Favorite Hex Wrench Set?
 

What's your favorite set of quality hex wrenches? I currently use a set of Topeak that I like, but recently got a shop job and want to get something nice to keep at work. The standard Park p-handle ones are bulky and don't spin easily/quickly, due to the lopsided design, when pulling things like bottle cage bolts. Ease of quick spinning makes a difference when you're doing a ton of them.
In an ideal world I'd have a set like the ones linked below, but with a reversible ratcheting mechanism in the sleeve and the ball shaped end on the long end, but I can't find anything like that.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...32XAXM4A&psc=1

If I were you I would go PB Swiss, Silca or Wera for L shaped stuff and probably Beta, PB Swiss or Park for T shaped stuff (not the p-handles the new ones). I DO NOT want a ball end on a T handle and really rarely want a ball end for most things. Fine once you have gotten things loosened and moving reasonably easily or to start reinstalling a bolt but never to actually tighten it down all the way as you can easily strip things out.

Not a fan of cheap tools. Buy good stuff once and use it a lot.

https://hausoftools.com/collections/...ndles-8-pc-set
They don't have a ratchet, but they have a ball end on the long end to get into tight spaces and for quick running and a hex on the other for leverage. Just the ticket for bottle cages.

I've currently got Wera L and also a couple of their ratcheting handles/bits. They have held up well over the last couple of years. PB Swiss is great if your budget is higher. Beta is nice too. I don't like Park as a company nor am I overly enthusiastic about their tools.

Wera here too as the set for most common situations, but I also have a set of shorties for tight spaces and a simple ratchet handle with bits when ratcheting is called for.

Typically Wiha and Wera around here. Large t-handles when space isn't an issue, and the usual smaller L shaped ones if I want something easier to move around. The Wera set like this:
https://www-de.wera.de/en/great-tool...omponent-clip/ is a bit more comfortable in my hands and won't scratch paint as easily, but doesn't go in/out of the carrier a easily as I'd like. The Wiha set is just metal, but is much easier to get in/out of the plastic holder the way they rotate out in unison. The Wihas also have a little snap ring on the ball end which makes placing in/lifting out in hard to reach places easier. I wouldn't put strong torque on that end, but that's what non ball ends are for. Not as much of an issue on bicycles, but comes in handy with other projects.

I go Park for cone wrenches and other mid-grade bicycle specific tools. I do have their 3-way hex keys, but find I use the normal ones a bit more when both are on hand. It seems like the Y shaped ones are always hitting something on one end or the other.

Thanks, everyone! Glad to know I'm not the only one who understands the downfall of the Park(etc) stuff. Not sure why it's in all the shops(including mine). And yeah, those stupid 3 way ones are the worst. More annoying than actually useful.

Honestly I'm very happy with Bondhus for almost everything. I remember reading an article actually comparing measured tolerances and Bondhus beat out a lot of expensive tools marketed towards the bike market. I like the rainbowguard one because it makes keeping track of wrenches a little easier. Definitely get the extra long set.

For what it's worth Bondhus makes the wrenches for Park, the p-wrenches have the handles bonded on by Park.

For what it's worth I hate p wrenches but kinda like 3 ways--they're slightly more ergonomic for some tasks.

People like to bash on the big guys because they are the“big guys” but there’s a reason they are the “big guys”. They make good stuff that have a good reputation. I have P-handled hex wrenches that are pushing 30 years pretty hard. I use them regularly and have no issue with them. I use exactly the same P-handled hex tools at my local co-op every time I’m there. Those get used thousands of times per year.

Personally I have used them thousands of time per year. I interact with about 1500 people per year and use the Park hex wrenches between 5 and 10 times on each bike. And I’m only one volunteer out of 25 to 50. That’s a whole lot of use and the wrenches stand up. We do replace them from time to time but given the number of times the wrenches get used, that’s understandable.

As for the Bondus head, I find them incredibly handy for a lot of work on bikes. Yes, you have to be careful but there are lots of places on a bike that you can’t get a hex wrench in that is perfectly perpendicular to the bolt and that will round out bolt heads just as easily as misusing a Bondus.

I also consider hew wrenches as consumables, although you can get more life out of the non-ball type by grinding them back (carefully, to avoid drawing the temper) to sharp corners when they get worn.

I prefer the Wera L-keys to the Betas for the ability to spin. The Betas are really smooth on the shaft and it makes them hard to spin with one hand and is worse with sweaty or greasy hands. The Betas tolerances are almost too tight and I find that there are some fasteners that they will not fit into.

I did some comparisons in a thread earlier this year that focused more on brand quality than high-volume usability. Here is the link: https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...intensive.html

For general tasks, I almost always reach for the comfort of the Wera.
If I am going to be doing something in hard-to-reach places, I pick up the Betas.
If I am going to be doing a lot of spinning (replacing disc rotor bolts or stem face plates), I use the PB Swiss spinning T-handle bit holder, but use the Wera for the initial break or final torque. The Bondhus ball-driver (with screwdriver handle) also works well for bottle cage bolts.
My son has the Park P-handles, but uses a bondhus set most of the time.
I don’t have the new Park all-metal T-handle set, but that could solve my problems with the Betas and the Park P-handles.
‘Wera also makes a bit ratchet that often makes its way into daily tasks. It is very low profile and very convenient.

Yeppers. That's why we converted to power drivers with hex bits about 25 years ago.

I buy the cheap hobo tools hex wrenches. I must have 5 or 6 of 4,5,&6mm and a couple of the others if they get rounded, a grinder squares them up quickly. When they get short they go in a bike tool roll or bag. Go to harbor freight and get a few sets, you will be set for a long time.

+1 for PB Swiss.

I have PB Swiss, Bondhus, Wera, Wiha and Silca. I acquired these trying to find the best over-all fitting hex wrenches. What did I find out? PB Swiss hands down. It's not really a close second for the next best which are Bondhus (in my opinion). PB Swiss fight tight, virtually no play at all, on just about every quality fastener and still grab well on cheap fasteners.

Now, PB Swiss cost substantially more than Bondhus but are worth every penny IMHO. I've been using them for three years now and have never even come close to rounding a hex fastener.

Why Bondhus for second best? They fit almost as tight as PB Swiss but cost 1/4 as much.

Wiha and Wera? Very good but for just a little more you get much better with PB Swiss and for a good bit less you get just as good with Bondhus.

Silca? Not impressed, which surprised me since I love their pumps and seat bags.

For me, and I don't know about you, but my most used tools are hex wrenches. Because of that, I want the absolute best tool there is. For me, that's PB Swiss.



--

Park has their moments, for common tools there are plenty of better options but for some of the more bike specific stuff especially bigger tools, they make decent enough stuff for most people and shops. There are some tools I have from them that I haven't found a better quality version of yet and their electric stands are awesome. Plus their customer service is super friendly and easy to deal with. In terms of hex the new metal T-handles they do are heavy but nice in the hand and seem like a decent tool but I have never really needed spinning action.

For a travel kit for a pro-mechanic probably not a lot of Park but for the average working mechanic at a shop there will be some Park in the box and will do just fine.

In terms of 3 ways I am not really a fan but they can be useful to have around for quick stuff. I have the Soma Y-Wrench just for fun and it is nice but I usually go for a proper hex wrench but I can say it is better than the Abbey 4 way which doesn't quite fit in the hand as well.


DON'T BUY CHEAP TOOLS. You can get decent hex wrenches for not a ton of money and while yes they can be considered more disposable I don't want disposable quality tools for a tool I use often.

I have a set of Wera L wrenches, a drawer full of assorted random L wrenches and 4mm and 5mm ball end screwdiver handkes. The Park Y wrench gets more use than all the others combined, at least for bikes. It's like it jumps out of the tool box into my hand. Plus I like using it more than all the others.
P wrenches are for production jobs where your hands might get tired or even injured from repretitive use. T wrenches are for pretentious Euro snobs.

em

I went ahead and picked up a set of the color coded Bondus wrenches. What a game changer. Highly recommend the color coded for someone who uses them a lot. It's So nice to need a 4mm and just quick see the red one on the bench and grab it without even thinking about it, or the blue one when you need a 5mm, etc.

This set for quick, easy things, and a nice set of T-handles will be a really awesome set-up.

I have tried almost every one made, and here is my choice:
The spinner is a MAC tool item, The bits are Snap-On Bluepoint. The handle is a pawn shop find as was the extension, and the break-over bar, and ratchet were also pawn shop items.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...070d9c08b9.jpg
I think I may have $100 in the whole lot, but everything other than the red handled driver has a lifetime warranty through the tool manufacturer. I won't ever need to buy another set and they may wear out but they will be replaced. Smiles, MH

My fave set
 

I bought a set of this style from JB Tools years ago and they have been the BEST most useful hex keys out there.Super handy and can fit almost anywhere without being ball end.

Use code 2103 for $10 off a $100 order. Not a shill, I have just gotten a bunch of tools from this MI company.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4984f56a16.jpg

The spinner plus the knurled breaker and extension bars look nice.

I had a bag of L hex wrenches that came in a large Craftsman package as a gift a long time ago. Finding the right one was awful. I have the color coded Wera set now and have been happy with it. Not a hex, but their laser etched screwdrivers are amazing. I no longer despise flat-head screws (but still avoid if I can).

black_box
Back when I wrenched in a shop, all of my tools had a paint ring on them to identify them as mine. I would not be above painting a color code on the l-hex wrenches. Smiles, MH

what do you volunteer doing? Sounds commendable

My co-op (pre-Covid) had “Fix your bike” hours at 2 locations. I was (am) shop lead at the smaller of the two. People can come in and are allowed 90 minutes stand time to do most anything they want to a bike. I work a 5 hour shift on Saturdays which is the busiest day of the week. I can usually get 5 people per day through on each stand. Over about 10 years of volunteering, I’ve worked on a whole lot of bikes!

We also refurb bikes for give aways in the off-hours. I’m not really involve in that aspect of the operation. I’ve found that it’s not worth trying to work on other projects on Saturdays because I will just get kicked off the stand.

I also teach 6 to 7 sessions of our “Master Mechanic’s” class each year. Six students over 6 weeks that covers all aspects of the bike except wheel building, although we do cover wheel truing and spoke replacement. We don’t do hydraulics or shocks, however. Once or twice a year, I also teach a wheel building class.

My favorite set of hex wrenches includes all of:
A full set of T-handle hex wrenches (brand does not matter)
A full set of socket hex wrenches (brand does not matter)
A full set of screw driver hex wrenches - or - screwdriver handle with full set of hex bits (brand does not matter)
A three way 2-2.5-3mm hex tool (brand does not matter)
A three way 4-5-6mm hex tool (brand does not matter)
A hex multi-tool (brand does not matter)

Hope this helps