We Tested Several Wera Screwdriver Sets to See if You Should Rebel Against Tradition
Ask nearly any Pro what their favorite screwdriver and there’s a good chance they won’t have to think more than a second before answering. For several years, my answer has been Wurth Zebra series. However, there are a lot of people who tell us Wera screwdriver sets are the way to go. We got our hands on several sets and it’s pretty clear why they’re so popular.
Pros
- Super-comfortable handle design
- Excellent fit to the fastener head
- Good array of features available across different lines
- Magnetic tips
- Take it Easy handle identification on some styles
- Wrench assist on some styles
- Full tangs and strike caps available on some styles
- 1000V insulated models available
Cons
- No significant drawbacks
Wera Screwdriver Basic Design and Comfort
The first thing that we noticed about our Wera screwdriver sets is how similar the handle shape is to the Wurth Zebra models we enjoy. Putting them in our hands for the first time, we found a similar top-tier comfort level.
These odd-looking handles actually offer very natural grip points for your fingers and even the heel of your hand. The outer coating is just right—not so hard that a little bit of sweat makes your hand slip and not so soft that it causes abrasion and blisters.
Flaring out to a hex top end, the handles resist rolling on flat surfaces.
Putting the tips under load, we could tell that Wera screwdrivers are designed by folks that know and use screwdrivers. The power transfer is excellent and they just feel great in your hands.
Wera Kraftform handles are made up of three components. The core is a high-density plastic to hold the blade in place. The outer coating has two parts. The black or red portions in our test sets are harder plastic and the inner sections are softer. The combination offers comfort, grip, and torque transfer.
Wera Screwdriver Sets We Tested
We got our hands on three different 7-piece screwdriver sets. Here are the ones we tested:
Wera Kraftform Series 900 Screwdriver Set
- 3.5mm slotted
- 4.5mm, 5.5mm, and 7.0mm slotted with strike cap
- #1 Phillips and #2 Phillips with strike cap
- Bottle opener
With the exception of the bottle opener, all of these Wera Series 900 screwdrivers have a hex-shaped blade. All but the smallest slotted driver also has a wrench assist section just above the handle.
The five primary screwdrivers in the set have a strike cap to help you chisel when the job calls for it. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated chisel set, but it’ll work in a pinch, especially on demo.
The tips have a coated tip with a slight magnetism to them. The Phillips head tips seem to be stronger than the slotted, though.
Actually, the tips aren’t magnetized by Wera. But somehow, every single driver in the three sets we tested picked up a charge somehow. Weird.
The fit into our test screws was excellent with no play whatsoever.
Wera Kraftform Series 300 Screwdriver Set
- 4mm slotted
- #1 and #2 Phillips
- #2 Pozidriv
- 15, 20, and 25 Torx
Shifting over to the Series 300 screwdriver set, we trade off some features. The blade is round and there’s no wrench assist. The three Torx drivers have the same magnetic black coated tips as the 900 series.
The Phillips, Posidriv, and slotted tips take a different turn. They have a rough laser etching that grabs hold of the fastener. It grips really well—better than tips with diamond grit do. All other things equal, these are the best gripping tips we’ve used and they require less downforce to stay engaged with your fastener head.
We also see Wera’s “Take it Easy” handle identification system come into play. Each style has a different color ring with a size marking inside it. We don’t mind the color-coding, but we would prefer a tip shape icon to go with it for even quicker identification.
Wera Kraftform 100 iS Insulated Screwdriver Set
- 3.5mm and 5.5mm slotted
- #1 and #2 Phillips
- #2 PlusMinus
- 20 and 25 Torx
Wera’s 100 iS insulated screwdrivers have the standard 1000V safety rating (tested to 10,000V) we expect to see on all professional insulated models. They feature Wera’s “Take it Easy” identification system.
What’s interesting is that Wera includes a #2 PlusMinus driver. These seem to be more popular in Europe, but they have a growing fanbase in the US as well. It’s basically a combination Phillips and slotted fastener head style and having a screwdriver designed to fully engage the head is a nice luxury.
General Wera Screwdriver Pricing
The prices that we found online are a bit of a premium over what you might find from Southwire or Klein. It’s not a huge difference, though. For the comfort and features Wera offers, we think it’s worth spending a little extra to get them.
The Bottom Line
When we asked folks who makes the best screwdrivers, there were plenty of votes for Wera, and for good reason. They’re comfortable, they include meaningful features, and there’s a nice range of options to fit your trade. There’s still some room for improvement, but Wera screwdrivers are still well ahead of the curve. If you haven’t given Wera a shot yet, we recommend you get your hands on a set.
