Wiha vs Wera SAE Nut Driver Set Comparison 

Yep, that is correct. As an electrician we refer to nutdrivers by their colour instead of size.

I was going to mention this as well, I have always seen SAE nut drivers colour coded. Still would help to have the numbers stamped on the head though.

BrettDN. I agree

Must be a US thing, only the nut drivers I have imported from the US have the colour codes. I guess it's pretty useful since I usually find myself identifying the right nut driver by the wear rather than the printed size ;-)

Forgot to say the Wiha you get here in Europe have the size printed on the end rather than the colour code.

9o

Cool, thanks for the information.

I'm not sure that's true, isn't it the same chrome just whether or not it's polished? Cheaper tools may very well use a softer chrome that is easier to polish, but once you are with the better tools like Koken, Nepros or Snap-On I can't imagine there is any difference in the chrome quality. Even in relatively cheaper tools like the Bahco S series, the Bacho sets have a matte finish yet the Irimo version of the **exact** same socket sets have a polished finish. I'm pretty sure the only difference (apart from the colour of the handles), is that one is polished and one isn't. Just take some tools with a "dull industrial hard chrome" and try polishing them, it is **absolutely** possible to polish them. What is to say Snap-On or Nepros aren't using the harder chrome but also polishing it?

Yep. Sometimes you need a hollow shaft to bust a deep nut :)

Back in the 1970s there weren't so much manufacturers making hollow shaft nut drivers. In the company I'm working for they made them hollow in their own turning shop. Some of these nutdrivers are still in use today.

I have a set in the truck if i need them but i like the magnetic nut drivers as 99% of what i take apart in the HVAC trade don’t require hollow shafts. But i do have a set for that rare instance.

Never had one, but I might think about getting a 1/4 flex shaft one. I do have an application where that can come in handy.

I might do a video to show where I usually use these since this question often comes up a lot. The application that comes to mind most recently is working on pinball machines where everything is secured with a hex head wood screw. The only other tool that would work other than a nut driver would be a socket with a really long extension and a ratchet. There are other applications in industrial automation when you run into large relays that use aluminum or copper threaded studs that don't require much torque.

Hose clamps. Those little buggers are easy to strip out with a ratchet. Plus it's easier just to grab one tool and go. 1/4" and 5/16" are all I have and ever use. And my only use for them are hose clamps.

As an electrician, I mostly use them to open housing on equipment that needs wiring or service. Things you don’t need much torque for. I don’t think a homeowner would need them. Just get a socket set and use them whether you need torque or not. The need for nutdrivers would come up so infrequently you could sacrifice their convenience.

Yes and no, with a larger contoured handle and rubber grips, you can achieve more torque and do so more comfortably, but in these size ranges, the fasteners shouldn't have been torqued very high. Perhaps they were, or are rusted, but it could also be that you need to do some exercises that increase your hand and forearm strength. Then again if a nutdriver doesn't make sense to you because you prefer something else instead, then it may not make sense for you to upgrade to a different nutdriver set unless you do a lot of work where they shine. Personally, I more often use a ratchet, extension and socket for most, or a 1/4" magnetic handle and socket bit for those lower torque, hardly ever needing a hollow shaft. Where a hollow shaft helps, I just use a wrench to break torque then spin them off by hand. I'm sure there are deep recessions where that won't work, but I never have to deal with those. I already have enough tools that I don't buy for what if scenarios, only adding to collection as needed.

On HV switchgear, removing and fitting TLF fuses requires an 8mm nut driver. They don’t need any torque at all, any tighter than hand tight and the fuse forks split away from the fuse body.

Same here, i like the tools, but the handle just won't sit in my hand. Makes you wonder if they were developed by aliens with 3 digits! My favourite to date are the Bacho screwdrivers, found them in a sale bin at B&Q.

Either that or a hex bolster on the shaft, so you can put a wrench on it. Some screwdrivers have that feature.

No. You’ll have to pay for that. If you need leverage and you’re grabbing your socket set, why not just use your socket set?

I almost only buy German but Milwaukee nut drivers are 8 point and hollow core

The other advantage is they are often less expensive to make, and purchase.

Captain Chaos I think you’re the only person here that understands nut drivers intended use. Speed and ease of use. Not torque.

If you need to pass through you are using the wrong tool. You're better off using a pass through socket set with an angle.

I think if I had to use a pass through socket set I would just use a wrench. No need to pack your toolbox/bag up with repetitive tools.

@@iamfuckingyourwaifuandther2743 Generally yes. However a wrench cannot get to a faster that lays inside of a recess. This is where the pass through excel.

How often to you get a fastener that lays inside of a recess that a deep socket can't get too? I think I would rather just have my nut drivers able to take care of the issue the one time it comes up, instead of buying a socket set I would never use. It's a simple enough design to implement into nutdrivers, but I can't find any german companies that do that. If I did I would buy them instantly. I do not like klein screwdriver handles.

@@iamfuckingyourwaifuandther2743 Not very often at all. Hardly ever. Just making a point of how a pass through set would shine over a wrench. I personally would much rather use a ratchet wrench.

You do realize some tools are used in pharmaceutical or food processing plants, etc don't you? Not all tools are used by auto mechanics. And even when it comes to auto techs, many take care of their investment - it is after all, how they make money.

Definitely don't use the larger ones as much, but the 1/4" size I use all the time.

Jason Bone no shit sherlock

@@jasonbone5121 Some times there is also a practical reason for keeping tools clean. More than a third of my most used stuff lives in the apartment I share with my girlfriend, in corner, in the living room, next to where we cook, eat and watch TV. It makes a lot of sense to not have dirty and oily stuff when they are literally next to you all day, every day.

I'm a mechanic (auto tech) and all my tools are clean, yes there beaten up and worn but I keep them clean, you might need a screwdriver in the morning to work in a greasy engine bay and then in the afternoon to remove fasteners in someones cream leather interior... Always good to keep your tools clean

it isn't about force, more to do with getting rounded off bolts out and or not rounding off bolts.

I am fucking your waifu and there's nothing you can do about it Klein does make nice nut drivers but i prefer Wihas screwdrivers over Kleins. Just preference

This is where you get SAE in Wera and Metric in Wiha (Or the inverse). With precision drivers, it's a good idea (in my opinion) to do several different manufacturers and/or ESD. Felo precision goes well with Wiha's aesthetically, and all the (well-known) German screwdrivers are really good.

Have you ever worked with english? 99% of people have no idea what a "gibe a show of", is. IF you mean people are showing off as some point of vanity that their tools have functional colors, then I suspect that you don't appreciate how it speeds up work to be able to grab the right size/type tool on the first try.

Clearly he doesn't even have any tools, with those in the video being a jedi mind trick illusion that fooled you.

This is where Wera's Cyklop wrench shines - you can use it as both a screwdriver & wrench. That being said, there are some situations where trying to get a nut started or dealing with a very long shaft and no swing make these absolutely necessary. Besides, if torque is that important, perhaps the correct procedure is to use a torque wrench after having tightened it down with one of these?

Nazi German tools...

Would be nice, but I don't even think I've ever seen a metric hex head wood screw. Same with lag bolts, I'm sure they exist, just never seen a metric one.

Everything on Residential and Commercial Air Conditioning is fractional (mostly 1/4" or 5/16"), and on the 'metric' units like Mini-Splits they usually use Phillip's head screws(which SUCK) to keep you from having to carry separate metric nut drivers. Honestly - I would rather they use a METRIC hex head screws and just carry a little pouch with metric nut drivers for when I knew I was gonna have to work on a Mini-split rather than having to deal with crappy, easy-to-strip, phillips screws.

DIN 571: www.schrauben-lexikon.de/download/t_571.pdf And: eshop.wuerth.de/Produktkategorien/DIN-571-Edelstahl-A2-blank/14013508040502.cyid/1401.cgid/de/DE/EUR/

We get metric heads here in U.K. but some stuff that comes from the states or is made for the US has imperial heads and it’s frustrating when you bust open a box of hex head construction or roofing screws and it has an imperial head. I usually use Wera nut drivers in my impact driver great till an imperial head wears the driver quick.

Depends where one lives. I prefer sae.