The Silca HX-One: One HX of an Allen Wrench Set

To begin at the beginning, Silca has been making impeccable tools for nearly 100 years. If you like bikes and bike gear, especially beautiful vintage stuff, you may be familiar with their well-made pumps and stylish sundries. The HX-One Essentials kit is one bunch of sundries we're happy they waited until the 21st century for. As basic as hex keys seem, this simple Allen set destroys the competition for a few precise reasons.

First and foremost, the alloy they use is important. For small tools that do a lot of torquing, the ability to withstand shock and work hardening is critical but easily overlooked... because getting around it gets difficult. That's why the edges of hex keys and tips of bad screwdrivers strip out even when you're using them pretty responsibly. Silca went with S-2 shock-resistant steel and a thin-dense chrome coating, tested and proven to resist rounding and distortion much longer than titanium, standard tool steels, or aluminum. S-2 balances hardness with durability, resisting rounding of both the hex tools and mating parts.

The whole kit was designed from a user's perspective with easy, satisfying operation at the forefront. The solid milled beechwood case has a simple magnetic closure and every tool slot is easy to access with a single hand. The hex keys are spray coated (not painted) with a bright textured polymer to increase grip and visibility. They snap lightly into their elastomer slots with low resistance and a satisfying click.

 
The kit includes a magnetic ¼" adapter that converts the 6mm key into a socket driver. The adapter is also precision cast in high strength steel, and knurled for easy grip. In the kit you get the six most common Torx sizes, two standard Phillips and two standard flat head drivers, and the ¼" driver will fit any other bits of the same size. The case has a trough for additional bits, bearings, or grease stained band-aids, internally textured to make retrieval easier.

The whole thing is made in the US, and designed to last. In now for $125.00. Check out more cool picks for the workshop here.