Acetate handle screwdrivers.

[Dave455]

Thanks for that info Monte!

I have a couple of the Wiha as well! Nice tools, but the blades are plated all the way to the tips, and I find with use it always starts to flake! Wish they made the acetate handles with their regular blades!

The South African Wera's look really nice! I know the handles are solid, and those blacked tips don't peel! May have to try and get some of those! The ones I have are quite old and German made, but look very similar!

I'll be in Germany at the end of the month so I'll have to try and find an 'Obl' and look at the Lux too! Been an expensive month already!!

 

[Biomed]

I suspect it is cost (seems like cost drives everything ) or is there another reason we are seeing fewer acetate handles now? I'm aware of the acetate handle smell issue.

I liked user Mr. Tool's Vessel 4500 drivers so much that I just ordered some.

I'm also a big fan of the Vessel Megadora's (although they do not have acetate handles.)

Enderes is making acetate handle screwdrivers again in the USA. Hopefully we will start seeing them at distributors soon.

 

[Applesauce]

This is one of my favourite screwdrivers ever... Too bad I have pretty much no intention of going to South Africa any time soon, if ever.

 

[Dave455]

I suspect it is cost (seems like cost drives everything ) or is there another reason we are seeing fewer acetate handles now? I'm aware of the acetate handle smell issue.

Nope! I'm sure it's all down to cost!

Except for a very few specific applications, such a electronic assembly, some sort of 'hard handle' is always preferable!

In a completely ideal world I'd probably choose an opaque hard material for greasy jobs, such as cars and machine tools, and a transparent coloured acetate handle for all the rest!

The Snap On hard handles (are they Zytel? The colours suggest something DuPont at any rate) are great for the former! I liked the old square hard handles too (Tenite I think)! Trouble is, these are relatively expensive materials! Worth it though!

Loads of options for the latter, as seen by the previous posts! All of them better than, but probably more expensive than, the soft handle equivalent!

I should point out that there is a difference between Cellulose Acetate and CAB (Cellulose Acetate Butyrate). Cellulose Acetate doesn't smell! This is the material used by C.K. and I think Wiha for their hard handles, and a whole host of British and U.S. manufacturers over the last 40 years to my knowledge!

CAB is in theory slightly tougher! I first encountered it on Marples 'Shatterproof' chisel handles and it's certainly tough. This is the same stuff that PB Swiss use on their Classic handles! It does, however, seriously stink! If you have tools on a bench, or large box, and use them regularly it will not be a problem! Otherwise, get the Cellulose Acetate!

 

[Greatbear]

I love my various acetate handled drivers. I have several "cheap" Xcelite boxed driver sets, a number of Stanley and Xcelite individual drivers, and my favorite of all are my sets of PB Swiss interchangeable-shaft screwdrivers. hey seem to go on forever, until they start in with that nasty vomit smell, then the slow self destruction sets in.

 

[Applesauce]

Mostly I like them as ratchet handles...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jeffmoss26]

Very nice!! ^

 

[Inabox85]

This, not only are the screw drivers identical but the sets are identical. Interesting because while the Fuller ones say "Made in Canada" the MC ones say "Assembled in Canada with imported parts".

All of the mastercraft hand tools are made by stanly