Wera Tools - Quality Torque Wrenches, Hex Keys, Ratchets & More!

Words by: Liam Woods

Who Is Wera Tools?

Wera Tools might be a tool brand you have not heard of...yet. For bike-specific tool brands, Park Tool, Pedro’s and Topeak have quite the market share, and Wera is a smaller and newer brand to the bicycle market. That doesn’t mean Wera is new in general or a brand you shouldn’t trust yet. Wera has been around since 1936 when they began making screwdrivers. Since then, Wera has invented a number of tools and re-designed many common tools we know and use in order to be the best that they can be. They claim to be the “Tool Rebels” since Wera tools don’t often fit the common mold. From their design to their looks, Wera certainly has their own flare. The Zyklop ratchet and the Joker open-ended wrenches are great showcases of the Wera flare, improving the design and function of the tool, while also looking sharp and edgy. Wera has embraced the rock-n-roll style and the “Tool Rebel” name. But don’t let that fool you, Wera is dedicated to making the best, top-of-the-line tools possible and will not be confined to standards. 

Why Using Quality Tools Is Important:

Why might you want to make sure your tools are high enough quality for the product you are using them on? Well, two main reasons. First is safety, since using cheap tools can be dangerous. If you use cheap tools, you might experience anything from the tool breaking to slipping and smashing a part of your body into something hard. Slipping a wrench on a pedal or crank and putting your fist into the chainring is on par with high-grade pedal bite. Trust me, I have the scars to testify. Second, if you want to keep your bike parts nice, quality tools will aid with keeping everything in good shape. Rounding a bolt just because you used a cheap wrench is such a shame. With Wera, you get high-quality tools that are made to do a specific job, with sharp tooling interfaces and smooth handles. 

Wera 950/9 Hex-Plus SB L-Key Hex Wrench Set - Metric, Multicolor:

The Wera Hex keys are probably my favorite and most used Wera tools in my toolbox. Besides the tools that Wera sent us to test out, we have these hex keys in so many of our toolboxes and setups, including at the shop, my personal toolbox at home, as well as my travel toolbox. They are simple tools, yet Wera makes them just a little bit better. The tooling interface is machined, sharp and actually a little bit different from normal hex keys. Not being a typical hexagon shape, the Wera Hex keys actually have a little bit of a star shape to them. This helps create a better surface area contact on bolts, specifically to help not round out alloy bolts that are commonplace on high end mountain bikes and road bikes. Also, each different sized hex key has a smooth colored plastic grip so you can easily see what size you need once you get used to the color coding. 

What’s Included

Included in the Wera 950/9 Hex-Plus SB L-Key Hex Wrench Set are nine hex keys starting from 1.5mm up to 10mm. That is 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 mm. You also get a nice holder that folds in half to make traveling around with this set a bit easier.  

Our Thoughts 

Well, I said it above, and I’ll say it here. These are my favorite hex keys I have ever used. What I like the most is the interface that has the star-like shape. When you use these hex keys you can feel the solid engagement with the bolt. I’ve even been able to save some bolts where other hex keys started to round out the bolt interface. The Wera keys were able to get enough grip and not strip anything out. There are also two versions, which are standard steel and stainless steel. The stainless is going to be a bit stronger and last a little longer, and of course they just look badass in silver. 

Wera Bicycle Set Torque 1 Torque Wrench Set - 16 piece:

The Wera Bicycle Set Torque 1 Torque Wrench Set - 16 piece is going to be your full set when you need to get your bike torqued up correctly. It comes with 16 pieces and a torque wrench that ranges from 2.5-25 Nm, which covers a lot of parts on your bike. Using a proper torque wrench is extremely important especially when you start to work on a bike with carbon parts, lightweight machined parts, or if you are doing anything with suspension pivots and hardware. Each part has been designed with specific torque that helps keep the part tight, prevents you from over-tightening and breaking something, or over-tightening something so much so that it no longer spins freely. And to all those who say, “I don’t need a torque wrench. I know how much I'm tightening,” please just use a torque wrench. Your bike will love you for it and who knows, your bike might ride better and your parts last longer. 

What’s Included

The Bicycle Set Torque 1 set comes with 16 pieces and includes Torx bits, hex bits, and a few sockets as well. You also get the torque wrench and a very nice case that it all fits into with great organization. You get T10, T20, T25, and T30 Torx bits, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm standard hex bits along with 5 and 6mm extended bits for those hard-to-reach bolts and 10, 13, 14 and 15mm sockets as well. Not only are all the bits very nice and color coordinated like many other Wera parts, but the case is super nice. My favorite part is that all of the bits go onto a plastic ¼ in bit holder, but with a slight twist to lock bits in place. It’s so nice when you bring this case somewhere and all the bits are still where you left them. You can even flip the case open and upside down and the bits still won’t fall off. 

Our Thoughts

Having an accurate torque wrench in your toolbox is key for working on any high-end bike, especially with carbon parts and suspension parts and hardware. The full Torque 1 Bicycle kit has just about everything you need to be able to torque the main parts on your bike. First, you have the carrying case, which is super dialed and one of my favorite parts about the set. Nothing falls out, all the parts stay put and it keeps you super organized. Something that used to drive me crazy was when the bits moved around. Next, you have the torque wrench. The handle is nice and big, giving you lots of leverage and a comfortable grip when using it. To adjust the torque you pull out the bottom part of the grip, allowing you to spin the torque wrench and move the dial on the window. Admittedly, it's not the fastest wrench to go from 0 Nm all the way up to 20 Nm, but unless you’re torquing something in the middle of a race run, I don’t really see this as an issue. The dial window is large and clear, and you can easily see the larger numbers like 5 and 10, as well as the smaller interval lines between them for the other numbers. There is also a wheel that spins in the window to show exactly what tenth of the Nm you are on, which is very nice as lots of carbon parts show torque numbers like 5.5 Nm. Last are the hex bits that are incredibly nice to use, especially since you are mostly using this kit on very high-end parts where quality and precision matters. It’s nice to see such details like the star-shaped interface, the ball head to keep the bit in the bolt interface better, and the colored stripes on the bits so you can easily tell two similar-sized bits apart. All in all, we are so stoked with this Wera Bicycle Set Torque 1 Torque Wrench Set that it will remain on our benches for a long time. 

Wera Bicycle Set 1 Wrench and Bit Set - 12 piece:

I was stoked to get the Wera Bicycle Set 1 Wrench and Bit Set - 12 piece kit because I think this is a perfect kit to take with you everywhere. Throw it in your gear bag, your car when you ride, a hydration pack, or use it as your normal toolset. You never have to worry with this set because it is higher quality when compared to many other multi-tools.

What’s Included

Included in the 12 piece set is the ultra nice Zyklop mini ¼ in bit ratchet that can be swapped to tighten or loosen, a range of ¼ in hex bits, a Phillips head screwdriver, t10 and t25 Torx bits, and 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 hex head bits as well. There is also a ¼ in extension so you can get those harder to reach bolts and a very nice carrying case to keep everything organized and together.  

Thoughts

I really enjoyed my time using the Wera Bicycle Set 1 Wrench and Bit Set - 12 piece so much that I now have one in my mobile essentials toolbox. For me, this set works great to have as a backup set of hex wrenches, or when you really need to ratchet something down and it’s faster to use the ratchet than a single hex wrench, like when installing a new saddle. In the carrying case, there is a little pocket as well that I like to put in some spare parts, from chain links to more ¼ in bits since any ¼ in bit you already have will work with the Wera Zyklop mini ¼ in driver. The quality of the tools makes it so nice to use that I forget that it's a mini “mobile” kit. 

Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby 1 Driver and Bit Set:

This is another great mobile toolset that you can take with you on trips, throw in your gear bag and it definitely makes a great gift for a cyclist. The Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby 1 Driver and Bit Set comes with a total of 19 pieces and a carrying case. This stubby tool is a great addition if you already have a ¼ in driver like the Wera Zyklop Mini ¼ in wrench or you’re just looking for a backup set of bits. Oftentimes for shock hardware you need two hex keys for each side of the bolt, so this set can easily work as that second bit is needed. 

What’s Included

There are a ton of bits included in this kit. You have the Stubby ¼ in driver, two PH bits, a #1 and #2, PZ #1 and #2 bits, three flathead bits with varying sizes, T10, T15, T20, T25, T30 Torx bits and hex bits including 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 5.5. All this fits into a nice and secure carrying case.

Thoughts

 The Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby 1 Driver and Bit Set is a great kit to have on hand if anything goes wrong. Use it as a backup, or use it as your second set of hex and Torx bits. This kit will also pair super well with a ¼ in driver if you want some super quality bits to go with it. One thing I like about this set over the other Wera bit set above is the color rings on the bits. This is incredibly convenient when working on the fly. You can quickly see which bit you are going for with the color and the large printed sizes on the rings. All of the bits are also super nice and have the same tooling interface as their other hex heads and Torx bits, so you will not be rounding out any bolts with these. 

Worldwide’s Final Thoughts:

Wera Tools are a smaller brand that makes some killer tools that not only exude quality but are also pleasing to the eye. Nicknamed the “Tool Rebels”, Wera really likes to push the norm and try to innovate things to actually make better tools. Things like their Hex Wrenches with colored plastic grips and a sharp tool interface, to their Zyklop series of ratchets and drivers, and their Joker open-ended wrenches all exceed anyone’s standard of quality. If you are looking for quality tools to work on your beloved bike, look no further than Wera to fulfill those needs. 

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes, ridden countless components, tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram.