Wiha screwdrivers

[Donald]

I purchased a set of these soft finish extra heavy duty screwdrivers. (red and black handles).

The extra heavy duty option features the end of the screwdriver where you might bang on it with a hammer is metal. Unsure is they intend for you to use it as a chisel however. The heavy duty is similar but the end is the same plastic (or similar) as the rest of the handle.

The large size of the extra heavy duty seem heavier than I would expect and unbalanced. Unsure those are things to worry about however.

Comments?

Great screwdrivers as recommended on this forum.

 

[Trav]

Those are good drivers made for really heavy duty use. You can hammer on them when going after rusted screws, use them to pry and other destructive jobs you can think of and they just come back for more.
Drivers of this type are not that well balanced because of the striking cap but its nothing you would notice during use. If you want nice balance and high precision buy the PB but they are not for the same sort of jobs these are.
You did good with these.

 

[NHGUY]

Sounds a lot like the Milwaukee screwdrivers.

 

[KingCake]

You hammer them into the screw when it's rusty/full of road grit

 

[Donald]

If one has a choice would you get all of them extra heavy duty including the smaller ones and stubby? Or just the ones you might pound on.

 

[Trav]

I only use striking caps on the ones I pound on, the stubbies can be useful but i don't use them much.
I prefer other tools like palm bit holder and bit ratchet for jobs that need a stubby. For really stubborn screws a impact driver is the tool to use.

 

[SLCraig]

I use Wiha at work, I have had no issues with their tools. I like them very much.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Donald
The large size of the extra heavy duty seem heavier than I would expect and unbalanced.


You mean unbalanced heavy on the shaft end, or unbalanced heavy on the handle end ?

I would've got the regular soft finish set with the hex bolster.

 

[JHZR2]

This strikes me as a case of the wrong tool, wrong time.

HD is nice if you need to strike it. If not, then why run a HD driver? An imbalance would come with the territory in a case like that.

I like the feel of my wigs drivers, but they seem no more or less prone to cam out than anything else.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
HD is nice if you need to strike it. If not, then why run a HD driver?


Exactly. I don't use my screwdrivers for chisels; so therefore the HD drivers would be unneeded weight.

 

[Trav]

An almost useless feature IMO is the hex bolster. I never ran across a screw yet that was harder than the driver and wouldn't cam out if torqued enough.
Putting uneven torque on one side of the driver with a wrench just makes it worse. If they are that tight its impact driver time
At least with the striking end you can get the multi layers of paint out of screw slots commonly found in old houses.

 

[sleddriver]

Gotta love Wiha. I have a larger driver set in the car and one of their mini sets for tiny, tiny screws. Top shelf all the way!

There's NWIH I'd ever loan them out, much less use one for a chisel or pry bar.

One of my neighbors asked to borrow one................

I just looked at him without saying a word. Message conveyed. He's not a tool-user: He's a tool-abuser!

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Trav
An almost useless feature IMO is the hex bolster. I never ran across a screw yet that was harder than the driver and wouldn't cam out if torqued enough.


You're missin' out on a great feature.

 

[Trav]

I tried them years ago and found that feature about as useful as a suitcase with no handle. Personal preference.

 

[RooflessVW]

The hex bolster is great for stubborn panel screws. It's nice to be able to lean on the driver and use a ratcheting wrench to turn the fastener.

The metal striker is great because Pilatus and Boeing like to glob paint over every [censored] fastener and it is nice to be able to tap the driver into the screw without damaging your tools.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
The hex bolster is great for stubborn panel screws. It's nice to be able to lean on the driver and use a ratcheting wrench to turn the fastener.

The metal striker is great because Pilatus and Boeing like to glob paint over every [censored] fastener and it is nice to be able to tap the driver into the screw without damaging your tools.


That's part of the problem, many places on a car you cant lean into the driver so the wrench is just working against you trying to cam the screw head out.
If they are that tight i use a small impact driver and just tap it. Each to his own i guess, whatever works. there is no right or wrong as long as the screw comes out.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
The hex bolster is great for stubborn panel screws. It's nice to be able to lean on the driver and use a ratcheting wrench to turn the fastener.

The metal striker is great because Pilatus and Boeing like to glob paint over every [censored] fastener and it is nice to be able to tap the driver into the screw without damaging your tools.


That's part of the problem, many places on a car you cant lean into the driver so the wrench is just working against you trying to cam the screw head out.
If they are that tight i use a small impact driver and just tap it. Each to his own i guess, whatever works. there is no right or wrong as long as the screw comes out.


Right, I was just trying to give an example of a situation where the features are valuable. Tools aren't just made for automobiles.

On some of the materials and structures I deal with an impact is out of the question. Definitely a wrong way to remove a stuck fastener in some cases.

 

[Trav]

Agreed, you wouldn't want to use an impact on a lot of things.