Best sillcock key

The W102046AE is WORKPRO’s two-pack of 4-way sillcock keys, and I’ve used it. WORKPRO is a tool brand of Hangzhou GreatStar Industrial, and its own store sells the same black two-key set under the code W102046AH. Each cross has four square sockets: 1/4, 9/32, 5/16 and 11/32 inch.

It’s the only pick that maxed all five checks, a 10.0. WORKPRO names the steel, the finish and the size of the key, which is more than any other 4-way key maker we checked put in writing.

The keys are forged from 40Cr steel, and WORKPRO says that gives them high hardness. A named alloy grade earned a 10 on metal. A key that turns a stem nobody has touched since last fall needs sockets that keep their shape.

For rust, WORKPRO uses a black electrophoretic coating, the dipped e-coat finish used on a lot of steel parts, and says it resists rust. Naming the finish earned a 10. A key that lives in a truck door pocket or a wet hose box gets plenty of chances to rust.

WORKPRO also publishes the size: 78 by 78 by 17.5 mm per key, about 3.07 inches across, and 159 grams. That’s pocket size, and it’s a 10 on specs. Danco and Pasco publish no key dimensions at all.

Two keys in the pack scored a 10 on keeping one on hand. The listing photo shows each arm’s size printed on the black finish, so you don’t have to try all four on a stem. Check yours when it arrives, because the photo is the only place we saw it.

WORKPRO adds a warning worth reading: the set may not fit certain radiator valves, so confirm the size before you buy for that job. For outdoor faucets, the four arms match the four sizes Danco’s listing calls standard.

On warranty, WORKPRO’s page doesn’t list sillcock keys by name. It covers wrenches for life and other hand tools for two years, with proof of purchase. Ask WORKPRO support which class this key falls in before you count on either.

My call: buy this set, keep one key on the truck and one in a kitchen drawer for the day a handle goes missing.

The 80442 is Danco’s 4-in-1 sillcock key, and I’ve used it. Danco makes faucet repair parts, and its product page calls this a single steel tool that does the work of four. It scored 8.0.

Danco lists hardened-steel construction on that page, a 10 on metal. The spec table says steel, and the four arms are female sockets, so the stem slides inside the arm. The listing adds that it works on valves that a wrench or pliers can’t grip.

The sizes need a careful read. Danco’s bullet list says the key fits 1/4, 9/32, 5/16 and 11/32-inch valves. The description above it names only 1/4, 9/32 and 11/32. The listing title and photo show four arms, so I scored all four, a 10 on sizes.

Rust is where it lost the first points. The brand-written Amazon listing calls the steel corrosion-resistant, and the title says chrome. Danco’s own page names no plating or coating, so it scored an 8. Its California Prop 65 notice names nickel.

Danco publishes the package size, 4.50 by 2.98 by 1.25 inches, not the key’s. Under our rule a package size counts as no key size, a 6 on specs. And one key with no loop is a 6 on keeping it on hand.

On warranty, Amazon’s item data gives the 80442 a one-year limited warranty. Danco’s warranty page describes one-year and five-year terms, both limited to defects in material or workmanship, with replacement or refund at Danco’s option.

The listing photo shows a bright plated cross with four round arms and a wider center hub. The arms carry no size marks in the photo, so plan on trying them until one slides fully onto the stem, or use the checker below first.

Danco also sells a single 5/16-inch key, the 80132, which the listing calls broached 5/16 inch. One size is fine when you know the stem. I’d still start with the four-arm 80442.

My call: if you only ever need one key, this is the one I’d keep in a kitchen drawer. It comes from the same company that sells the stems and washers you’ll need when that faucet finally drips.

The 1701 is the 4-way key from PASCO Specialty & Mfg., and I’ve used it. Pasco’s trade catalog runs from commercial faucets to shower pan liner, and the 1701 sits on page C-19 of its Tools & Electrical section, dated Aug. 1, 2023. It scored 7.6.

The catalog gives it four lines: fits stopcocks, sillcocks and valves; sizes 1/4 to 9/32 inch and 5/16 to 11/32 inch; die cast; and a key chain loop. The Amazon listing spells out the four sizes as 1/4, 9/32, 5/16 and 11/32 inch, so it scored a 10 on sizes.

The chain loop is why it’s here. It scored a 10 on keeping it on hand, the same as WORKPRO’s spare key. The listing says the key comes attached to a keychain, which is how you end up having it when you need it.

Where it lost points is the metal. Pasco says die cast and doesn’t name the alloy, a 6 on metal. Die casting forces molten metal into a mold, while the WORKPRO key is forged.

Pasco names no plating or coating, a 6 on rust, and publishes no key size or weight, another 6 on specs. The listing photo is a black-and-white catalog shot of the cross, with no loop in view, so you can’t judge the finish from it either.

Pasco’s terms of sale give its products a 365-day limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, counted from the date of original installation. Claims go to Pasco by email within 30 days of finding the defect, with the part number.

The same catalog page lists a single 5/16-inch die cast sillcock key, the 1700, and a 10-inch log lighter key, the 1707, for 1/4 and 5/16-inch stems. The long log lighter key reaches a gas valve set down in a hearth.

My call: hang this one on the key ring you carry to service calls, and keep a steel key in the truck for stems that won’t turn freely.