colt zantop
Well-known member
hey everyone. just wondering what brand screwdriver bits everyone is using with their snap on ratcheting screwdrivers?? Im not paying the prices I see for snap on bits so whats some GOOD alternatives?
snap on ratcheting screwdriver....WHAT BRAND BITS?
- Thread starter colt zantop
- Start date
MoToys
Well-known member
New drivers come with those expensive bits.
Whatever is on sale otherwise.
Whatever is on sale otherwise.
canuckian
Well-known member
I use milwaukee shockwave bits and they seem to hold up well. I'm also going to oick up a set of the Wera Impaktor bits. They seem like they're worth a try. I've also heard that they Wiha bits are very good quality.
american lockpicker
Banned
Get PB Swiss bits.
Hammer1963
Well-known member
Mine came with the bits 20 plus years ago. Guess what........I'm still using the same bits today. I have had a couple of #2 Phillips replaced, but other than that, no failures. Worth the cost when they don't break
billymade
Well-known member
The OEM for Snap-On is Zephyr; they are excellent! Many times they have the "z" stamped on them; you can't go wrong with them but Apex is excellent as well! Both truly superior tools; once you use these type of bits... you won't go back to the cheap stuff! 
Used in the aerospace industry:
http://zephyrtools.com/
Used in manufacturing and assembly lines:
http://www.cooperpowertools.com/brands/fastening/
Used in the aerospace industry:
http://zephyrtools.com/
Used in manufacturing and assembly lines:
http://www.cooperpowertools.com/brands/fastening/
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OP
colt zantop
Well-known member
thanks for the input so far.....theres some NICE stuff listed here so far...
Hammer1963
Well-known member
The OEM for Snap-On is Zephyr; they are excellent! Many times they have the "z" stamped on them; you can't go wrong with them but Apex is excellent as well! Both truly superior tools; one you use these type of bits... you won't go back to the cheap stuff!
Used in the aerospace industry:
http://zephyrtools.com/
Used in manufacturing and assembly lines:
http://www.cooperpowertools.com/brands/fastening/
I have noticed the "Z" on some of the bits. Thanks for bringing that to our attention. Makes sense, and they are great bits
AZ_Catskinner
Well-known member
In close to 20 years of using them, I've replaced a total of 2 Snapon bits (a T15 torx and a #1 ACR). You get what you pay for here. And if you think about it, the $2 or $3 a piece off the truck is really not that bad when you factor in the shipping to order something else.
plinker
Well-known member
The zypher bit are great, well worth the money. Brownells also sells them as thier own gunsmithing bits. Not really cheaper then S-O however, but have a very good selection.
warmpancakes
Well-known member
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=210&group_ID=719
I have a used set coming up for sale soon
I have a used set coming up for sale soon
KnurledNut
Well-known member
ive had good success with GRK bits especially the torx.
kgorman
Well-known member
Wiha
kissmeimgerman
Well-known member
pb swiss or wera
devildog101
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2007
- Messages
- 35
Ive used the security Wiha bits I got from work. But I have not broken a SO bit.
413dan
Well-known member
Rather than posting a new thread, I'll bump this one with the same question, what's the go to answer 14 years later? I've got a ratcheting screwdriver, who do we recommend for bits? thanks for answers in advance, looking to chip away at some christmas shopping.
Dave455
Well-known member
Snap on bits are not bad, but I’ve had a few quality control issues on a couple of them. One (a small slotted bit) was quite distorted, and another had a crack.
Best of the bunch, without a doubt, are PB Swiss and Zephyr.
I tend to use PB Swiss bits with PB Swiss drivers, but in every respect - accuracy of manufacture, long term durability, finish etc, they are the best.
Some PB Swiss bits I recently added to my bench. I have no reason to suspect the new are inferior to my older / well used ones. The new are probably better owing to the TiN coating.
The other top end are Zephyr. They formerly manufactured for Snap On (look for the “Z” on the bits) and are also first class.
My Dad’s 1980’s vintage Snap On bit driver. Heavily used, and refurbished by me last year. The bits are the original Zephyr. As far as I can tell the new bits are of comparable quality.
Which ones you choose may depend on where you are. I’m in the U.K. where PB Bits are cheaper than Snap On and Zephyr are harder to find. In the U.S. I’d probably be getting a lot of Zephyr.
Going a frac cheaper I use a lot of Wera. They’re good bits, and I find them fine if I’m working with cheaper screws (e.g. some woodscrews). They are also suitable for impact use, wheras the PB are optimised for hand use.
In the U.S. I might also consider Apex, and I have a few of these.
Neither Wera or Apex are the quality of the PB or Zephyr though.
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mreisner
Well-known member
I have had good luck with all the Snap-on ones I've had over the years.
413dan
Well-known member
drokihazan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2018
- Messages
- 264
I use the Snap-On bits they come with. I warranty them if they break. The one that I use all the time, I bought Snap-On T15/T20/T25 for it and only keep one slotted bit in it. Warrantied T20 a few times, I warranty every T20 tool at some point.
Makita Gold. Work well for me in normal use even though they were specifically designed for impact use.
www.denali-industrial.com
Makita impact gold #2 phil bit 4pc
MAKITA IMPACT GOLD #2 PHILLIPS INSERT BIT 4PC
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I have at least one snap on driver with felo bits. I bought some driver's on eBay so seller may have added them. I do not know how felo bits rank.
My preferred bits are zephyr and PB Swiss. I own many of both.
For impact I have others such as Milwaukee and felo.
My preferred bits are zephyr and PB Swiss. I own many of both.
For impact I have others such as Milwaukee and felo.
cherrybomb
Well-known member
It's always nice to have options,I've had good luck with Makita alsoMakita Gold. Work well for me in normal use even though they were specifically designed for impact use.
Makita impact gold #2 phil bit 4pc
MAKITA IMPACT GOLD #2 PHILLIPS INSERT BIT 4PC
Wamsutta
Well-known member
chuck356
Well-known member
I have Motion Pro JIS bits in one or two of mine.
rancherbill
Well-known member
Bits are consumables ! I look for ones that are "S2 tool steel".
You are looking for bits for a hand tool. It is the quality of the operator not the quality of the bit that determines it's performance.
You are looking for bits for a hand tool. It is the quality of the operator not the quality of the bit that determines it's performance.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I worked a project without breaking a single bit. The other guys broke four or five before I gave them one of my bits. For the rest of the project they didn't break a single bit either.
Boy, that was forever ago.... Given that it was over 20 years ago, I was probably using Craftsman bits. And my driver was probably using nicads built into the handle. Well, that or a Milwaukee 28 volt... Yeah it was probably the Milwaukee
ricleh
Well-known member
Zephyr, Apex or PBSwiss
rancherbill
Well-known member
That's true.
I used to break tools once in a while. One day I noticed that some were better than others. I looked and and they were all "S2" brand and I also noticed that "CrV" was very good on some other products. I looked and could not find those brand names. hahaha
I then realised they were not brands, but they were the grades of steel in the products. I know Craftsman used CrV (Chrome Vanadium) in their sockets and they are very good.
Now I look for S2 and CrV, they are the marks of a quality piece of steel was used to make the item.
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
Lathe whirled and knurled stainless magnetic shank for 5/16" Apex all the way.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Every time I think I understand something, there is always more to the story and I feel uninformed.
If you look at the Zephyr catalog (https://zephyrtoolgroup.com/images/categories/Zephyr-Industrial.pdf) it lists different hardness depending on the use.
- Grade "I" for Intermediate hardness is durable and not as brittle as the harder bits. (I assume -- guess -- that this is not as hard as "A").
- Grade "A" recommended for machine screws.
- Grade "X" for harder fasteners like sheet metal screws.
I am not aware of this being well explained. In the catalog I do see Aircraft Grade A for PZ1102A and Grade X PZ1102X both Power Drive PZ2 bits.
I believe (guess) that Grade "I" are special order and not in the catalog.
I also wonder which bits would be recommended for use with Firearms (Think Brownell bit sets). I do know that the bits that are not specific to Brownells and have the Zephyr part number are Grade X (adding, but are part of their set)
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pizza
Well-known member
anyone know which (if any) zephyr bits are impact rated? or any anecdotes of using them in impacts?
supposedly PB bits are impact rated, and i have not snapped any yet.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
In general Zephyr bits are NOT impact rated. I was told that they do have some, but I have never seen one, and I cannot find the word impact on their web site or in their catalog. I wanted to buy some but could not find one. Then again, I have never seen a PB Swiss bit labeled as an Impact bit either. Again, I did look with the same results.
Dave455
Well-known member
PB Swiss are disappointingly vague about which of their bits are impact rated.
They say that both their C6 bits and E6 bits are “suitable for machines”, but what sort of machine?
The C6 bits appear to be optimised for hand use. I have used these bits (or at least the older versions of them) for decades and they seem to survive better than anything else.
I’ve had unbelievable use out of some of these, and they are obviously quite hard.
I have, occasionally, used them in non impact power tools - generally my air screwdriver - and they seem to be fine there.
But I have seen them broken by being used with impact drivers, so my observation is that they are not suited to, or at least not optimal for, impact use.
The E6 series bits are obviously designed for impact use, and my experience is that they perform much better. Although, any impact bit has to be regarded as a consumable.
You can warranty Snap-On Bits too.