Weldtite Performance Review Team III
[Listening to: Lightening Bolt - Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg]
Those nice people at Weldtite recently sent me two of their Cylo "Y" Wrench Allen Keys to review, one with 2, 2.5 & 3mm Allen keys, and the other with 4, 5 & 6mm ball ended Allen keys.
As it happened, I was doing some general maintenance on a friends bikes that week, and the sun was shining, so with gloves on I was out in the sun putting them both through their paces.
As always, first thing of note was the nice minimal packaging (I even carefully removed the zip-ties and put them in my saddlebag - you never know when they may come in handy).
My other Allen Keys are a more conventional L shape, but these "Y" shape have a distinct advantage, it's much easier to get a good grip and more torque when you need to undo or tighten a bolt. Each key is clearly marked at the base with its size, making selection easy, and the "Y" shape means if you've guessed wrong on what size you needed (most amateur mechanics like me probably do this a lot), then you simply spin it around, you're probably not far off in your estimate. It might sound daft, but it's a real time saver.
Another plus is the rubber insert, it really makes it very easy to get a really good grip when turning the key, even on a hot day in Rome wearing gloves they didn't slip in my hands. The ball ended keys are very useful for those bolts with difficult access, and the build quality of both keys is good so you don't feel like you're going to round off the heads of your bolts.
Lastly, a clever design plus is the simple tab on the centre that means you can stack the tools one on top of the other - save time by putting them together in your toolbox.
All in all a great tool. There are times when a traditional L shape Allen key will be a better tool, for instance when room to turn an Allen key is very tight, but in other areas where space is less of an issue, I'd rate these "Y" shape Allen keys easier to use and more tactile in my hands than my L shape keys. 10/10 to Weldtite on these.
