Does anyone have these and what are your thoughts?

I'm looking for a good set of screwdrivers and if not Grace, what are your recommendations? Thanks a bunch.

I think the magna tip system is pretty nice. The wife got me the huge set for Christmas, and they have been working great. Sdh has written a nice article on screw drivers, it's a good read.

I personally don't like the feel of the Grace handle in my hand, too boxy. As far as feel is concerned I like the Brownell or Forster handles, as for metalurgy I cannot fault the Brownell bits.
If you are looking for screwdrivers Brownell has fixed handle drivers or interchangeable bit handle drivers and Forster has nice set but it is limited in selection, the fixed blade Brownell drivers are great but pricey to make a set, I have owned my Brownell set for 36 years and only broken one bit on a nasty Auto 5 screw that wouldn't budge.
bb

Thanks guys!

I've had a few over the years. They are good quality. But like any other screw drivers you buy, you're going to end up regrinding them to fit one particular job or another eventually.

I got sneaky a while back and started buying oddball screwdrivers that no one in their right mind would buy at GD Liquidators. I stick with brand names like Gray, Fuller or ITC and then grind them to something civilized as I need them. The best deal I ever got was for a bunch of those uni-directional Philips head, Gray drivers. Some moron must have special ordered them without realizing they were not common Philips and took them back or refused pickup when he saw them. I got about 40 of them for .50 cents a pop and then reground them. That was 10 years ago and I still have about 20 of them in various lengths of being gnawed off. As said above, I'm going to end up regrinding them anyway.

grind your own as the need arises, after a short time you will have a nice set of screw drivers and you will have the skill to make any new ones as needed.

I have a set of Brownell's that I have used for the past unteen years, Recently bought the thin set as it seems european makers think that super skinny screw slots are the way to go. I still have to regrind some inserts for different jobs.

I've used both the Grace and Brownells. I think the Grace screwdrivers that I had were too hard at the tips and I broke most of them. Most were reground to something else and are still in my toolbox. The Brownells on the other hand have been great but I really don't like the "feel" of the magna-tip type drivers.

I've got Brownell s, Grace, and a bunch that I've made over the years too. Imho they are all good and useful. I like the wood handles on the Grace screwdrivers myself, and lately I have bought several more. I am happy to support a great American family business that puts out a great product.

My first hollow ground screwdrivers were a set of MAC drivers that were purchased from Herters 50 years ago. The Grace screwdrivers look identical, and I have often suspected that the Grace people bought that design from MAC. I still have that set on the wall in my shop.

I recommend to my gunsmithing students that they start with this Magna-tip set which is a great value for what is included: http://www.brownells.com/gunsm...r-set-prod22300.aspx

Bill Jacobs

I bought a Wheeler set of bits with a driver handle recently and was pleased with the quality and precision. From Midway or Brownell. It was about $35. Wheeler makes a bigger set, too. Most of the bits of my old Chapman set are now toast. Too soft. I use a Brownells set of handled drivers in my shop.

I use the bits from Brouwnells. The nicest thing is they are 100% guaranteed and they have a 1/4" hex on the end so you can mount them in a drill press or mill and put pressure on a stubborn screw with a wrench.

quote:

Originally posted by CowboyCS:
grind your own as the need arises, after a short time you will have a nice set of screw drivers and you will have the skill to make any new ones as needed.

Grind your own?

Hmmm.....whodathunkit

Laffin

You can grind you rown but if you don't have the proper wheel(radius) they are going to jump out on you. I've tried but gave up and now cut them to size in the mill.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
You can grind you rown but if you don't have the proper wheel(radius) they are going to jump out on you. I've tried but gave up and now cut them to size in the mill.

Whatever did we do before carbide tooling? Oh yeah, we swore a lot, made a lot of smoke and crunching noises ! That's right. Silly me.