You get what you pay for...

[Tmuir]

A few years back when I first looked into trying to learn to repair pocket watches I bought a cheap set of generic watchmakers screwdrivers.

When I started my watch repair course this year I figured they would be fine as worst case I would just replace the tips with some good blue steel.

Sure enough when attempting to use the smaller ones tonight the blade tip deformed, after resharpening it twice and having it deform again I decided to just replace the tip.

Went to undo the grub screw that holds the tip in and the top snapped off the grub screw. I'm now looking at Cousins at getting myself a new 9 piece AF screwdriver set for Christmas.......

 

Thankfully most of my tools I've either purchased quality brands, or inherited quality brand tools as pretty much all the 'cheap' tools I have bought have ended up costing me more as I have quickly learnt they are just not good enough and had to replace them............

[dadistic]

I'm in kinda the same boat. I broke the last tip for my cheapie spring bar tool, so off to buy another. At least this time I know what I want and what is likely a quality tool. I'll be replacing my crystal lift soon, and yes, I'm on the hunt for screwdrivers!

[oldhippy]

These days a good set of watch screwdrives will set you back a lot of money. I had bergeon screwdrivers and they lasted me the whole of the time that I was a watchmaker 30 years only had to re-place the blades, in fact If still got them in a box somewhere.

[dadistic]

I'm looking at the Horotec Micro Ball Bearing Screwdrivers Set of 9, MSA-01.201-A , about $150 US, or  £120. Not cheap, but not the most expensive I've seen. These come with the regular blades, but will accept the fancy curvature blades. Sizes Sizes: 0.60, 0.80, 1.00, 1.20, 1.40, 1.60, 2.00, 2.50, and 3.00 mm.

[Tmuir]

Yes the price of the Bergeon ones scare me, but I can manage the £30 odd for the AF set. Is there that much difference in quality between the AF and the Bergeon screwdrivers as I have a few AF tools and the quality seems reasonable?

[RyMoeller]

3 hours ago, Tmuir said:

Yes the price of the Bergeon ones scare me, but I can manage the £30 odd for the AF set. Is there that much difference in quality between the AF and the Bergeon screwdrivers as I have a few AF tools and the quality seems reasonable?

I've not tried the AF tools but I can vouch for the Bergeon set (5970- set of 9).  I have no regrets about shelling out for it as they've served me extremely well.  The set I bought came with extra tips for every size (I can't remember if it was one or two extra tips though).  I've only needed to use one thus far since you can refinish the tips repeatedly- a good sharpening stone is still a must have though.

[jdm]

A few years back when I first looked into trying to learn to repair pocket watches I bought a cheap set of generic watchmakers screwdrivers.

When I started my watch repair course this year I figured they would be fine as worst case I would just replace the tips with some good blue steel.

Sure enough when attempting to use the smaller ones tonight the blade tip deformed, after resharpening it twice and having it deform again I decided to just replace the tip.

Went to undo the grub screw that holds the tip in and the top snapped off the grub screw. I'm now looking at Cousins at getting myself a new 9 piece AF screwdriver set for Christmas.......

 

Thankfully most of my tools I've either purchased quality brands, or inherited quality brand tools as pretty much all the 'cheap' tools I have bought have ended up costing me more as I have quickly learnt they are just not good enough and had to replace them............

Curiously my cheap screwdrivers experience is all different, they work pretty good and the grub screw is perfectly functional to replace the blade when needed, which is not often.

[digginstony]

My story is slightly different. I started out buying a fairly cheap set of six, which were fine. Then I decided I needed a full set in a revolving platform. Looked at Bergeon and nearly had a heart attack. Purchased a cheaper set, which were absolute rubbish.tips were soft. Grub screws didn't hold the blade stem sufficient. So any pressure to undo a screw and the blades turned and not the screws! Also the blades had a habit of falling off into the holes of the platform. Guess what, the platform was riveted together ! So I had to take another screwdriver to prise the platform apart to get the fallen blade out. So at least one screwdriver was useful.
I still have them. Don't know what ever happened to the platform. I used one the other day to adjust an old Seiko bracelet. The type with the flat L shape fasteners. Which can be a real pain in an old bracelet. Much better to put these through an ultrasonic cleaner first but I didn't so there was some profanity.
Today I have a Bergeon set of nine in a wooden box that didn't break the bank to buy. They are excellent and as Oldhippy inferred, they last a lifetime. So there not that expensive.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

[jdm]

1 hour ago, digginstony said:

My story is slightly different. I started out buying a fairly cheap set of six, which were fine. Then I decided I needed a full set in a revolving platform. Looked at Bergeon and nearly had a heart attack. Purchased a cheaper set, which were absolute rubbish.tips were soft. Grub screws didn't hold the blade stem sufficient. So any pressure to undo a screw and the blades turned and not the screws! Also the blades had a habit of falling off into the holes of the platform. Guess what, the platform was riveted together ! So I had to take another screwdriver to prise the platform apart to get the fallen blade out. So at least one screwdriver was useful.

I had opened a thread for stories like this

But my cheap Indian drivers don't fall into the category.

 

[94marconi]

I am an ex mechanic by trade, so i know the value of quality tools and the pitfalls of cheap tools. That being said, for whatever reason I tried a cheap set of Indian screwdrivers (and I knew better). I cursed the day I got them. The plating was so thin you could see through it and every time you picked one up the tips would fall out. The set screws became all chewed to pieces trying to keep the tips tight. After a while you couldn't tighten them any more. The tops were held on by a pounded over brass rivet that was badly split. The stand did not rotate at all and the colour code did not conform for most of the (ahem) drivers,or should I say pointy things. I was embarrassed to even admit I bought them.

Enter the Bergeon 5970 set...What a pleasure to work with...excellent fit and finish. I have yet had to tighten the set screws. The stand however had some issues, I had to  grease and oil the base to get it to rotate properly and the rubber base had to be re glued. Minor issues and I have never looked back. I knew to buy quality Dumont tweezers, yet for some reason I chose to torment myself with Indian Junk... lesson learned...

[Geo]

7 hours ago, 94marconi said:

Enter the Bergeon 5970 set...What a pleasure to work with...excellent fit and finish. I have yet had to tighten the set screws. The stand however had some issues, I had to  grease and oil the base to get it to rotate properly and the rubber base had to be re glued. Minor issues and I have never looked back. I knew to buy quality Dumont tweezers, yet for some reason I chose to torment myself with Indian Junk... lesson learned...

I totally agree with your comments regarding the tools of Indian manufacture, but what you have experienced with the Bergeon set is exactly what I experienced with a set of very inexpensive Chinese screwdrivers.  The screwdrivers are excellent and the base was not quite correct.  

You may want to read a thread of nine from over a year ago.  These are still the screwdrivers I use, they have been excellent from day one and have only been dressed a couple of times.  Without doubt they are the best value tools I have ever purchased, so sometimes you get a lot more than you pay for..........but not usually.

 

[Tmuir]

I do my best to stay away from Indian tools.

I own a BSA C15 and a BSA WDM20, its getting harder to get parts for them and especially with my WDM20 I've been caught out and mistakenly bought reproduction parts that have been made in India, on those occasions the part has always been ended up thrown across the workshop and into the bin as they were useless.

Though the record for the worst tool I've seen was a twist drill made in China, it was clearly made from mild steel and I was shown a photo when it was attempted to be used, the bit dug into what they tried to drill and the drill then unwound two of its twists before they cold stop the drill press.

[rodabod]

The AF screwdrivers are excellent, and the tips are tempered (but not brittle) and keep sharp.

[WileyDave]

I recently upgraded screwdrivers and tweezers, since I don't do a lot of screwturning, I started with some cheepos and they served me well, tweezers, well new ones are from CHA-ina, while not high grade, they serve the purpose, just had to learn not to pry plates or anything else with them, They should last a while even with dressing. (<$25 on Amazon)

 I got a BIN off the bay for <$100 USD for the Bergeons, new in box, and man what a difference! and when the missus saw them, she only said, "new screwdrivers eh?", she didn't ask how much and I didn't tell her!

[thegeeker]

Never EVER tell the misses what any tool cost. Could end a great relationship! 

[WileyDave]

14 hours ago, thegeeker said:

Never EVER tell the misses what any tool cost. Could end a great relationship! 

Or how much you paid for a watch!

[Watchtime]

As many I also started with Chinegeon screwdrivers which came in a nice yellow box with the same nr as Bergeon. Using them on a very tight screw, they appeared to have been glued in the shaft..... I ordered another set from a different supplier which are still very good to use next to my Bergeons, even the tips are interchangeable

[Paul78]

I use the 9 piece A&F Screwdriver set from cousins, i have two sets as we have 2 work stations. Im quite heavy handed with screwdrivers and usually end up with little notches out of the blades, i've tried resharpening but cant really be bothered to be honest, i tend to just buy spare blades. Not sure if the bergeon would be better but the A&F are definitely better than the cousins own brand i used to use.