Good tools w/o the $$$$

[BTCat]

I am having trouble getting 1.5mm allen wrenches that survive. I have rounded a Craftsman, a Husky, an E-Flight and a couple of cheapos. Are there any that hold up?

[coffinsnail]

i got the exi set might try them, but they gona cost ya. when your talking about allen screws you are always best to spend the cash on good hardened steel tools for those boggers.

[akphill]

Hey bt snapon makes some mighty fine allen wrenches matco tools will have some good ones the ones i prefer are the ones that look like screw driver's with the ball ends but the old saying is you get what you pay for by the way i hate small allen screw's something is alway's stripping with them

[Tony]

I was having the same problem BT, and then I found some hex/allen drivers at the LHS that have got to be the best I have ever used. they are made/sold by MIP products and are precision ground instead of die cast like most allen wrenches. The guy at the store said they had some they had been using for 6-7 years. They are a little pricey ($15 each) but if I haven't been able to round one off yet then it probably can't be done. ;D Really all you need are two 1.5mm and a 2mm for the EXI.

Here's a link:www.miponline.com/MIP/HWrench.html

[Solitaire]

I got a Luck set out of China last fall. They seem to be holding up well.

I think part of the problem is substandard screws/bolts and not necessarily the tool kit. I've had some components come with hex bolts and they were very sloppy.

[Tony]

May 17, 2009 21:46:16 GMT -6 Solitaire said:

I think part of the problem is substandard screws/bolts and not necessarily the tool kit. I've had some components come with hex bolts and they were very sloppy.

Thats what I thought too. Then I got the drivers I mentioned above. All the screws I thought were rounded and sloppy, these drivers fit into very snug and tighted them right up.

[Solitaire]

Well, I'm always open to better ideas, Tony. I'll check those out as I need some with longer shafts.

[BTCat]

Past experience makes me think it is a little of both. I think the EXI screws are soft and sloppy and when they round they take the corners off my tool on the way. Tony, thanks for the link. I may give those a shot if I can't find something local. I like good tools (got about 30K invested in my work), but I am a cheap bastart too ;D

[fireguzzi]

I agree with the Snapon and other high end American made tools. Mac, Matco, Snapon are all good. Some German made tools are pretty good quality as well.
As far as tools go, if it says china etc... it is crap.

But they are all pretty damn expensive.

[McKrackin]

Tell you how to fix it.
I just replaced all my 1.5mm screws with 2mm stainless ones ;D

The link is in Builds and Mods.

[McKrackin]

www.rcscrewz.com/product_info.php/stainless-screw-kits-heli/align-heli-screw-kits/p/alg001-align-trex-450-series-stainless-steel-screw-kit/cPath/350_295/products_id/2280

[mightyxxwhitey]

I have been using allen wrenches for a long while for my hobbies. I have used them all. They all have rounded. Especially the smaller ones used in your heli. In My experiences I tend to use, the cheap ones. Not the very cheap, but cheaper then the name brand. They will round, so its not a big deal to get new ones.

[kiwi1080]

I was having the same issue too. I bought a pair of Align allen wrenches that fit all the bolts/screws except for the motor mounts for about $12 from RC super sales and these things are great, not a scratch or mark on them and they make the job so much quicker. Worth a look.

[akphill]

I'm probably dating myself but does anyone else remember when you bought rc stuff they always included a allen wrench just for that application my field box must have 20 of them still there good quality stuff too hmmmm?

[Solitaire]

After a little searching, I found the MIP/Thorpe hex drivers at Helidirect. They just started handling them. Same price as Tony's link, but better shipping for me.
MIP Online wanted $15 to ship a $14.50 driver to Canada.

www.helidirect.com/mip-15mm-thorp-hex-driver-p-12211.hdx