Alan Keys Sets 1set 3-8mm L Shape Square Head Wrench Suit for Security Self Tapping Screw Square Drive Pan Head Allen Keys

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Note, too, that hex keys and Allen wrenches are often sold in both metric and imperial (or SAE) versions, depending on the brand, supplier and origin/purchase location. Now, as you are aware of the different types of Allen keys, you can choose the one as per your requirement. As electronics are becoming more and more compact in size, Allen keys are being used to support their size. In fact, their use is now so widespread that the inclusion of a free hex key with flat-pack furniture, bicycles and other products requiring quick straightforward assembly is now an extremely common practice (although, unsurprisingly, the quality of such giveaway tools is often very questionable). The unprecedented production and commercial boom that the 1940s and 1950s brought with them saw the reliable and cheap hex key emerge as an increasingly common feature across a broad swathe of consumer products and DIY assembly kits.

Unlike other Allen keys, it is nearly impossible to lose a folding Hex wrench, as they are enclosed in the handle. These are oversized L-wrench with a comfortable grip that gives them similar benefits as of a T-handle. As such, they were rapidly adopted by all manner of industrial plants and production lines; at the time, factories around the globe were seeking to modernise and improve on their often patchy safety records under rapidly increasing workloads, and innovations such as headless screws were another small step in the right direction.

The trade-off for this improved user-friendliness is that T-handle hex keys can be less versatile when it comes to working in tighter spaces or with very low clearance above the fastener.

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. Allen keys, also known as hex wrenches or hex keys, are designed to tighten or loosen hexagonal-shaped bolts and screws. The registered Allen key name originated in the US sometime around 1910, when the the Allen Manufacturing Company based in Connecticut first secured the trademark. In this regard, it’s very like the uses of terms such as ‘Hoover’ and ‘vacuum cleaner’, or any number of similar examples where a popular registered trademarked name has bled over into common use as a generic label. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience.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. Furniture Repairs– Allen screws are an essential piece of hardware for securing furniture at its place. Moglix is a company started in 2015 by a group of young entrepreneurs with an aim of bringing in revolutionary and exciting solutions to the global e-commerce. A ball end Allen key set is also an increasingly popular choice for both professional and hobbyist users alike, and with good reason - ball end hex wrenches (sometimes known as ball end hex keys, or ball point hex keys) offer a far greater degree of versatility and flexibility in terms of access to smaller spaces.

However, if the widespread embracing of this new standard spread quickly throughout the industrial world, it wasn’t until the onset of WWII that hex drive screws and wrenches - be they trademarked Allen originals, or any number of similar duplicate designs that popped up around the same time - really began to gain traction on the domestic market.Even though all Allen keys feature a hexagonal cross-section, these come in various sizes to better suit different applications. 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. Hex keys or Allen wrenches are basic and highly versatile fastening/driving tools, which is largely why they’re so very widely used across an extensive array of applications and product categories today.