Alan Keys Sets 1set 3-8mm L Shape Square Head Wrench Suit for Security Self Tapping Screw Square Drive Pan Head Allen Keys

Product Information

Machine Mart Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, register number 703528 and acts as a credit broker and not a lender. Even though all Allen keys feature a hexagonal cross-section, these come in various sizes to better suit different applications. This makes for a far more flexible tool overall, but these wrenches tend to be considerably more expensive than the basic L-shape Allen key; whether or not this would prove a cost-effective option for you will depend on how often you need to use the tool, and in what sorts of applications. Since furniture pieces can have tight spaces and require long reach, you can use a set of long arm Hex keys.

It’s a simple design innovation that offers a nice usability bonus, and while not necessarily a dealbreaker - overall hex key quality is far more important when it comes to making a purchase decision - it might be a feature worth looking out for if you’re in the market for a new hex key set anyway. In fact, their use is now so widespread that the inclusion of a free hex key with flat-pack furniture, bicycles and other products requiring quick straightforward assembly is now an extremely common practice (although, unsurprisingly, the quality of such giveaway tools is often very questionable). Also in their stupidity they have decided to use a one time use sump plug washer that crushes when tightened.Duologi is the trading name of Specialist Lending Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 774712). A solid, high quality hex wrench or Allen key set will potentially last many years and prove useful time and time again, whereas lower-grade ‘freebie’ tools are much more likely to be severely limited in both their adaptability to other tasks and overall longevity in frequent use.

For the most part, however, you’ll likely be choosing between just one or two notable variants on the classic Allen key design format to cover you for more or less any scenario, By far the most popular of these variants are T-handle hex keys and ball end hex keys, each of which we’ve outlined in more detail below. The term “Allen key” derives from the Allen brand name of Allen Manufacturing Company, the original producers of hex keys or hexagonal wrenches to fasten hexagonal set screws. These are oversized L-wrench with a comfortable grip that gives them similar benefits as of a T-handle. In this regard, it’s very like the uses of terms such as ‘Hoover’ and ‘vacuum cleaner’, or any number of similar examples where a popular registered trademarked name has bled over into common use as a generic label. Hex key sets with T-handles are especially popular with mechanics and automobile enthusiasts, thanks in part to the fact that the T-handle Allen wrench offers certain user luxuries that standard hex keys don’t.Furniture Repairs– Allen screws are an essential piece of hardware for securing furniture at its place.

This screwdriver set has been been manufactured from hardened chrome vanadium steel, which has been correctly tempered for greater strength and durability. Most popular brands and reliable suppliers will be able to provide you with a hex key sizing chart, either included on the product packaging or at the point of sale. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising.The trade-off for this improved user-friendliness is that T-handle hex keys can be less versatile when it comes to working in tighter spaces or with very low clearance above the fastener. As such, they were rapidly adopted by all manner of industrial plants and production lines; at the time, factories around the globe were seeking to modernise and improve on their often patchy safety records under rapidly increasing workloads, and innovations such as headless screws were another small step in the right direction. Hex keys, commonly known as Allen keys/wrenches in the UK and various other countries, are a very simple hand tool of the general spanner and socket family, used for tightening and loosening hexagonal bolts and other compatible fasteners. Copper washers are reusable, they work harden so you just have to anneal them (stick them on the stove till they glow red) before reuse. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience.

However, some manufacturers do offer additional features or design flourishes, intended as an update to the basic model of a one-piece, hexagonal shaft steel tool. These are basic but highly versatile hand tools that can be used for various jobs, from flat pack furniture assembly to professional applications.The unprecedented production and commercial boom that the 1940s and 1950s brought with them saw the reliable and cheap hex key emerge as an increasingly common feature across a broad swathe of consumer products and DIY assembly kits. Similarly, power saws of all varieties require Allen keys to change blades or for minor adjustments. However, the longer shank can also be used as the ‘handle’ when more torque is required, provided the work area allows enough room to turn a longer-handled tool in. For the most part, you’ll be able to rely on near-universal compatibility without too many concerns, as long as you’re using a true ‘hex’ head fastener (i.