An Allen key wrench is one of the easiest wrenches to use. The Allen key itself is a small L-shaped wrench with a hexagonal shape. If you look at the cross-section of an Allen key, it looks like a hexagon. Because an Allen key has such a specific shape, it should only be used with items specifically designed for it. If you’ve ever purchased furniture that you had to assemble yourself, the manufacturer likely provided an Allen key for you to use while assembling.
In addition to assembling furniture, Allen keys are often used to repair bicycles. The unusual shape, combined with the fact that the Allen key is small and light enough to get into hard-to-reach places on the bike, makes it especially suitable for cyclists to carry with them on rides.
When it is necessary to use a hex wrench tool, insert the short end of the L-shape into the bolt head, and press the long side of the L-shape to turn the bolt. Of course, an Allen key will only hold hex bolts (hexagonal bolts), so don’t try to screw in any other type of fastener with an Allen key.
The other most common way to use an Allen key is to pick a lock. Allen wrenches come in a variety of sizes, so as long as you have a lock small enough to fit a lost key, you can use that to try to open the lock. Just insert the end of the Allen wrench into the keyhole and…sorry, we won’t be teaching you how to pick a lock!
Due to the small size and appropriate size of the Allen fingers, you’ll likely find one included with any home gear. However, the Allen fingers are also useful in other ways around the room, especially if you’re doing more than just assembling two odd bookshelves. In this case, you need a range of Allen fingers to ensure you have the right size for each specific requirement.
The good news is that almost every tool manufacturer has a line of Allen key wrench sets for you to buy. You can find an Allen wrench size chart for any manufacturer. The base range of sizes (although not all sizes are included in all sets) are:
0.7mm
0.9mm
1.2 mm (3/64 in)
1.3mm
1.5mm
1.6 mm (1/16 inch)
2.0 mm (5/64 in)
2.4 mm (3/32 in)
2.5mm
2.8 mm (7/64 in)
3.0mm
3.2 mm (1/8 inch)
3.5 mm (9/64 in)
4.0 mm (5/32 in)
4.4 mm (11/64 in)
4.5mm
4.8 mm (3/16 in)
5.0mm
5.2 mm (13/64 in)
5.5 mm (7/32 in)
6.0 mm (15/64 in)
6.4 mm (1/4 in)
7.0mm
8.0 mm (5/16 in)
9.0mm
9.5 mm (3/8 in)
10.0mm
12.7 mm (1/2 in)
Smaller size Allen fingers require more maintenance than larger size Allen fingers. If you’re not careful, you can peel the head off more easily with a small Allen finger. Therefore, before inserting the Allen fingers, make sure that the Allen screws are dry and have been inserted with their six sides properly aligned. Also, if you buy a more convenient set of Allen hands, the dimensions may not be as precise for smaller hands, meaning they won’t work (or eventually won’t) properly within their size screw posts.
Post time: Jun-19-2023