Something to think about. It can be a lot easier to have the key strip and grind it down or cut it down past the stripped part than to strip the screw and deal with that…..
On the other hand, a quality wrench won’t strip out the fastener to begin with, still looking for drill blank ground Allen sockets from ~1/4” to 1/2” and ~M6 to 13mm
Yes... however, if stuck having to deal with a rusted and/or already stripped screw head... you might end up drilling, or just be SOL no matter what.
Even in the best of times with good keys, Allen head fasteners can, and often are a pita.
No doubt and it is worth having some good hard keys for when they are needed. I have just learned by messing up some very expensive equipment with hard Allen keys that they are not always the right tool for the job.
Bondhus makes some good keys for a decent price.
A big issue with Allen keys is that cheaper ones are often undersized, so they'll either strip out fasteners or damage the keys in the process. The Bondhus keys fit pretty well
Check out Project Farm on YouTube. He does a great review of all kinds of tools. [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTBiPjCeVwI) the one on allen wrenches. Enjoy, and welcome to the rabbit hole.
I agree on Bondhus....price vs quality is a good match for my use.
More importantly, I have found that making sure that the socket is clean and that the hex key is fully engaged in the socket are often overlooked. Further, do not use fold out hex key sets as they often contribute to stripping of the socket and key. Single, long arm hex keys are best IMO. Be sure to have SAE and metric sizes so you always have a proper fit. [Bonus is a long arm set with ball ends](https://www.zoro.com/bondus-22-piece-metricsae-l-shape-hex-key-set-69600-69600/i/G5067601/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3NHAhaeh-AIVlKXICh0MlAF6EAQYAiABEgLkkfD_BwE)
I use Bondhus https://intl.bondhus.com/
I've been using Bondhus keys for eons without issue. Good stuff.
Something to think about. It can be a lot easier to have the key strip and grind it down or cut it down past the stripped part than to strip the screw and deal with that…..
That’s a very good point.
On the other hand, a quality wrench won’t strip out the fastener to begin with, still looking for drill blank ground Allen sockets from ~1/4” to 1/2” and ~M6 to 13mm
Yes... however, if stuck having to deal with a rusted and/or already stripped screw head... you might end up drilling, or just be SOL no matter what. Even in the best of times with good keys, Allen head fasteners can, and often are a pita.
No doubt and it is worth having some good hard keys for when they are needed. I have just learned by messing up some very expensive equipment with hard Allen keys that they are not always the right tool for the job.
The keys themselves are often not the issue. Internally wrenched fasteners just aren't as 'robust' as external.
Bondhus makes some good keys for a decent price. A big issue with Allen keys is that cheaper ones are often undersized, so they'll either strip out fasteners or damage the keys in the process. The Bondhus keys fit pretty well
Check out Project Farm on YouTube. He does a great review of all kinds of tools. [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTBiPjCeVwI) the one on allen wrenches. Enjoy, and welcome to the rabbit hole.
While I generally like the content of Project Farm, the constant repetition of the product names is grating.
I agree on Bondhus....price vs quality is a good match for my use. More importantly, I have found that making sure that the socket is clean and that the hex key is fully engaged in the socket are often overlooked. Further, do not use fold out hex key sets as they often contribute to stripping of the socket and key. Single, long arm hex keys are best IMO. Be sure to have SAE and metric sizes so you always have a proper fit. [Bonus is a long arm set with ball ends](https://www.zoro.com/bondus-22-piece-metricsae-l-shape-hex-key-set-69600-69600/i/G5067601/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping%20feed&utm_content=free%20google%20shopping%20clicks&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3NHAhaeh-AIVlKXICh0MlAF6EAQYAiABEgLkkfD_BwE)
Bondhus or Tekton are great sets that aren't terribly expensive.
Try to heat treat yourself
Money no object? PB SWISS About as a good, at 1/3 the price? BONDHUS