Straight Hex Key wrenches disappearing?

[scott vroom]

I'm having trouble finding quality L style hex wrench sets, metric and std, that don't have a ball on the long end. My old set is Tekton straight both ends in an awesome convenioent folding case. The ball ends are supposed to work up to a 25 degree angle, which I don't need to service my shop tools. I've read that the ball end can strip the screw. This smells like a whole industry shift to a single style. I'd be interested in comments from folks using the ball end wrenches and whether they've had issues with stripping, and in particular how they work on the smallest sizes.

Thanks

[Dan Friedrichs]

Bondhus: https://bondhus.com/hex-end2

I agree with you that the ball-end is less useful and I wish it weren't as common. Bondhus also makes a T-style set, but only in ball-end, although in that case, the smaller ones are straight.

[Dan Barber]

Why would that matter? The ball end is on the long portion of the hex wrench. Unless you use another tool to impart too much torque to that ball end there is zero chance you can strip a screw socket using your hands. Use the long end to run in the screw and then switch to the short end to torque the screw to tightness. Use your best judgement here.

[Tom M King]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I5TH074/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Richard Coers]

Pretty easy to cut the ball off in my shop.

[Mike Cutler]

The ball end can become very useful ,if you do not have a straight shot at the head of the capscrew.
I have never stripped a screw head out with the ball end of an Allen driver, but for the application I use a ball end, it is on a 1/4" drive wrench, not an "L" style.
If you can get a straight on shot, use a regular Allen wrench. They're available, but you have to want to find them these days.

[Jim Becker]

The tee handled sets I have from HFT have a ball on the long end and a straight hex on the short end if I'm not mistaken

[mike stenson]

I routinely use the ball ends. Just for running a bolt until it's snug. The flat end is what I use to apply torque. Wera or Bondus for L wrenches, and Beta for T handles are my favorites.

[Robert Hayward]

$10.00 at Home Depot's around here and no shortage of them.

[Jerry Bruette]

Carried a set of Bondhus ball end in my pocket for 25 years at my last job. Never stripped a quality socket head with the ball end. I've seen more stripped from rounded corners on the short leg than anything.

Just make sure you don't break the ball off in the bolt socket. They're almost impossible to dig out. DAMHIK. Remember tight is tight and broke is broke.

[John Ziebron]

If you are talking about T handle wrenches, Klein makes them in both ball end on the long end or straight on the long end.

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/t-handle-hex-keys-inch/hex-key-set-sae-t-handle-6-inch-stand-10-piece

[Bill Dufour]

A few minutes on the grinder will fix that. It will also fix rounded off corners on a straight end wrench. Do not burn the temper, quench often.
Bill D

[Robert M Richardson]

Yep HD has plenty and online ordering from them is as painless as Amazon. Quick and free shipping on most items w/o a membership fee.
Try it I think you will like it.
Robert

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have a problem with them accumulating in large numbers. Particularly the soft ones that come with faucets, grab bars, exercise equipment, and Ikea items.

512433

Some of these come from putting exercise equipment together. The equipments main contribution to a human getting exercise is the effort of distant workers who made the stuff, me putting the equipment together, then taking it apart later. I use these for filler material on welds that are not critical.

[Thomas McCurnin]

What is the ball for? I've seen those and mistakenly bought some, and found them annoying, but can be used. I tend to go with T Handle from Elkland which don't have a ball end, which gives me more torque and it is easier to find the right size as they fit into a pre-sized hole.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

What is the ball for? I've seen those and mistakenly bought some, and found them annoying, but can be used. I tend to go with T Handle from Elkland which don't have a ball end, which gives me more torque and it is easier to find the right size as they fit into a pre-sized hole.

The ball end type can enter the screw head from an angle. There are times when they are indispensable. Franklin guitars come with a bondhus T handle ball end for adjusting the truss rod nut, which is hidden in an angled tunnel.

[Ron Selzer]

I would not be without ball end T handle Allen wrenches at work. Have full sets of metric and imperial, also full sets of straight end, along with full sets of regulars. There is a place to use all of them
Ron

[Derek Meyer]

I have the Wiha hex key sets in both metric and standard.

https://www.wihatools.com/products/ergostar-ball-end-hex-l-key-inch-13pc-set

I also have the T-handle wrench sets they sell. I prefer those but they are not as easy to put in a tool bag.

[Warren Lake]

metric and inch all mixed up sitting lose from onsite work. Ball end for sure as I had to hit some customer stuff at an angle. Are there measures in .0000 for Metric and Imperial so i can sort them out and get them back to their plastic homes. Some you can tell pretty easily by fit to the plastic but not all.

[Chris Parks]

I used a lot of allen keys when we were racing and preferred the socket drive type like these. I have a 1/4 drive Bluepoint set that are simply the best ones I have ever used.

Kincrome 11 Piece 1/4" And 3/8" Drive Metric Hex Socket Set - Bunnings Australia (https://www.bunnings.com.au/kincrome-11-piece-1-4-and-3-8-drive-metric-hex-socket-set_p6120132)

[Mark Leifer]

You can still find the old fashioned L shaped keys. Here is a page at Grainger, for example:
https://www.grainger.com/category/tools/hand-tools/screwdrivers-nut-drivers-keys/hex-torx-service-keys/hex-key-sets?attrs=Key+Shape%7CL~~Length+Family%7CShort~~M easurement+Type%7CSAE&filters=attrs

[George Yetka]

A couple companies have a retainer on the ball end now which is amazingly useful.

Most of weras keys are ball on the long square on the short. I believe the ideas is you run the screw till it starts to snug up and switch to the short for torque. You cant really over-apply torque with the ball because you lack leverage in that orientation.

For straight orientation with torque i usually use a 1/4" socket set of allen. They are square cut

[Brian Holcombe]

The best in my opinion are PB Swiss, they're very hard wearing. I like Bondhus as well, I have Bondhus I've been using daily for years that are still in excellent shape. Wera hex plus are fine too but I find them to be harder on the fasteners. I have an older German made Wiha set and they're fine but I much prefer PB swiss and Bondhus to the others.

Stahlwille, Koken and Nepros are excellent but I'm not sure if they make L wrenches, they have allen sockets which are excellent quality.

[Greg Quenneville]

I use PB Swiss too, and think their tools are fantastic, but see that they are now $85 for a set of metric, more for imperial.

[Brian Holcombe]

They’re pretty expensive, I tend to use them solely for shop tools. Felo is nice and a lot less expensive for anything else. It’s a brand I forget about often but they really hold up well.

[Joe Calhoon]

Has anyone used these Japanese hex wrenches from Eight Tool?
https://tbgarizona.com

they are getting good reviews on the machining forums. I have been putting these magnetic hex holders on all my machines. they are from Fireball Tool
512813

[Brian Holcombe]

Good idea to have them all of the machines. I haven’t used them but I’d expect them to be high quality coming from Japan.

Anymore I’ve built out a toolbox for every group of machines. I try not to have exact redundancy in the tools but there is a lot of crossover. If I have a standard wrench set in one, I’ll have long in the other, or offsets, etc. Same idea with all of the other tools. That way if you get a weird situation which requires a very specific tool, it’ll be in one of the boxes. The speciality tools tend to be immediately available right near the machines.

Every toolbox now has a full set of PB Swiss flat head screwdriver tips in the full size range. This is a lifesaver on old machines, the PB Swiss sizes are metric and the flats and ground parallel so they fit the slots very well. Nice especially in the odd situation where one is rusted in and requires an impact driver to get it loose.