sale.....
Edit: just checked, £60 on wiggle. Think mine were 45.
The Park Tools ones actually ARE better... i know you may not want to know that... but they're really lovely...
2 proper ends and 1 extractor end... mine get used daily and where you see wear on cheaper tools, they're still completely unmarked.... lovely things.
BTW, unless you get the very expensive Park tools (that are made for park by proper tool making companies), or their very much bike specific tools, avoid park like the plague. There are very much better tools available for the same price (or less) but without blue paint.
The Park Tools ones actually ARE better… i know you may not want to know that… but they’re really lovely…
I’ll pay more if I actually get better stuff. I just hate paying high prices for mediocre quality:-(
Wallet prepared for stress …
EDIT - I said T handle. Maybe I meant P handle …
Park PH-1.2 = Mid range hex keys packaged well with shiny blue handles and "known" branding.
Park THH-1 = High quality tools. Worth having. Probably a bit of a markup because even rich cyclists are suckers for Park Tools branding
Lifeline pro sliding ones I got for Christmas seem great though, very nice to use. Look exactly the same as park tools. See if they are they still on sale…..
Edit: just checked, £60 on wiggle. Think mine were 45.
+1
Think I paid £50, and would happily pay £60. Great tools.
Even if you didn't actually mean T-handles, you might want to consider them OP (assuming for workshop use).
Thanks all for the excellent advice!
I see the lifeline ones have mixed reviews, and some suggestion that they have got worse recently. What fun !! But it’s soon my birthday …
For everyday duties I have Wera Hex Plus L keys in the van and backpack. If I'm fettling in the garage after much deliberation I went with the Halfords Advanced T handle set which have a lifetime guarantee and have been used and abused for quite some time and never let me down
In an ideal world I wanted a set of Wera 05004174001 - 10 piece T-Handle Set but couldn't justify the price.
I buy individual Bondhus ones from Zoro or similar. My old Pedro's set although ball ended is still in use but I somehow lost the 5 and 6mm ones.
I've been using these for years. No complaints
I've this set which have done me well in general garage duties on bikes and occasionally cars. Seem to be holding their working edges well enough.
https://ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Sealey-Ak7195-5054511203523-Ball-End-Hex-Key-Set-8Pc-T-Handle-Metric
I have some Bondhus T-handle hex keys that I’ve had for about 15 years and still in great nick.
I’ve also got some Wera P handle Torx and they feel more premium, and the P handles are worth paying a bit more for.
I've got a set of Bahco T-handle keys - no complaints here.
I've worked in Industrial workshops for 30 years - Bahco tools are a favourite of many Engineers.
I've had my Beta for over 15 years and still like new,
some on sets on sale here-
But it’s soon my birthday …
This could be a factor. I have some generous family on the wife's side who love to buy presents but invariably buy things I don't really need. A little steering in the right direction and I now have some quite nice tools that I would never buy myself but I'm very happy to own.
I've settled on RS Pro from RS Components in my workshop (i'd avoid Britool and Facom like the plague, really not up to professional use in my opinion), they do T-handle, and P-handle (far superior) in sets, but i'd avoid the P-handle set as it's ball-ended, and a bit compromised/specialist for general use, and go for the individual items with straight tips.Not cheap, but they've been worth every penny to me.
Sorry, I missed off the T-handled part of my post. I've got these...
www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-pro-sliding-t-bar-hex-set
They've been holding up since since about October. No problems at all.
Too late to edit my original post, RS Pro P-handle set isn't actually ball-ended,the ball-enders are an L-shaped set that comes as part of the kit.
I use Teng or Beta for my karting. Nice bits of kit. You can also buy individually, so perhaps a 4,5 and 6 would be a good start?
Expensive park ones should also be fine. my multi tool one must be well over twenty years old and the edges are still angled.
Bondhus make the Allen keys for park and snap-on.
Rounded Allen keys can be repaired by cutting off the rounded portion with a Dremel
Real t-handles? Or p-handles? T handles are nice for some jobs but pretty restrictive, I'd recommend Bondhus for that, they're a lovely shape, good fit, and durable, but they're way down the list of "tools I actually use". When they're good, they're great.
But P handles are better most of the time. Ball end on the long side is really smark since you're not tempted to use it for actual torquing and the combo of long reach and ball works well. And you just naturally use the proper end for everything else since hte long reach is the handle.
I use teng, because I just like the sockets and so I became a wee bit of a fanboy, everything they make is decent and it's not hideously expensive. But tbh every decent tool brand has a decent p handle allen set. I had some Draper Expert that cost peanuts and are damn nearly as good. If I was getting new today I guess I'd get Beta 96T High Torque, they're really nice. (the cheaper Betas are good too)
Oh yeah on Wera... I retired my hex pluses from bike use, I just don't think they're the right tool for that. The engagement's fantastic into good, clean bolts. But not so good for tiny OEM cheese bolts full of mud, especially since bike manufacturers are obsessed with shallow heads and alu (and I make that worse with chinese titanium because I'm an idiot). I'd always, always choose a quality square ended hex for that. Now I use them for my 3d printer and sometimes RC cars, where they're great. But bikes don't flatter them. Wera do make plain ones though.
Oh yeah and I have a set of Inbus L-keys, which are gorgeous, and the best fitting I've ever used (I think they actually make them fractionally oversized? But they fit into everything I've tried to use them on, and the fit is just... ahhhh. If you've used JIS screwdrivers in quality JIS screws, it's like that, they make everything else feel just that little bit loose.) I only bring them out for special occasions, where I don't trust the bolt at all and I really want it to come out first try.
The answer is moar tools.
I had a very nice set of Facoms but ended up selling them as I never really used them. They were a bit too big for bike work. I prefer Halfords long hex keys and the Park Y tool