Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
When we asked folks who makes the best screwdrivers, there were plenty of votes for Wera, and for good reason. They're comfortable, they include meaningful features, and there's a nice range of options to fit your trade. There's still some room for improvement, but Wera screwdrivers are still well ahead of the curve.
Ask nearly any Pro what their favorite screwdriver and there’s a good chance they won’t have to think more than a second before answering. For several years, my answer has been Wurth Zebra series. However, there are a lot of people that tell us Wera screwdriver sets are the way to go. We got our hands on several sets and it’s pretty clear why they’re so popular.
The first thing that we noticed about our Wera screwdriver sets is how similar the handle shape is to the Wurth Zebra models we enjoy. Putting them in our hands for the first time, we found a similar top-tier comfort level.
These odd-looking handles actually offer very natural grip points for your fingers and even the heel of your hand. The outer coating is just right—not so hard that a little bit of sweat makes your hand slip and not so soft that it causes abrasion and blisters.
Flaring out to a hex top end, the handles resist rolling on flat surfaces.
Putting the tips under load, we could tell that Wera screwdrivers are designed by folks that know and use screwdrivers. The power transfer is excellent and they just feel great in your hands.
Wera Kraftform handles are made up of three components. The core is a high-density plastic to hold the blade in place. The outer coating has two parts. The black or red portions in our test sets are harder plastic and the inner sections are softer. The combination offers comfort, grip, and torque transfer.
We got our hands on three different 7-piece screwdriver sets. Here are the ones we tested:
With the exception of the bottle opener, all of these Wera Series 900 screwdrivers have a hex-shaped blade. All but the smallest slotted driver also has a wrench assist section just above the handle.
The five primary screwdrivers in the set have a strike cap to help you chisel when the job calls for it. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated chisel set, but it’ll work in a pinch, especially on demo.
The tips have a coated tip with a slight magnetism to them. The Phillips head tips seem to be stronger than the slotted, though.
Actually, the tips aren’t magnetized by Wera. But somehow, every single driver in the three sets we tested picked up a charge somehow. Weird.
The fit into our test screws was excellent with no play whatsoever.
Shifting over to the Series 300 screwdriver set, we trade off some features. The blade is round and there’s no wrench assist. The three Torx drivers have the same magnetic black coated tips as the 900 series.
The Phillips, Posidriv, and slotted tips take a different turn. They have a rough laser etching that grabs hold of the fastener. It grips really well—better than tips with diamond grit do. All other things equal, these are the best gripping tips we’ve used and they require less downforce to stay engaged with your fastener head.
We also see Wera’s “Take it Easy” handle identification system come into play. Each style has a different color ring with a size marking inside it. We don’t mind the color-coding, but we would prefer a tip shape icon to go with it for even quicker identification.
Wera’s 100 iS insulated screwdrivers have the standard 1000V safety rating (tested to 10,000V) we expect to see on all professional insulated models. They feature Wera’s “Take it Easy” identification system.
What’s interesting is that Wera includes a #2 PlusMinus driver. These seem to be more popular in Europe, but they have a growing fanbase in the US as well. It’s basically a combination Phillips and slotted fastener head style and having a screwdriver designed to fully engage the head is a nice luxury.
The prices that we found online are a bit of a premium over what you might find from Southwire or Klein. It’s not a huge difference, though. For the comfort and features Wera offers, we think its worth spending a little extra to get them.
When we asked folks who makes the best screwdrivers, there were plenty of votes for Wera, and for good reason. They’re comfortable, they include meaningful features, and there’s a nice range of options to fit your trade. There’s still some room for improvement, but Wera screwdrivers are still well ahead of the curve. If you haven’t given Wera a shot yet, we recommend you get your hands on a set.
On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.
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Wera makes the best tools hands down. As a Subsea Engineer with 32 years experience there are no better tools. If you broken a Wera, chances are you were using it wrong. I have Wera Tools that are almost 20 years old and are still working and looking as new.
I found the Wera screwdrivers a bit of a disappointment. Yes, they’re very comfortable, but the handles tend to break and the blades are brittle and tend to chip. At their price I expected better.
the yellow and black ones are called chisel drivers, and wera also seems to be a lot more common over this side of the pond.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros