looking for fairly priced quality screwdrivers

[Harrison2]

I have the williams set. 19pcs for under $100. csnnot go wrong.

my next set of drivers will be vessel as I want jis tips and after that a set of torx from wera, possibly there chisel drivers too.

 

[mossyboy6]

Snap-On makes a great screwdriver no doubt, but let's not get too excited here, they are no better than a Wiha for 1/3 of the price,
in fact, I would take the Wihas at the same price, hard to beat those Germans on screwdrivers!

I have used both a lot, and I prefer the snap-on phillips tips.

Other than that, its just the ergonomic differences which are completely subjective.

 

[ADSR]

Williams 19pc or the new made in USA channellocks.

 

[4xdog]

I keep reaching for my Vessel 900 Megadoras over other screwdrivers, Williams included. JIS over Phillips, too -- fits equal or better.

 

[wild cowboy]

I keep reaching for my Vessel 900 Megadoras over other screwdrivers, Williams included. JIS over Phillips, too -- fits equal or better.

yeah, good point

Japanese tools are the bomb!

 

[J king]

I bought the Williams screw drivers last summer.Had Snap on drivers for 30 years and only had a couple warrantied . I used the largest Williams the first time and with nothing more than my hand ,broke the tip.what a POS! Had to mess around and find the return address.Go to post office and package and pay to return the POS. Oh yes..good quality..I sent a letter along with the POS and never received a response.The tip was glass hard! Just splintered. POS!

 

[Davefr]

Ouch! They are expensive! I think the OP wanted something "fairly priced"

Proto Durateks aren't that bad. A 19 pc set at Zoro is around $130 but during a sale it drops to around $100 after coupon. That's $5 per screwdriver. (SO is $25 per screwdriver). Skip Amazon if you shop for Proto Duratek's - for some reason they are sky high.

@ Davefr
Who makes the driver in your picture (3rd from top on the right)?
I have one and it doesn't have any markings on it. It fits my hand great.

That's the earlier style of CM Professional. They're a nice screwdriver and better then the new style IMHO. Best of all is that they're easy to find cheap at G-sales.

No love for SK, huh?

SK marketed a ton of different screwdrivers. The older green/square handle ones were great. I absolutely hate the ball handle. It's the most unergonomic screwdriver I've ever used. However screwdrivers are kind of a personal choice.

 

[n8n]

Has anyone compared the blades/tips of the new green SKs to the black hard handle williams? They both have a handle style that I really like, and I've heard good and bad about both. Just wondering which hold up best long term. Buzz seems to be Williams gets the pick, but haven't heard from anyone who had both

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk

 

[T45]

I bought the Williams screw drivers last summer.Had Snap on drivers for 30 years and only had a couple warrantied . I used the largest Williams the first time and with nothing more than my hand ,broke the tip.what a POS! Had to mess around and find the return address.Go to post office and package and pay to return the POS. Oh yes..good quality..I sent a letter along with the POS and never received a response.The tip was glass hard! Just splintered. POS!

The reason you buy snap on is right here.. the heat treating and the qualty of the metal...Williams does not use the same stuff...and that's basically the only thing that matters.

If you warranty drivers all the time it might be better to just go with snap-on and eat the cost. The service component will pay dividends. But for most people not sure that is the case.

The german brand drivers are great but not built for abuse. If you get the Heavy duty hex shanks the cost goes up quite a bit, too. The best tradeoff IMHO is to get a standard set (witte, pb swiss, vessel etc) and then some snap on's for 'utility use'. if you only get a very few snappy this is still cost effective.

The OP seems to have the reverse issue, as he has a set or two of snappy and just wants some decent backups.

 

[Davefr]

The reason you buy snap on is right here.. the heat treating and the qualty of the metal...Williams does not use the same stuff...and that's basically the only thing that matters.

^^Just curious if you can back that up?

I find it hard to believe that Williams and SO would use two different processes since these two items likely come from the same production line/factory.

Any tool can fail due to subtle manufacturing defects.

 

[T45]

There is no such thing as the imaginary 'same production line'...heat treating and tool steel are spec'd for each product run and are not the same...there is zero basis in that idea. It is very evident in their wrench line...It doesn't matter if they are made in the same plant or with the same hardware if the metal is not the same (hardness or toughness) at the end of the process...And there have been reps on here that have commented on how this works as well.

 

[nieuport17]

To op's question.
I personally like JH williams screwdriver set.
I dont know how close they are with snap on.
To me, they're pretty good and held up well.

 

[exmaxima1]

If the OP wants to spend significantly less and get good quality (as opposed to spectacular quality), the Eastwood set won the Truckin Magazine Shootout:

http://www.truckinweb.com/editorial/1303tr_ultimate_screwdriver_shootout_truckin_tough/

I bought them and they're as nice as any:

http://www.eastwood.com/screwdriver-set-eastwood-9-piece.html?reltype=3

Haven't broke yet in over a year, which I can't say about my Felos....

 

[Lawdog]

If the OP wants to spend significantly less and get good quality (as opposed to spectacular quality), the Eastwood set won the Truckin Magazine Shootout:

http://www.truckinweb.com/editorial/1303tr_ultimate_screwdriver_shootout_truckin_tough/

I bought them and they're as nice as any:

http://www.eastwood.com/screwdriver-set-eastwood-9-piece.html?reltype=3

Haven't broke yet in over a year, which I can't say about my Felos....

I've been looking at the Eastwoods too. They seem like a very good value. Glad to hear you like them.

 

[SantaAna12]

Williams hard handles are virtually identical to SO at a fraction of the price.

If you want to go up a notch, then get Proto Durateks when Zoro has a flash sale.

If you want to go up another few notches then get PB Swiss. They're probably the finest screwdriver made but expensive and more appropriate for precision tasks then beating and abuse.

^^^This.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

For outright torque it's hard to beat the Snap On especially with the hex section that accepts a wrench.

I bought a set of Wera insulated drivers back when they were the only ones who offered them and really liked then for the quality of the tip and their bite.

I greatly dislike multi drivers but I've taken to using one called a Pic-Quick for field work. The tips are very good and they sell nearly every tip imaginable in interlocking holders. With little space I have every driver I need and easy to find.

I only carry a few specific Wera drivers and the Pic-Quick now. The Snappers stay in the box until there's serious trouble.