When wrenching on your vehicle, while at the track or in your home based workshop, having the right tool for the job makes life considerably easier. There is nothing worse than fumbling around through a tool box sorting through wrenches trying to locate the right size and getting frustrated grabbing a wrench too large or too small. HobbyStar, manufacturers of speed controls, batteries, motors and more now has several of hex drivers (sometimes called Allen wrenches), nut drivers, a 6-in-1 driver-set and body reamer that are sure to make building, general maintenance and repairs a pure pleasure.
WHAT ARE THESE TOOLS ALL ABOUT?
Let me start off with the handles on the hex driver and nut driver sets. They are 6-sided, black anodized and hollow so they are lightweight and precision machined so they have a great feel. Also, being 6-sided they won’t roll away when you put them down. A plastic cap pushes into the back of each hollow handle and a single 2.0mm set-screw holds in the tips securely. When tips are installed the total tool length is 185mm ideal for getting at hard to reach spots. 
The Hex Driver Set comes with 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm drivers. Each tip is precision cut for a perfect fit and hardened to be long lasting and resist rounding and finally are coated to resist corrosion.
Like the regular Hex Driver Set, the Ball-End Hex Driver Set features 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm drivers. The tips on these cool tools are specially machined like a tiny hex ball so they can be used on an angle making them ideal to reach screws in tough to reach locations.
The 4-Piece Nut Driver Set consists of 4.0mm, 5.5mm, 7.0mm and 8.0mm drivers. The ends are precision machined, hardened and have a thin, but very strong wall so they can remove nuts when there is not a great deal of surrounding room.
The Body Reamer is 130mm in length when the protective cap is threaded on. The knurled hollow handle is about 60mm in length and has 2 flat spots machined. One flat spot sports the HobbyStar name and the other reads 0 – 14mm, reflecting the size hole the reamer is capable of making. As for the reaming end, it is very, very sharp so it cuts through Lexan, polycarbonate and most plastics like butter.
The 6-In-1 Driver Set features a handle that is about 105mm in length, is ribbed for a good feel, and has 2 flat spots, one that is blank and the other with the HobbyStar name. A silver aluminum cap at the end is held in place with an o-ring. Tips inside the hollow handle include #0 Philips, #1 standard screwdriver tips, 1.5mm hex, 2.0mm hex, 2.5mm hex and 3.0mm hex drivers. The ends have a protective brown finish, are etched with their size and secure into the handle for use by way of a 5.0mm hex.
GIVING THEM A TRY
I first used these spiffy new HobbyStar tools to work on a short course project truck and while building a nice new Yokomo YZ-2 CA. While I didn’t use each and every size in all of the set I did use a good selection of the tools and each has a perfect fit and feel. I particularly liked the Ball-End Hex Drivers as they worked very well on an angle in tough to reach spots. The Nut Drivers work very well too; I especially liked that the ends were rather deep for when a nut needed to be tightened down on a long screw.
I also use several of the ends from the 6-In-1 Driver when wrenching on this short course project vehicle that they worked flawlessly. That said, I would not use this tool for daily wrenching; it is more suited for a quick vehicle adjustments when you won’t want to grab a full tool set.
IN THE END
The tips of these drivers are made with much precision and will last a long while before they need replacing, are easy to identify with etched handles and have the right feel when in your hand. The 6-In-1 Driver Set is ideal when making a quick trip to the track our fast tuning when you don’t ant to lug out your entire tool set and the Body Reamer is perhaps the sharpest I’ve ever used. Best of all, these tools are very well priced! What more could you need or want?
Vital Stats
MANUFACTURER
ITEM, ITEM NO, PRICE
4-Piece Hex Driver Set: 420-10-127, $19.99
4-Piece Ball-End Hex Driver Set: 420-10-122, $19.99
4-Piece Nut Driver Set: 420-10-117, $19.99
6-In-1 Driver Set: 420-10-135, $14.99
Body Reamer: 420-15-049, $8.99
WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT
• Most popular sizes included in each set
• Excellent machined hex tips
• Light weight
• Good sized handle
• Handles are etched for easy identification
• Cap of the reamer is threaded on
• 6-In-1 Driver is very compact in size
Links
HobbyStar, www.HobbyStarLabs.com
RCJuice, www.rcjuice.com
