The Pedro's L Hex Wrench Set comprises nine wrenches that will do pretty much anything on your bikes. They're guaranteed for life, and for the money they're hard to go past.
With an ingrained need to see a matching toolboard of uniform colour, most bikeshops and well-equipped home workshops fall into one of two camps: Pedro's yellow or Park Tool blue. Following the ecosystem approach, the Pedro's L Hex Wrench Set is the same one that goes into the Pedro's Master Tool Kit 3.1 and its other pro-level toolsets. This is good kit, designed to go into a smaller toolcase for travels or if you are limited on space.
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Pedro's has been around since 1989, and its tools grace many a world tour team mechanic toolbox. The tools have been made in Taiwan for the last two decades by the same family firm exclusively, and they come with a lifetime warranty. Given the quality on show here, I can't imagine they have to honour too many warranty calls though.
The L Hex Wrench Set is made up of 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10mm hexes, each with a ball end for use at an angle in hard-to-get-at spaces or where a screw needs an initial light yet high-speed winding in, and a relatively short L-section to keep forces applied in the right direction and minimise unwanted twisting under load. The 10mm measures up at 23cm or 9in, giving plenty of leverage, while the 8mm is 20cm/8in, plenty of heft for stubborn pedals.
The set slots into a plastic holder, which allows each wrench to be rotated out of the way to remove a neighbour. With the numbers stamped on the side down to the 4mm wrench you'll always know what you are picking up, should you leave them scattered across the bench. To aid tidiness, the plastic holder can be hung up out of the way on a hook or nail once done.
> Beginner's Guide: The kit you need to do your own basic bike maintenance
After a month of daily use, the most-used keys – 5 and 6 – showed no signs of wear. None. Inspecting them now under a bright light, they look pristine. Even the keys doing heavy load work – 8 and 10mm – look like new.
For roughly twice the money, Pedro's does a hex set with plastic T-handles, and for shop use these are probably preferable thanks to improved ergonomics and speed of access. But for home or travel use, the L Hex Wrench set is more than adequate.
Verdict
A great choice for the home or travelling mechanic that should last a lifetime
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Pedro's L Hex Wrench Set
Size tested: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10mm
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
They are for people wanting to service bikes accurately, without taking up masses of space in your toolbox.
Pedro's says:
"The hex wrench is the most common tool needed for the modern bicycle. Choosing the right set can make the difference between good day and a bad day working on bikes. Pedro's L Hex Wrench Set is up to the challenge. We made these wrenches from heat-treated SNCM-V alloy steel to ensure superior strength and long-lasting performance. Pedro's hex wrenches also feature extra length and a round-style end for better leverage and easy access and handling of hard-to-reach bolts. The set includes all the sizes you need, in convenient holder, all backed by Pedro's lifetime warranty."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
9-Piece Metric Hex Wrench Set With Holder
Made from heat-treated SNCM-V alloy steel to ensure long-lasting performance
Extra length provides great leverage and access to hard-to-reach bolts
Includes: 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, & 10mm sizes in convenient holder
Can't fault them. Exemplary.
Perform very well indeed.
Again, can't fault them. Could imagine the holder maybe working loose over a long time, but probably splitting hairs there.
About mid-market for a pro-level tool.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well indeed for a compact set of hexes.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The short L and long arm – made for strong leverage with no slop.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Maybe the holder could be nicer, somehow.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
It's hard to get overly excited about basic L-wrenches; these are very well executed among similar offerings from competitors.
About the tester
Age: 43
I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling
19 comments
I'm sure this is a great product. In fact, I am really sure, because I purchased EXACTLY the same set of hex wrenches for a lot less money on Amazon (US), branded with what I imagine is the name of the original manufacturer. I suspect that Pedro's rebrands these and adds an upcharge. Anyway, you can find exactly the same product on Amazon or at a hardware store that carries professional grade tools.
Curious: what was the warranty offered by your Amazon retailer?
Because Pedro's is an unconditional lifetime warranty: you break it, they replace.
I've asked Pedro's to comment on the provenance of their tools. I'm not sure their toolmaker sells elsewhere, or indeed how you'd know as an end-user, if you were looking at a fake of a premium brand backed by a warranty. I could find you a Pinarello that even a Pinarello dealer couldn't tell apart from the real thing without tearing it to bits. People faking stuff is a massive industry - carbon bars, stems, etc etc. This stuff looks identical, even under a microscope. Until it fails, and you try to claim (after you've healed up, that is
)
i'd have to go home to look up the brand. but it's a very highly regarded, "non-bike" tool company. i think it does have a lifetime warranty, actually. Pedro's is an excellent company- don't get me wrong. But these are absolutely the same hex wrenches- the holder is identical, everything. just do a search for "best hex wrenches" or "best allen wrenches". i promise you'll find these from another company.
Oh its a cycling product, better up the price by 250% and you give it 8/10 for value.....
Go buy a set for £10 from a known tool maker, or a quality set for £15 from a quality known tool maker, hex keys dont break, if you shear one you shouldnt be working on your bike.
Let me rephrase what I said, so it doesn't come across like I am trolling Pedro's. I think that you could get an equally excellent set of hex keys from a non-bike manufacturer if you looked around a little bit. OK?
Bondhus. $11. Very fine product.
park tools - under £20 - cooler in black - lasted me 20 years and still look as good as the day I bought them
If I'm not mistaken, Bondus make Park Tool hex keys.
maybe - they're also just under £20 in the UK - but now I see they do a set of fancy coloured ones!
+1 to that. Superb hex wrenches. Mine are seven years old and look like new (used a LOT).
these tools are pedros (little bit racist???) and are expens and are not even yellow. Only reason to pay more for BIKE tools stuff is for color (park=blue pedro=yellow) and these not even yellow??!!
Racist?!? Stretching a bit there. So if they were called Dave's or Peter's you wouldn't have a problem. Welcome the era of the easily offended.
Anyone know if they sell spares? Had this set for a while, lost one of them but don't want to buy a whole new set... (and yes i have a replacement but it doesn't fit in the case)
Wera hex set, for £20, in stainless steel. Really nice quality.
Another vote for Bondhus. Also with lifetime unconditional guarantee. Cheaper, and with added gold bling
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000E7ZQIA
Exactly, you can get better quality hex keys for less than the Pedros. Wera are good quality but I would get the plain tool steel rather than stainless as it is tougher.
Thirty quid? Taking the mickey how much?
Eight pounds. http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-metric-hex-key-set-9-pieces/6867c
If you look at the size of most bolts on a bike and the torque they should be tightened to you'll notice that the majority of them are very small low torque bolts which could safely be fastened with any moderately tidy Allen key set. These long handled keys are also rather silly because the length of the key is supposed to be proportional to the head size and the approximate fastening torque to reduce the chance over torqing, which is a serious problem when it comes to carbon components. And if you're doing it properly (unlike the bike shop that cracked my frame) you should be tightening things with a torque wrench.
or for only £20 more get a torque wrench and do the job properly.