# PB Swiss Review



## KennyW (Aug 31, 2013)

Hey Guys, 

As some of you know, I'm chillin' in China doing some electrical construction and supervision for the next 6 months or so. 

China has what is basically a Chinese version of Amazon.com with some really good tool vendors that sell european tools. I'm Canadian and the $CAD is weak vs the $USD, so buying these tools from US Amazon is expensive at the moment. Even though you tend to pay a premium for "Western" goods when in China, buying them here is cheaper than Canada or the US. 

So, I'm working on building a super compact, "classy" set of tools to complement my normal "construction site" tools- cuz hey, what else do you do with your spare time in China, other than drink? 

I have a small tool case and it will get this PB Swiss Driver Set, a 1/4" Drive Hazet Socket Set, my Phoenix Contact/Pressmaster Mobile Crimp tool with selection of dies, and a few other odds and ends. 

Goal is max flexibility vs size and weight. 

So anyways I bought this PB Swiss 8515 Screwdriver set. It is exceedingly well made. 

Here are some pictures. 

It comes in a tool roll, again not ideal for a "service" set, but for my max functionality vs size/weight, it's good:











The precision drivers are inside their own little tool roll. It rolls up with the main one but can also be unsnapped form the main roll and be used independently.










The kit has a bunch of driver blades that snap into the handle. Some close ups of the blades. Seem to be formed with incredible accuracy and very crisp laser etching on each blade. Smaller blades "neck down" nicely for reaching recessed screws:



















The large handle is also fantastic. The texture is hard to explain, kind of like it is rubberized, but not spongy. Extremely grippy and comfortable.


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## KennyW (Aug 31, 2013)

Part 2, since we're limited to 8 pictures per post. 

Super neat little terminating screwdriver. Shaft is insulated, touch the metal on the end when you are on the terminal and the little light inside lights up if the terminal is hot. 










The precision drivers:










Anyways I know those is not really a "real" set of drivers, but man if their standard screwdrivers are anything like these, then PB swiss make killer screwdrivers. I'm going to buy an insulated set if standard drivers soon. They also make the cool hybrid phillips/slotted drivers that fit specifically into breaker terminals. 

Anyways, these things are awesome. Not terribly cheap, but awesome. :thumbup::thumbup:


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## danhasenauer (Jun 10, 2009)

"China has what is basically a Chinese version of Amazon.com"...

Would that be Alibaba?


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## mpetro (Jan 6, 2016)

That terminating screwdriver is pretty cool. I'm guessing that fits standard junction block terminals/PLC terminals?


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

NOICE :thumbsup:

Are the straight blades ground down so they are flat rather than wedge shaped at the tip?


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

...how does one end up in china doing electric work?


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## KennyW (Aug 31, 2013)

danhasenauer said:


> "China has what is basically a Chinese version of Amazon.com"...
> 
> Would that be Alibaba?


Nah, it's scope has increased a bit, but Alibaba is more of a commercial website for Chinese manufacturers selling to Western countries. In China regular consumers use Taobao, it's like a chinese cross between ebay/craigslist/amazon. 



mpetro said:


> That terminating screwdriver is pretty cool. I'm guessing that fits standard junction block terminals/PLC terminals?


Yeah exactly. It's a 2.5mm, most terminal blocks and spring terminals operate with a 2.5 or 3mm. 



splatz said:


> NOICE :thumbsup:
> 
> Are the straight blades ground down so they are flat rather than wedge shaped at the tip?


Yeah, and the machining is awesome. If you click on this pic to see the full size view, you can see how they are ground.






360max said:


> ...how does one end up in china doing electric work?


I'm supervising a crew of electricians, some chinese, some north american for some large industrial machines that are bound for the north american market. Basically I ensure the electrical installation is done to CSA standards and per contract. It's a good gig overall.


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## Satch (Mar 3, 2011)

Kenny, thanks for the reviews and great photos. I am really leaning toward PB Swiss drivers. Particularly the insert and impact bits. 

The only issue I have with them and other Euro manufacturers is that they typically don't offer multiple length options for a given tip size on their screwdrivers. Whereas you can get Klein and others with say, a 1/4 inch cabinet tip in 4, 6, 8, and 10 inch shafts, the Euros seem to increase shafts length only as the driver tip gets larger. Sometimes you need the same tip size in different lengths. Other than that Swiss seems to always get 4 star realviews.


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## Lefty467 (Jun 11, 2014)

We do entry automation in my job and these are the most used tool we own. We have the flexible handle versions and their nut drivers are indestructible!

Don't like that type of terminal driver for checking terminals. Using your body as a path to ground is pretty dumb in my opinion.


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