The best screwdriver set will always depend on your personal needs, but one thing’s for sure: there are always better options than settling for a typical Phillips screwdriver set. If you're not careful, Phillips screwdrivers will eat up your screws leaving them bent and mangled. Then you’ll be stuck trying to work out how to remove all those broken screws. The reason for this is simple: Phillips screwdrivers don’t fit most star-shaped screws - you can read more about that here.
So allow us to introduce the best screwdriver sets from some of Japan’s best screwdriver brands, so that you can drive and remove screws quicker, more efficiently, and with less damage to your screws and drivers.
Best Demolition Screwdriver Set | Best JIS Screwdriver Set | Best Precision Screwdriver Set | Best Ratcheting Screwdriver Set | Best Budget Screwdriver Set
Best Demolition Screwdriver Set
KTC Heavy-Duty Demolition Screwdriver Set
Demolition screwdrivers are very useful tools to have. Of course, you can use them just as you would a standard screwdriver, but their heavy-duty construction allows you to do so much more with them.
This set of eight screwdrivers from KTC was built to last. Included in the set are six demolition screwdrivers, and two stubby screwdrivers.
The demolition screwdrivers are equipped with metal striking plates on the handle, which are connected to the shank. This allows you to hit them with a hammer or mallet. This is especially useful for digging into the heads of stuck or damaged screws, but is also good for scraping, piercing and prying apart boards and panels. Not only that, but they have a hexagonal bolster on the shaft, so that you can use a wrench to get extra torque when you rotate the driver.
The two stubby screwdrivers are a great addition, and are ideal for when you need to drive or remove screws in tight spaces.
This demolition screwdriver set includes four slotted screwdrivers and four cross-point JIS screwdrivers, which are compatible with Phillips head screws. Their anti-slip handles and magnetic tips are also useful features.
Best JIS Screwdriver Set
Vessel Woody Driver Screwdriver Set 10 Pieces
JIS screws are on pretty much everything these days. These very durable Japanese screws, which we used to only see on Japanese motorbikes and cars, are becoming increasingly popular in products made in Asia – especially electronics. If you’re dealing with automotive or electronic items, you’re probably going to come across them often. Unfortunately, they look a lot like Phillips screws, and people are prone to attempt tightening or removing them with Phillips screwdrivers, and this results in a chewed-up screw that isn’t going anywhere.
To avoid damaging or destroying your screws, and leaving yourself scrambling to work out how to remove them, simply invest in a high-quality set of JIS screwdrivers to solve the problem before it happens. JIS screwdrivers can work on JIS screws and Phillips screws, so there’s no need to have anything else.
This fantastic JIS screwdriver set from leading screwdriver brand Vessel is one of the best that money can buy. It comes with five JIS/Phillips compatible drivers, and five flat/slotted drivers, so it can tackle almost any screw you find. This set was developed for the automotive industry, so the screwdrivers' wood-composite non-slip grip will perform even when your hands are coated in grease and oil. The screwdriver shafts have been plated with black chrome, making them very sleek and exceptionally rust-resistant. They look and feel fantastic, and come in a heavy-duty case.
Best Precision Screwdriver Set
Anex Precision Screwdriver Handle With Four Interchangeable Bits
When it comes to working with tiny screws, the kind you find in jewelry or electronics, your best friend is a set of precision screwdrivers. Precision screwdrivers typically feature a rotating cap at the base of the handle, which allows you to hold the handle in place for precise tightening and untightening. To avoid over-tightening and damaging small screws, and the plastic housings around them – particularly on electronics – using a precision screwdriver is your best bet.
This precision screwdriver set from Anex is one of the best available, thanks to its convenience. Typically, you'd need a box containing four or five precision screwdrivers, which takes up a lot of room in your toolkit. This handy tool from Anex, however, is a single screwdriver handle that can work interchangeably with any screwdriver bit. The set comes with four bits in various sizes, but if you have other screwdriver bits for your power drill, you can use them too. The handle features a rotating cap for precise tightening and untightening, and the four included bits come in a handy organizing clip, so that you won't misplace them.
Best Ratcheting Screwdriver Set
Tone Bit Ratchet Set 22 Pieces
In certain situations, the gentle tightening of a precision screwdriver is the exact opposite of what you want. In some cases, you want to maximize torque and power, to set a screw as tightly as it will go, or crack an extra tight screw you're trying to loosen. In these cases, a ratcheting screwdriver is the perfect tool for the job.
Not only do ratcheting screwdrivers allow you to drive screws faster than traditional drivers, as the ratcheting mechanism allows for quick rotation without the need to adjust your hands, or reset the tip of the driver in the screw. The shape of a ratcheting screwdriver, being perpendicular to the screw rather than in-line with it, means that the motion of use is a pushing motion, rather than a twisting one. By pushing the handle with the palm of your hands, you can put your entire body weight behind it, which gives an enormous amount of torque compared to rotating something with your fingers.
This ratcheting screwdriver set by Tone is similar to the previous precision screwdriver set, in that it comes with one handle and an array of bits. This saves a lot of space in your toolbox, and allows you to do so much more with just one single tool. This set comes with 20 different bits, including six star screwdriver bits and three flathead screwdriver bits.
On top of that, you get six torx bits for the unfortunate times you encounter a torx screw, four hex adapters and one 1/4 sq adapter for use with various kinds of sockets, making this not just a ratcheting screwdriver, but a ratcheting socket wrench too! And it all comes in a very nice case and bit organizer.
Best Budget Screwdriver Set
Vessel Interchangeable Screwdriver Set
This screwdriver set is our pick for the best budget screwdriver set because it is very affordable, very versatile, helps you save a lot of space, and is also of extremely high quality. Vessel is known as one of the best screwdriver manufacturers in the world.
This particular set from Vessel, made in Japan, features a comfortable, non-slip ball grip, and three very strong, heat-treated special alloy steel shafts that have been finished with black corrosion-resistant plating, and have magnetic tips. Each of the three shafts is double-ended, giving you six different screwdriver bits overall. The shafts include one slotted tip, three JIS/Phillips tips, and two Pozidriv tips, allowing you to tighten and loosen a very wide variety of screws.
Interchengeable screwdriver handles like this one, and some of the others we’ve featured here, will help you to save a lot of space in your toolbox. The best feature of this extremely durable, high-quality screwdriver set however, is its price. At only $14.99 USD, direct from Japan, not much can beat it.
So there you have it, the top five Japanese screwdriver sets. Each and every one of these is a much better option than typical Phillips screwdrivers, as Phillips screwdrivers are notorious for chewing up and damaging JIS, Pozidriv, and other similar screws beyond repair. Did you find the best screwdriver set for you in our list? Let us know in the comments below.
