WIHA Impact Bits – Torqueing the Torque
Screwdriving bits are a staple of construction workers over a wide variety of trades. There are good bits and bad bits and I have used both types. Believe me, good ones are always worth the extra expense because they are much easier to use, last much longer and do a far better job. So, I was intrigued by the WIHA MaxxTor bits I was sent to review, because I had seen and heard some of the prelaunch chat and discussion about them. The bits arrived in a
handy little caddy called the WIHA BitBuddy, so I will take a few words to explain it. I personally hate having to search for bits in the bottom of the toolbox, so I tend to keep bits altogether in sets where I can. The BitBuddy is a really neat solution to keeping bits together. Made from plastic, in WIHA red and black, the case is very light due to it having more holes than solid parts. This is a great advantage because all the bits and the bitholder are easily seen and therefore able to be identified and accessed easily too. To access the bits, you simply have to press down
the red WIHA logo and the tray tilts over, exposing the hex end of the bits to the user. From here, you have the option to take them out manually or you can use the magnetic bitholder supplied to take them directly to your drill chuck where they are ready for instant use. Returning the bits to the BitBuddy can be done in the reverse of the above, but by pressing down on the soft red strip, the bit is trapped and can be pulled from the bitholder. The BitBuddy is a clever
bit of design that not only provides a handy dispenser for the user, but a useful way of helping display and marketing instore. But to return to the bits
themselves. The new issue with screwdriving these days is the widespread adoption of impact drivers by just about every trade. I must admit I have a couple of impact drivers, and I use them all the time because they make screwdriving easy. With a good quality screw and a good quality bit, there are very few “misdrives”. The problem is that the flanges on the bits need to be very strong and able to withstand the torque and impact imposed on them by the drivers. The screws themselves sometimes break, but because they are usually being driven into a softer material, they have somewhere that will absorb the energy imparted into them. But the humble screwdriver bit is right in the
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middle, caught between the torque of the driver and the screw head. The solution is to make the driver bit able to absorb some of the torsion force that the driver
Independent Review by Peter Brett
shaft as it drives in very demanding applications. I was determined to give these WIHA MaxTorr bits a thorough testing to see if I could find any weak points, so I selected a very hard piece of weathered oak gatepost and some hard 50mm thick beech plank. I used a good quality14.4v impact driver and standard PZ2 screws of a variety of lengths from 40 to 75mm. The PZ2 bit fitted the heads tightly and it was possible to actually hold the screws at a horizontal just in the bit itself. Driving and unscrewing literally hundreds of screws I thought was a good test for the bits. After the test, when I examined the driving flanges, there were some signs of where they had driven the heads of the screws, but while I was using them there was never any indication that the bits were slipping or “camming out”. So tight was the fit of the bit that the screwheads did not lose their rustproofing coat after they were driven. I mentioned that they are
imparts. This is most often achieved by allowing the shaft of the bit to twist as the torsion force is applied. However, this implies that the driving lug profiles need to be as accurately manufactured as possible and that the steel they are made from be of high quality, otherwise the bits wouldn’t last at all. WIHA uses the most modern manufacturing methods and high quality alloy steels to ensure that all of the above is possible. And I guess that we end users just don’t think about
nearly 30mm long instead of the usual 24 or 25mm long. There are several reasons for this. The mundane reason is that it makes the bits easier to access from the BitBuddy, but the main reason is that they will absorb the torsion forces better with a longer length of shaft. I personally prefer them a bit longer too, especially if used with a quick-release chuck, because the extra length allows for easier handling and depth control. The MaxxTor bits also have a plastic sleeve over the shaft that will slip more easily in your fingers if you are ever in the position where you have to guide the tip of the bit onto the head of a screw that needs a bit of support before it bites into the material. The way that bits look is
not an infallible guide to quality, but if you know what you are looking for, you can’t really go wrong. The WIHA MaxxTor bits score on the quality count in several ways. Firstly, looking closely at the machining of the driving lugs you will notice deep and accurate machining on the grey alloy steel. Also present are well-machined shafts that are a consistent thickness. Finally, you will notice the very crisp edges of the hex driver shaft. These are laser marked with the WIHA
all of the above as we drive 150mm long 12 gauge screws into that row of roof joists. What we can’t really observe without the benefit
of slow motion cameras, is that the shaft of the slightly longer MaxxTor bit will twist about 60% around its
brand and the size of the bit. The WIHA MaxTorr bits are in my view, going to
provide some competition in the market place, because they are high quality and on the basis of my testing, will have a long service life.
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Reply No. 228
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