Best or favorite Electricians hand tools

noops · 2016-03-12T05:26:20+00:00

About 2 years ago I made the leap to Milwaukee for my hand tools. I did everything except strippers as I thought the combo needle nose strippers were dumb. I was fairly happy but the bigger Philips and both Robertson's have all rounded out. I love the Exabit (?) drivers but I'm underwhelmed by the tips wearing out from really not that heavy of use. I use drills and bits FAR more than hand tools as I find turning screws by hand makes my forearms just scream. I know some will say it's been 2 years! That's true but they rounded off rather quickly and are now to the point of being rather useless. I can't really torque down anything without them popping out. If they just now started going bad I probably wouldn't even bother asking about it. Klein used to be my go to but I really feel their quality has suffered and that's why I gave Red a shot. Greenlee seems to be about the same. Kind of hit and miss. I've seen Wera but their grips look lousy. All hard, unpleasant looking, and not really appealing, but maybe they're much better in actual use. The Milwaukee grips are actually probably my favorite. Older Klein with the softer rubber is very nice too but the new stuff is hard and gross. My Milwaukee original 6-in-1 pliers started siezing up last fall and we're replaced with a set of the NWS/Irwin 9.5" crimping linesmen. So what's your suggestions and recommendations? Anything to avoid? Does Milwaukee replace screw drivers with rounded out tips? They've definitely seen use but I wouldn't say it's been excessive. The Exabit ones are still awesome and I use them if at all possible, in part because of the roundedness of the alternatives but also because they're just awesome at not slipping or stripping out. I think some of the problems are because of the crap screws. I don't know if crap screws are actually a thing but some of them seem to just be complete garbage. They do everything but fasten look they're supposed to. Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

BMack37Member since Sep 2015Apr 10, 2016 8:45 PM CT

DR99 wrote:

48 minutes ago, DR99 said:

I just got a PB Swiss screw driver off amazon awhile back only a #2 phillips but its been my go to hand screw driver for some reason. It might not have the best hand feel but it feels solid.

I love the steel on the PB Swiss but I wish their handles were thicker.

jeffmcmillanMember since Jun 2015Apr 11, 2016 2:21 AM CT

BMack37 wrote:

12 hours ago, BMack37 said:

A lot of the new drives are great but I wish they’d just adopt one universally. Slotted is crap, phillips is manageable but it still sucks, hex is terrible for the reasons you mentioned. Torx is great for low torque but can get pretty crappy at high torque, Robertson is probably my favorite.

When there’s a brand where I can buy singles at about the same cost as buying a set, I will generally only buy 1 or 2 slotted…but if I can get 2 extra slotted for free or less, I’m buying the set.

I used to agree with you on phillips until I started using PH3 deck screws. I don’t think it’s a problem with the drive as people trying to use PH2 for applications that warrant PH3. That said, if every fastener in the world suddenly became internal square or external hex I’d be pretty happy.

BMack37Member since Sep 2015Apr 11, 2016 2:59 AM CT

jeffmcmillan wrote:

37 minutes ago, jeffmcmillan said:

I used to agree with you on phillips until I started using PH3 deck screws. I don’t think it’s a problem with the drive as people trying to use PH2 for applications that warrant PH3. That said, if every fastener in the world suddenly became internal square or external hex I’d be pretty happy.

Also JIS and Phillips create an issue with stripping.

khariVMember since Dec 2014Apr 12, 2016 1:44 PM CT

DR99 wrote:
I just got a PB Swiss screw driver off amazon awhile back only a #2 phillips but its been my go to hand screw driver for some reason. It might not have the best hand feel but it feels solid.

I really like the handles on my PB Swiss screwdrivers probably more than any other brand I’ve got. Now, I don’t work on anything greasy, so that might be a consideration for some, but for me the handles have a great feel.

LiranHershmanMember since Oct 2019Oct 26, 2019 9:03 AM CT

Phillips must hire an electrician to fix the problem of stripping.

HiltiWpgMember since Sep 2015Oct 26, 2019 10:01 PM CT

Wera, Klein, Wiha.

In that order.

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