Wera 950/9 Hex-Plus Multicolour 1 L-key set, metric, BlackLaser, 9 pieces vs Bondhus 10937 Balldriver BLX13 Ball End L-Wrench Set, 13-Piece Inch

The Wera set is the one whose drive profile is engineered to stop rounding rather than just survive it, and the colour coding and etched sizes make grabbing the wrong key much harder. The Bondhus set is the better value and the one whose maker publishes the most honest technical detail, including the admission that a ball end can never be as strong as a straight hex tip.

Wera 950/9 Hex-Plus Multicolour 1 L-key set, metric, BlackLaser, 9 pieces

Buy it

The only set here whose drive profile is designed to stop socket screws rounding out, with a published torque figure to go with it.

• Wera states that the Hex-Plus profile gives a greater contact surface in the screw head and that as much as 20 percent more torque can be applied.
• Arm lengths are published size by size, from 1.5 x 90 mm up to 10 x 224 mm, so you know exactly how far each key reaches before you buy.
• Every key is colour coded by size and laser engraved with its size, which is the practical defence against picking up a near-size key from the wrong system.

• Wera's datasheet names no alloy, no hardness figure and no standard, so you are trusting the brand rather than a number.
• The ball is on the long arm only and Wera publishes no working angle for it, unlike Bondhus, Wiha, PB Swiss and Klein.
• Metric only in this part number, so an inch set is a second purchase.

Check price

Bondhus 10937 Balldriver BLX13 Ball End L-Wrench Set, 13-Piece Inch

Buy it

The best documented hex keys you can buy, from the company that invented the ball end and still publishes the numbers behind it.

• Bondhus publishes a 25 degree ball end working angle and argues its case, saying tips beyond 25 degrees need a thinner neck and lose strength.
• Bondhus states an approximate typical hardness of 59 RC for a small tool, comfortably above the 52 HRC minimum ISO 2936 sets for keys up to 18 mm.
• Short arm is a straight hex for breaking screws loose and the long arm carries the ball for fast spinning, and Bondhus says so in writing rather than leaving you to guess.

• This part number is inch only, covering .050 to 3/8 inch; the metric equivalent is a separate purchase.
• Bondhus does not publish arm lengths on its product pages, so reach is the one thing you cannot check in advance.
• The 59 RC figure is described as an average for a small tool, not a guaranteed specification for every key in the set.

Check price

Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Wera 950/9 Hex-Plus Multicolour 1 L-key set, metric, BlackLaser, 9 pieces - The only set here whose drive profile is designed to stop socket screws rounding out, with a published torque figure to go with it. Choose the Bondhus 10937 Balldriver BLX13 Ball End L-Wrench Set, 13-Piece Inch instead if the buyer who wants a straightforward, heavily documented working set and does not need colour coding or an exotic profile.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Hex Key Sets: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).