Did you know that PB Swiss Tools makes sweet-looking cross-handle ball hex drivers?
I recently took advantage of Count on Tools’ Black Friday sale and splurged on a whole lot of PB Swiss tools for use and for review. But I didn’t add any of these P/T-handle drivers to my cart.
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Why? Because I’ve got enough T-handle drivers at my disposal, and because… well, I’m now wishing I had ordered a few sizes. I’ve been wishing for PB Swiss Tools to come out with this style of hex driver for the longest time. And now that they’re here, I balk?
Sorry, this all turned into a ‘thinking aloud’ rambling. But I have a bad cold I can’t shake. That makes it okay, right?
I think the decision not to buy these came when my order was still quite small. But then I decided to splurge on a bunch of other tools, and I guess I forgot to look at these again. Ah well, I can always buy them later on.
Anyways, these hex drivers have 2-component handles, made from Santoprene and what looks to be a hard plastic base handle.
PB Swiss’s Santoprene-coated SwissGrip screwdriver handles are supremely comfortable. They’re textured and grippy without being rough.
I’m a HUGE fan of PB Swiss hex keys, having used them for I don’t know how many years now. *Checking.* According to Amazon, I bought my first one in early 2009. So that’s nearly 8 years.
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For a few years, my PB Swiss hex experiences revolved around their angled stubby hex keys, which I consider to be problem-solvers. Then I bought an inch set and a small metric set.
Sorry, I digressed again.
PB Swiss makes the best ball hex and straight hex drivers that I have ever seen. EVER.
Each tool large enough to be printed on has a serial number, so that if there’s ever an issue they can track it down to the source.
These tools are pricey, but deliver phenomenal trouble-free performance. You get your money’s worth.
With young kids at home, we haven’t taken our bikes anywhere in quite some time, so no need for any maintenance. Thus my 4, 5, 6mm P and T-handle usage has become irregular, and I can’t justify the upgrade. Maybe in a few years the need will arise and I’ll splurge on these drivers. And by “need,” I mean maybe my son will claim my Park or Beta drivers as his own and I’ll have a hole in my toolbox that needs filling.
Or, maybe there will be demands for a review, and I’d feel compelled to comply…
These cross-handle drivers are pricey, but should be the best of the best, given all my past experiences with PB Swiss Tools.
Sizes: 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm
Torx and straight hex drivers are also available. Straight hex are available in the same sizes as ball hex, and Torx are available in T20, T25, T30, T40 sizes.
Price: $14+ each
Buy Now(via Count on Tools)
Compare(Park Tool Set, made by Bondhus, via Amazon)
Park’s P-handle hex wrench set is a good alternative. Instead of paying ~$50 for just 4, 5, and 6mm drivers, you get 8 sizes, from 2 to 10mm, plus a handy stand. I really like these Bondhus-made drivers, especially the simple but effective O-ring and plastic collar-based rotating shaft holder.
I also bought some Beta cross-handle “P handle?” drivers a few years ago, some at full price and some at Amazon clearance pricing. If I had to do it over again, I might still buy those Beta drivers in smaller sizes (2.5mm, 3mm), and these PB Swiss, at least in 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm sizing. I don’t use 8mm or 10mm sizes often enough to justify the added expense of the PB Swiss.
OH! Let’s also not forget about Klein Journeyman T-handle hex keys that I reviewed. Those are pretty good.
Matt
Have you seen the new knurled PB swiss hex keys? They look so, so nice, I just could not justify buying a set this time around- even though I use hex keys for work daily. My rainbow sets will need to last another decade or so before they get replaced. Not a bad problem. ( I did get a bunch of bits and torx screwdrivers from toollady this past weeken, though).
Stuart
I don’t think so. They certainly didn’t come up when I was looking through the online catalog several times.
I don’t really see a benefit to the knurls. Most common hex key sizes are too small for there to be much difference. Right?
Matt
I can see a very limited benefit to the knurls. I see a bunch of long (40mm) M4 and M5 bolts that can take a long time to spin out by hand. Add a bit of oil and grease to a standard 3mm or 4mm hex wrench and it gets very trying. The knurls would really help out in these cases, especially if the bolt is in a limited access area.
But that benefit is not worth $100, to me anyway. The rainbow drivers have a very real benefit and impact when working with them every day- instant size ID, fewer lost tools, less time spent fumbling around looking for the correct driver. Not to mention the PB hex wrench tips last forever
The biggest benefit of the knurled wrenches, to me, is that they are very, very pretty. Again- not worth the cost, but I though about it!
Matt
(not sure if links are allowed- but the Count-On Tools link to the above)
http://www.shop.pbtools.us/LongBall-end-Hex-Key-Set-with-knurled-handle-in-Plastic-Holder-3212LH-10.htm
Stuart
Oh, I see them now. They were under the chrome key section. I might have only glanced over there – if I’m paying full price (as opposed to long-ago Amazon clearance prices), I’ll about the rainbow hex keys.
Diplomatic Immunity
With PB Swiss stuff you can see the quality just by holding it. The machining is top notch.
William
I have the PB ratcheting screwdriver, hands down the best on the market, and I’ve pretty much tried them all.
So tempted to get more from them, but I have a hard time justifying the price of many of their products.
Toolfreak
That’s…kind of weird they only make them in 4,5,6,8 and 10mm, common sizes for a lot of cycling stuff. I could see Park tool doing that, sure, but PB Swiss doesn’t cater mainly to the cycling crowd last I checked.
I have the US-made Craftsman drivers and hardly use them. The ball end comes in handy for the tough spots they are made for once in a great while so they are worth having, but the bulk of the handle makes the other end nearly useless as a regular hex key since something is always in the way.
I guess these would be the way to go if you were working on some fancy ultralight road machine with alloy (yikes) bolts though.
Stuart
I thought maybe they couldn’t get the ball sized to the handle for smaller sizes, but they don’t have smaller than 4mm in straight hex either. Maybe they figured the target users don’t need smaller sizes.
Mike
The whole point of these tools is to apply torque with ease. Anything smaller will shear off fastener heads without much effort.
Toolfreak
The Craftsman set has a 3mm ball-end driver:
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-7-pc-metric-t-through-handle-ball/p-00946384000P?sellerId=SEARS&prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
but the 2.5mm driver is just a regular ended hex key.
The regular L-shaped PB Swiss ball-end wrenches go all the way down to 1.5mm and they have a ball end on the sizes that small.
Just seems pretty odd to me that the Craftsmans have a size the PB Swiss set doesn’t.
Might be a good thing though, I don’t recall ever using a 3mm hex for anything, ever. Maybe PB Swiss is onto something with only including the most-used sizes for these specialty drivers and leaving the smaller ones in the ball-end L-key set if you need them. Given the pricing of PB Swiss tools, not including rarely used sizes in specialty sets might be a good way they keep prices down.
Stuart
Bondhus too.
https://www.amazon.com/Bondhus-13189-Balldriver-T-handles-2-10mm/dp/B00012Y38M/
Well, those are T-handles, but still.
It’s not well shown in the product photo, but Bondhus’s smaller sizes have reduced handle sizes and straight ends, to avoid over-torquing.
The problem with smaller diameter ball ends on high torque-capable tools is that you can break off the ball end in a socket screw. Once that happens, you have a broken tool and a fastener you can’t engage with other tools.
What they could have done was take a standard long ball end hex key and design smaller sized handles for them.
I find that P-handles drivers, even smaller ones, can be more ergonomic to use than standard L wrenches.