Good quality but cheap and cheerful Screwdriver set?

[powertools]

Since the start of business globalisation the brand name on many tools has become very blurred. Tool production is quite basic engineering and many large companies have bought out the smaller companies and have transferred production to cheaper economy's but are still charging a prieum price for the products. Those same companies are also selling the same products under a different name at a lower price. All this information is on the internet and I don't need to tell you.

 

[Cinimod]

I've always got on very well with Wera ones and never had any problems with them, not expensive either.......dom

 

[RossJarvis]

To expand on my earlier point, you can on occasion get some very good screwdrivers cheap. Halfords seem to miraculously sell a good few excellent tools at decent prices for instance. I'm sure there are some cheaper sets, nearly or as good as the Wera, but at the moment and to date if you spend the extra on Wera you know what you're going to get. This doesn't mean that Wera quality will not go down or that they won't make the odd rubbish set. There's probably not a lot of real cost difference between the manufacture of Wera and a lot of other "cheaper" tools but you know what you're getting. I know with Lidl you can often get some excellent tools very cheaply, however the next time the same or similar comes round it can be crepe. Snapon and a few others may also have the same dependable quality but seem to be more expensive. At the end of the day you are the customer and can probably never win

 

[cammy9r]

Snap-on are now a franchise and the guarantee is no longer as easy as it was, the franchisee will argue against anything they can to not honour it, can you blame them, it comes out of their bottom line now and not Snap-on's.

Mike

Hi, do you deal with snapon or is this 'I heard it on the grapevine'. Only ask as I buy and use snapon tools a lot, four dealers spanning 25 years. Never had any warranty problems on the occasion a tool failed, and they will fail. Only a few weeks ago I had the mechanism in my ratchet screwdriver replaced under warranty, took 22 years to fail but it did. Anyway standard screwdrivers all wear out over the years even my snapon ones but I can get a new blade popped into the handle.
But for cheap, I find the Halfords ones linked too in another post to be very good.

 

[bugbear]

it certainly is of interest to all, I would love to know where I can get high quality tools without paying a premium.

Mike

Sadly, he may be saying the opposite [it's ambiguous] - that you can pay a premium and NOT get high quality tools.

The best bargains I've found (in new tools) are when a less regarded brand tries to launch an up market range.

Draper Expert and Halford's Professional I've found to be good.

BugBear

 

[YorkshireMartin]

My Wera Kraftform 900 set arrived today. £46 for 15 drivers. £3 per driver...cheap as chips. It's fair to say I haven't look at Snap On or Mac lately, but these feel very good in the hand and appear to be very good quality indeed. Wouldn't be out of place at twice the price to be quite honest. Very impressed.

Made in Czech Republic but I note the magnetizer/demagnetizer is made in Germany.

 

[MikeJhn]

My Wife and a friend of hers decided to buy and assemble a triple wardrobe unit in our bedroom, (two shelves upsidedown) they cammed out three Snap on screwdrivers, these are now useless, so I have bought my other half a set of Wera drivers, and I have to say they look very sturdy, I just wonder how long it will take her to ruin them. (hammer)

Mike

 

[YorkshireMartin]

My Wife and a friend of hers decided to buy and assemble a triple wardrobe unit in our bedroom, (two shelves upsidedown) they cammed out three Snap on screwdrivers, these are now useless, so I have bought my other half a set of Wera drivers, and I have to say they look very sturdy, I just wonder how long it will take her to ruin them. (hammer)

Mike

Ikea fastener metal is about as durable as KY jelly...how did that happen?!?!

 

[MikeJhn]

Incompetence, and they where not Ikea, it was from Leroy Merlin which is just as bad.

Mike

 

[PUtcvNqa]

If £7 was a bit steep for the Halfords set there's now another quid off
(booooom 15% off madness etc)
in celebration of the upcoming black fridayz

 

[owsnap]

If £7 was a bit steep for the Halfords set there's now another quid off
(booooom 15% off madness etc)
in celebration of the upcoming black fridayz

I had a look at that set and it looks pretty pathetic set due to more or less useless for me types of screwdrivers included, I can see there only 3 screwdrivers which I would actually be using the rest wouldn't be touched most probably- specially the small little chubby ones which are useless at everything..


Seems like will either wait for some good deal to appear, or wait when lidl sells their set again.
Thanks for all the ideas/links guys, but decided will wait for some good deal instead before buying anything
those £50 wera sets aren't for me, I was looking for cheap and cheerful set, £50 isn't cheap for screwdrivers for me when I need them only maybe once a week and will most probably loose them very soon.If I were someone who needed them every day than yes £50 for a good set wouldn't be expensive

 

[NazNomad]

Screwfix currently have a set of Wiha screwdrivers for 14.99 (4)% off the usual price) - Item 3072G

 

[davem62]

Nothing wrong with Halfords ,life time warranty for £6 I don't understand your thinking, any cheaper than that they will be soft sh1te.And a pozi stubby will sometimes be the only thing that works as you get max power and close control

 

[MikeJhn]

You have just accused owsnap of thinking. :lol:

Mike

 

[g7g7g7g7]

I pick up good thru-tang and cabinetmakers screwdrivers on ebay pretty cheap and clean them up, as with almost everything they don't make them like they used too, keep an eye out for bargains there.

As for stubbies being useless I don't know about that, something that can get into tight spaces is always useful.

 

[bugbear]

And a pozi stubby will sometimes be the only thing that works as you get max power and close control

You're not a believer in the "long screwdrivers are better" notion then?

In the thread, there was strong consensus in favour of the effect, (and a lot of dispute on the reason).

BugBear

 

[davem62]

My own preference is to use the shortest drive as possible when having to really put a lot of power into undoing a tight screw. I think it gives a better chance of keeping the drive firmly in the screw , less chance of caming out . keeping a straighter shaft also I can get my shoulder/ body more over the driver rather than just hand wrist , but that's only my opinion
David

 

[lurker]

I have drilled a hole in the handle of my stubbies for a tommy bar when needed
Which is not often but sometimes is the only thing that will work.

 

[lurker]

Screwfix currently have a set of Wiha screwdrivers for 14.99 (4)% off the usual price) - Item 3072G

Never heard of them
WERA however, are the dogs.

 

[bugbear]

I have drilled a hole in the handle of my stubbies for a tommy bar when needed
Which is not often but sometimes is the only thing that will work.

If you have a socket set, you can fit a 1/4" socket to the ratchet, and then put a 1/4" hex screwdriver bit in the socket.

I once removed the slotted machine screws holding a vice jaw in place by putting a 1/4" combo spanner on a screwdriver bit, catching the screwdriver bit in the vice (using a hardwood "pad" on the other jaw) and then turning the spanner.To say the least of it, the bit was not going to cam out.

BugBear