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I'm looking for a set of hex drivers, I want a set to ease the ocd in me of having them match, but also because I need all the sizes. Broke 1 today, another is looking rounded.

Budget is flexible as I hate poor quality tools and would rather buy once than have them break when I need them. I've looked at RC Mart which stocks the brand name ones but have seen sets for not much on sites like Hobbyking and Banggood and if they are actually good then I'm happy with cheap too! I've also seen that you can buy replacement tips, that could be a good option, have a few spare tips in the toolbox.

What do people recommend?

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I have some hex drivers that I got from HobbyKing.. The quality seems OK, but I found that the handle was too small, so I rarely use them, and instead mostly use the plain old reliable Tamiya Box wrench...
 

 

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I'm in a similar quandary with Allen key drivers (hex drivers?)

Yes you can get a set from Poundland, but with most of the Schumacher ones 2mm, it doesnt take much to round the Allen key and subsequently round the dome head, then you need the dremel (last week's job)! 

Seen them at £30 for a set of 4,down to a pound each! 

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42 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

I'm in a similar quandary with Allen key drivers (hex drivers?)

Yes you can get a set from Poundland, but with most of the Schumacher ones 2mm, it doesnt take much to round the Allen key and subsequently round the dome head, then you need the dremel (last week's job)! 

Seen them at £30 for a set of 4,down to a pound each! 

Yeah Maplins sell cheap hex drivers too but the quality is lacking especially on that all important 2mm driver.. I use the Tamiya 8 piece set ( swappable into the main handle) with the two Philips heads and a 1.5mm, 2mm and 2.5mm hex driver.

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My advice would be to buy a good set. I have had my MIP set for almost 20 years now. Well worth the cost. I believe in having good tools. Don't but cheap hex wrenches. ;)

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9 minutes ago, Theibault said:

My advice would be to buy a good set. I have had my MIP set for almost 20 years now. Well worth the cost. I believe in having good tools. Don't but cheap hex wrenches. ;)

Hear hear...  All my tools in my shed are high quality...  "Do it right the first time, or you'll do it right the second time" is what Dad says...

That said, I didn't get high quality tools for my RC.  For all the work I do (very little), I didn't need to spend so much.  I got a set of Dynamite tools that work fine.  I'd love to have MIP tools, but at the end of the day, I'd have more $$$ in my tool box than in my cars...

Terry

 

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There's high quality, and there's paying for the name, it's trying to get high quality for the right price.

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Yep same thing, allen key/hex driver.

2 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

There's high quality, and there's paying for the name, it's trying to get high quality for the right price.

This sums it up. The one I broke is Muchmore Racing which came with my Lazer in amongst all the extras. It was 1.5mm, I also have the 2.5mm from the same set, the previous owner broke the 2mm otherwise he wouldn't have given me the others. My 2mm one is from a local hardware store and is still fine but I swear its looking rounded.

Maybe I should be asking whats the best material for them to be made out of then I can find those rather than look for a brand? The TRF 2mm is USD $23 at RC Mart, thats for a single driver, and it says it aluminium. Surely aluminium is too soft?

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I use Proxxon screwdrivers for anything that isn't JIS: Philips, Pozidriv, Slot, Torx...
They are well made and have a nice rubber grip with small "pimples" (tehehe) which helps when you've got oily hands.

http://www.proxxon.com/en/industrial/22010.php?list

I guess their Hex drivers are good too? I don't know if their sizes are good for R/C car hex head screws.

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6 minutes ago, GregM said:

I use Proxxon screwdrivers for anything that isn't JIS: Philips, Pozidriv, Slot, Torx...
They are well made and have a nice rubber grip with small "pimples" (tehehe) which helps when you've got oily hands.

http://www.proxxon.com/en/industrial/22010.php?list

I guess their Hex drivers are good too? I don't know if their sizes are good for R/C car hex head screws.

Thanks, will check them out. I actually need some decent screwdrivers too and keep meaning to go to a specialist handtool store rather than the bigbox hardware stores which sell tools made of cheese.

The hex sizes start at 2mm, and rc uses 1.5mm as well but its not that common, just the grub screw on the pinion (what I broke mine on yesterday) and for the amount of time you spend doing that Imcan use the kit supplied allen key as I have loads of them. 

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I've had quite a few sets. The Hudy drivers are nice but the fit and the hardness of the MIP drivers are better IMHO. 

If you want a decent set but don't want to spend too much check out the team associated factory team hex/but driver sets. 

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Hudy's hex driver is the best, their tips are made from springsteel... everybody ignores that fact till you actually use one :) the shaft has a 'give' which acts like a torque wrench when tightening; to loosen stuck screws the elasticity amplifies your effort like a snatch strap.

Once you've experienced Hudy everything else doesn't compare. Been given & borrowed many other tools since, all naff... I'd never lend out my Hudy. 

Tips stay sharp for long time, many of mine are going on 20+ yrs. 

Don't need to buy full set straight off, just get the most oft use sizes first.

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Thanks for that, rc mart have both MIP and Hudy, prices about the same. I like the sound of this spring steel, sounds like it will make up for some incompetence!

Are ball allen wrenches or regular ones better? From what I can gather the regular ones will be stronger and better most of the time but the ball better when you don't have a direct line to the screw? I'm inclined to go with ball unless there is a reason not to as funny angles seem to happen more often than you expect, especially when trying to avoid taking everything apart...

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6 hours ago, TenzoR said:

I've had quite a few sets. The Hudy drivers are nice but the fit and the hardness of the MIP drivers are better IMHO. 

If you want a decent set but don't want to spend too much check out the team associated factory team hex/but driver sets. 

Yeah I've had some Hudy ones in the past but IMO I like my MIP's better. 

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6 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

Well, I took the plunge and ordered these

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=40245

Seems to tick the relevant boxes, proof is in the pudding, as they say.

They look good, I've seen that brand on rcmart but not at that price, works out a lot more from rcmart.

I've decided on the Hudy ones, was about to order then my wife said '$%#/÷^ i forgot to pay the credit card off, we have $65 available ' so i have to wait a few more days. It was WillyChang's comment about having them for 20 years that did it. Unfortunately they don't have a set but USD $40 for 1.5mm, 2mm and 2.5mm seems pretty good for 20 years service. I trust WillyChang as he was spot on about my s3003 not lasting a race...

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Just now, berman said:

Yeah I've had some Hudy ones in the past but IMO I like my MIP's better. 

Hmm you beat me to it, 2 votes for MIP. But the Hudy ones look so cool with the aluminium handle! Have a few days if I change my mind, I will think anything is awesome compared to the worn out ones or the $4 Bunnings one!

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14 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

the Hudy ones look so cool with the aluminium handle!

Thats why i compared them to Apple, look cool, but the spec, on paper anyway, looks the same as the ones I bought.

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Just now, Wooders28 said:

Thats why i compared them to Apple, look cool, but the spec, on paper anyway, looks the same as the ones I bought.

Yeah true, I was worried about that too when banggood had sets that look cool for $10 delivered. I would prefer blue ones but Hudy don't seem to make them. Being new to this though I don't actually know many brands and what is good or not, just that those kit supplied allen keys are fiddly and hard to use. I'm pretty sure that whatever I got I would think is awesome, assuming its not made of cheese like tamiya pinions.

I was getting confused looking at spec, most say what they are made of and then Hudy say its their secret spring steel, and what do you know but according to WillyChang thats a thing too.

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I have this set from Arrowmax. I've managed to wear out the 2mm hex driver in about 5 years of usage. I then got a Hudy insert for it, and I must admit, that makes all the difference!

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Just now, GooneyBird said:

I have this set from Arrowmax. I've managed to wear out the 2mm hex driver in about 5 years of usage. I then got a Hudy insert for it, and I must admit, that makes all the difference!

That set looks great, especially since it comes with ball and normal 2mm driver and a good price.

Did you find the Hudy insert better than the arrowmax, or was it that it was new and the other was worn out?

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The Hudy insert initiall felt a bit grabbier (screws would stick to the tip without being magnetized), but that wore off with about a year of regular usage. Honestly, right now I can't really tell the difference, especially as I can't remember what the original Arrowmax tip felt like when new. It just...does what it's supposed to, to be honest. ;) 

It's a great set indeed, and quite versatile. I've complemented that set with a Tamiya Large and Medium JIS screwdriver, a 3.5mm and 4mm socket driver from Turnigy (hardly ever use them), and a set of turnbuckle wrenches. That constitutes about 90% of what I use as tools for fasteners.

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3 hours ago, GooneyBird said:

I have this set from Arrowmax. I've managed to wear out the 2mm hex driver in about 5 years of usage. I then got a Hudy insert for it, and I must admit, that makes all the difference!

That maybe the way to go for me, in 5 years time! 😁

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