When assembling furniture that involves an allen wrench or a hex key, the task can seem like a long one. It doesn't matter how many times you've done it, there's still a bit of grumbling and fumbling as you twist each awkward wrench, it pops out and falls on the floor and you curse yourself for not buying "real furniture" that doesn't require assembly. Well forget your frustrations and meet the ratcheting hex!
Ok, so I know it sounds silly to sing the praises of a tool that essentially eliminates the turning of your wrist. It sounds so lazy right? Who can't be bothered to turn their wrist, that's like the lowest of the low right? Well there's something to be said for the right tool for the job and instead of although a standard hex key or allen wrench works just fine, they aren't exactly awesome if you have more than a few pieces to assemble.
This fun little tool retails for $14.99, though is currently on sale for $4.99, so it might be a good time to pick up a metric and standard set both for your toolbox. Then you'll always have the right tool for the assembly job at hand.
Do you think it's as brilliant as I do or would you rather do it old school and labor and toil over your furniture assembly — really, I won't hold it against you! Sound off in the comments below!
• More details and purchasing information at Rockler Hardware
Image: Rockler Hardware
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
To be perfectly honest, I take an old sock and wrap it around the tiny nub end of the allen key you're supposed to hold. Then I can spin it as many times as I want, with the sock giving me enough friction to keep the key in place, but it rotates freely under my grip.
Works perfectly, I put together two ikea bookcases with 30 odd hex bolts or whatever they're called in half an hour, no hand cramps.
If this kind of thing makes you happy, you might also want to pick up an allen drill bit set! http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00926494000P
I knew I was a grown-up when I got excited about major appliances and power tools.
There's a reason allen-head wrenches are L-shaped: When you need to drive screws for a long time, you simply insert the short end into the screw and use the leverage of the long end to spin the thing...
...only if space is extremely tight would you use the short end.
Save your $5.
Ver nice idea!!!
I so could have used this last Sunday when I was getting really frustrated putting together a bed from Ikea. They only gave you a little whole in the bed rail through which to turn the screws. I got through it, but this tool would have made it so easy!
Oops! "hole" not "whole". lol
Many electric screwdrivers come with hex attachments.
... or you could get a drill bit set and laugh at all your unitasker-loving friends when they have to drive a non-hex screw.
A hex wrench drill bit is the best investment I ever made... right out of college, I bought an apartment worth of furniture at Ikea and assembled it all in no time (well, a day) and without the painful fingers.
Brilliant! I want one!
The appeal to me would come in those tight places where (as bepsf pointed out) you don't have room for both a grown person's hand and the wrench...but it seems like this one is still too big for those situations. Great idea, just need something less bulky.
The best solution I have found was to cut the "L" portion off of an allen wrench and and stick it in the drill just as you would a regular bit. When I was in high school I worked for one of those raw unfinished wood furniture stores where we essentially saw no customers and just assembled furniture all day. This is what we used more than anything else.