BEST screwdriver?

[rtsol]

im looking to get a set or two of higher end screwdrivers. i have this strange new obsession for wood handles, so id get a set for clean work i guess, the other would need to be tough/rugged, not round screws and last forever . so heres a poll to see what yall think

-Texas
-I have access to all truck brands
-standard length is what im looking for
-1 set comfortgrip 1 set wood handle
-$30-$70 per set
-needs a lifetime warranty but doenst have to be an immediate replacement aka snapon

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I have heard good things about the williams hard handles, pretty much the same as the snap on hard handles from what I have heard. I plan on getting a set if I can find some quick gig on craigslist. My favorite set I have right now are they hf pittsburg pro screwdrivers, the 8 piece set cost me $8 and the handles are very similar to the 2nd gen bahco ergos. Tips are pretty good so far but I avoid wailing on them. My overall favorite ever are the stanley 100+ series USA drivers, I got a 2 ph3's, 2 flat heads and a ph2, they are fantastic. The tips and handles are great, I got all mine used and the tips on all of them are still in great shape, really shows how well the hold up. These are the ones I use to wail on stuff since the ph2 and flat heads have hex bolsters on them.

 

[PelicanPines]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Check out Wera. I have several sets and their laser cut tip set is fantastic.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Location would help. So would having access to a truck. So would knowledge of what you need like length, warranty ability, sizes, comfort grip or hard handle, price point, etc.

 

[Davefr]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Witte and Felo make a good wood set. But try Brownells. Gunsmith's are **** about their wood screwdrivers.

For tough screwdrivers get Proto Durateks. Wait for a Zoro coupon code. They're about as tough as you'll find and great value.

P.S. Your poll is flawed. You need to add SO, Proto, PB Swiss, Felo, Wiha, etc.

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I'd add the Sk sure grip or comfort grip or whatever they are called. Basically craftsman pro but different color

 

[rtsol]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I was trying to stay with American made and i figured Snapon would be out of price range SK and Proto arent really sold around here and id prefer to touch them before buying

 

[Kensgarage]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Best ? You'll need to fix your budget issues
Wood
http://nepros.net/?cat=4&grp=20
Tough
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QPU1MO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I was trying to stay with American made and i figured Snapon would be out of price range SK and Proto arent really sold around here and id prefer to touch them before buying

Put your location in and maybe someone can help.

 

[Davefr]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

If you want to touch them before buying, your choices will likely be limited to CM, HF, Kobalt, Husky or Stanley.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I was trying to stay with American made and i figured Snapon would be out of price range SK and Proto arent really sold around here and id prefer to touch them before buying

If you want snap on then just go by the Williams, $50 for the 8 piece set on amazon.

 

[stihlntime]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

You didn't list the best three.......PB Swiss,Wiha,Felo and Wera has to be included. I depend on them every day for a large part of the work I do. American made the best is prolly Snap On, but imho the European's top brands have them out classed in both tip longevity,durability and grips.

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

If you want to touch them before buying, your choices will likely be limited to CM, HF, Kobalt, Husky or Stanley.

How about Klein.

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I was trying to stay with American made and i figured Snapon would be out of price range SK and Proto arent really sold around here and id prefer to touch them before buying

If you can find some craftsman pro at a Sears or ACE. Those are the SK.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Witte and Felo make a good wood set. But try Brownells. Gunsmith's are **** about their wood screwdrivers.

Grace makes a lot of the rebranded screwdrivers I believe.

 

[rtsol]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

never hard of PBswiss but those are pretty good looking
are the Wihas and Weras that much better than say a Witte or Klein? i have 0 experience with the euro tools except knipex pliers and while good, dont impress me that much

 

[Tippletrash]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

If you want a williams set check out toolsdelivered.com, they have some of the best prices on williams tools.

 

[Davefr]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

never hard of PBswiss but those are pretty good looking
are the Wihas and Weras that much better than say a Witte or Klein? i have 0 experience with the euro tools except knipex pliers and while good, dont impress me that much

All the Euro drivers are good. (Felo included). It depends on the feel in your hand and the light feeling your wallet will feel.

I hate Klein's soft tips but apparently the new stock is better/harder.

Proto Durateks are really tough to beat. The more I use them the more I like them.

 

[Flattie]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

The one I haven't sat down and lost... It's a bad habit

 

[DSLTRK]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Can't believe nobody but me voted for Bondhus. I hold their hex-drivers and torx tools in a high regard for wear ability, ductility and strength.


I also like Williams for more typical fasteners such as Phillips and slotted.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Felo made in Germany. Second Choice snap on hard handles. Those Sk comfort grips what ever they call them are awful.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Can't believe nobody but me voted for Bondhus. I hold their hex-drivers and torx tools in a high regard for wear ability, ductility and strength.


I also like Williams for more typical fasteners such as Phillips and slotted.

I have never seen Bondhus screw drivers. I will google now. I do have there ball driver style screw drivers and I like them but I rarely use them.

 

[slip knot]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Williams from toolsdelivered and for wood handles the Grace gunsmithing set cant be beat. Although I don't recall if it has a phillips.

 

[Brownsfan]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

If you want snap on then just go by the Williams, $50 for the 8 piece set on amazon.

This. Snap on quality at a great price. I have a set and they are IDENTICAL to My Snap-On set. Also look at the Proto Duratek. I have those as well and they are very nice. Same as mac but way less. Youcan't go wrong with Klein either. I have a set in my road tool bag and they see the most use and have been AWESOME.

 

[McFarmer]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

I haven't been happy with Pratt-Reed. Twisted the small slotted driver without hardly trying.

 

[M6erfan]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Vessel (just because I like to be contrarian...)

 

[Ericgst]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Vessel (just because I like to be contrarian...)

Agree.

I currently have a large set of Craftsman Pro black handle screw drivers(maybe 20 pieces), a few Snap-on and a single Wera and Vessel P2.

I plan to move everything out for new Vessel screwdrivers soon.

 

[jrobb316]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Hmm, i'm liking those Vessel JIS drivers. I may pick one of those up. But for regular use in everyday situations, if you like wood I would buy Witte. For the everyday users I would buy Snapon. If williams is the same, I guess that too. You can find a set of snap-ons in your price range if you hunt around. IMO, best regular use driver out there, followed by Witte if you want to go German.
Bondhus I don't think makes screwdrivers but their other division Felo does. As for bondhus, their hex keys are tough as nails and won't break the bank.

 

[1950mercury]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

My choice wasn't on the list. I would avoid craftsman USA the modern regular ones are total garbage...anyone that says otherwise has never used a quality screwdriver esp the #2 Philips. The hf pri 8 piece set is 10 times better than craftsman regular set

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

Felo made in Germany. Second Choice snap on hard handles. Those Sk comfort grips what ever they call them are awful.

To each their own but I prefer the feel of my craftsman pros over my snap ons.

 

[1950mercury]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

To each their own but I prefer the feel of my craftsman pros over my snap ons.

What snap ons?

 

[Askme42]

Re: BEST sctrewdriver?

What snap ons?

These.

 

[Traule]

wera

 

[diamonddustin]

Klein's quality has declined over the years. I have a long shaft flat blade that I bought somewhere around 20 years ago, besides being a little weathered it's still going strong. I have some newer Klein screwdrivers that the rubber on the handle is starting to go, I blame this on the softer rubber they switched to in the last decade or so.

I've switched over to Wiha, Wera, and Bondhus. All my Allen drivers are Bondhus, they feel like they make a very positive connection to the fastener. My long shafts are Wera's because I couldn't find what I wanted from Wiha. Everything else is Wiha, slotted, Phillips, Robertson (square drive), posidrive, and nut drivers. Wiha's feel really good on the hand and in a fastener.

If I were to rank the brands I've used a #2 Phillips from, it would be:
1 Wiha
2 Wera
3 Snap-on (these are my dad's, and they're all around 30 years old, I'm sure newer ones are nicer)
4 old Klein
5 Felo
6 new Klein
7 Craftsman
8 Stanley/Husky

 

[anndel]

Snap On, I bought these brand new 30 years ago and still use them and they still make them. I also have a 20 year old ratcheting screwdriver that works except the magnet died so the bit used to fall out until I Gorilla glues it in.

 

[oldldh]

Proto Classic Yellow Handle Professionals!!!

The best I've ever used...

 

[dutchgray]

From the list I chose Witte, there the best from that list I have used, also really like the Proto hard handles above, great for dirty work.
All pro grade screwdrivers are good, it really comes down to personnel preference.
Wiha is available locally for a reasonable price so I have some
Felo I like the handles and their sets can be found cheap at times
PB Swiss are probably the most precisely made and their slot heads are wonderful.
CK dextro is a nice handle also.

 

[woody 73]

This set for wood:

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...ixed-blade-sets/screwdriver-set-prod6739.aspx

And any set by the following company:

http://www.mltools.com/wiliams-bacho-tools-combination-screwdriver-set-19-pcs-100p-19md

 

[Rickster]

I have had a lot of different brands over the years and I've settled on these two:
- Craftsman Pro's for everyday use.
- I have a set of Snap-on's in their own small drawer that I use when the CMan's let me down.

 

[mhejl]

Of the ones you listed, Witte. You should drop the USA requirement. But, what is more important is how they fit your hand. I recently ordered single "modern" P2s to see what fits me when I decided to replace my junky CM Pros (aka SK) and aging '80's and 2000's vintage Snap On hard handles, though I do have a full set of new soft handle Instincts.

For me, the Williams (and old SnapOn hard handles) **** for spinning and the Instincts aren't much better. Note the relative size of the mid-80s Snap On P2 on the far right vs. the Williams (3rd from right) and the Instinct? What's up with the gigantic Instinct handles? Definitely not my favorites. For the $, Williams are good for re-handling old non spinning tools (e.g. scrapers, awls) and replacement blades - cheaper than buying a single SO handle or blade.

So far, the Witte MaxPro Nature set has become my favorite but they're limited sizes and not available individually. My next choice would be the Felo 550s - the shorter handles and smaller diameter are great for spinning. Wiha is best for variety and also fits my hand pretty well (I have many more than pictured). Next, the Vessels - the knurled shanks are great and the best fit on Japanese screws (though Felo is close). Wera is off my list - The handles just don't fit my hand.

The Instincts and Williams are near the bottom for fit (IMHO) and the Phillips is the worst fit of all of them on Japanese screws. The ACR SO molds are apparently thoroughly worn out - there's almost no ACR ridges on either the (new) Williams or SO Instinct; my older 2000's hard handle has better ACR ridges.

For wood, I'd go Felo 22155 set but for gunsmithing, I have a full Brownells Magna-Tip Master bit set - nothing else will ever touch my guns.

The small orange bit holder on the right was manufactures from a SO replacement handle and a removable shank when I converted my SO ratcheting hard handle to removable shank. This is the driver I mostly use with the Brownells bit set.