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Ok all, what would you recommend for good quality T Handle Hex keys? Getting fed up of cheap ones that one off the small 3mm ones etc.
No T-Handle, but the wera ones with coloured sleeves are excellent.
https://www.toolstation.com/wera-ball-end-multi-colour-hex-key-set/p71306
UNior do nice ones. They sell them as a box thats way better value than the singles. Not cheap (not crazy either) but will last you.
I have a couple of Bondhus ones and they are great, good bit of weight. Have a mix of others to make it easy to pick up the right size, Teng/Beta all good.
Ah all great suggestions thanks, will have a look and get the wife to get me some 🙂
Beta make some very nice ones.
I got a nice set from Teng for around £30 that come in a nice box, and actually has a 7mm one.
For proper sliding T-handles I'd have always said Beta or Facom and just buy the ones you use all the time (2.5,3,4,5, 6mm and T25) to offset the cost.
However, the 'strip- gripper' extractor for damaged bolts that's coming on the new US-made Park Tool ones looks genius, had a play with a set at the LBS the other day and very tempted to give them a go.
https://www.parktool.com/product/sliding-t-handle-hex-wrench-set-thh-1?category=New%20Products
However, the ‘strip- gripper’ extractor for damaged bolts that’s coming on the new US-made Park Tool ones looks genius, had a play with a set at the LBS the other day and very tempted to give them a go.
https://www.parktool.com/product/sliding-t-handle-hex-wrench-set-thh-1?category=New%20Products
/blockquote>They look interesting - could do with some of those to replace the knackered bolts on my Wife's wheelchair after the last ham-fisted 'Technician' serviced it..... (No - it wasn't me!)
Be interested to see how much they are though.
Being US-made they're going to be about the same as Facom and Beta I'd imagine, so £100 ish a set.
The Beta 951/S8 which has long been the gold standard for T-handles can be found for about £90. That's what these will be competing with.
They are priced at £109 from what i can find
I've got the generic X Tools/Superstar/Lifeline etc ones. Been absolutely perfect for decades. Apart from the pivoting ones, which are more useful, dunno why you'd pay more.
Another vote for Bondhus. They fit tighter than others I have tried and micrometer confirms they are bang on the right size. Cheaper ones are often fractions of a mm off which makes a big difference on 2 or 2.5mm bolts.
Wera or Teng are excellent, and I've found Kennedy ones to be really good for the price as well.
I got a set in Aldi, with T handle Torx as well for 11.99 - they are perfectly decent quality.
they are perfectly decent quality.
good quality defined by ?
I had some of them a few years back as a *live in the car set*. Sizes were all over the shop and after a short period they were dispatched to the recycling
wouldnt buy again. Good hex keys are not expensive compared to the damage shit ones can do to expensive kit
+1
With a set of Wera Hex pluses, Bondus protainiums or Park sets (which are made by Bondhus) only coming in at £18-25 I genuinely can't fathom the logic in buying cheapie hex wrenches, the saving is so minimal compared to the hassle or expense of a broken one or a stripped head.
I have ordered some of the Park sliding ones because I'm a massive tart regarding tools and they look bang on, will report back if I have to use the strip-gripper in anger.
Park sets (which are made by Bondhus)
careful . only some are made by bondhus . I have some - they are great and lasted a long time - including about 8 years in my pocket at the shop. i also have some that are not bondhus .... they were crap and didnt last at all.
The bondhus ones are quite obviously bondhus rebranded when you compare them - and like wise the ones that are not are obviously not.
I have a set of these Sealey ones which I'm pleased with. They feel sturdy and seem to fit most hex-head screws snugly. The extra size over L-shaped keys does make them nice to work with.
Just don't buy any from a bike brand. (Except possibly, maaaybe, Unior.)
I've got Snap-On. I use them everyday. I like them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I really like my Bondus ones. They do a 2mm to 6mm set that's really good for bikes, since there's not that much that's bigger and none of it wants a T handle on it.
Does anyone know of a good P handle set that doesn't have ball ends on the long arm? More for my RC stuff than bike, as there's lots of small hard to reach bolts
Snap-on.
Or if it's just for little twiddly stuff, get the Wera hex screwdrivers - https://products.wera.de/en/screwdrivers_kraftform_plus__series_300_354_hex-plus.html
Unior tools are really decent.
Does anyone know of a good P handle set that doesn’t have ball ends on the long arm? More for my RC stuff than bike, as there’s lots of small hard to reach bolts
Irwin make a good set without balls on either end.
I've got Beta ones in my work toolbox. 8 years of daily abuse, miles better than the Facom ones that lasted less than three months.
@hatter - where did you order the Park ones from? Looked online but can only find them in the states with huge postage & import.
I found them on Freewheel but couldn't work out how to order them.
Ta Trailrat, that looks the very thing.
Bahco from Amazon - bought the individual sizes i wanted.
I use Wera and Teng myself and would recommend either.
For something a bit out of the unusual from the normal recommendations, I also have a set similar to these which were a hold over from when I used to race RC cars many, many years ago:
They aren't t-bar (although mine would accept a cheater bar if you were mad enough to try!) and I only have the very small sizes, but they are like no other allen keys I've ever seen. They appear to have been machined and the edges on them are almost sharp enough to cut. For tiny things (grub-screws etc.) where sometimes normal allen keys can feel a little vague, these actually lock in and feel part of the screw. I've removed bolts with these that I thought would never come out and they don't show the smallest amount of wear (although, to be fair, I do keep them for special occasions and they don't get abused!)
Not for everyone and not for every use case, but I wouldn't be without them and they sit alongside my every day tools.
Norhwind - Teng do a nice set of non-ball end P-handles https://www.tengtools.com/r/gb/en/Hex-and-TX-Keys/7PC-T-HANDL-HEX-25-8MM-SET
Dirk - I ordered them from my LBS, apparently the first drop in the UK sold out almost immediately but more are coming in 1st week of March and I should get mine then. They had a set up on the workshop tool board which I had a play with and that have been what tipped me over the edge.
Wera for anything above 4mm, under 4mm I have a set of EDS drivers which have hardened & ground tips, super accurate, so signficantly less chance of rounding bolts.
T-Handles are nice, but they take up a lot of space in the toolbox over a set of L-Keys, if I was spannering all day long, would for for a set of Beta 951's
If anyone else is tempted, I've just bought the 6 set of Beta 951s from an eBay seller (link) for a £50 best offer (and £2.50 TopCashBack bonus).
I don't need them, but.. shiny! Will add the missing ones as need be when they're on offer..