Cheap screwdrivers and tweezers

[Watchscience]

Before I write this, I am well aware of the old addage: you get what you pay for. Perhaps I was overly optimistic, and thought I found a bargain, at $10 for a set of screwdrivers, and $6 for a bunch of tweezers from AliExpress!Let's just say I now know why i found it so difficult to work on my (relatively large) movement!

Check this out:

 

 

[HectorLooi]

Good doesn't necessarily need to be expensive and cheap doesn't mean it's bad.

I have $2 tweezers and $20 screwdriver sets. And they work fine.

The important thing is knowing how to care and maintain your tools. Tweezers and screwdrivers need to be dressed to perform properly.

The only thing important to me is the quality of the metal. Anything else can be reworked and refinished to suit preferences. If the metal is weak and breaks or bends easily, then that is useless.

I buy a lot of cheap screwdriver sets from  $2 stores to make custom tools. That hurts a lot less than grinding down a $10 Swiss screwdriver. 

So, get a set of grinding stones to reshape and dress your tools. And always use the right tool for the job. I don't know how your tweezers ended up looking like that but I'm sure it was used for something creative.

[Watchscience]

1 hour ago, HectorLooi said:

Good doesn't necessarily need to be expensive and cheap doesn't mean it's bad.

I have $2 tweezers and $20 screwdriver sets. And they work fine.

The important thing is knowing how to care and maintain your tools. Tweezers and screwdrivers need to be dressed to perform properly.

The only thing important to me is the quality of the metal. Anything else can be reworked and refinished to suit preferences. If the metal is weak and breaks or bends easily, then that is useless.

I buy a lot of cheap screwdriver sets from  $2 stores to make custom tools. That hurts a lot less than grinding down a $10 Swiss screwdriver. 

So, get a set of grinding stones to reshape and dress your tools. And always use the right tool for the job. I don't know how your tweezers ended up looking like that but I'm sure it was used for something creative.

Hi! Thanks for your reply - yeah I had a brief conversation about dressing screwdrivers and tweezers on another post and I’ll definitely need to get a sharpening stone. 
it’s great to know that I don’t have to spend a fortune to get quality equipment though!

 

the issue is that these are brand new tweezers and screw drivers. I had never used them before! Any “creative” use would have had to be done from the manufacturers.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, Watchscience said:

Before I write this, I am well aware of the old addage: you get what you pay for. Perhaps I was overly optimistic, and thought I found a bargain, at $10 for a set of screwdrivers, and $6 for a bunch of tweezers from AliExpress!Let's just say I now know why i found it so difficult to work on my (relatively large) movement!

Check this out:

 

 

Thats not good mate, you must be some kind of finger contortionist to get the last set to that shape lol. The quality of steel is not adquate. Too soft. Good tweezers and the dressing of them  are so important . Screwdrivers you can get away with to some extent but the tips still need to be of reasonable quality and properly shaped to fit the screwhead well to prevent the all too common slippage .i must mention tweezer tension also as the stiffness of them will effect your grip perception. Your handling of parts will change dramatically for the better when you get some decent gear

Edited May 14, 2022 by Neverenoughwatches

[Tiny]

Cousins have a good Value tweezer set in a nice box also I bought like you budget screwdrivers in fact I bought 2 sets of budget as I needed a smaller screwdriver than the first set had in it. I spent 4hrs dressing these screwdrivers (with oil) on two diamond sharpening stones. I was thinking at the end of my screwdriver dressing ha ha I don't need to spend anymore money on screwdrivers I know how to dress them. So time to use these screwdrivers so I started to work on a movement (German) Salva  I could look for the movement number but it's not important. So all was going well until I came across a screw that was I sure was glued in I mean looking at the screw with a Microscope someone had chewed  up the screw head before I got my hands on it. I couldn't move it so I binned the movement in the end then I looked at my newly dressed screwdrivers that I had spent 4 hrs dressing THEY WHERE A MESS ALL CHEWED UP also bits just like yours missing. the screwdrivers (most) are made with soft steel and not up to the challenge of watchmaking.

You also may think I can live with re-dressing every time you need to use them but it's not also the soft steel it's also the burs they leave behind in the screw heads. Burs on a screwhead means wearing and steel bit's that are left in the movement. So I bought these screwdrivers not that expensive at   £30.00 but they are S/S with a spare blade and what I think is a big plus somewhere to store your extra blades I haven't looked back and now use them with out worry I'm going to chew up screwheads anyway rant over 

 

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/stainless-steel-set-of-7-wc

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/value-screwdriver-sets-rotating-stands

these are the items I have and really enjoy using I also have two brass tweezers I use all the time 

T

[bklake]

I have a $40 tweezers that looked like your hook billed tweezers.  The result of dropping them on a tile floor.  Read up on dressing and tuning.  It can be fixed and you will have a useful skill that will improve your work.  After fixing my expensive tweezers, i had a go at my cheap tweezers.  Everything is perfectly usable now. 

Same for my cheap and good screw drivers.   I have a set of screw drivers specifically fitted to screws heads on Seiko.  The slots tend to be wider.  It makes a huge difference when the driver fits the slot well. 

[Nucejoe]

@Watchscience I bought a set of two tweezers exactly like the ones you show, no need to tell you they are Junk.

I just let my son play with and destroy them, which gave me  an excuse to buy me something of quality. 

I am sure Doc too would throw these away if he tried to work with them,  Doc is our Hectorlooi by the way.

So my suggestion here is to forget about these tweezers chaulk it as experience  and get  you some that don't ruin the day for you.

 

[HectorLooi]

33 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

I am sure Doc too would throw these away if he tried to work with them, 

I never throw away anything. I'm a hoarder. I'll probably grind off the tips and reshape them. If the tips are too soft, I'll try hardening them. If that doesn't work,  I'll still keep the metal in my scrap drawer. You never know when it may come in handy.

[bklake]

I'm with Doc.  The cheap tweezers and screw drivers certainly don't stay sharp and crisp as long as the expensive ones.  Even the best tools are going to need a tune up at some point.  The cheap stuff gives me the chance to improve my skill before I have to work on the expensive stuff.  Never let a crisis go to waste. 

 

I did send one set of tweezers to the first aid drawer.  I just couldn't get them the way I wanted.  They work better for splinters than any splinter tweezers I ever had.