Screw It!
The screw driver is easily one of the most used tools on a tech bench. There are hundreds of brands to choose from and it can be hard to know which brand to purchase. We've tried a ton of different brands and types and have found a couple that we really like for working with electronics.
One of our favorite brands of screwdrivers is Wiha. They make excellent tools and offer a huge range of tools. They are made in Germany and are built with extremely high quality. The 65 Piece Master Technician Ratchet and microbit set is the best bang for the buck and gives you almost every type of driver you might need. This set is what we take to every job site to make sure we can get into any piece of gear or connector. If you were to purchase one set of drivers from this page, this is the one to buy.
Wiha 75965 65 Piece System 4 ESD Safe Master Technician Ratchet and MicroBits Set
Retail: $98.31
While screwdriver sets with swappable bits are handy, it's nice to have dedicated tools that you can grab and start using. For our shop benches we like to have Wiha precision drivers. The red cap spins freely which makes it super easy to rotate the driver. This series of drivers has a huge selection of dedicated drivers which allows you to build a set of drivers you use most often. Wiha also offers a Master Technicians set that includes 50 common sizes and styles of drivers. It is well worth the price tag as you are spending about $4.35 per driver.
Wiha 92190 Master Technicians Bench Top Set 50 Piece
Retail: $217.43
If budget doesn't allow for the full Master technician set, you can always start with a smaller set of precision drivers. This 8 piece set comes with four Phillips head and four Slotted head drivers and a canvas storage pouch. This set is a great way to get started with some quality tools.
Wiha 26199 Slotted and Phillips Screwdriver Set in Rugged Canvas Pouch 8 Piece
Retail: $40.17
Another brand of drivers that we are fond of is Wera. They also happen to be made in Germany. They are extremely ergonomic and are great for working with hardware. The following is a very affordable set that has a good spread of driver types. You'll get a couple extra drivers in this set compared to the Wiha set listed above for a very similar price.
KRAFTFORM MICRO SET 12 SB 1 SCREWDRIVER SET
Retail: $40.67
A little hack for assembly/disassembly is you can magnetize your driver to help keep the screw on the tip of the driver. "How do I magnetize my screwdriver" you may be asking yourself. It's a pretty simple process and the tool to do it is rather inexpensive. The tool is called a magnetizer. It has two sides; one for magnetizing and one for demagnetizing the tool. Simply pass the tool through the positive magnetic field on the magnetizer a few times and voilà, your tool is now magnetized. If you want to demagnetize a tool, you just pass it through the negative magnetic field a few times.
Wiha 40010 Magnetizer Demagnetizer Black
Retail: $5.39
Electric screw drivers can speed up a tedious job and remove frustration.
Dewalt makes one of the best battery powered electric screwdrivers on the market. If has a unique gyroscopic feature that allows you to tighten or loosen a screw simply by rotating your wrist right or left (respectively). It's hands down one of the best electric screw drivers we have been able to use.
DEWALT 8V MAX Cordless Screwdriver Gyroscopic Rechargeable Battery Included
Retail: $89.00
I hope this post has been insightful and you end up getting some quality tools that will fit into your workflow.
Here is a link to the entire list of products mentioned in this post.