I'm a tech, and a gadget guy. Sadly, some time ago, my work vehicle was broken into and robbed. This set is sort of a replacement. I say sort of, because I never had a full set in the first place. Many of my tools were hand-me-downs from other techs during my working career, and of all my tools, I have to say I enjoyed these the most. They are solid. Think "Old School Sears Craftsman". or "Snap-On". These are the equivalent in the precision screwdriver field. I originally had 3 of these drivers. So, the tip of the tools...the "business end" is well-formed and to the eye looks perfectly symmetrical. The edges are precision shaped, and you can be certain that the screws that you will be loosening and tightening with these will fit exactly. This is important for smaller screws that can easily strip if your screwdriver tip doesn't fit properly. As long as you size the right tool for the job, these will never let you down. (For SOME work, tool size really DOES matter!) I'll discuss the metal used at the end. As for the handles, they are sturdy, and feel good in the hand. At the bottom of the handle, where the metal tip comes out, there are ridges that allow you to grab and turn the driver at the bottom of the handle. Just above that, for about 2/3 of the handle, it tapers out and has 8 sides that give some grip in the center of the handle as well. Finally, at the top of the handle, about 1/3 is a sort of "full thickness" handle, that is rounded. On the end (top) of each handle is a red swivel cap, that I call a jeweler's cap. It allows you to press down with one finger and keep pressing, while you spin the driver with your other fingers. One more thing about the handles...the plastic isn't smooth, it's sort of a satin finish, and I can only say that is to increase the friction or "grip" in your hand as you use it. This is a bit different from my old tools, but I can't say if they were smooth from wear, as all satin finishes will smooth over time. You don't think about it, but your fingerprints act as a sort of soft file or soft sandpaper, and will smooth things with rough texture over time. Like I said, I don't have my old drivers to look closer at. The red cap is their "regular" model set of drivers. They have an ESD set with yellow caps. If you don't know what ESD means, you don't need them. (ElectroStatic Discharge safe). Somewhere in the reviews, I saw some guy with a chart and lines on a page showing that some other screwdriver set wasn't actually straight. I'm not gonna do that with these. They're straight. If they aren't, they're damaged, send them back. This isn't some Big-box store brand tool set. It's German. Think BMW. Think Mercedes. I really like these tools. Once you have used them, you will start comparing other precision tools to them. They are just a quality, well-designed tool. Don't loan them out, you'll have trouble getting them back! In all honesty, I have a set of "jeweler's screwdrivers" that I won't use unless I need a sacrificial tool.. Here's why...these are longer (even for the tiny tipped ones), more precise, and they work better. I've bent (torqued the tips of) jeweler's type drivers before, but not these. Of course, every tool has it's limits, but I'm saying you can go further with these than with many others. Now everything above, I already knew. The stuff below I'm writing from examining the new tools: I was a bit taken aback when I first opened the package. The metal is a sort of odd color. It's not discolored, but it isn't the pure silvery-chrome bumper on a 1950's car that I was expecting. I guess if I had to describe it more precisely, it's a satin finish, and a sort of an oxidized aluminum color. If you look closely, you can see a faint darkening near the tip. I'm not sure why this is there, but I suspect it has something to do with hardening or treating the tip. In my old set, the color was more pronounced, almost as if it was a different metal. Many quality tools will exhibit this trait, I've even seen it on a saw before, at the blade tips, where they were hardened. Of course, cheap knock-offs will imitate this trait to make it appear that they are higher quality than they are. I can say in this case, you can tell these are quality drivers, even if this trait is cosmetic. Being the ever-curious one, I did a little digging. The package says "Hardened CVM Tool Steel Blades"...I looked CVM up briefly, and it appears to be a high strength alloy steel, with many ingredients, including Molybdenum, Nickel, Cobalt, Titanium, Aluminum, Boron, Zirconium, Calcium, Carbon, Silicon, Manganese, Sulfur, Phosphorus, and of course, Iron. I'm not saying all these are in this set, but I found "VascoMax 350 CVM" and it seems to fit. The metal seems to go through a rigorous conditioning process, and is used in aerospace and rocket industries. As with all metals, there are grades, but use will tell you that this is a high grade alloy steel. The bottom line is that these tools are tough and get the job done, however they are made. One more note. If you don't really know your driver tip sizes, the small drivers in this set are VERY tiny. I probably won't ever use the smallest three drivers, except maybe on eyeglass repairs (though they are a bit small even for that), but I have them in case. The larger drivers will see moderate use, as I'm connecting small communication wires on screw-down connectors for circuit boards, or even "tweaking" components while tuning, aligning or adjusting equipment. I don't grab for potentiometer adjusting tools, I'll grab for these. I can have better control when I'm trying to get a reading at the 1,000th decimal point than I can with any other tool. Oh, one more tip, and a bit of humor if you've dragged through this long review. I had my old set of drivers in a $1 pencil case from the dollar store. Inside it had elastic on one side, and you slid your pencils (screwdrivers) through and they stayed put, then you zipped the case open or closed. The case was shaped like a teardrop with squared-off ends, and the fat end is where the wider handles fit. It was a freak purchase on an odd trip, and when I realized how useful (perfect) it was, I went back the next day to buy more, but like a Twilight Zone moment, there weren't any more cases to be had. That was 10 years ago, and about every other year I go through the school supply sections of several stores looking for another case like it. So hit your dollar stores and back to school sales and look for a $1 zipper case for these. If you find one, buy yourself 3 right then. Trust me on this! Enjoy your excellent screwdriver set!
