German brand Wera has a stellar reputation for their high-quality tools, but even if these are the world’s best Allen wrenches are they worth the investment? In a minute I’ll look at the details of their construction but first I want to look at some of the problems they solve.
Why Cheap Allen Wrenches Can Be a Pain
Let’s face it, we’ve all been tempted by those inexpensive Allen wrench sets. I’ve bought them myself. They look handy and for the money they seem hard to beat. However, the ones I’ve used all have the same basic problems.
- Poor Fit: A precise fit in the screw or bolt head is crucial for an Allen wrench to work effectively. If it’s not snug, there’s a chance of it slipping when you apply pressure. I don’t know about you, but I’ve skinned my knuckles a couple of times when an Allen wrench has jumped out unexpectedly.
- Durability: Cheap Allen wrenches are often made from metal that’s not hard enough. This can lead to the edges rounding off when you apply even moderate force. I’ve also had them bend. In both cases, the Allen wrench is then useless. I’ve also bought so-called chrome plated ones that the finish has flaked off almost immediately, and then the Allen wrench has rusted.
While it might be tempting to save a few bucks initially you almost always end up needing replacements. In my experience cheap Allen wrenches don’t stand up to regular use.
Why Investing in Wera L-Keys Is Worth It
Wera doesn’t give exact details of the steel used in their standard L-Keys but it’s some kind of hardened alloy. They call it Hex-Plus technology, designed to extend the tool’s useful life. Then a corrosion-resistant finish called Blacklaser is applied.
Their premium sets use stainless steel that is vacuum ice-hardened (I found an article about it here if you’re interested). I read that stainess steel Allen wrenches are important in some professional applications because they don’t leave beind a residue that could rust.
Either way, these are extremely tough tools. The chances of the edges rounding off are all but zero.
Wera uses precision machining to shape the heads to exactly the right size. They claim this provides up to 20% more torque. On the long arm, they machine a ballpoint shape that locates more quickly and allows the Allen wrench to be used at an angle. Useful if you’ve got Allen head screws or bolts that are hard to reach.
Each Wera L-Key then has a non-slip sheath added, marked with the size. These are brightly colored so you won’t lose them amongst dust and debris. The sizes are also marked on the holder. There are 9 L-Keys in each set, available as SAE (imperial) from 5/64” to 3/8” or Metric from 1.5mm to 10mm. The main dealer in the US is KCTool.com.
Full details on Wera L-Key Sets from these links:
Blacklaser Steel are around $35 a set: Check out SAE or Metric
Stainless Steel are around $70 a set: Check out SAE or Metric
As always, if you have any comments or questions by all means drop me a line.
