Ok ... let's talk screwdrivers. Another pet peeve of mine. Part of the reason is that I work on expensive guitars where one cam out of a screwdriver head can cause me to destroy a guitar finish. Sometimes the same holds true with automotive screwdrivers, but the greater issue in automotive is higher breakaway torque necessary to loosen some screw fasteners. Thankfully BMW uses Torx a fair bit, which is a far better fastener (that's a whole other conversation - screw head vs hex vs torx).
I no longer use cheap screwdrivers - life is too short. A good quality screwdriver can provide several benefits:
- induction-hardened tips that better withstand wear.
- laser-etched tips for greater cam-out resistance.
- handles which support applying greater fastener torque.
There are a number of good brands. I'm going to focus on three specific brands, and give some suggestions.
The best high-torque screwdriver in the business is Stahlwille 3K Drall line. They are not cheap.
8 piece set is about $120 out of Chads Toolbox. If you are sensitive to price, they have a smaller set. This is my garage go-to set of screwdrivers.
For my guitar shop, where I have less of a high-torque requirement, I prefer Wera. These are not as expensive and 80-90% of the screwdriver Stahlwille makes. Also easier to purchase in the USA.
Their 6 piece set is about $42. If you don't want to break the bank, this is a great screwdriver.
Then there are the electronics and specialty screwdrivers. I have a variety of sets, again from
Stahlwille and Wera (
here and
here). But I also use Wiha, which are excellent. Specifically I recommend the Wera and
Wiha models for cost, quality, and handling. Unlike the larger screwdrivers, tip sensitivity and balance is an issue when handling small fasteners. Note you might do a bit of research as they come in different size sets.
Finally to throw out a slightly off-the-beaten path recommendation. I recently purchased this set of
long-reach Wiha screwdriver set and am very pleased with them. Not unwieldy but long enough to reach when it is needed.
Filippo
