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screwdrivers

bayoutoolguy

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Sep 17, 2011
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Golden Meadow, Louisiana
Im looking to buy a good set, with comfortable handles and good tips that wont wear out/damage easily. I just sold my snap on set to my buddy, didnt like the handles. So its between Matco, Mac, and Cornwell. Ive heard many good things about Matco, arent matco and cornwell screwdrivers made by the same company? Only problem with Matco is that I dont have a dealer around if the need for warranty should ever come up, Id have to mail it in. How are the handles and tips on the Mac screwdrivers, I see they have the hard handle ones and also the soft handle 20 piece set. Are the soft handles USA made? Sorry for all the questions but screwdrivers are something I only want to buy once.
 
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Brunel

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May 30, 2014
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I'm new here, but I know Wera screwdrivers have been praised by others.

I'm certainly very impressed with mine - the steel seems very hard but not brittle. The Germans certainly know their stuff.

I also have a newer set of Stanley FatMax screwdrivers which seem good, but it's early days yet. They are made in France, I would guess in the same factory that makes Facom. Don't know if the steel is the same, though.
 

bob15

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How can you ask people what screwdriver set to buy when we don't know what you find comfortable? You didn't like Snap On because you didn't like the handles. but didn't mention what style they are: hard, soft instinct, etc. i found Snappy's phillips tip are the best.

Why only truck brands? What about the German companies? How about Pratt Read and their comfort series? Wright Tool has comfortable screwdrivers, sot grip.

How big or small are your hands? That makes a difference for gripping and comfort.

You are best to try them out on your own because i like the soft handled Snap On and find them comfortable, but you don't....one person's comfort is someone else's un-comfort.
 

zkling

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If I was to buy a new set of screwdrivers today and had some $ to spend on them I would serious consider one of the Euro makers, preferably PB swiss or wiha. :drool: Downside is going to be warranty though, but how fast do you go through screwdrivers? :dunno:
 

PelicanPines

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I have a full set of the standard red/blue craftsman I use day to day... I also have the complete set of Klein screwdrivers that feel so much better in my hands. They are the ones with the rubber outside. I have all the nutdrivers as well along with several of the specialty drivers by Klein.
 

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ihateminimumwage

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The Matco Screwdrivers are just Witte screwdrivers with a Matco label (and price) stamped on. Good quality either way, but I wouldn't pay the price difference if you don't have truck service.
Link:
http://www.crawfordtool.com/witte_663865.html

How large of a set are you looking for? Hard or soft handles?
 
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Davefr

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Sorry for all the questions but screwdrivers are something I only want to buy once.

I'd rethink that requirement. There are a lot of tools that you can buy once but screwdrivers aren't one of them IMHO. I view them as a consumable. (like files, hacksaw blades, etc).

Tips get damaged/worn/broken and phillips get damaged from camouts.

If you want decent quality and an easy warranty then get CM Professionals.

If you want top shelf quality and comfort then get PB Swiss or some of the high end German brands. However they'll be expensive and warranty will be a PIA. (more trouble then it's worth)

I think Williams are excellent quality and value but if you hate SO hard handles then you'll hate Williams because they're the same. (just a lot cheaper).
 

woody 73

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I'd rethink that requirement. There are a lot of tools that you can buy once but screwdrivers aren't one of them IMHO. I view them as a consumable. (like files, hacksaw blades, etc).

Tips get damaged/worn/broken and phillips get damaged from camouts.

If you want decent quality and an easy warranty then get CM Professionals.

If you want top shelf quality and comfort then get PB Swiss or some of the high end German brands. However they'll be expensive and warranty will be a PIA. (more trouble then it's worth)

I think Williams are excellent quality and value but if you hate SO hard handles then you'll hate Williams because they're the same. (just a lot cheaper).


I am with you all the way on the Williams screwdrivers, but the op wants soft handle screwdrivers. I am sure those fancy German and swiss screwdrivers are top notch but I am also with you on getting them replaced, I bet it is a hard as hell and just not worth it.:(
 

KEH

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I've always liked Mac screwdrivers, but my experience has been over 2-3 Mac ownership changes, including the old wooden handle Mac-Sabina. Latest Mac was a red handled phillips which I haven't used much.

KEH
 

byoungblood

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Berryville, VA
I'd rethink that requirement. There are a lot of tools that you can buy once but screwdrivers aren't one of them IMHO. I view them as a consumable. (like files, hacksaw blades, etc).

Tips get damaged/worn/broken and phillips get damaged from camouts.

If you want decent quality and an easy warranty then get CM Professionals.

If you want top shelf quality and comfort then get PB Swiss or some of the high end German brands. However they'll be expensive and warranty will be a PIA. (more trouble then it's worth)

I think Williams are excellent quality and value but if you hate SO hard handles then you'll hate Williams because they're the same. (just a lot cheaper).

While I love my CM Professional drivers, Sears has given them the axe so warranty will probably be impossible now. They might replace them with something else, but it will probably be some Asian sourced product of questionable quality.
 

SMKS

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While I love my CM Professional drivers, Sears has given them the axe so warranty will probably be impossible now.

Where did you hear this? Do you have any links?

They did clearance a few sets and that made some people think they were discontinued, but in my area that wasn't the case. My local store still has many sets and individual Cman Pro drivers that weren't put on clearance.
 

espyking83

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I'm new here, but I know Wera screwdrivers have been praised by others.

I'm certainly very impressed with mine - the steel seems very hard but not brittle. The Germans certainly know their stuff.

I also have a newer set of Stanley FatMax screwdrivers which seem good, but it's early days yet. They are made in France, I would guess in the same factory that makes Facom. Don't know if the steel is the same, though.

Wera's Kratform Klassic is the best deal in the world on quality screwdrivers. Ever. In the world. All of it. The whole time.
 

chipper

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Williamsburg, va
Where did you hear this? Do you have any links?

They did clearance a few sets and that made some people think they were discontinued, but in my area that wasn't the case. My local store still has many sets and individual Cman Pro drivers that weren't put on clearance.

What I was told was that they were getting rid of the singles in store and only selling the sets....(I'm sure everyone has heard something different..sears runaround) but still not sure how that works for warranty
 

byoungblood

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Berryville, VA
Where did you hear this? Do you have any links?

They did clearance a few sets and that made some people think they were discontinued, but in my area that wasn't the case. My local store still has many sets and individual Cman Pro drivers that weren't put on clearance.

All of my local stores (3 of them, one is a mall location) have pulled the sets and singles off of their normal pegs. All the sets were pulled from the stores, singles are all marked down (maybe a dollar or so) in their clearance sections.

One of them just had all of their sets in a bin back where they stage stock. I have no idea why they pulled all the sets yet left the singles in the store.
 
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gagreen

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Mar 22, 2013
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Colorado
The Matco Screwdrivers are just Witte screwdrivers with a Matco label (and price) stamped on. Good quality either way, but I wouldn't pay the price difference if you don't have truck service.
Link:
http://www.crawfordtool.com/witte_663865.html

How large of a set are you looking for? Hard or soft handles?

:rocker: So glad to see crawford catching on. Great service and prices.


OP

It's impossible to find the perfect screwdriver. I've been on the hunt for a while.

I love my facom's, well mostly.... They don't always have the best bite on a screw, but the screws they do fit they are excellent.

My felo's are my junk drivers. The soft grip had a lot of appeal but one side of them is hard, so when you go to squish in on your grip you get an unfriendly reminder that they are not 100% soft grip. The tips are ok. They are not well suited for fast turning, at least in my hands. Not a waste of money as they are nice to have in my box when someone needs to borrow one.

My witte's.... They are my favorite grip in screwdrivers. The tips are wonderful and bite as close to snap on as you can get. I've got the maxxpro natures with a rubberized cork insert on the three sides. It seems hokey and I bought as a novelty, but they are pretty much my go to.

Snap on. The instinct handles are very very nice. When you grab them you can feel the amount of research that went into all the complex angles that form the handle. The business end is the best in the world.

Snap on, the hard handles. These are my go to for messy work environments. The handles are hard and have zero fluff in the way of ergonomics, but they are somehow comfortable and allow for lots of turning force without slipping. like the instincts the business end is as good as it gets.

Bahco. The Bahco drivers I'm speaking off are round handles coated in a rubber with raised squares. I bought a set of torx drivers and they are very pleasant to use. The handles are all different sizes (more so than other brands) which makes grabbing the right driver pretty easy if your reaching behind you while holding the item to be tightened in place. I would easily buy more of this style if I didn't have a drawer full of screwdrivers.

Armstrong/craftsman pro... I personally hate this handle. It makes no logical sense in my hand. The indents at the hilt are not comfortable, nor do they provide any real benefit other than aesthetics. The rubber is way way to grippy and the tips are so so at best.



In the end, I always recommend Witte to home users and some pro's. Snap on is my blanket answer to pros. I give a lot of thought to screwdrivers, I use them all day and being single with a disposable income I can afford to buy and try a lot of different brands. I always come back to my Witte's and just this week the matco man added our hangar to his route..... I feel my wallet getting lighter and lighter.
 

Wamsutta

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I view them as a consumable. (like files, hacksaw blades, etc).

Tips get damaged/worn/broken and phillips get damaged from camouts.

The secret is to never cam-out. If you have good screwdrivers and you select the correct one to fit the slot perfectly, they'll last almost a lifetime. Plus, having expensive screwdrivers is motivation enough to take good care of them.
 

nicksnothereman

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OP ain't going to like wera or crescent (haha just threw that in there) because the handles aren't normal. As posted get the klein if you want a round handled comfort grip screwdriver but you'll end up paying more.

Oh...you could try sk facom octopus handles those are awesome and round. Not too bad in the cost department.

If you're using screwdrivers (and stripping them!) that much you might just want to get a cordless drill driver man...at least coming out and going 3/4 of the way in (finish with a manual screwdriver). I only strip screwdrivers when I'm not using them as screwdrivers (pretty much).
 

oldldh

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May 22, 2012
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Fairhope, AL
Proto Professional Yellow Handle Classics---

What you're looking at in the drawer is $ 226.00 worth of fastener twisting goodness...:D:D

The ones you want, are the ones you like...

These are the ones I like!!!:bounce::bounce:
 

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bareass172

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Armstrong/craftsman pro... I personally hate this handle. It makes no logical sense in my hand. The indents at the hilt are not comfortable, nor do they provide any real benefit other than aesthetics. The rubber is way way to grippy and the tips are so so at best.
Not to be contrary, but I am 99% sure that the Cman pro's are actually rebranded SK's. They are now at least, not sure if there was a difference in years past.

Lots of good recommendations here, it would be nice if the OP would come back and comment about which handles he didn't like. I did a lot of reading on here before buying, and am still not totally convinced (or at least I still want to try more). I found the Williams hard handles mentioned a LOT (old SO hard handles). The Cman pro's mentioned a lot also. Outside of those the brands I seemed to see mentioned the most (and I'm sure people will correct me) were Wiha, Wera and Felo, but this was only based on my own research. So far I've tried (and own) Wiha and the Williams hard handles. I'm very satisfied with both so far, I find I reach for one or the other depending on what I need them for, so both are useful.

Someone mentioned not liking Wiha because the handles weren't good in all conditions. Wiha makes both hard and soft handles, including some soft handles that are supposed to be for working in poor (greasy) environments.

If money were not an issue, Wiha would have been my only choice. With money as a consideration, the Williams set was too hard to pass up.
 

Davefr

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The secret is to never cam-out. If you have good screwdrivers and you select the correct one to fit the slot perfectly, they'll last almost a lifetime. Plus, having expensive screwdrivers is motivation enough to take good care of them.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't baby my screwdrivers.

I beat on them
I pry with them
I over torque them
I don't always use the perfect fit

If they get damaged I replace them and continue my abusive practices.
 

97nismo

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Greenville, SC
Did OP ever respond to what he had before?....it's just other people comparing screwdrivers. I like the snap on instinct soft grip. Wera is pretty good till they get greasy.
 
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Nov 6, 2013
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oxfordshire
Here are the cornwells I bought
umeneqy6.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Hpozzuoli

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Rhode Island
So here's a little bit of everything. I prefer soft grips like the instinct the best. Matco are nice as well. For hard handles I love SK.
 

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Westly

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There are a lot of tools that you can buy once but screwdrivers aren't one of them IMHO.

I rarely use anything except those 1/4" hex bits and a handle, for just that reason. Plus those bits are better than any actual screwdriver end I've used, and you can get them anywhere. And the handle is something you can buy once....
 

ArcStyles

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Aug 4, 2012
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Daly City, Ca
Why sooo many screwdrivers???

For the most part, an average 5 to 8pc set will do the job quite nicely. These sets are designed to handle most common work situations where the fastener/fasteners are designed and located for these particular sizes.

Automotive, small engines, computer electronics, power tools, equipment maintenance, appliances..... We live in an age where we want everything to be smaller, compact, and convenient for the common everyday user. To achieve this we have to work from the inside out. Everything needs to be made with space in mind. A great example of this is in the automotive industry. To get to some parts in a car, you have to work from the outside in. Some parts have to be removed to get to the part that is the source of the problem.

Enter the specialist. These are the people that have to be savvy to the designs of the engineers who are driven by the demands of the consumer. Convenience comes at a price. The specialist is asked to keep these toys working, while education and manuals barely keep up with the innovations. Just when you figure out the newest technology, another replaces it. This can happen many times a year, on many models, from many countries, in randomly insane order.

" I want my car to fit in a space the size of a motorcycle and get 400 miles to the gallon". With demands like these, more and more tools have to keep pace. In open spaces, where this is not an issue, we have control over the fasteners and the tools to drive them with. The ph2 screwdriver, the 5/16 nut driver and the 9/16 combination wrench are common place on most US construction sites and anything else needed, generally fits around your waste in pouches.

In a simpler world, a standard screwdriver set should fit the bill, but the reality dictates otherwise. The type of fastener in relation to the size and location make it impossible to settle for the common set if you're an advanced DIYer. The more interest we take in mending our homes, businesses, cars, bikes, appliances.... the more the scenarios above becomes our burden. When it comes to fixing things, it doesn't get easier and it rarely gets simpler.

Tools and in particular the right tools, is the best chance to keep up with this constantly evolving mechanism. Or you can pay, rent or borrow from the people who are better equipped.

Define your needs and equip yourself accordingly.:thumbup::)
 
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OP
B

bayoutoolguy

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Golden Meadow, Louisiana
i think i had the snap on soft handles. I might try out the hard handles. Ill look at few brands that yall mentioned before i pull the trigger. Are the cornwells made by witte? they look almost identical to the matco ones, the ones without the bulky handle.
 

shockwave

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Marietta,ga
Look at Williams for hard handles they are the same as snap on.

And as for matco and cornwell they are both made by witte but I prefer the matco over cornwell more contoured to your hand.

And I do like that the shank on snap on/Williams is a lot deeper and feels more stout of a driver at times too
 
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