I've been attempting to replace a motor on a fan and having broken one Allen key I thought I'd buy some decent replacements from a "reputable" supplier.
Given that I was abusing them and the screws have been on the shaft for many years in an adverse environment I was surprised to get this twist rather than a shear. I was working in the dark and thought I'd moved the screw!
It looks like an authentic Allen key
Looks like a bunch of far east crap to me.
I've bent and burred a few, and snapped the odd one, but never turned one into fusili..
In message , andrew heggie writes
looks cheap and nasty to me
So, you've prolly split the allen screw now
The harder you turn, the harder the screw digs itself into the thread
Looks like it's made of cheese!
For tough jobs I always use a hex bit with a socket set rather than a conventional L-shaped Allen key.
I suspect it is but why bother marking it 1/8 ALLEN USA when all the free ones that come with flat packs and other self assebly toys have no markings?
It was the fact that when I have broken them they've snapped that make me suspicious of this one.
AJH
Agreed, they do tend to be stronger, have the advantage that one can give them a gentle hammer to seat them better and free the threads. Could I also suggest the old engineer trick of slightly tightening the screw first then undoing it. The idea is that that is the last direction it was moving and is less likely to round off the head.
Slatts
...that technique also stops you being caught out by wrong-handed threads, such as you get on, ooh, motor shafts and things...
If you can get it in, an impact driver - manual or cordless might shift it. I remain amazed at how good my cordless impact screwdriver is at removing difficult screws/bolts etc.
I've got a pneumatic impact wrench and a 1/2" to 5/16" hex impact chuck but I doubt I'd find a 1/8" hex bit to fit, let alone stand the stress.
AJH
>1/2->3/8 + 3/8->1/4 converter to a hex drive will do it. Just remember to turn the pressure down if your wrench doesn't have torque control.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.