In the market for some tiny Screwdrivers!

[raynerd]

I`m in the market for some small watchmakers screwdrivers. I`ve been considering and nearly hit the "buy" button on a Bergeon set the other night but at £90 for a cheap set and £200 for a decent selection, it seems overly expensive. There is paying for quality and then taking the p133. I have a feeling at this price they are creaping towards the latter.

I have heard good things about the none-branded "Made in France" sets. They are well over half the price of the Bergeon sets.

Anyone any experience with small screwdrivers and have any recomendations?

These are apparently good:
http://www.hswalsh.com/Screwdriver-Set-.aspx?i=HS99&c=655

But then these look this same at nearly half the price again!
http://www.tickintimeworldofwatchtools.co.uk/watchmakers-anodised-9pc-watch-screwdrivers-set-revolving-stand-french-type-anchor-brand-755-p.asp

Unless I just say balls to it all and go for a Horotec set   but then my wife will literally  

Any thoughts?
Chris

[dickda1]

Oh my goodness!  I must admit that I didn't realise how expensive the upper end (or mid upper end) on expensive screwdrivers was.  When I lay out £200, I want a cheap dividing head or full set of drills AND a Christmas card.  You have a really understanding wife.  

-Dick

[raynerd]

Dick - we share our money in one account so I don`t get away with much. 

I`ve been told the Bergeon are not the same quality as 10 years ago and believe the French made sets to be better when reviewed by some people. That said, the £300 Horotec set is apparently v v good!

Chris

[dsquire]

Chris

Why not make your own screwdrivers? Then you can have any size/quality that you want. The price will be better so no complaints from SWMBO and you will own the bragging rights.

Cheers 

Don

[raynerd]

Hi Don

You are right, I could, infact I could make most of the tools I need but the time taken to make them would move into years and I would rather have that time on other projects!  I might think about it ....   You can purchase the actual screwdriver heads (blades) so you could in theory just make the holder. That being said, if the French ones are good quality, for £30 I would rather just purchase a set and save the time. I have realised that I do get some enjoyment out of making essential "hard to find" tooling, but run of the mill stuff I would prefer to buy.

Chris

[kwackers]

Are you going to give up teaching and become a full time watch maker/repairer? If so shell out the cash. If you're just going to become an enthusiastic tinkerer buy the French set - particularly if they've got a good write up.

[raynerd]

Kwackers - there would be no consideration of the matter with most watchmakers items. I have cheap hand pullers, cheap watch movement holders, cheap pliers. However I purchased a set of Dumont #2 Tweezers last year and they have been fantastic - I mean a real upgrade but at £25 they were not cheap. You know how much of a tight arse I normally am and they were that good I even went a purchased a set of #00. With screwdrivers, such tiny screws, if they aren`t a good fit, size and shape like the cheap shoddy ones you end up slipping and scratching stuff. I`d consider a decent set if they are going to get use and I think they well. That being said, I`m not willing to pay £100-200 when people rate the Bergeon 9/10 and the French sets 8/10 !!

Chris

[mike os]

I would go mid range.... if the fit is not absolutely perfect you have the means to adjust, but for me £100 for a set is taking the proverbial.... unless they really are that good and a must have piece of kit..... not in this case.

[millwright]

Chris
I remember buying a watch for my son when he was 7 just a boys timex, a few days later he brought me a small paper bag and asked if i could put his watch back together again, when i looked in the bag he had completely dismantled the watch just a case and all the bits with nothing more than a nail file. still not sure how he managed it. but he had a long wait till he got another one. not that that story helps you at all. I didnt realise there was such a price difference in jewellers screwdrivers, I know your into clocks but i would go for the french set to save money for the next thing you find you need.Theres bound to be something on the horizon.
John

[raynerd]

Great story john. The sad fact is that I personally did the same thing with a Russian watch off eBay. Embarrassing thing is,  it was only about 10 years ago when I was 18, trying to be a smart arse thinking i was a watchmaker just because I had an interest!!

[kwackers]

I took my mum's mantlepiece clock to bits when I was 5 (apparently) - I do remember the moment I pulled the two plates apart and the was a boing and bits shot everywhere, I fiddled for hours trying to work out where everything went before hiding it under the bed.
A couple of years later I sneaked down in the middle of the night to take the back off the tv - that was when I learned that you can't just put valves back in any old socket that they fit...

I've always had difficulty resisting the temptation to dismantle stuff and see how it works. I think it's almost a 'gift' that should be rewarded in our youth rather than discouraged.

[DennisWA]

Chris....I also balked at the price of Bergeon, even second hand on eBay! I settled for a boxed set of the French ones, which came with spare blades - I keep the blades in good condition by careful use of an arkansas stone, using a filing guide if needed. If I were doing watchmaking on a full-time basis then Bergeon or similar quality would be the logical choice, but for most of us part-timers they cannot be justified.

I also have a Dumont and a few other Swiss tweezers - using them is a pleasure as they grip small screws etc very well, without the screws flying across the workbench!

However to keep costs down most of my watchmaking tools came from deceased estates on eBay (bought in the USA).

Cheers
Dennis
 

[bry1975]

Chris,

Check the Deutsche site below:-

http://www.watch-tool.de/html/screwdriver.php?id=7037