I’m fairly sure that my experiences as a ‘newbie’ to our hobby many years ago were not measurably different than someone starting out today – I bought a kit, opened it up, saw that there were ‘tools’ included and began assembly.  What the instructions don’t reveal is that the ‘tools’ that are included are basic, bare necessity items which if you are careful, might get the kit built – but certainly NOT without a great deal of frustration, hair pulling and teeth gnashing.  The reality of our hobby is that our vehicles are (in most cases) held together with specialized screw products that are simply not used for a lot of other things.  Therefore, it’s a bit unusual for the average home Mr. Fixit to have the proper tools necessary to assemble and maintain the majority of r/c vehicles.  What this means is that IF you plan to work on the vehicles you love and enjoy the experience – you need TOOLS!

Which brings me to the subject of our review – the ProTek RC tools that have been released by A Main Hobbies are a perfect example of what we need to have a satisfactory experience working on our cars/trucks/crawlers or whatever r/c vehicle you have.  These tools are available in both metric and standard sizes and can be purchased individually or in sets.  My recommendation for anyone starting out would be to purchase (at the minimum) one set each of the metric and standard wrenches – and these two sets will cover around 90% off the tasks assembling and maintaining our vehicles. 

The ProTek r/c wrenches are what I would consider ‘high end’ – by that I mean that they are well constructed from quality materials and designed to LAST.  The handles are made from lightweight aluminum which has been knurled for a good grip and sized to fit most hands.  The tips are bronze coated tool steel (for good looks and corrosion resistance) and precision machined to fit the fasteners properly – which contributes to long wear and the ability to loosen those extra tight screws.  Another convenient feature is that they are marked with the proper size and on the handle for easy identification.  Another great feature is that the ProTek wrenches have replaceable tips – extending the life considerably over the products that don’t have this feature!

I have rather large hands and as a result tools with larger handles are more comfortable for me to use for extended periods of time – and the ProTek R/C wrenches are a good fit for me and probably most others.  The large handle allows a good, solid grip which makes the tight screws loosen much easier than the ‘skinny’ handles which tend to slip.  My opinion on these wrenches sums up as:  What’s NOT to like??  I couldn’t find anything!

The ProTek line also includes some specialty tools which are well thought out and well designed.  One of my personal favorites is the 4 way wrench – which is a perfect companion for the nitro racer as it has 4 useful tools combined into one – a glow plug wrench (8mm) and a 10mm socket (works for most clutch nuts)on two sides and a 5mm & 3mm hex tips on the other sides.  This is an incredibly useful combination wrench that is sized and priced at a level that any hobbyist can afford!

In addition to hex drivers and specialty tools, ProTek RC offers pretty much any tool you would ask for including screwdrivers and nut drivers – all of which are extremely high quality and pleasing to the eye!

There are several specialty tools in this line from ProTek RC - including a really cool folding clutch tool which is unlike any that I have ever seen!

To sum it up – the ProTek R/C folks have designed wrenches and tools that are extremely  high quality at reasonable prices – a win/win for all of us!

ProTek is an A Main Hobbies brand and are sold by A Main Hobbies (http://www.amainhobbies.com )