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Reviews For: Bencher Hex Key

Category: Keys & Paddles

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Review Summary For : Bencher Hex Key
Reviews: 29MSRP: 195
Description:
Iambic Paddle, gold plated silver contacts, molded acrylic finger pads, magnetic tension adjustment, adjustable contact spacing, powder coated steel base.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.bencher.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00294.8
AA6VB Rating: 2021-01-04
Very Nice Feel Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this to replace a BY-1 I had been using for 15 years.

This key is velvet smooth and I like the solid feel when the contacts are closed. The key has seen almost daily usage for 13 years and has not needed a single adjustment. Very well made key, that looks good and is heavy enough to stay put on the desk. I highly recommend this key and just wish I had bought it sooner!
KN6SU Rating: 2021-01-03
Solid Stable Smooth Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my favorite iambic key, especially for under $200. Now Bencher lists them at over $300. Not sure if I would pay that much for one, but I probably wouldn't for any key including those fancy Italian jobs. The Hex Key is way more solid and crisply responsive than the BY-1's and 2's which now are up to $200+...
WA2ZQX Rating: 2017-11-15
Rock Solid Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
It can take a much better beating than my Vibroplex lambic and bugs. Keeps my sending honest...with very few mistakes. Did take me a few weeks to obtain the most comfortable settings...but was good right out of the box. Refuses to move, no matter how heavy-handed my sausage fingers beat it. Doesn't look like a Maserati...but it's a quality product!
W8NIC Rating: 2016-12-13
I LIKE IT! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
got this as a secondary key. I switch between this and a Kent TP-1 and both are nice and feels good when sending code. Quality and construction are very comparable to the high end and expensive keys.
Try it, you'll like it.
KU6A Rating: 2015-08-09
Great Key! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine around 2005. I am the proud owner of SN:0062. Yaaay! I'm not the best CW op, but I wanted to have a good key that didn't feel cheap. The magnetic returns give it a consistent, crisp return. The ball bearings give the arms a frictionless feel. It's also heavier than a pair of combat boots so it doesn't move around when I'm smacking it to send my call. My only complaint would be the length of clamping screws on the posts; they had less than 1D thread engagement and my posts are now stripped. I love my key though... I hope they put it in my box when they pat the dirt on my face...
KT8DX Rating: 2014-09-12
Works great for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had mine for several years now. I found it finicky to adjust to my taste and spent probably about a month getting it just right. Once there though, the adjustment has been rock solid and I've never felt the need to readjust anything.

I love the heavy base and feel of the thing. I'm a bit of a paddle slapper here, having gotten my start with a Vibrokeyer, and it takes whatever I can dish out to it.

Its a keeper
K2JN Rating: 2012-02-06
Well made.. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Unlike other commercial keys I've purchased in the past, the Bencher Hex Key is well-made with no flaws or defects. Even the serial number is correctly aligned and centered. It's also heavy, has a nice finish and the action feels smooth to the touch. In typical Bencher style, there is an adjustment wrench fastened to the bottom of the key along with high-grade cable attachment points. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and glad to own a quality American product.
W6UV Rating: 2011-02-05
Good, but less than great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought one of these to replace a Bencher BY-1 I bought in 1980. The BY-1 was damaged in a recent move, so it was time to shop for something a little more modern.

One of the things I dislike about the BY-1 series is their tendency to fly apart under vigorous keying. I normally have a light touch, but can really slap a paddle around in the heat of working a new one. I've lost at least a few new ones due to the key coming apart at the wrong moment.

The Hex Key doesn't use trunnion bearings like those used by the BY-1 keys. It uses ball bearings, and these lend a feeling of solidity to the key. There's no slinky spring either; paddle return tension is via magnets. I don't think it's possible for even the heaviest hand to worry about making this key go to pieces in the middle of a contact.

There are some design elements that I feel the designers got wrong. The magnets are placed at the very end of the arms rather than as close to the pivot point as possible to minimize angular momentum.

The posts holding the fixed magnets are the typical Bencher round posts secured by a screw inserted from the bottom of the key's base. Turning this screw with a screwdriver results in moving the magnet away from a perfectly parallel position relative to the magnets on the key's arms and this can be fiddly to adjust. Ditto for the posts holding the contacts, which appear to be identical to those used on the BY-1 series.

Bencher got several things right with this key. They use spade lugs for the cable connections. This makes connecting the cable much easier--no soldering required. The base is heavy and stays put on the operating desk, even when being vigorously slapped around.

While perfectly functional, this key has an industrial look to it and lacks style. It's certainly no Begali or N3ZN, and with its $250 list price, is not exactly cheap either. If I had to do it again, I'd save my pennies a little longer and get an Italian or N3ZN key.

WA6MOW Rating: 2010-06-04
Quality American Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Looks nice on my desk, and for my sending techniques, feels good. I like the heavy appearance and prefer black and chrome over polished brass. A paddle setting is very individual in nature so what I like may not suit your needs. I always buy used paddles(other than a new Begalli). If a paddle does not feel right to me, I can usually sell it and get my money back. They hold their value nicely. I think this paddle will be one of my keepers.
W9MT Rating: 2010-05-14
Good key. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just getting back into CW again and wanted something better than my Heathkit HD-14 or my MFJ-564B Iambic key. The magnetic tensioning smoothness and overall quality of workmanship on the Bencher Hex Key will make working CW a joy, even though I totally agree with the minor shortcomings outlined by the previous reviewers. It may not be a Mercury, but it's waaaaay better than what I've used up to now. The sub-$55 price I paid on eBay makes this acquisition especially sweet.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by W9MT on 2010-05-14

I've used a Heathkit HD-14 and an MFJ-564B (black base) up 'til now. (Yes, I know...I know...I've been a ham for nearly 40 years, and although being "shamed by friends" into becoming a 20WPM Extra in early-Y2K before the CW requirements changed, I'm still not a "true afficionado" who can copy and send at a 30+ WPM blur.) I can and DO, however, recognize distinctly better quality of workmanship and overall feel than "what I'm used to". There is much less wiggle-slop than the MFJ-564B has, and the pivot bearings and magnetic tensioning on the Hex Key are A-#1 smoooooth. I will also grant that after playing with its adjustments, I do agree with the minor shortcomings outlined by the previous reviewers. The Bencher Hex Key, however, "has EXACTLY what I need" for a more enjoyable CW sending experience. I already know I'm going to like getting back into working more CW via my "sub-$55" eBay purchase of this key !!! Later, I may consider stepping up to a Mercury or similar when I do graduate to the 30+ WPM stratosphere (but not yet).