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BEST screwdriver?

best screwdriver

  • Grace

    Votes: 3 2.0%
  • Wilde

    Votes: 2 1.3%
  • Mayhew

    Votes: 3 2.0%
  • Witte

    Votes: 39 25.8%
  • Williams

    Votes: 39 25.8%
  • Klein

    Votes: 29 19.2%
  • Bondhus

    Votes: 7 4.6%
  • Craftsman USA

    Votes: 34 22.5%

  • Total voters
    151
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Dave455

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Messages
5,796
Location
Sussex, England
O.K. The best wood handled drivers, given that Stanley dropped theirs about 50 years back, are Nepros!

Superb drivers, blades up there with, if not better than, Snap On, and the best wood handles I have seen EVER!

Sadly, anything else is a very poor second!

Best drivers without wooden handles, probably Snap On for inch sizes, if you can get the old hard handles thst come up fairly often! Believe the Williams U.S. are the same!

For Metric sized blades it's probably PB Swiss!

Sadly, none of these are in the list, but they're all available from the appropriate websites!
 

mickeyone

Well-known member
Joined
May 31, 2007
Messages
198
Location
northern NJ
Have mac wood handled set,not sure if still made they look like the grace or wilde ones, ok for clean work. For dirty automotive work wera,or one of the german brands are good ,for electrical Ill stay with Klein ,never had a problem in thirty years .
 

platform389

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
107
Proto Classic Yellow Handle Professionals!!!

The best I've ever used...

attachment.php


Any more information about that big boy? Length, tip width, and possibly a link on line ordering? Google search turned up nada.
 

Vortaku

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 15, 2015
Messages
317
Location
Sachse Tx
I am having this problem myself. Perhaps i should just buy one of each of them and test them.
 

Mikerodrig27

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
171
This is a good thread. I need to get a full set of screwdrivers and I've been looking at the williams hard handles.
 

racecar

Active member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
31
Used probably a hundred different branded phillips by now and Wera so far has been the best. Its the handle number one. You can use it continously one handed with out stopping easily. Others can be done with but not as easily and natural feeling. Most made in Czeck Republic. Big deal. Second, the tips have held up for extremely long time and heavy abuse. Even the non laser tips bite screws well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...1_8?colid=2Q5D51K08C7L2&coliid=I2NXX346TPBSMU
 

bonneyman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
8,754
Location
Desert SW
attachment.php


Any more information about that big boy? Length, tip width, and possibly a link on line ordering? Google search turned up nada.

The long standard driver is 27 inches long overall, shank is 1/2" and 18" long. More of a pry bar really. The old number is 9818.

I have a set of the older Proto Betrgrip drivers going. About 75% of the way to a complete set.
 
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platform389

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2011
Messages
107
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anndel

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
3,270
Location
Hawaii, USA
My best is my old 80's Craftsman Professional, Snap On hard handles, and Snap On ratcheting.
 
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Superbec

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 7, 2015
Messages
931
Location
Netherlands
helloooooo !!!!! PB Swiss

if there's any better it's made by elves from Gondor forest

if you have no idea how good a screwdriver can be, try a PB Swiss one, it will change you forever
:)
 

Empty Pockets

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2015
Messages
4,942
Location
Rural New York
My go to screwdrivers are the Snappy Hard handles. Most are decades old, and I have never been let down.

My wife likes to use a butter knife as a screwdriver. I recently gave her a small set of Craftsman USA screwdrivers by Western Forge. The screwdrivers sit in the junk drawer in the kitchen, she still uses a butter knife. Go Figure.
 

BMack37

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
1,091
I like Felo, PB Swiss and Wera, those are my top three. Following close behind are Wiha and Witte solely because of their grips. I have Snap-On and Klein too, I don't really like either at all. Sadly, I think the Europeans have us beat on quality screwdrivers.
 

dirtydogintex

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2012
Messages
927
Location
inner looper-3rd Div Houston w & n
I like original ancient SO square handles for everyday as well as 'touchy', non-precision/jeweler screwdriver uses.

The new fangled plastic SO/Williams square handles are ok but just don't have the same feel.... although they're eons ahead of hard plastic ribbed or cushion style handles

No I haven't had much long term luck w/most cushioned handles on everything.
Wonder if it's my cleaning solvents? My skin doesn't seem much the worse....
 

QwikKotaTx

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
967
Location
Seabrook, TX
I have Stanley and Craftsman USA that I find acceptable but with the hard handles I would not want to use them all day as a mechanic. Also they are very slippery when oiled up. I would want a rubber grip for that situation. I think maybe Klein has those.
 

bryan750

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
103
I have found wiha to have the best tip but I haven't tried pb swiss which would probably be the best.
 

decaf

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
514
Location
Stockholm, SWEDEN
I have found wiha to have the best tip but I haven't tried pb swiss which would probably be the best.

Strange, because i found their PH and PZ head to be to small...
They should be wider, tmo.

@rtsol, what kind of screwdrivers did you end up with??
 

JonnyMac

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 15, 2012
Messages
845
Location
Victoria, Australia
I have the following:
Snap on hard handle
Snap on instinct hard handle
Wera kraftform
Mac hard handle
Wiha
Witte protip (technically nut runners but same handle)
PB Swiss...

The outright winner is pb swiss... best feel in the hand and hardest tip...
 

decaf

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
514
Location
Stockholm, SWEDEN
when it comes to screwdrivers i use to tell people that its very personal what grip you like.
You can decide a prizerange but then its a matter of the feel in your hands.
I would sugest that you buy or test some of the most interresting brands that you seen and then after tried them out decide which one you want to go with.

If you wonder which one has the best quality in steel etc....dont worry about that. They all are in good quality.

BUT if you gonna use a hammer on them, choose a metalcap on top of the screwdriver.
 
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Adam.C

Banned
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,490
You can't beat a Snap On Instinct for cracking screws loose. Snap On has specialized in this. If you are an electrician, I could see choosing a different style handle.

My goto screwdriver at the moment is the Snap On stubby ratchet screwdriver with the long 9" shaft. I just love that combo.
 

pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
For those who want to try Witte, there are occasional deals on a set of those over in the Hot Deals section. I never heard of Witte being good but I did get in on one of those deals and I like them a lot. I'd say right there among the best and other European top brands.

Now I've got or used Craftsman Pro, Harbor Freight Pro, Regular Craftsman, SK, Snap-On, Klein, Proto, so when I say this, give Witte a try when there is a deal. - Paul
 
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pauls_workshop

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
2,788
Location
Indiana, USA - Underappreciated Place to Live!
helloooooo !!!!! PB Swiss

if there's any better it's made by elves from Gondor forest

if you have no idea how good a screwdriver can be, try a PB Swiss one, it will change you forever
:)

Umm, excuse me, but Gondor was the land of MEN not elves in the Tolkein Middle Earth stories so you are not going to find any Elves there. And by the way, the stories are DOCUMENTARIES of Middle Earth history and not fictional accounts in any way! That stuff all happened! Try Witte though - that would be a good comparison to the PB Swiss to see which you like there. They are made by Germans hanging out in their Rhineland, as close as we can get to machinist elves these days. - Paul, Tolkein fan since the 70's and general sci-fi aficianado.
 

gabrorlandi

Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
24
Are many brands real good. For hard steel screws I like very much Wiha, Snap On, Proto, Wera and Bahco (Tekno+ series). If I must pick only one.... Wiha, amazing tool

For medium hard material (, a very hard steel screwdriver damage the screw head, i use a little soft Snap On, Bahco (ergo series), PB Swiss, Felo.
 
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