Small Precision Screwdrivers

[Sideways]

Yes, the JIS cross head is slightly different to the Philips. JIS driver in JIS screw head seem to have very little slop and I don't notice any tendency to cam out. Like anything, I'm sure the better brands will hold tighter manufacturing tolerances. In my photo a few posts above, the JIS bit in the Wera handle is by Anex. Those guys supply tooling to the electronics production lines and their good inserts are beautifully made. Better than Wera and Wiha.

 

[Spectric]

I have used the Facom ones for decades, light and very hard wearing. I used to put a rubber sleeve up the shaft so very little metal was on show. Whilst on this subject if you want really decent pliers and cutters then look no further than Lindstrom, these are excellent for through hole pcb work Amazon.co.uk

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Lindstrom are the first choice of jewellers, goldsmiths etc. as well.

 

[nickds1]

I still have my original Lindstrom's from when I was an apprentice/sponsored EE uni student back in the '70s (STL/ITT Harlow).

Bought a few since then too. For PTH work they're excellent and great for general electronics...

 

[paulrbarnard]

I have used the Facom ones for decades, light and very hard wearing. I used to put a rubber sleeve up the shaft so very little metal was on show. Whilst on this subject if you want really decent pliers and cutters then look no further than Lindstrom, these are excellent for through hole pcb work Amazon.co.uk

I still use my lindstrom side cutters that I bought when I started as an electronics apprentice in 1976.

 

[TomTheToolMan]

I have an opticians business. We have tried many screwdriver options over the years. The favourite for a long time is the Facom Microtech from RS. Comfortable, hard-wearing (but not indestructible, nothing is at this size) cheap to replace individually and widely available. I thing the watchmakers use Bergeon with replaceable tips.

 

[Myfordman]

Pozidrive screws are marked with a cross at 45 degrees to the main cross recess. JIS screws have a dot on the head. Philips are unmarked.
Some cheap screw heads may not be marked.
A correctly fitting driver will enter the head fully and not move from side to side.

 

[Sideways]

Pozidrive screws are marked with a cross at 45 degrees to the main cross recess. JIS screws have a dot on the head. Philips are unmarked.
Some cheap screw heads may not be marked.

This is interesting.
The business about dots marking JIS screw heads seems to be most obviously mentioned on USA motorcycle websites discussing Japanese bikes.

I may have missed it but I don't see anything in the actual JIS B 1101 or JIS B 1054 Japanese standards for screws that says they should be marked like this.
The older issues of these specs (which are free to download) define recess variants with and without the pozidrive type 45 degree cross but I didn't spot any diagram saying that screw heads should be marked with a dot.

 

[alexnharvey]

I bought the Vessel precision screwdriver set (td-56) for working on my canon camera. They fit well on the other electronic kit i have tried and the six piece set is available for about £16 on eBay.

 

[Mikegtr]

Thanks once again everybody for your knowledge. Not being into the 'technician' industry I did not realise there were so many variations in cross headed screws. What I mainly use the small mini precision screwdrivers for is to fit very small screws into guitar machine heads, for example: the screws being approx. 3/8"--4/8" long. I come across different cross heads on the screws--not 'one fits all' as they say. I bought a cheap set (6) of precision cross headed screwdrivers (no brand name on the box) many moons ago. Some the tips of the of the screwdrivers have now 'seen better days'. 'Knowing now what I didn't know then' time to look for a good name make. Gone are the days of buying cheap tools.

 

[graham88]

Thanks once again everybody for your knowledge. Not being into the 'technician' industry I did not realise there were so many variations in cross headed screws. What I mainly use the small mini precision screwdrivers for is to fit very small screws into guitar machine heads, for example: the screws being approx. 3/8"--4/8" long. I come across different cross heads on the screws--not 'one fits all' as they say. I bought a cheap set (6) of precision cross headed screwdrivers (no brand name on the box) many moons ago. Some the tips of the of the screwdrivers have now 'seen better days'. 'Knowing now what I didn't know then' time to look for a good name make. Gone are the days of buying cheap tools.

Ah, here your problem will be that guitar hardware can vary between made in USA imperial screws and made everywhere else metric. For example an American no. 2 philips head screwdriver might look like a PH2 metric but there's actually a 0.2mm difference in the tip size. It might not seem like much but over time this will produce more wear on your bits.

 

[hugov]

I bought the Vessel precision screwdriver set (td-56) for working on my canon camera. They fit well on the other electronic kit i have tried and the six piece set is available for about £16 on eBay.

Another vote for the Vessel TD-56 set, looks like it's currently £12 on Amazon, was £10 when I bought them. They look like the cheap generic sets of jewellers screwdrivers but are made (well) in Japan with good, well hardened steel tips. I've not had any incidents of the tip slipping in the handle (like so often happens with the generic cheap ones). I find I can use the little rubber grips as a kind of torque limiter (where the grip loses traction and spins on the metal handle) so as not to tighten tiny screws too far and damage them.