Wera Tools

[timegoesby]

I am on a tool replacement upgrade spree. S/fix sell Wera screwdrivers. They are expensive in S'fixes catalogue so are they any good? Is S/fix the best place to buy these tools?

TIA

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I bought a set of their diamond coated ones at a recent tool fair and they are ok. But time will have to go by before I'm sure about their durability.

Most Google for the best current prices etc these days. Plenty of hits on Wera screwdrivers.

[timegoesby]

These two "look" the same.....

?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=48111&pn=1&pd=1&pi=1&cn=1&cd=1One says Kraftkant and one says Slip-stop (which I want). Are they the same? Price difference is big.

[dom]

I've a few bits of Wera, diamond bits and bit holder (excellent), iron bits (poor), multibit screwdriver (pretty good), large straight-blade slipstop screwdriver (very good).

Generally I rate them slightly above Wiha.

Best deals have been Wera trade stands at shows.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes - that's where I got mine. About 20% lower than anywhere else I'd seen.

[Weatherlawyer]

That 7 quid price difference seems to be pretty standard for Screwfix stuff. I wonder why people use them.

[Pete C]

I bought a set of these the other day and am really pleased with them:

Other places do them for a similar price.

cheers, Pete.

[timegoesby]

Are the actually the same product though? I agree that S/fix are not as cheap as they used to be.

I fitted one of these in a house with a Rinnai mutil-point water heater to give the DHW. Looks the part...and a radio inside too...

do this one, which is expensive and looks not that good at all....

[Andy Hall]

Yes, as are Wiha.

[The Medway Handyman]

Not that specific brand - but go & look in your local Wickes - you might be in for a pleasant surprise.

[timegoesby]

I like Wickes and their power tools are very good and now they sell Hitachi power tools as well now. I have their grey professional SDS drill, and it is a very good drill, compatible to any Makita, DeWalt, etc, for less money and better guarantee. Their hand tools tend not to be the top quality makes. Good enough no doubt and I have some soft handled drivers of theirs. I want the best as the none slip Wera screwdrivers look the part to me and Wickes don't sell them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Buying things like screwdrivers is difficult just by looking - it's how they survive in use that tells good from bad, especially pozidriv etc. A well machined point and decent steel makes all the difference. And unfortunately price isn't that good a guide.

I've got another example. I wanted pliers and cutters for a toolkit which will likely get trashed so got a set from Lidl for pennies. And was surprised to find the cutters coped fine with piano wire. I could have paid several times that price for ones which couldn't.

[Stuart Noble]

I quite like Halfords screwdrivers

[Andy Dingley]

I bought a dozen sets of their pliers recently for a large wire fencing job where there would be a dozen people working on it, and most of them were going to end up left in a forest. The lurid red & yellow-handled Lidls didn't generally get left behind (only lost a few pairs) and were cheap enough not to worry about it.

OTOH, the wire strippers included in the sets were so badly aligned as to be a worthless joke. The V jaws just didn't align, and they were all equally bad.

As to the OP's Wera screwdrivers, then one set is the black finish and the others are plated. Take your pick, but the plated are probably a bit more rust resistant. Personally I'd buy Wiha, as I find Wera's handles to be too lumpy.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The set I've got are diamond coating reducing the inwards pressure needed on a screw. It certainly seems to work - they reduce overall effort considerably.