OK, I'm getting annoyed at all the cheap sets, that simply have the screwdriver bit pressed into the driver body. Does anyone have any recomendations for supliers of "indestructible" jewellers screwdrivers that won't come loose in their housinga and where the tips won't round off? I'm looking for small ones sold individually, from about 3mm down to about 1mm, pref. with flat and cross-head bits.
Pete
I have a "Pro'sKit" 4mm hex driver and bit set bought from Maplin
Flat head 1mm to 4mm in 0.5mm steps Torx T4 to T10 and T15, T20 Allen key 0.7mm, 0.9mm, 1.3mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm Phillips 000, 00, 0, 1 Pozi 0 and 1 Hex driver 4mm (the driver body itself), 5mm and 6mm
Won't reach every nook and cranny that a slim jewellers screwdriver will.
That set seems to be discontinued.
All Maplin stores in my area (Buckinghamshire) are out of stock but you can still get one by mail order for £9.99 + £2.99 postage:
Pro'sKit are OK - CPC sell them - but not 'professional'.
I have some I got from Farnell...made by Wiha...here is an example:
rack. Click on 'Product Range' to see...well, the range.
Y'know, I've never had the body/shaft separation thing happen - but I know what you mean about tips rounding off. Hard to tell quality from cheap crap though, I would have thought. I just try and have a couple of sets kicking around, so if one driver dies I don't have to run to the shop to get a replacement.
cheers
Jules
Maybe I twist them too hard :-) As you say, it's difficult to tell just by looking which ones are high quality and which should be in xmas crackers. I've probably got about 20 of these in different sizes, going back many, many years. There are about 4 or 5 that are workhorse drivers and the rest are garbage. Unfortunately I'm trying to undo some particularly small screws in a digital camera, that seem to be cold welded into their self-tapped holes. Although I have a couple of drivers that will key to the cross- head, when I apply torque the shaft just slips in its body and doesn't turn the screw at all. Looks like I'll be visiting Maplin on the way home tomorrow evening.
Thanks guys
Plan B is to grind flat the shaft of a small Allen key
The set I use is the 15-piece set listed at the bottom of the same page. Mine came as a free offer with a cheap set of bigger Maplin drivers, but I'd buy the same again if I lost them.
No-one is suggesting they are "professional". It's just a brand name. Farnell sells them too.
They look better suited if you are ever called on to disembowel PSP or DS type toys where the screws live at the bottom of a narrow tunnel, that was what the hex bit set failed on.
Funny you should say that.
I make a lot of use of small screwdrivers for my photo gear. The most onerous job is attaching and detaching adapters which carry significant weight but tend to be supported by tiny grub screws.
I have lost count of how many screwdriver sets I have ruined over the years attaching and detaching these adapters. The small screws need to be very tight to support the weight of heavy gear.
Then, several Christmases ago, my wife bought some "expensive" crackers from Sainsbury's - better than we would usually buy but they were half price on Christmas Eve. Two of the crackers - one from each of the two boxes - contained a screwdriver set with a round plastic base and a clear plastic domed lid. There was a handle and a selection of bits which were secured to the handle via a simple chuck with a knurled nut.
The bits never let me down. They were harder than any of the branded screwdriver sets I have bought over the years including two sets from C.K. Unfortunately, the handles were not as well made. The chucks broke and I cannot find suitable replacements.
I just think of them as consumable, I suppose - same as Philips bits for use with the drill. ISTR pound shops in the UK often sold the most common ones - ditto with dollar stores this side of the Pond.
Does tapping the screwdriver with a hammer help? Maybe there's some form of thread lock 'glue' at work and a few sharp impacts will break the bond?
I suspect digital cameras and hammers don't mix too well ...
Saw some that _looked_ the same on Screwfix or Toolstation - can't unforget which.
I would think it depends on the camera. I've got a Canon G5 that's been bounced all over the globe, hauled down many a cave and underground passageway etc. and generally subjected to a lot of abuse, and it's still going strong; it's relatively heavy for the age, but it's a pretty robust thing (I was wary of that "press the tiny little locking button before you can turn it on" mechanism, but even that hasn't broken yet, much to my surprise).
cheers
Jules
Oh, I don't know. I'm sorely tempted to take a hammer to mine when they don't work as they should! ;-)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.