This is a specialised set of electrical screwdrivers, all fully insulated. You get two handles, and 17 inserts, all 154mm long, to go in them, plus a matching pair of pliers and insulation strippers. All the blades are extra-slim for working with sunken screws or those that are kept down by springs, and you get a selection of straight, Phillips, Pozidriv and Torx ends, none of them particularly big. It comprises 17 screwdrivers, including three Torx, plus sets of imperial and metric Allen keys, and a universal handle with ten interchangeable ends. There’s something here for almost every kind of job. Sizes range from a big 8mm to 2mm straight-slot, with similar Phillips and Pozidriv options.

Before you buy the biggest set you can find, ask yourself what your priorities are – if you just want a set for occasional DIY, then you don’t need a 100-piece set with every possible head. Equally, if you need a set for specific technical jobs, in addition to everyday home DIY, then it pays to make sure you buy a set that covers every eventuality, and has a suitably wide range of head types and sizes. Here we’ll explain all the key technical features you need to consider and suggest some of our favourite screwdriver sets. Read on and you’ll find everything from screwdriver sets for the reluctant DIYer to the most proactive home improvement enthusiast. Is it possible to build a toolkit without screwdrivers? We don’t think so. In the average home, you’ll find a vast array of different screws, all of which will – as sod’s law dictates – require the screwdriver which isn’t the one you’re holding in your hand. This is why it pays to invest in the best screwdriver set you can afford, so you’ll always have the right tool for any screw – be it Posidrive or Phillips, Torx or truss head. Everything about this set is sensibly designed, from the shot-blasted tips that reduce breakage, to the ergonomic shapes and smooth domed ends to the handles that allow them to spin easily. Colour-coded ends mean you’ll soon be able to identify the tool you want without having to peer at the tip. iS VDE Insulated screwdriver with reduced blade diameter for slotted screws: 1.0×5.5×125, 0.6×3.5×100;

Wera Impaktor

Stanley always makes good-quality tools, and this set is no different. The blades are moulded directly into the handles to make them “virtually unbreakable”, and the handles themselves are large, with soft rubber for an excellent grip. Everyday DIY is one thing, but screws are as common as nails in woodworking, and if you’re into building electronics the need for a specific tiny driver with an unusual head is a regular occurrence. Thankfully, you have plenty of choice when it comes to screwdriver sets that are suitable for any eventuality. Is 58 screwdrivers enough? Could you make do with 12? Does each one need a handle, or will a series of interchangeable heads work? Do you need them to be insulated? Or magnetic? What about hex, truss or Torx heads? If we showed you a set of 100 screwdrivers, would you think that was overkill? iSS PH VDE Insulated screwdriver with reduced blade diameter for Phillips screws: PH 1×80, PH 2×100; iSS/7 screwdriver set Kraftform Plus Series 100. With reduced blade diameters and smaller handle diameters, 7 pieces; There’s also an eight-piece precision screwdriver set that includes four Torx drivers, perfect for taking laptops apart, and even a pair of offset screwdrivers, with a different bit at each end, for those really awkward spots.

A halfway house between the Stanley Fat Max set and the cheaper ones, this set from Draper Tools offers a good range of different blades. Yes, the design of the screwdriver itself can make a big difference. Some are simple cylinders, while others are shaped for extra grip, with rubberised patterns for you to hold on to. Some have a nut moulded into the haft so you can turn them with a spanner. Others have a hole through the middle so you can insert another screwdriver for extra force. Something a little bit different. Wera launched its handle shape in the 1960s, basing it on the contours of the human hand. And despite a few tweaks, it’s stayed basically the same ever since. Human hands, Wera says, haven’t changed in that time either. Wera are “Tool Rebels” who dare to do different! When it comes to hand tools, Wera are innovating in ways that no other German tool company does. Specialising in accessories and hand tools, Wera’s expertise shines when looking at the smaller details.

It’s worth noting that metric bits have almost completely replaced Imperial-sized ones, but screws put in 50 years ago haven’t heard about this. Still, it’s possible to use a driver that’s slightly too small to loosen a screw, so it’s not worth worrying about having every possible size in your collection. A choice of the most common sizes, in both flathead and Phillips (cross-shaped) will do for most day-to-day jobs. Sets that comprise a universal handle with many interchangeable tips are popular because they’re light and easy to carry, but once you lose one of the tips it tends to stay lost – they’re not very big and are often dull in colour. Lose too many and you’ll have to buy a new set of tips, or potentially replace the whole set. Can’t I just buy any old cheap screwdrivers? How a tool fits in your hand, how a tool is balanced along its axis, how a tool feels when you twist it, these are all the aspects that Wera tools excel. Wera Werk Hermann Werner GmbH & Co. KG aka Wera Tools, have been changing the way people think about hand tool ergonomics since 1936 and have won numerous awards for their designs.

iSS VDE Insulated screwdriver with reduced blade and handle diameter for slotted screws, 0.8 x 4 x 100 mm; Wera VDE iSS screwdrivers with reduced shaft diameter as well as partially slimmer handle design to enable work in confined working situations and to allow low-lying screw and spring elements to be reached and actuated; individually tested tools as per IEC 60900; individual testing in a water bath at 10,000 volts so as to ensure safe working at the permitted voltage of 1,000 volts. “Take it easy” Tool Finder: colour coding according to profile and size. The anti-roll feature prevents any bothersome rolling away at the workplace.