Help me up my screwdriver game.

ShawnG said:

Snap-On 5 pc hard handle set.

/thread. 

Came here to say this.

They are available as a 7 piece set for less than $200 brandy new.

https://store.snapon.com/Screwdriver-Sets-7-pc-Combination-Screwdriver-Set-Orange-P889819.aspx

Yeah $200 is a lot but not really if its something you use every day like a #2 Phillips.  Or scour the swap meets and buy every sub-$5 Snap On Hard Handle you can get, I have a big box of them now, all bought for $5 or less.  

Keep a few beaters of each size, throw out all the other ones, party on!

I was recently introduced to Wera screwdrivers...

Wera Tools

As soon as I held one, I realized that all of the screwdrivers I've every used were made wrong. That funny shaped handle fits the shape of your closed hand. Not only is it more comfortable, but you can put a lot more torque on the tool. It's like if you had been jogging your whole life in snow boots and someone handed you some running shoes. The tip also has fine cut teeth that grip the screw mechanically enough to pick it up like a magnet. 

Their other tools are really well thought out too. 

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

Until you get it oily, then those rubber grips are awful.

And you can't wipe it off with brake cleaner or you bugger the rubber.

S/O Hard Handle FTW.

I love my Wera tools, including a couple of screwdrivers. Just got a big set of Wiha drivers for Christmas, so we'll see how they compare.

You can easily clean the rubber grips with a little Ronsonol or Prepsol on a rag; even WD-40 works in a pinch, as long as you don't use too much. That said, I haven't had problems gripping them even when oily and dirty.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I just stumbled across this Vessel P2 with impact function when searching for JIS and I've got to say I'm intrigued. 

I learned about JIS on this forum about a year ago and ordered three of the Vessel impacts. I am very happy with them  

My Dad got a Snap-On impact driver about 40 years ago, and it is still my go-to choice for removing those stupid little screws that fuse the brake rotors to the rest of a Honda. It finally froze up on me a while back, but it was easy to disassemble and clean. Now it is as good as new. They are remarkably simple inside. But I’ve always wondered what kind of hammer I’m supposed to hit it with. 

I also keep one of these in the glove compartment of every car and in the lower right hand pocket of my fire gear,  just in case. You can grip them with gloved hands and orange is easy to find.

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

Buy a set of Snap on lifetime free blade replacement.  It’s so wonderful using screw drivers that actually work that they are worth every penny I paid.  

Plus I used to have a drawer full of Craftsman screw drivers but the handles all smelled like vomit. Something about the type of plastic they used on the handles.  So I regulated them to the boat.  Along with all my other Craftsman tools. That was the spring of 1979. 40 years and the handles still stink like vomit 

SVreX said:

I have gotten rid of virtually all my single use screwdrivers in favor of these:

 

No regrets!

They are cheap enough to be throw away, but good enough to last for a while.  I probably have 20 or more.

 I am not a fan of the ratcheting versions.  They are too heavy in my pocket.

I still have a couple specialty screwdrivers- stubby, long shank, a couple of beaters, etc.  But I rarely use them any more.

 

I have about 15 of those that ive picked up over the years. They are scattered about the house, in every vehicle, twice in every work vehicle, in my shop, and any other space thats handy.

They arent the best ever but for 4 or 8 screwdrivers in a small cheap package its hard to beat......although you shouldnt beat on them because used as a punch they lock up forever and are no longer multi anymore

I don't have a ton to add here.  I use a mid-grade Harbor Freight set, and after enough abuse I warranty them for a new set.  Not perfect but they work as perpetual pry bars and the little ones are invaluable for straightening the pinch on axle nuts.  I do recommend having a shorty or two around since some things just need those specifically... like the ashtray slide on a Subaru Forester dashboard, for example.

This morning all of the fixed handle screwdrivers went in a currently unused toolbox along with a couple of multi bit ones that I don't use and some pliers that are just taking up space. 

Anything that is still in the box next January gets the boot. 

I have the two good fixed blade #2 screwdrivers coming and will organize the rest of my stuff so that I can make better use of the multi bit stuff. A Klein 5-in-1 and a multi bit precision screwdriver are in the house. 

I also kept out this one as it has become my favorite "throw it in the bag" screwdriver. It's not my favorite handle but the bit holder has most everything I need and the bits and the handle are always together. I think I want to pull out a couple of the weird security bits and add 8mm and 10mn nut drivers. That should take apart 99% of junkyard interiors. 

Personally, this is one of my favorite sets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/JEGS-69-pc-Magnetic-Screwdriver-set-Awls-Torx-Square-Phillips-Slotted-Bits-80755/311864010755?epid=3023521523&hash=item489c8b2803:g:rTIAAOSwvRtbrL5x:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

I also like the Clear/Red and Clear/Blue Craftsman Screwdrivers.

MAC, Snap-On, Etc are also nice, but I'm not rich. Haha. I do have a set of nice MAC wrenches that were worth every penny.  There is something to be said for nice tools, I just haven't applied that to screwdrivers. 

Buy once, cry once.

While cleaning the Grosh today I found ANOTHER paper grocery bag full of screwdrivers. Apparently I've done this before. Added them to the toolbox. Over 70 fixed handle screwdrivers in purgatory. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

While cleaning the Grosh today I found ANOTHER paper grocery bag full of screwdrivers. Apparently I've done this before. Added them to the toolbox. Over 70 fixed handle screwdrivers in purgatory. 

I know what your New Years Game box will contain next year...

93gsxturbo said:

ShawnG said:

Snap-On 5 pc hard handle set.

/thread. 

Came here to say this.

They are available as a 7 piece set for less than $200 brandy new.

https://store.snapon.com/Screwdriver-Sets-7-pc-Combination-Screwdriver-Set-Orange-P889819.aspx

Yeah $200 is a lot but not really if its something you use every day like a #2 Phillips.  Or scour the swap meets and buy every sub-$5 Snap On Hard Handle you can get, I have a big box of them now, all bought for $5 or less.  

Keep a few beaters of each size, throw out all the other ones, party on!

$200 on screwdrivers?! That will never happen. Screwdrivers are disposable tools. To be used, abused and sacrificed as necessary to get the job done. I'm way too quick to pound on them with a hammer or use as a pry bar to spend that kind of money on something as simple as a screwdriver. Not to mention I seldom use one that isn't in a drill or impact.

AWSX1686 said:

Personally, this is one of my favorite sets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/JEGS-69-pc-Magnetic-Screwdriver-set-Awls-Torx-Square-Phillips-Slotted-Bits-80755/311864010755?epid=3023521523&hash=item489c8b2803:g:rTIAAOSwvRtbrL5x:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

You grew up using the Craftsman clear/red and clear/blue ones. No wonder you like 'em! Ergonomics are good, but yeah, the plastic has a distinctive smell. My set was $20 or so around when I was 18. Still have all of the screwdrivers except the 4-way keychain thing. And I don't expect to need to replace them soon.

I like the black & yellowness of the Jegs ones, but really like the Kobalt ones with the cast hex in the shaft. Those look neat. I've used HF ones with the hex in the end of the handle, but apparently those are not a single metal shaft...

My personal favorite that I keep with my Craftsman ones is a 1990s Stanley #2 Phillips. The handle is a clear amber color and has yet to break.

Since I have added a 1/4" impact driver to my tool chest, I've found that screwdrivers without bits are getting used for more precise work.

Toyman01 said:

93gsxturbo said:

ShawnG said:

Snap-On 5 pc hard handle set.

/thread. 

Came here to say this.

They are available as a 7 piece set for less than $200 brandy new.

https://store.snapon.com/Screwdriver-Sets-7-pc-Combination-Screwdriver-Set-Orange-P889819.aspx

Yeah $200 is a lot but not really if its something you use every day like a #2 Phillips.  Or scour the swap meets and buy every sub-$5 Snap On Hard Handle you can get, I have a big box of them now, all bought for $5 or less.  

Keep a few beaters of each size, throw out all the other ones, party on!

$200 on screwdrivers?! That will never happen. Screwdrivers are disposable tools. To be used, abused and sacrificed as necessary to get the job done. I'm way too quick to pound on them with a hammer or use as a pry bar to spend that kind of money on something as simple as a screwdriver. Not to mention I seldom use one that isn't in a drill or impact.

Same here, i thought i was styling when i bought the $25 dollar Harbor Freight pack

Cheap tools are way too expensive for me to bother with. My screwdrivers earn me money, we all have different needs.

If you're a home gamer, "just getting by" with a garbage screwdriver that breaks, cams out or slips and gouges something far more expensive might be just fine.

When I was a wee apprentoid, my box was fully stocked with Craftsman, they drove me to the tool truck.

O.P.  wanted to up his screwdriver game, for my money, it's awful hard to beat the S/O drivers. All I have to do is tell my rep the blade won't bite anymore and I get a new blade installed.

At a bare minimum, you should look for the following qualities in a screwdriver:

Hardened tips.

Three or four sided handle for comfort and increased grip.

Bolster or square shank that you can put a wrench on.

Strike-thru shanks are nice option but I've never had a need for them myself.

In reply to ShawnG :

If we are talking production, if my guys are using screwdriver instead of impacts or drill drivers, they are moving way too slow. We order screws by the 1000 count box.

ShawnG said:

All I have to do is tell my rep the blade won't bite anymore and I get a new blade installed.

This is probably the biggest difference between people that work with tools for a living and the rest of us. I wonder what your tool drawer would look like if you had kept every one of those mangled blades like the rest of us that just throw the whole thing in the drawer and go buy another cheap one. 

I'm absolutely wasting time dealing with piles of crap tools. I need to fix that. 

In reply to Toyman01 :

We're not a production shop. Quality, not quantity.

Like I said, we all have different needs.

In reply to ShawnG :

Quality and quantity aren't mutually exclusive. Fast and good just means we charge a lot more. 

But you aren't wrong on the different needs. There is a market for every price level of tool and that's not a bad thing. Lots of choices out there. 

I think SnapOn hard handles are the finest. Williams Tools is SnapOn's industrial brand. They are the same USA made screwdrivers as SnapOn hard handles. Exactly. For a fraction of he price. The website is SnapOn industrial brands.

Here is where I bought mine.

48 dollars for the full set

I have them in a SnapOn tray that was discarded by someone.

JIS Vessels for my beloved import vehicles.

I don't abuse my screwdrivers at all. I use punches, chisels, and prybars if needed and not my screwdrivers. It's not crime to spend a little coin on tools that will last indefinitely. It makes life easier without always tearing up screw heads and making more work for yourself.

Greg Smith said:

My personal favorite that I keep with my Craftsman ones is a 1990s Stanley #2 Phillips. The handle is a clear amber color and has yet to break.

 Their Professional line of screwdrivers.  They were really high quality, with nice triangular handles that fit your hand very well.

I'm trying to colllect a full set of them, along with the earlier Workmasters which were basically the same thing with a smoked gray handle. (I got a set of them for Christmas in about 1972, and later on someone stole my toolbox out of my garage - since then I've always wanted to replace them and finally am getting around to it.)  I still have a ways to go with the Professionals but the Workmaster set is almost complete.

I'm a huge fan of the clear handle screwdrivers from an aesthetic standpoint. I keep looking at this Vessel bit holder not because I need another bit holder, but because it's so pretty.