Why are some vde torque screwdrivers so expensive ?

[Dustydazzler]

So , long story short i recently lost my torque screwdriver set which was a Draper one which I think cost me about £60 off Amazon

I fancied a change and looked at the Armeg and Wera torques but both are £100 ish

What makes these worth £40+ more than a Draper set ??

 

[littlespark]

Was the draper insulted? I expect the wera and armeg ones would be.
Is there an increased cost with extras? Screwdriver bits or a little roll up bag?

It might be extra for buying quality… or perceived quality just because of the name.

 

[LukeD]

80% will be branding and desire to have "gucci ' kit

 

[timhoward]

Was the draper insulted?

Toolstation have the draper set, yes it’s insulated.

Draper XP1000 VDE Interchangeable Torque Screwdriver Set

Expert quality XP1000®, interchangeable VDE torque screwdriver with a selection of popular screwdriver tipped blades for electrical applications. Perfect for torque-controlled tightening of screws, which helps avoid damaging screws and tools while ensuring a safe and secure screw connection. The...

www.toolstation.com

To my knowledge it's the cheapest torque screwdriver option.

 

[MJPD29]

Branding. Had an armeg one, no different to any others I have seen

Edit- it came with a case. Must have cost about 60 quid to make the case

 

[nicebutdim]

Only reason I can think of for opting for a particular brand is compatibility. I picked up a Wera torque driver from an Amazon warehouse deal as it fits all the blades I have.

 

[SparkySy]

I have one of those draper sets @timhoward linked to and it's been just the job!
I also have the wiha one and apart from the length difference (draper one is looong and the massive lock on it) they are both spot on!

 

[loz2754]

Wiha one goes down to 0.8Nm, Draper only to 1Nm.

 

[pc1966]

I have the Wera set based on the "7441 VDE" driver, seems quite nice but 1.2-3 Nm range only. Also have some other torque tools but not insulated so really not for use anywhere near an energised (or energisable!) system.

At some point will probably get the lower torque driver "7440 VDE" that is 0.3-1.2 Nm so have that in insulated form, but not in any real hurry.

 

[nicebutdim]

Wiha one goes down to 0.8Nm, Draper only to 1Nm.

Both now 5Nm at the upper end, which gives a decent range. Armeg range is an impressive 1-6Nm.

Compare this with Wera who make three different handles covering 0.3-1.2Nm, 1.2-3.0Nm & 1.7-3.5Nm and I can't think of a single reason to buy from Wera, other than compatbility with existing blades.

 

[pc1966]

Compare this with Wera who make three different handles different handles covering 0.3-1.2Nm, 1.2-3.0Nm & 1.7-3.5Nm and I can't think of a single reason to buy from Wera, other than compatbility with existing blades.

Sadly, I have those blades...

I agree that the 1.2-3.0 & 1.7-3.5 overlap is utterly pointless!

 

[nicebutdim]

Sadly, I have those blades...

I agree that the 1.2-3.0 & 1.7-3.5 overlap is utterly pointless!

Sort of overlapped with your post as I was typing at the same time. I also went with the middle of those three - it does everything I've needed it to, means all my blades remain interchangeable and is a decent torque driver, but Wera's offering looks very weak when compared with the competition.

 

[mattg4321]

Does anyone actually use their torque screwdriver?

 

[pc1966]

Does anyone actually use their torque screwdriver?

I do for high-value and/or high current things.

A bit like the car torque wrench: most fasteners have a setting in the manual but you really only pay attention to the critical ones like cylinder head, suspension, etc, and the rest can be done using 'feel'.

Skill in the torque 'feel' area is usually related to past breakages...

 

[nicebutdim]

Does anyone actually use their torque screwdriver?

Some car chargers require surprisingly low torque - considerably less than I'd deem reasonable for most terminals. I suspect this is because the connector is soldered directly to the board and I find that stranded conductors need to be bedded in quite well and re-tightened several times.

 

[littlespark]

Does anyone actually use their torque screwdriver?

Yes. When doing consumer units, and the customer is eyeballing over my shoulder.

Makes them think there’s more to it than just yanking it up by hand.


The professional touch

 

[nicebutdim]

Why wouldn't anyone use their torque screwdriver on a new cu? If you have one, it's not going to be far from hand and everything gets a final check, so why not do that to manufacturers specification? Not exactly a great hardship

 

[mattg4321]

Just because there’s no need really. Perhaps if someone were inexperienced, but I’ve got a good feel for it after 20 years. Never had a terminal burn out on me yet.

 

[SparkySy]

And surprising how much difference there is between elbow torque settings and proper torque settings!
I use mine a lot for consumer units dis boards and EV installs, I agree the terminals on the circuit board are very flimsy on some models and I wouldn't want to overtweak it! Mine is in my tester bag so goes everywhere with me. I like the fact that there can be no arguments that it was my fault something I did failed and caused an issue or worse a fire!
Sy

 

[nicebutdim]

Just because there’s no need really. Perhaps if someone were inexperienced, but I’ve got a good feel for it after 20 years. Never had a terminal burn out on me yet.

Whether or not a need exists is another argument entirely. My point was in answer to your question "does anyone actually use their torque screwdrivers?" and my point is that if you have one, why wouldn't you use it?

Obviously if you don't own one, you might not feel the need to buy one.

 

[LewisM]

I work in aviation and most issues with fasteners are caused by overtightening but I feel that's more because spanners and ratchets are used and it's very easy to overtighten when you have that extra leverage

 

[pc1966]

Some car chargers require surprisingly low torque - considerably less than I'd deem reasonable for most terminals. I suspect this is because the connector is soldered directly to the board and I find that stranded conductors need to be bedded in quite well and re-tightened several times.

Never dealt with EV chargers but I know that PCB terminals are fragile. Many only have one pin through the board per terminal, worse still are surface-mount only ones!

Having said that I got a CPN MCB once and tightened it to the manufacturer's torque and it split! One more brand in my "do not touch" box...

 

[Lister1987]

I have the Armeg, purely for the range of torque settings.