When I was just starting out with collecting knives I was not super keen on spending money on knife maintenance stuff. I was into sharpeners and knife sharpening, but could never justify more than my Sharpmaker. This may have been a blessing in disguise as I can maintain my edges just fine with this setup, and I can freehand sharpen as well.
But I eventually learned that some things aren’t worth being cheap about. In my article 5 Knife Maintenance Tools Every Knife Owner Needs, I list a torx driver set as one of the tools. Specifically, I recommended the Husky 8 in 1 Torx set. You can pick this up for under $10 at Home Depot.
I found this worked for most of my needs. That is, until I stripped a screw on my Fantoni CUT Flipper. That was a $300 knife that I fucked up using a $7 tool. That’s a tough lesson to learn, and one I don’t want you, dear reader, to have to repeat.
I know I’m not the only one to strip the screws on their expensive folding knives. You see knives being sold with stripped screws all the time on the forums. Sometimes you can send the knife back to the manufacturer to be fixed, but I don’t really feel like sending my CUT Flipper to Italy. The better thing to do is not strip the screw in the first place.
One way to cut down on the likelihood of stripping a screw is to buy high quality drivers. Wiha is the gold standard for micro screw drivers in the knife world, and many other worlds that value high quality tools. These are precision machined and hardened bits, and they aren’t going to warp and strip like the cheap bits you buy at the big box stores and Harbor Freight. The only problem is that by their very definition they are expensive, and Wiha makes dozens of variations of their tools. It’s going to set you back some coin, and it’s going to be hard to pick out the perfect set.
I spent a couple evenings on Amazon looking over their offerings before settling on the Model 75992. In a perfect world, Wiha would make something exactly like the Husky 8 in 1, only it would be made by Wiha and sell for $25. Instead they had a bunch of different configurations that weren’t exactly what I wanted. I picked out the 75992 because it was a micro driver, had all the torx bits I needed (T3-10 plus a T15), a compact case to house everything, and then it also came with the added functionality of an extender, hex bits, Flathead bits, and Phillips bits. 9 times out of 10, my knives come with torx hardware, but it never hurts to have some precision flat head and Phillips bits, and maybe the hex bits will come in handy some day as well.
I am keeping my set on my desk with some my other knife stuff, so I didn’t need anything ultra light or portable. This set comes with a heavy steel case, ideal for a garage or a dedicated work space. The door to the case is held in place with a couple detents. When you open it, case door folds back onto itself and creates a stand. The folding case does a nice job presenting the bits, while the plastic insert keeps everything organized and in place. So far I haven’t spilled bits all over the floor. I also like how the case closes with a satisfying snap. That is a feature most knife guys will appreciate. This heavy steel case is not something I would want to EDC (Every Day Carry), but I never EDC’d my Husky set anyways.
So far these bits have worked well. No issues with stripping hardware, and the heads of the bits haven’t deformed. Wiha uses hardened CRM-72 tool steel. I couldn’t find much info on CRM-72. Apparently it is a steel exclusive to Wiha, which makes sense if you are going to be manufacturing steel tools. Anecdotally, people say it is similar to S2 tool steel. I’d be curious to learn more about the steel and what hardness they heat treat it to. No issues with rust or corrosion either.
This set includes a 4″ (100mm) extender. I don’t recommend it for knives, but it’s good to have for hard to reach places in other projects. The bits are not magnetized, and neither is the handle, so it’s safe to use on and around electronics.
I spent right around $40 for my set. $40 may seem like a lot for a set of screwdriver bits, but if you have high end knives and are serious about maintaining them then this is money well spent. I bought mine for personal use and long term testing, and expect this set to last a lifetime. I’ll update the review over time if anything happens.
Also, I would be curious to see what sets other people use, and whether anyone thinks there is an “ultimate” Wiha set for knife owners. I don’t regret the 75992, but admit that a set including hex, Phillips, and Flathead drivers is probably overkill if you are only buying these tools to maintain pocket knives.
- Micro Precision Bits on 4mm Hex Drive
- Hardened for Extreme Durability
- Bits of Exclusive CRM-72 Tool Steel
- Choose ESD Safe or Standard Handle
- Handle uses Ball Retainer Not magnetic
I recommend purchasing the Wiha 85992 at Amazon. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.