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Screwdrivers Choices


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I decided to spend more money on the very small sizes, as this is where the quality is so important.  Bergeon for 0.5 0.6 1.00 1.20 1.40 ( Circa £60 ) and then purchased the A*F ones from cousins (£2.50 each ex VAT) for the larger sizes 1.60 1.80 2.00 2.50 3.00

very happy with both as a novice.

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  • 2 months later...

Has anyone used the Value 9pc screwdriver set with revolving base that cousins sells for £11.35, i think it's an anchor set as it says India in the description, i found another photo online from another seller who list it as anchor.

I'm thinking of going for one of these sets then replacing with bergeon blades, or should i go for the cousins swiss style made in france.

I got a 7pc anchor set off ebay the collet type with reversable blades but the blades flexed/twisted as if it was going to break, i know they're cheap and as done the job i wanted them for, is there any difference in quality between the two different anchor sets.

anchor.jpg

cousinsvalue.jpg

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I went with their Swiss style made in France by its alleged A*F and have not looked back, didn't have to do any work on the blades before they could be used and so far not had to regrind the most commonly used ones either.

Before that I had some cheaper Chinese ones that did end up working ok but needed a lot of work to get them in a workable condition and constant honing to keep them in a workable condition.

The full set is under £40 so in the end was a no brainer.

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I was leaning towards the cousins swiss style screwdrivers, i went for a cheapy set first thinking if i get one use out of them they've earned their keep as i only needed to repair one watch.

I'm now thinking i'd like to have a go at  a few more watches, an automatic swiss movement would be nice, i've got my eyes peeled to see if i can get one off ebay at a reasonable price.

I've now ordered the cousins ones with a few other bits n bobs, Thanks

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I've always found that investing in the best tools always pays off in the end. As such, I purchased the 9pc. Bergeon set despite the fact that I have a cheap set in the garage (one with a bent blade). I'm hoping to have something to use them on in the next few days.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The anchor 9 piece set is a good set for starting out. I bought them for 30 dollars The blades were well tempered. I only had to dress them twice in one year but the set screws are very soft and you always have to tighten them or the blades fall out. The handles have a good weight to them.but if you can afford it I’d get a good set with 9 pieces that will hold up in the long run. I just purchased the bergeon 30081-s9 for 140dollars. So I hope it’s money well spent. I service movements as a hobby so I think it was a good choice. I have a timelab six piece set that I got for fifty bucks but they’re only good for pocket watches that need the thicker blades because I tried them in a spare seiko nh36 movement I had laying around and they were to thick so I thinned the blades down to fit the newer movement and after two or three screws there was already visible damage to the blades. So I’m gonna keep them thick and hope they hold up better like that. Just only use them for old movements with the thicker screw slots.

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6 hours ago, Crockpot said:

The anchor 9 piece set is a good set for starting out. I bought them for 30 dollars.

It does not make sense to buy Indian, no-roller drivers at USD 3.30 a piece when one can buy Swiss made, unbranded A*F for the same. Check previous posts.

 

6 hours ago, Crockpot said:

 I just purchased the bergeon 30081-s9 for 140dollars

In light of the above that is an even worse purchase, lots of money for no advantage whatsoever.

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Well a lot of people that use the new bergeon 30081-s9 everyday say they’re worth it. but I actually looked for af 9 piece set and could only find a 5 piece set for 20 dollars but they only range from 0.80 - 1.5mm. I work on everything from old turn of the century full plate pocket watches up to new seiko automatic and everything in between. so I really needed the 9 piece set. But back to the question of if it’s a good purchase for the bergeon only time will tell. I haven’t received them yet.but I know someone with the same set and been using it for over ten years now and they really like it. Some say they get the af handles and put bergeon tips in them.some say bergeons best some say horotecs best some say af is best some say voh is best if you can afford them.I do know not to ever get the beryllium tips. When I first started this hobby I bought the horotec antimagnetic beryllium tips and they’re way to soft. Luckily I only bought a few. I do know that there is a quality versus price situation here but I’m a handyman by trade and I own a lot of tools and almost always you get what you pay for. This is especially true for steel types and heat treatment.but like I said earlier only time will tell.everyone have a great day.

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I got a set of the cousins swiss style screwdrivers, they have france written/stamped on oneside and mod.dep on the other at the top under the colour bands, the size in mm's towards the tip with what looks to be some kind of roundish logo that i can't make out what it is, i've looked at it with a x10 & x20 loupe, still can't make it out.

You can see the difference in quality between the French made swiss style and the Indian anchor ones i got first, both in the blades and screwdriver shafts, i should have got these first.

I've had one  stuck screw on my second movement that the 0.8mm anchor screwdriver wouldn't/couldn't losen the tip splinted when i twisted, when the swiss style drivers  arrived i had another go it loosened it on the first attempt with a bit a pressure without the tip breaking.

These should be the only drivers i need as a novice hobbiest.

Edited by valleyguy
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Klassiker I have looked on cousins and found s/s parallel blades so I have ordered these.

I have noticed cousins have stopped selling A*F screwdrivers even there blades have stopped selling/discontinued that range 

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12 minutes ago, Tiny said:

Klassiker I have looked on cousins and found s/s parallel blades so I have ordered these.

I have noticed cousins have stopped selling A*F screwdrivers even there blades have stopped selling/discontinued that range 

Hello. I recently bought a set of South Korean parallel blades screwdrivers from Cousins, only to find out that the tips are way too thick for Swiss, Russian and Japanese screws… they said on their website that they are thicker, but I thought that they will fit well however. Wrong thought! As the handles are beautiful, I redressed the tips for normal shape and they are good to use, but no parallel blades for me yet!

I have no experience with the Bergeon or other Swiss parallel blades to mention.

hope this helps in choosing this well!

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1 hour ago, Tiny said:

I was going to buy the cousins a*f screwdriver set but they are now Discontinued.

Cousins isn't carrying the branded version anymore because as mentioned many times already they sell the same product (minus the brand) for a third of the price.  The 9 pieces below or individual sizes. 

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/cousins-swiss-style-sets-rotating-stands

 

1 hour ago, Tiny said:

Is the grind a concaved for the German screws?

No. Once dressed properly the standard type works for any screw. The so called hollow type has been discussed extensively in this topic, be reassured that in the end isn't really needed, especially for a beginner.

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5 hours ago, Tiny said:

I have noticed cousins have stopped selling A*F screwdrivers even there blades have stopped selling/discontinued that range

I think there's another reason why you can't find A*F tools is because maybe they don't exist anymore? If you go the link for more information but I'm just going to copy and paste the relevant paragraph of the message below

We wish to inform you that AF Switzerland SA has decided to sell their tool and equipment business under the brands “A*F Switzerland”, “A*F Gold Shark”, “ETIC” and “Novostar” to the company: Brütsch/Rüegger Tools based in Urdorf Switzerland. Brütsch/Rüegger Tools is a major international player in the tool business and plans to expand its existing business in the watchmaking and jewellery fields through the acquisition of the AF Switzerland SA brands.

http://www.afswitzerland.com/index.php/en/

 

 

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2 hours ago, Tiny said:

Not sure how I'm going to maintaining the edge yet I'm sure I can make a jig for it some how. anyway here is the link to the blades 

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/cousins-parallel-stainless-steel

The blades that you bought are the same found on the screwdrivers I mentioned above. Mines were too thick and impossible to use on the movements I had to try them on… Sekonda, Raketa 2609 H and HA, unitas 6300n, seiko 6138B, eta 1093 and so on. Too bad, they seemed very nice at a fraction of price of Swiss ones. Probably you need that sharpening tool to dress them thinner. I don’t have one…

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Some posts about the supposed advantage of 'hollow ground' screwdrivers has been moved to our pinned topic on the subject below. Incidentally I'd like to inform fresh members that if they can undertake the not so big effort of reading into that or any other pinned topic, it's most likely that their questions and elucubrations have been covered there already in the past.

 

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On 3/27/2022 at 8:57 PM, valleyguy said:

Has anyone used the Value 9pc screwdriver set with revolving base that cousins sells for £11.35, i think it's an anchor set as it says India in the description, i found another photo online from another seller who list it as anchor.

I'm thinking of going for one of these sets then replacing with bergeon blades, or should i go for the cousins swiss style made in france.

I got a 7pc anchor set off ebay the collet type with reversable blades but the blades flexed/twisted as if it was going to break, i know they're cheap and as done the job i wanted them for, is there any difference in quality between the two different anchor sets.

anchor.jpg

cousinsvalue.jpg

The grub screws constantly  fall out, they don't tighten well. And before anyone says you're not tightening on the flat side 👍

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