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Written by Wally Wallace
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Tuesday, 26 September 2006 |
 | | photo courtesy: Park Tool |
Park Tool PH-1, Padded Hex Wrench Set:
There will come a time in your evolution as a mechanic that you find you need to move beyond your folding hex set and invest in a functional quality set of Wrenches. When that time comes you can't do better than the Park PH-1 Hex Set. The P-handle, not to be confused with the T-handle, wrench is very comfortable to use and the have held up well under daily shop use.
 | | click to enlarge |
Hex wrenches are used on almost every shop repair. That said there is nothing worse than using a worn out hex wrench and strip a bolt on your customers' bike. A durable hex set is a must. To measure up to the highest industry standards the Park PH-1 features Bondhus Protanium™ high torque industrial steel, a definite sales feature to those in the know. Protanium® Steel is proprietary alloy steel developed and used only by Bondhus. It is the hardest, most ductile, and longest wearing steel that exists in the hex tool industry. In shop rat terms this means less time on the grinding wheel desperately trying to get some more life out of your tools.
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Another feature I really like about the PH-1 is the use of a ball end. While ball ends are not recommend for high torque use they are perfect for working in tight angles or blind spots. The concept by which ball ends slide into a screw head is known as funnel insertion. Basically, it means that the sides of the ball end direct (funnel) it into place. This gives you many angles to work from. An example is trying to install a bottle cage on a smaller frame. It is often tough to get a hex wrench in place to quickly thread in the mounting bolts. A ball head allows you to work outside of the frame triangle and use your longer wrench to ease the bolt in.
 | | photo courtesy: Park Tool |
The PH-1 includes all the basic hex wrenches you will need for most bicycle repairs. The short end of the wrench is neatly chamfered and extends from the handle for use when fully tightening bolts in high torque applications. Shaft lengths are optimally selected to minimize the wind-up and flex experienced with longer wrenches. Special 'speed bearing' attachment facilitates installation and removal of long-threaded socket head bolts and nuts. The offset P-handles are made from a durable nylon material and are ergonomically designed for comfortable use. The set comes in a bench / wall mount holder. I prefer to drill holes in my bench to fit the wrenches into. This keeps them at my finger tips.
A tool Bikeman can't go without..
Bikeman Rated:
 | Buy / Details | Park PH-1 Padded Hex Wrench Set: These thoughtfully designed P-handled hex wrenches fit the task at hand, as well as they fit in your hand. All the wrenches fit neatly in the included bench mount/ wall mount holder. The PH-1 set includes 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm sizes. Long shaft of each wrench is fitted with a Bondhus® Balldriver... | |
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; "photo courtesy: Park Tool")
; "click to enlarge")
; "photo courtesy: Park Tool")
