21 February 2016

Fresh Goods Sunday - Silca HX-One Home And Travel Essential Kit


Silca HX-One Home And Travel Essential Kit
I think this tool kit has a strange name but it does come in a handy wood box so could be packed if you are off going travelling!
Anyway back to the tools themselves, the quality / feel is fantastic compared to many offer hex keys I have used in the past 30+ years of building / fixing bikes. Most sram stuff now does not use hex heads on their bolts so there is a handy section of six Torx bits which click into the adaptor and four screwdriver heads as well. As for the hex keys they range from 10mm down to 2mm so most of the commonly used sizes for the average bike build / repair. On the long shaft they have a ball end which comes in handy. The long shaft also has a very grippy red plastic/rubber coating which is very nice on the hand. The length of the keys is also very good for extra leverage on over tightened bolts etc.
As for the box well that is also a masterpiece with a lovely small magnetic catch as well. Too good to put into a tool box / cabinet, this should be out on show. Onlt time will tell if the keys start to round off at the ends but hopefully they should last a lifetime of spannering.
As for the cost, well you do get a lovely box to keep them in and 10 bits with the adaptor and eight hex keys so all in not bad for the money / quality.
RRP £110, I got mine from Merlin Cycles £91.57 inc next day p&p.
UPDATE - Westbrook Cycles now stock Silca products inc this kit.

Manufacturers blrub -
SILCA HX-One:
Few tools are used as frequently, and can cause as much heartache or wasted time as the seemingly simple hex key. It’s one of the first things you notice at the top levels of motorsport tools, or in the toolboxes of Pro-Tour mechanics: extremely high quality hex keys. The reasoning is simple, better tool fit leads to better feel and confidence for the mechanic as well as significant reduction in the likelihood of damaging exotic fasteners made from Titanium or Aluminum.
For the HX-One we had to start with the finest S2 tool steel, a shock resistant steel which has been refined by Swiss and German toolmakers for the optimal balance of strength, hardness, shock resistance and dimensional control. S2 yields stronger tools with much harder surfaces for prolonged tool and fastener life. The keys are then coated with thin-dense Chrome, a process generally reserved for mold tool components or optical grade surfaces inside molding tools. This coating provides the hardest, most dimensionally stable finish possible on each hex key. Finally, each tool is spray coated with a high-grip, high-visibility textured polymer finish for maximum grip and control. No more dropping your tools with greasy fingers or losing them on your workbench!
Included with the HX-One Essentials Kit is the proprietary Silca 17-4 Stainless Magnetic Adapter. The adapter with a pleasant magnetic click turns the 6mm hex key into a ¼” socket drive which can fit any common ¼” driver bit. Included in the kit are the 6 most common torx sizes, 2 Phillip's head and 2 flat head drivers. You can literally handle any modern bicycle fastener with the tools in the box.  
Each HX-One kit is lovingly packed into a fully CNC machined box made from sustainable Beech Wood. Each box is hand sanded and finished before receiving the stainless steel Silca shield on the lid.
One of our goals with this lifetime set of tools was to have it be completely one-hand accessible. The fine Beechwood Box uses a magnetic closure system and each tool rests in a CNC machined slot, held in place by a single elastomeric tab. Each tool fits into and out of it’s slot with a satisfying ‘click’ so that even when stretched one-handed from work stand to workbench, you can be confident in your placement.

















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