Any cheaper alternatives to Park's fancy allen wrenches?

[Flying Trunk Monkey]

Got a chance to use one of these at a bike shop. They're pretty dang nice but $150 for an 8 piece set is a deal breaker. Even the knock offs on Amazon are $70. Has anyone seen anything similar?

[daforce84]

Any t-handle ball head hex wrench set should be fine for bikes IMO. I prefer ones with ergonomic handles. I have a set of old Craftsman hexes, and a newer set from Klein. I really like the Klein set. If you're in the US, the in-store brands at Home Depot and Lowes should be fine too. If you deal with a lot of seized bolts for whatever reason, just get a longer L-shaped key in the common size(s) for the extra leverage.

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/t-handle-ball-end-hex-keys-metric/hex-kit-set-metric-ball-end-t-handle-6-inch-stand-8-piece

[RDY]

If you want the nicest - but still much cheaper than Park - then get Wera.  Most Park stuff is really overpriced relative to the quality.

[Nickk2000]

I agree that wera/tekton are gonna be your best bet if you want quality.

Personally I use harbor freights "Pittsburgh". They have a t handle set and it gets it tight enough to where I then use a torque wrench if needed.

Wera/Tekton is definitely shop quality, more than an at home mechanic would need, but that's my personal opinion, both are solid choices.

[daforce84]

Don't fall for the silly marketing associated with cycling tool brands, and terms like "shop quality"

There are companies, like Bondhus, that supply aerospace and automotive factories (I've seen them there). A set of their t-handle hexes start around $50 USD. If it's good enough for the people that put together the planes your fly on, they'll be more than fine for your open mold bike, or any high end bike.

Just look for a set that is comfortable, is long enough to reach the things you need (like water bottle cage bolts), has a lifetime warranty, and preferably get them from a local store where you can deal with any warranty issues that come up (should be rare in my experience). I would spend around $30-60 USD for a set, and use the savings elsewhere.