The Park Tool THH-1 Sliding T-Handle Hex Wrench Set might be pricey but these are excellent, professional quality tools with features to make bike maintenance a little quicker and easier, and to help remove rounded bolt heads.
What you get here are eight hex keys in the most common sizes for bike maintenance – 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm – and a wall-mounted holder to keep them on.
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Each hex key is a combination of chrome vanadium and S-2 tool steels and has machined, chamfered tips. The dimensions of the keys vary from 125mm to 305mm in length, with the T-handles measuring from 65mm to 145mm.
The T-handle can slide through the head at the top of the main body of each key, so you can adjust it to give you greater leverage or greater access, depending on what you're working on.
I used the tip at the end of the main body of the key most of the time, but the T-handle tip comes in handy when there's less space – if you have a wedge-type seatpost clamp you access from the top of your bike's top tube, for example, and your saddle height is quite low. The tips are high quality and show no signs of wear after a couple of months' use. I certainly don't expect durability to be an issue here.
> Read our review of thePark Tool THT-1 - Sliding T-Handle Torx Wrench Set
One useful feature is the blue anodised aluminium Speed Spinner – a loose-fitting sleeve that fits around the body of each key without sliding up and down it. You can hold the Speed Spinner firmly between your thumb and forefinger and the body of the key can rotate inside.
This comes in handy for getting long bolts in and out quickly. You know when you loosen the bolt that holds your headset top cap in place, for example? The first half turn takes a little effort but sometimes you have loads of thread beyond that where there's very little resistance. The Speed Spinner allows you to hold the tool in place and just give the T-handle a quick whirl. Job done.
The other useful feature is the integrated Strip Gripper, which is the twisted black tip on one end of the T-handle that's designed to remove oversized and rounded hex heads. You've never rounded the head of a hex bolt? Don't tell fibs, we all have, and it can be a right royal PITA.
The twisted design is an established feature of many extractor sets, and it's often enough to loosen a bolt that a standard hex key can't shift. Some heads are rounded beyond its capabilities, but it's always worth giving it a go before resorting to anything more drastic.
The hex keys come with their own mount so, as long as you put them away, you'll be able to find the right one quickly when you need it, rather than wasting time rummaging around at the bottom of a toolbox. The mount has a rubbery finish and you can fix it to a wall, bench, or whatever else is convenient.
The size of each key is given on the tool body, and a little plate in the centre of the mount tells you the sizes too. I'd have thought it would be more useful to have the sizes printed next to the relevant holes in the mount, but you're probably able to pick out at least the most common ones by eye anyway.
You might baulk at paying £110 for a set of eight hex keys, and there's no doubt that it's a significant investment, but I'm a big believer in buying the best tools you can and making them last. You could go online and buy an S-2 tool steel hex key set for far less, but bear in mind that features like the sliding handle and the Speed Spinner sleeve are bound to raise the price, and you're getting an integrated rounded bolt extractor set too.
For comparison, the Silca HX-Three Travel Essentials Kit we reviewed is £35. They're high quality but don't have the features of these Park Tool keys.
The Silca HX-One Home and Essential Travel Essential Kit is £125. The eight hex keys come in a beechwood box with an adaptor for using six Torx heads and four screw heads.
> Beginner’s guide to bike tools
As well as being available as a complete set, you can buy the Park Tool hex keys individually at prices from £13.99 to £17.99 each, depending on the size. This means you can just get the sizes you need or, if you do go for the complete set, replace any that you lose or damage.
All in all, the Park Tool THH-1 Sliding T-Handle Hex Wrench Set is a top-quality offering. If you're just an occasional bike tinkerer, perhaps tools like this are overkill, but if you're into your bike maintenance and you like to have excellent equipment that's built to last, that's exactly what you get here.
Verdict
Professional quality hex keys with integrated extractors for rounded bolt heads
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Park Tool THH-1 Sliding T-Handle Hex Wrench Set
Size tested: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Park Tool says, "Designed and built specifically for a wide variety of bicycle hex work, the THH-1 is a set of eight common sizes of professional quality T-handle hex wrenches made for speed, efficiency, leverage and a perfect fit. Soon to become your favourite hex set, the THH-1 includes a handy tool holder that mounts to any vertical surface, including pegboard and solid surfaces (fasteners not included)."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Park Tool lists these features:
– Carefully selected combination of Chrome Vanadium and S-2 tool steels
– 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10mm hex wrenches included
– Unique anodised aluminium Speed Spinner makes running long bolts in and out quick and effortless
– Machined, chamfered tips allow easier insertion into hex fittings
– Integrated 'Strip-Gripper' twisted hex that makes removal of most bolts with stripped or oversized hexes fast and easy
– Sliding T-handle creates increased leverage and multiple access positions
– Tool holder is included with the set and mounts to any wall, bench or tool box, perfectly positioning each wrench for easy access and storage
Rate the product for quality of construction:
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
9/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
9/10
You might call the Speed Spinner a 'comfort' feature in that it saves you a bit of wrist wrenching. It's a loose sleeve on the body of each key. You can hold on to it and spin a bolt tighter until you reach the bite point, or spin bolts out once you've loosened them enough.
Rate the product for value:
6/10
This is a lot to spend on a hex key set, of course, but the quality is first class. Even if you do some real damage, you can replace the individual key (from £13.99, depending on the size).
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Superbly well. The length of the key body and adjustability of the T-handle means you can access even the most awkward bolts.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The overall quality, the Speed Spinner loose sleeve and the Strip-Gripper for removing bolts with stripped heads.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Not much. They're £110, but worth it if you do a lot of bike maintenance.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
For comparison, the Silca HX-Three Travel Essentials Kit we reviewed is £35. They're high quality but don't have the features of these Park Tool keys.
The Silca HX-One Home and Essential Travel Essential Kit is £125. The eight hex keys come in a beechwood box with an adaptor for using six Torx heads and four screw heads.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
This is the best hex key set I've ever used so, although it costs over £100, I still think it warrants an overall rating of 'exceptional', and that's a 9.
Overall rating: 9/10
About the tester
Age: 48
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 yearsI ride: Most daysI would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,
FAQs
What is the use of T-handle Allen wrench? ›
Finally there's one more type of Allen wrench worth mentioning: T-handle Allen wrenches. These are popular with mechanics and technicians that work with hex screws all the time. Each wrench is affixed to a large handle that provides both comfort and enhanced power for really amping up the torque.
How do you use a hex wrench set? ›Allen keys work like most other screwdrivers and wrenches but with a few nuances. You can use them by placing one of the ends inside a fastener with a hexagonal socket head and turning it. Turning the Allen key clockwise will tighten the fastener, whereas turning it counterclockwise will loosen or remove the fastener.
What does a hex key wrench look like? ›The Allen wrench itself is a small L-shaped wrench with six sides. If you look at a cross-section of the Allen wrench, it looks like a hexagon. Since the Allen wrench has such a specific shape, it can only be used with items especially designed for it.
What is the T wrench called? ›Allen wrench
If you have crafted some furniture that requires piecing together, you would have heard of this type of wrench. The Allen wrenches come with T or L-shaped bars and hexagonal ends. Such ends match the opening to screws and bolts both.
A hex bit is a hexagon-shaped bit that is designed to fit into a manual or power screwdriver or drill. An Allen wrench, in its turn, is a separate manual tool. However, both a hex bit and an Allen wrench have the same hexagon shape (if to look at the front side).
Is a torx the same as an Allen wrench? ›The answer is no – torx and Allen keys are not the same. They're used for more or less the same purpose, though Torx keys feature a star or asterisk-shaped cross-section, rather than the hexagonal shape of an Allen key. As for which of the two is best, the short answer is they are both extremely useful.
Why is it called an Allen wrench? ›In the early 1900s, the Connecticut-based Allen Manufacturing Company launched its own branded hex key, naming it the “Allen wrench.” Today, hex keys are often referred to as Allen wrenches.
What are the different types of Allen keys? ›- L-Style Allen Wrenches. This is the standard Allen key and is easily found anywhere. ...
- T-Handle. This is a popular tool, mostly used in motorsport applications. ...
- P-Handle. ...
- Folding Hex Key. ...
- Ratcheting Drivers. ...
- Torque Wrench. ...
- Allen Screwdriver. ...
- Ball Hex Sets.
The three most common types of hex keys are L handle, T handle, and fold-up sets. The three common types of hex keys are L shaped, T shaped, and fold-up sets.
What are Allen keys with holes called? ›A hex key (also, hex wrench, Allen key and Allen wrench or Inbus) is a simple driver for bolts or screws that have heads with internal hexagonal recesses (sockets).
Why do Allen wrenches have a ball end? ›
The ball end makes it easier to slide the key into the receiving slot. It allows you to reach at an offset 30 degree angle so that you can feel your way to the needed position much faster - great for blind or difficult areas to reach or if the bolt or screw is close to an obstruction on one side.
What is a monkey wrench? ›1. : a wrench with one fixed and one adjustable jaw at right angles to a straight handle. : something that disrupts. threw a monkey wrench into the peace negotiations.
What is a Ford wrench called? ›The original Crescent Wrench (aka Monkey Wrench, aka Ford Wrench, aka Spud Wrench). It's the mechanics tool of choice for removing and installing “B” nuts.
What is a torx or hex wrench? ›Hex keys are used to turn bolts and screws with an hexagonal (six-sided) indentation in the fastener head compared to Torx keys that are used to turn screws and bolts with a six-point, star-shaped indentation.
What is the difference between a hex bolt and a hex cap bolt? ›Generally speaking, hex cap screws are used in precise applications like an OEM setting where tight tolerances are required. Hex bolts are often specified when the mechanical properties are more important than dimensional tolerances, like the construction industry.
What are the most common hex wrench sizes? ›Common SAE Hex Key Sizes
Adding to our precision sizes, the common SAE Allen wrench sizes are 1/16″, 5/64″, 3/32″, 7/64″, 1/8″, 9/64″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 7/32″, 1/4″, 5/16 “, & 3/8″.
A Torx key is for tightening and undoing fasteners – bolts and screws – that have Torx (six-pointed, star-like) indents, or recesses, in their heads. While Torx keys may occasionally be available individually, they are more generally sold as sets, with different types available for various circumstances.
What is a Torx Allen wrench? ›Balldriver ended screwdrivers (and hex/Torx wrenches) are those that feature a rounded end, which makes it possible to drive bolts in and out at an angle.
Why does IKEA use Allen wrench? ›The Allen key and the flat packs make it possible to keep prices down without compromising on form, quality or function. Flat packs take up less space, making them far cheaper to transport from the factory to the store, and on to your home.
Are Torx and star the same? ›Torx is the brand name. Star drive is the generic name. Eg, Kleenex vs tissue. There is a Torx Plus, however, which is different from others.
Can you use hex instead of Torx? ›
Why Torx Wrenches Are Poor Substitutes for Allen Wrenches. The short answer is…you'll break your torx wrenches on a hex screw head. The fragile tips of a torx or security star bit are prone to bending & snapping without fitting snugly inside of the screw head.
What can I use instead of a Torx key? ›What can you use instead of a Torx screwdriver? Sometimes an allen key will work, or even a flat blade screwdriver if it will jam between opposite points in the recess. Either way, be ready to replace the screw and/or the tool used because of damage.
Why is it called Torx? ›Torx is the trademark for a type of screw head, developed by Camcar Textron in 1967. It's characterised by a distinct, 6-point star-shaped pattern and is often called a 'star screw' that requires a 'star screwdriver' with a 'star bit' to tighten and untighten them.
What is Torx with hole called? ›Anti-Theft. What exactly is a tamper proof Torx bit and what purpose does it serve? Simply put, they are Torx (or Star) screwdrivers that have a round hole in the middle to match the Star/Torx screws that have a pin. Tamper proof screws are usually inserted so they cannot be interfered or changed easily.
Why is Torx better? ›A key advantage of the Torx system is that is allows higher torque transmission than other drive systems enabling fastenings to be tighter and therefore more secure. The straight sides of the Torx six sided star shaped socket helps prevent camout and require lower end-load than cruciform systems.
What are three rules of torque wrenches? ›-Always grip handle firmly in the centre of the grip. -Approach final torque slowly and evenly. -Stop pulling wrench immediately when target torque is reached. -Torque Wrench should be properly cleaned and stored.
What torque wrench for lug nuts? ›Most home mechanics will find that a torque wrench with a 1/2-inch drive and at least an 18-inch handle is the best choice for lug nuts, cylinder heads, suspension bushings, and other likely uses.
Are there two types of Allen wrenches? ›You can get an Allen wrench with a T-shaped handle, instead of the L shape. The T-handle Allen wrench works much the same way as the L shape; it just has a different grip. You can also buy a ball hex wrench, which is a type of Allen wrench that has a horizontal head in the shape of a ball at its end.
What can I use instead of an IKEA wrench? ›Use a drill or electric screwdriver.
The first thing you need to know is that Garcia often uses both a drill and a screwdriver instead of the IKEA-supplied Allen wrench to fasten screws faster.