Milwaukee Tool has launched new ball-end hex key sets.
The designs are fairly straightforward, with a ball hex tip on the long end for improved off-axis access, and a straight hex tip on the short end for higher torque delivery.
Milwaukee bundles the sets with a pivoting holder that they say provides quick and easy access.
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Hanging holes provide another storage option.
There are two sets – a 9pc metric set (48-22-2186) and a 13pc SAE set (48-22-2185). The two sets are available separately and together as part of a 22pc set (48-22-2187).
SAE sizes: 050″, 1/16″, 5/64″, 3/32″, 7/64″, 1/8″, 9/64″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 7/32″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″
Metric sizes: 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 mm
Price: $30 for SAE, $27 for metric, $50 for both
Let’s be blunt – there’s not much any tool brand can do with hex keys that hasn’t already been done. And that’s okay.
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The tools and holders have high contrast markings for easy size identification, and the tips are chamfered for easier insertion. I wouldn’t accept otherwise.
The pivoting holders look interesting, but also a bit too bulky for pocket-carry. I’m not the only one that does that on occasion, right? Sometimes if I need a hex key but aren’t sure about the size, so I grab the set and go. If I need my hands free, in a pocket they go.
Milwaukee’s filling in holes in their hand tool lineup. Are there many holes left?
fred
Hex keys are one of those tools that have been around so long that most sorts of improvements have been tried and either have been abandoned or now represent niches in the market. The tool was once synonymous with the Allen Tool Co. (the brand now owned by Apex) – so much so that the tool is often called an “allen wrench”. I don’t know who introduced the ball-end idea – but that was an innovation that stuck – allowing greater off-axis entry into the socket head. Wera-style Hex-Plus configurations may also offer some advantages of greater bite and less slippage. There are other variants like: T-handles (fixed or sliding – with or without plastic over molds); Pivoting-heads; Screwdriver handle styles (stiff shank or flex – electrically insulated of not – ball-end or not) ; Bits; Socket Wrench-Bits; Double-end Offset styles; Hex keys in long or short pattern (some with stubby short ends – or magnetic tips – or retaining rings – or ball-ends); and hex keys in folding pocketable sets. These all represent a rather dizzying array of choices.
For me – I find myself using Park or Powerbuilt brand sliding T-handle hex wrenches the most – with sets of Bondhus L-Keys scattered around my houses for tightening or loosening the odd set screw. But having Milwaukee compete in this space is OK too.
fred
Two of the variants:
Pivoting;
https://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-00009-HEX-PRO-Pivot-Wrench/dp/B00LMILI3W
Stubby end:
https://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-20599-0-050-3-8-Inch-1-5-10mm/dp/B0006O4AII
Grokew
You forgot the 2 in 1. Like the ones used for refrigerant valves.
fred
Thanks – there are other “stepped bits” too.
https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/130-2031-Universal-Spanner-Levels-8-Inch/dp/B00QU7S6E4
fred
Another style worth mentioning – are for tight-fit applications:
https://www.amazon.com/Anex-6103F-Ultra-Profile-Handle/dp/B0028DGIEY
There are also ones for special applications like tightening truss rods on guitars:
https://www.amazon.com/StewMac-Truss-Rod-Wrench-Set/dp/B01HUD1TK4
Benjamen
My favorite and most used is this variant: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/48-22-2136
I rarely ever use the screwdriver part. I remove the bits and chuck them into a drill or driver. I fail to understand why it’s not a more popular option.
Benjamen
Oh, and if anybody knows of a good source for these kind of bits in the 2 inch variety, please let me know.
Jared
Another option is the ones from Picquic. You’re still buying a multi-bit screwdriver, but I like Picquic’s bits. Picquic offers metric and SAE “Hex Calibre” screwdrivers, and there’s a Torx version too, but I don’t know if it has a clever pun name.
fred
How about these from Bondhus:
https://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-10899-Balldriver-Power-2-12mm/dp/B000E7ZPUE?th=1
Stuart
I keep checking to see if I should update this post: https://toolguyd.com/offbeat-hex-key-driver-tools/ but there haven’t been many (any?) innovations in the years since.
Rod
As a die cutting press operator for over 40 years, my go to brand of this tool has always been PB Swiss.
TonyT
Ball end hex wrenches were invented by John Bondhus in 1964:
https://www.kctool.com/blog/ballend-hex-tools-a-guide/
Jared
I try not to react to new product MSRP pricing, but those are on the high end for “standard” hex keys.
I almost never use that style. My go-tos are some of the variants fred mentioned:
1. T-handles (though in my case Bondus or Eklind fixed t-handles).
2. A bit ratchet
3. Screwdriver-style.
#2 is the most direct replacement for L-keys and the reason I almost never reach for the standard style.
I also have mixed feelings about the case. Working out of a tool chest, I don’t like having to remove the whole set of tools to access the one I want. Working elsewhere… like Stuart I would prefer something pocketable.
One place this would probably fit well is working out of a mobile tool box.
Leo B.
They don’t have woodworking chisels or clamps. I could pass on chisels from them, but I feel like Milwaukee could do a decent set of Quick Grip style clamps. These new keys look interesting- I like the look of the holder, although it is a bit big for most pockets. If they’re readily stocked at Home Depot, it’ll be one of the few ball end options in stores around here. Always nice to have options!
Mike (that one)
USA made might have been a differentiator? I am not sure that really matters for hex wrenches.
Jared
I think that’s kind of what I was reacting to when I mentioned these were pricey. Like if they were a new USA-product, I probably wouldn’t have blinked.
That might not be fair. Premium tools can be made elsewhere. I just assume these Milwaukee hex keys will be Chinese production and the price seems high for that.
Mike
Taiwan from the ACME listing.
Jared
Interesting. There are certainly lots of mid-grade and even premium tools made there.
Honestly, I expect Milwaukee is relying on their brand as a mark of quality to justify pricing. Made in Taiwan or China, if it is a high quality product, perhaps the pricing isn’t THAT out of line.
It’s just that you’re clearly in Bondhus and Eklind territory when it’s $50 for a set of SAE and Metric standard hex keys, which are already good USA-made brands. Milwaukee is already competing with Klein though, so maybe that’s exactly who they want to be compared to.
Xrh07
They’re well beyond Bondhus territory when the equivalent sets are $30-$32 just on Amazon.
This is just Milwaukee cashing in on their legion of brand loyalists who can’t think for themselves anymore and will pay whatever it takes so their hex key holder logo is the same as the one on their drill. I look forward to my local hardware store dropping even more superior hand tool/consumable products because people obsessed with the Milwaukee logo don’t know any better. Bad enough when Milwaukee’s somehow winning with twist drills bits (vs Norseman…at the same price) and pushing out Diablo/Bosch SDS bits and recip blades ….
Like their power tools, despise their zombified fanbase.
fred
The last two Klein T-Handle hex keys that I bought were made in Slovenia. They look a lot like ones made by Unior (a maker of bicycle tools in Slovenia.) I’m using them as dedicated drivers on my shop made MFT table – and the feel nice in the hand.
TonyT
Yes, especially when Bondhus and Eklind make Made in USA hex wrenches for reasonable prices. I have >25 year old Bondhus sets that are still going strong.
Nathan
If they were made in the us I might be interested but mostly my go-to is bondus
Bits too . And like said if I’m reaching for an l key it’s because my bit driver won’t for.
Oh and for German car mechanics and I think new Ford’s they need that elusive 5.5mm
Nathan
Sorry that 5.5 is for a socket not a hex
2.5 come in handy hobbist wise
Plain+grainy
The Dewalt 200 piece tool set(case)-Model -DWMT75000. It includes 28 ratchet driven he’x bits.. I tend to favor the ratchet hex bits when dealing with hex oil plugs. Rust & dirt in the threads make the hand held wrenches a chore!
Champs
I could use a second set of metric keys, but these aren’t color coded like I’d want for my bicycle toolkit or even trying to claim some Packout integration advantage. These are just expensive, and what is the COO again?
Frank D
I like the folding organizers, but MW is going a bit crazy with their prices …
Daniel V
I personally am a pretty big fan of my craftsmen allen wrenches. The allen wrenches themselves seem to be pretty good, but the case adds a bonus feature. The case doubles as a t-handle so if you need the extra reach and more torque too, it works quite well. That being said, I don’t use them a ton so I don’t know how they would hold up under daily use.
Blocky
Accessing any individual key without needing to rotate the keys above it addresses a significant pain point. For me, it all comes down to how good is the plastic molding.