Bolt Base 10mm Metric Short Arm Allen Key/Hex Wrench / M10 Hexagon Keys/Wrenches - 1 Key

Product Information

While the imperial/SAE measurements are less common these days in the UK and other European countries, you’ll still find them included in some spec lists.

As most people who’ve ever assembled a flat-pack will know, this can often be an issue with products designed around hex drive assembly, as one ‘feature’ of hex bolts is that they can be manufactured without protruding heads (much like grub screws), and thus squeezed into far lower clearance areas than most standard fasteners. Hex keys have a number of important characteristics that make them particularly well suited to the straightforward, user-friendly fastening role that has made them so popular among operators of all experience levels. This 6 piece jumbo hex key set has been manufactured from heat treated steel and features a blackened oxide coating to protect against corrosion. Please complete the purchase (or remove the quote – don't worry it's still available in My Account) before adding these additional items.This screwdriver set has been been manufactured from hardened chrome vanadium steel, which has been correctly tempered for greater strength and durability. The advantage of this design is that it allows the hex key to be inserted into the fastener’s hexagonal recess at various angles other than 90 degrees straight down, which can be incredibly useful when space to manoeuvre is at a premium (for example, when trying to access a bolt that’s awkwardly positioned in a narrow gap between two panels, which is a fairly common occurrence with hex head fasteners).

In the following section, we’ll look more closely at some of the best value options among the numerous styles of hex wrenches you’ll commonly find on sale, and discuss some of the potential pros and cons of each type. As ever, though, there are some potential compromises to be made in the name of progress, and ball end hex keys are no exception: unlike the most basic and cheapest Allen key sets, you won’t be able to recondition or ‘trim’ a worn ball point hex key without losing access to this additional feature entirely.

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Although there’s always some potential for confusion wherever two different terms are used for the same item, in this case it’s pretty straightforward - to all practical intents and purposes, hex keys/wrenches and Allen keys are indeed essentially the same thing. 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. As you might well have predicted already, the name ‘Allen’ when attached to these basic wrenches is actually a registered trademark, whereas the term ‘hex key’ is the generic version - although in casual use, the distinction between the two has become almost entirely blurred over time. Socket screws have a hexagonal drive and are deisgned to be used with an allen key, which can be beneficial if the work is being done in a confined space. 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.

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. While most people will know exactly what’s meant by this, there’s some potential for confusion here too: industry standards dictate that the term ‘hex head’ is far more commonly used in reference to driven parts (i. Industrial historians seem to agree that hex socket screw drives were probably conceived rather earlier than this - likely sometime in the mid-to-late 1800s - but that it wasn’t until the early 20th century that hex head fasteners started being produced in any great numbers. It’s also worth noting that you’ll occasionally find hex wrenches being referred to as ‘hex head’ keys or similar. Quality hex key sets are made from durable steel, and some feature multipurpose keys with a hex at one end and a ball at the other.