"Parallel" screwdriver blade tips?

[mpm235]

Hello all,

"Newby"question here, I am planning to upgrade my cheapo screwdrivers, by getting a few quality ones.

I've seen that some have parallel / (hollow ground /T shaped) tips e.g Horotec. 

How much better are these than the normal one? Are they are better fit for all screws, or are normal ones sometimes better? Is it worth haveng both types of tip and changing them to suit different screws?

Many thanks for any answers, Mark

 

[jdm]

Check the last pages of this thread.

 

[mpm235]

Thanks JDM

[bklake]

I bought some Bergeon T-shaped blades to upgrade a screwdriver.  The T snapped off on the first screw.  It was a clean Seiko movement.  That ended my experiment with better. 

I am getting much better at sharpening and fitting driver blades.  It is amazing how well the old fashion style works when fitted to a screw slot. 

[Watcher]

Just a warning to anyone tempted to switch to relatively expensive parallel tip screwdriver blades.

These are intended for work on top-end movements in good condition. Attempts to free obstinate screws in older movement can result in the blade tip shearing as illustrated.

These are Horotek SS blades apparently with brittle tips.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Watcher

[jdm]

3 minutes ago, Watcher said:

Just a warning to anyone tempted to switch to relatively expensive parallel tip screwdriver blades.

Long topic and discussion on these below

 

[watchweasol]

I think this particular topic is like watch lubrication  its open ended and can and probably will rumble on for a long time.

[jdm]

2 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

I think this particular topic is like watch lubrication  its open ended and can and probably will rumble on for a long time.

In general, it is so. But what the OP wrote above is absolutely correct, it's easy to understand that a V shaped tip will be more robust than a parallel one of the same size and material. And that a parallel one will grip better, for example, on a rounded profile head as commonly found in vintage parts, not limited to watch and clocks. 

[clockboy]

The one tool used the most by an horologist is the screwdriver and keeping them in good order is important for quality work. I am greedy because I have two sets of screwdrivers. One set are sharpened in the conventional chisel shape and another set are sharpened using the "horotec" MSA 01.504. sharpener. I have found that if not carful using the "Horotec"  sharpener it is very easy indeed to make the tip too thin and brittle. I therefore tend to use the conventional sharpened screwdrivers for the bigger screws and also for some vintage screws which have very narrow slots.  Another issue to be considered is the quality of the blades. The cheaper screwdrivers I have found are made of a softer metal and tend to break more readily. The pic below shows the benefits of the "horotec" shaped blade. 

 

[watchweasol]

Accordintg to some books "Pennman " in particular a lot of vintage watch screw heads were cut with a file and hence need the "V" cut driver newer species of screw was saw cut and there fore refers the "T" cut.

[Watcher]

Oh dear it goes on.   The Clockboy 'Horotec' shaped blades are those produceb by the Horotec or Bergeon tools for sharpening hollow ground blades. My post refers to the relatively new parallel tip blades (not hollow ground) now on sale by Cousins  in three flavours - Horotec, Bergeon and Cousins. Wonderful when they fit perfectly with very little chance of jumping out and damaging the screw head but expensive when they break off by using too much force. Often the fit is so good that  the screw can be lifted out on the tip of the blade.

[MechanicMike]

15 hours ago, clockboy said:

The one tool used the most by an horologist is the screwdriver and keeping them in good order is important for quality work. I am greedy because I have two sets of screwdrivers. One set are sharpened in the conventional chisel shape and another set are sharpened using the "horotec" MSA 01.504. sharpener. I have found that if not carful using the "Horotec"  sharpener it is very easy indeed to make the tip too thin and brittle. I therefore tend to use the conventional sharpened screwdrivers for the bigger screws and also for some vintage screws which have very narrow slots.  Another issue to be considered is the quality of the blades. The cheaper screwdrivers I have found are made of a softer metal and tend to break more readily. The pic below shows the benefits of the "horotec" shaped blade. 

 

I just had an AHA! moment: I have found a use for all my cheap screwdrivers that are chipped, bent and who knows what else....use them to practice your screwdriver sharpening skills!

[Watcher]

2 hours ago, MechanicMike said:

I just had an AHA! moment: I have found a use for all my cheap screwdrivers that are chipped, bent and who knows what else....use them to practice your screwdriver sharpening skills!

Off topic - let's restrict our discussion to these parallel tip blades

[clockboy]

The same issue with the Horotec too snug a fit sometimes the screw lifts out with the blade. Looking at the parallel tip screwdrivers they are using the same concept. When working on hi end watches slips, scratches and bruised screws is really unacceptable. 

 

[jdm]

11 hours ago, clockboy said:

When working on hi end watches slips, scratches and bruised screws is really unacceptable.

But that depends more by the good hand of the watchmaker, not the the driver. 

[HSL]

12 hours ago, Watcher said:

Off topic - let's restrict our discussion to these parallel tip blades

Well I have a set or two of those, have to say they are quite good , but as with the traditional ones they will brake too when used in the wrong way.
Yes one might think they brake easier too but I think @jdm is right, since you have a slighly better grip one is tempted to use a slightly too small width on the screwdriver, because if it would be the other way the screw would have a smaler area in material it would break instead. Just a thought I had.

[Watcher]

3 hours ago, jdm said:

But that depends more by the good hand of the watchmaker, not the the driver. 

The tips are de-burred and polished, not something that I do every time after using the Horotec hollow-ground sharpener. Although that is a nice finishing touch - needs a microscope to appreciate the difference. But, sorry clockboy, de-burred and polished does greatly reduce the likelihood of damage. Paying Horotec, Bergeon of Cousins to do that for us is a luxury. We shall see how the market responds. As HSL says the choice of blade must be well matched to the screw head, and as I said at the start they are for top-end watches not for working on rusted old relics. Spare blades are only recently available.

Should we have a discussion on how to de-burr and polish?