Best screwdrivers for restorations and general use.

[Sanderguy777]

Wera makes a set of all black screwdrivers without the rubber coating on them.

Where do you get them?

 

[Sanderguy777]

This is the exact set I have. The set with the bahco screwdrivers are worth the extra coin, them suckers are very nice, wear well and have come in handy A LOT.

I have a lot of different screwdrivers. I have an old yellow and black stanley set that honestly is nice and I dont mind abusing them. They are made of solid metal unlike all these new drivers with whatever the tip is made of. I also have a very nice rubber handle husky set-but they aint made for prying I found out, they have those new tips and they snapped right off so I put those away for now. I also have a CMan western forge set I like to use-but again the end of the flatheads are made of that chintzy metal and snap so no abuse to them.

Frankly all I use are vessel (CMan had a NICE rebrand of their impact screwdrivers btw if you can find them), the above mentioned williams set and my latest is some milwaukee demo type screwdrivers for prying lol.

My real go to though, if you want a good laugh: a husky branded 6 in 1. Ive lost a few, never broken any and the oldest one is in my old portable work box. Its done everything imaginable and never failed. They are like 6 bucks at home cheapo.

Good to know. I'll look at the Vessel ones again. They just didn't seem to have a good set (but you know how terrible Anazon is at sorting things LOL) so I'll take another look. The Williams look ok, but I can get 13 Wera, with 2 wall hangers for them, for what Williams wants for 5 or 6 basic common and Phillips, or a little more.

 

[Sanderguy777]

I have a set of Wera chisledrivers, the yellow and black handles. They have ”poundthrough” blades and I use them for those tasks you aren’t supposed to use a screwdriver for (bought them because I didn’t want to abuse my PB Swiss set). So far the Weras have stood up to the chemicals that I use and all the punishment I’ve given them. Not sure if they have the longer sizes that the OP might be looking for but I’d think they’d do well in restoration projects, if that means pounding and prying.

Nope, I have prybars fir pounding and prying and about 10 old common screwdrivers that I can use if they don't fit LOL. But good to know, that 13pc set of those is exactly what I was going to get!

 

[Sanderguy777]

Most everyone has given you great options. I'll recommend a set of demo drivers. You can buy them from many vendors. A flat blade and a Phillips#2 each with about a six inch long blade are common. They're meant to be beaten, used, and abused.

I have the Dewalt ones LOL. They work ok, but they are wearing out after a few projects. They still work, but the wear on them is clear, and I don't want to have them strip out a screw if I can avoid it (some of the things I restore don't have replacement parts, like the Nikon Microflex PFM camera to microscope adapter.)

They definitely have a place though.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

That big old set of Williams someone posted earlier is going to be hard to beat in this thread, meets all your original wishes and so on. Not sure why you seem to be disregarding that?

 

[tamaraw]

Good to know. I'll look at the Vessel ones again. They just didn't seem to have a good set (but you know how terrible Anazon is at sorting things LOL) so I'll take another look. The Williams look ok, but I can get 13 Wera, with 2 wall hangers for them, for what Williams wants for 5 or 6 basic common and Phillips, or a little more.

They make quite a few different models, the ones I was referring to are in their "Power Grip" line with acetate handles although all of the styles should be nice for different applications and preferences. Online catalog is here: https://vessel.co.jp/english/product/screwdriver

Be aware that vesseltools.com and vesseltoolsusa.com are both separate sites that don't show the full product selection. It looks like Amazon US has a few of the acetate ones but their selection is a little spotty and biased towards the other handle styles. You can find them on ebay or probably a few other tool sites as well. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/173842649204

My megadoras see motor oil and my flathead stubby has seen some light gasoline exposure working on a carb but I don't know if it would be great to really soak those handles in solvents repeatedly. There's also the wood-compo line (labeled non-slip on the english page) which is meant specifically for oily conditions but I don't know how it would do with stuff like brake cleaner. https://vessel.co.jp/userfiles/handtools/300_fl_E.pdf

 

[Sanderguy777]

That big old set of Williams someone posted earlier is going to be hard to beat in this thread, meets all your original wishes and so on. Not sure why you seem to be disregarding that?

The only one I saw that was big from them is like $135 on Amazon. I think that is a good price, but I don want to spend that much at the moment. They are also much harder to find than Wera or Vessel on Amazon (or other places on the net from what I've seen). It's not that I don't want them, it's just that there are others that seem just as good, that are more accessible (both at lower prices and in that I can actually find them online).

 

[Sanderguy777]

They make quite a few different models, the ones I was referring to are in their "Power Grip" line with acetate handles although all of the styles should be nice for different applications and preferences. Online catalog is here: https://vessel.co.jp/english/product/screwdriver

Be aware that vesseltools.com and vesseltoolsusa.com are both separate sites that don't show the full product selection. It looks like Amazon US has a few of the acetate ones but their selection is a little spotty and biased towards the other handle styles. You can find them on ebay or probably a few other tool sites as well. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/173842649204

My megadoras see motor oil and my flathead stubby has seen some light gasoline exposure working on a carb but I don't know if it would be great to really soak those handles in solvents repeatedly. There's also the wood-compo line (labeled non-slip on the english page) which is meant specifically for oily conditions but I don't know how it would do with stuff like brake cleaner. https://vessel.co.jp/userfiles/handtools/300_fl_E.pdf

Yeah, I like their handle styles (the ball one looks nice for how I tend to hold screwdrivers too). And thanks for the warning about the sites!

I don't really soak them in anything, but I take parts off that are related to each other, wash them in Simple Green, dry and then hit them with wd40, then go after the next part (which might be soaked in wd40 as well). Wiping my hands off between those steps uses a lot of paper towels, so I'd rather not need to worry about the screwdrivers getting that or brakleen on them (either from my hands or from an unfortunate splash).

 

[tamaraw]

I have the Dewalt ones LOL. They work ok, but they are wearing out after a few projects. They still work, but the wear on them is clear, and I don't want to have them strip out a screw if I can avoid it (some of the things I restore don't have replacement parts, like the Nikon Microflex PFM camera to microscope adapter.)

They definitely have a place though.

For fine equipment like camera gear, try precision drivers with rotating caps. I love my Wiha set for working on electronics and got into them when I used to work in PC/phone repair. Like you mention, the ball head Vessels could also nice for fine equipment as well. They also have their own precision line with rotating caps.

If you work with a bunch of Japanese stuff, always go for the Japanese tools for best JIS compatibility and reduced chance of damage. I got into the larger Vessel stuff working on my cars (Hondas) and it makes a big difference even compared to nice European stuff. Use the right driver for the fastener!

 

[Sanderguy777]

For fine equipment like camera gear, try precision drivers with rotating caps. I love my Wiha set for working on electronics and got into them when I used to work in PC/phone repair. Like you mention, the ball head Vessels could also nice for fine equipment as well. They also have their own precision line with rotating caps.

If you work with a bunch of Japanese stuff, always go for the Japanese tools for best JIS compatibility and reduced chance of damage. I got into the larger Vessel stuff working on my cars (Hondas) and it makes a big difference even compared to nice European stuff. Use the right driver for the fastener!

That's a good point! I actually mainly used the iFixit mini screwdriver and bits, which is absolutely fantastic, on the microscope and adapter. I used the Wera on the bigger stuff though.

That was the only thing I have done on Japanese stuff so far, but I'm getting less and less excited about the bigger projects like my tablesaw since they take so much time, and I literally can't fit anything else on my workbench the whole time. At least the microscope I could just scoot over if I needed to do something else.

 

[Rickkyyr8]

I own Snap On, Wera, and PB Swiss screwdrivers. For Me, PB Swiss then Wera

 

[tamaraw]

That's a good point! I actually mainly used the iFixit mini screwdriver and bits, which is absolutely fantastic, on the microscope and adapter. I used the Wera on the bigger stuff though.

That was the only thing I have done on Japanese stuff so far, but I'm getting less and less excited about the bigger projects like my tablesaw since they take so much time, and I literally can't fit anything else on my workbench the whole time. At least the microscope I could just scoot over if I needed to do something else.

The ifixit kit is good too, a coworker had those and they were quite handy for giving you a *lot* of options in not much space, especially to carry to the bench if you weren't sure what you would need.

Sometimes though you just need a longer shank to reach into small areas or several dedicated handles vs swapping bits. My personal philips, flathead, torx, and hex balls in a pencil roll from an art supply place.

 

[VW_1974]

I've got the new Snap-On ones with the molded handle, it's a toss up between those and the old school hard handles for me.

 

[RivennHewn]

Best screwdriver for restoration?

The closest one. Basically, they all do the same thing.

 

[Sanderguy777]

The ifixit kit is good too, a coworker had those and they were quite handy for giving you a *lot* of options in not much space, especially to carry to the bench if you weren't sure what you would need.

Sometimes though you just need a longer shank to reach into small areas or several dedicated handles vs swapping bits. My personal philips, flathead, torx, and hex balls in a pencil roll from an art supply place.

Great idea for a case! I haven't gotten into a project that needed the longer shank, but that is a good point.

 

[Sanderguy777]

Best screwdriver for restoration?

The closest one. Basically, they all do the same thing.

I get that, but you also have to remember that the screws are irreplaceable in some cases. In others, they are just a pain to find to replace.

If I have a cheapo driver that is not going to grab the screw unless it's basically loose, and it still might strip, vs one that I know has a good grip and has never stripped out a screw, I'm going to get the good one and then leave it closer LOL.

The place for the junk ones imo is in the "I don't care about the screw" drawer, or maybe a couple commons for mini, disposable prybars. If they break or bend, I don't care. Otherwise, I don't want them in my box. They just aren't fun to use.