Used Wiha

Wiha in one paragraph

Wiha is a family-owned German company from the Black Forest, known for screwdrivers with hardened, precisely-ground tips and handles that fit the job — big cushioned SoftFinish handles for torque, slim ones for electrical work, tiny rotating-cap ones for electronics. Production is in Germany and at Wiha plants in Poland and Vietnam; the Vietnam plant makes a lot of the precision line and the quality is Wiha-standard. Wiha is less hyped than Wera and priced a bit lower used as a result, which is a buyer's opportunity — the tools are every bit as good.

Reading the numbers

Wiha uses five-digit part numbers in the US (e.g., 26190, 32092) that don't encode much by themselves — they're catalog numbers. What matters is the series name, which sellers usually include:

For sets, the five-digit number identifies the exact set and piece count. Search it to confirm what should be included.

Insulated: buy new

Wiha's insulated line is excellent and widely used by electricians. It's also the category where buying used is a bad idea, for the same reason it is with every insulated brand: the 1000V protection depends on the insulation being intact, you can't verify that from a listing, and the failure mode is a shock. If you need the rating, buy new. If you just want slim drivers and won't work energized, a used SlimLine is a fine non-insulated screwdriver.

What to inspect

• Tips. Wiha tips are hardened and ground precisely. Rounding means abuse. On precision drivers, tip condition is most of the value.
• Rotating caps on PicoFinish drivers — should spin freely. Grit in the cap is annoying but fixable.
• SoftFinish handles — the soft zones can get chewed by solvents. Cosmetic.
• Torque drivers — calibration date or price as uncalibrated. TorqueVario drivers are adjustable and should hold their setting.
• Set completeness against the part number.
• Insulated — don't, if you'll rely on it.

Fakes

Wiha is counterfeited less than Wera or Knipex — smaller brand recognition — but precision sets do get copied. Same tells: price far below retail, fuzzy markings on the blades, cases with loose inserts, overseas sellers with dozens of identical "new" listings. Used genuine from a tech's cleanout is safer than "new" from an unknown seller.

Where the value is

SoftFinish and Classic full-size sets — cheap used, last forever, rarely faked. PicoFinish precision sets from electronics shops are also good value if the tips are clean. Wiha's lower profile relative to Wera means the same quality often sells for less.