Victorinox Spirit screwdrivers not holding up...

[Macchina]

I have been carrying a Victorinox Spirit X for the last month and really like the form and function of it. It beat my Leatherman Wave out of my pocket. The screwdrivers are being warped after only a month of light use though. I haven't used any of them more than 10 times, yet the tips of all of them are bending. Is this something others have experienced from Victorinox?

 

[michaelm466]

I haven't used my swisstool screw driver as much as I've used them on my SAKs, but never had any trouble with them bending or twisting, the only problem I've ever had is bending my leatherman flat head screw driver on rusted screw.

 

[Foilist]

I've used my Spirit, including its screwdrivers, hard - harder than I should. Mine is holding up fine after several years. Maybe you got a bum heat treat on some of the implements?

 

[MH13750]

I've had a swisstool original for several years now and it is very solidly built. No sign of defects or bending after use. Also have a spirit for about 9 months and it appears no worse for wear. I'd say your spirit is either atypically defective or you are using it extraordinarily hard.

 

[Scott Free]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the various screwdrivers would be heat treated at the same time. I would guess that a bunch or phillips would be treated in a batch. Each size of flats would be treated separately. It just seems to make sense from a manufacturing standpoint. I can't see how all the screwdriver tips could be bent unless you're King Kong. (Or maybe all those other guys are just pansies. (Just kidding.)

I actually have a Spirit. No bad screwdrivers. I might be a sissy, though.

 

[shecky]

My biggest complaint about Vic screwdrivers? They're more likely to slip way before they bend.

 

[Macchina]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the various screwdrivers would be heat treated at the same time. I would guess that a bunch or phillips would be treated in a batch. Each size of flats would be treated separately. It just seems to make sense from a manufacturing standpoint. I can't see how all the screwdriver tips could be bent unless you're King Kong. (Or maybe all those other guys are just pansies. (Just kidding.)

I actually have a Spirit. No bad screwdrivers. I might be a sissy, though.

I agree with this.

I was using all three strait slot screw drivers to take apart a gun. I did use them hard to break a few stuck screws, but not hard enough to deform a normal screw driver. The tips on all of the drivers are bent a bit. I have ground them all back to square. On another note: none of them failed in the least (just bent a bit) and I am loving this tool for what it is. It was very well thought out and perfectly executed in my opinion. If the drivers were a bit more robust, I'd call the Spirit perfect.

 

[supratentorial]

Did the drivers have a good fit? They aren't hollow ground. A good fitting driver will be less likely to become damaged and (more importantly) less likely to bugger up the screws on the gun (or any other work).

The fit and finish of the SwissTools and SwissTool Spirits is excellent but the flat and Phillips drivers don't fit as well as the Phillips and standard size hollow ground flat screwdrivers on the Leatherman Core and Super Tool 300. I'd love a SwissTool or SwissTool Spirit with hollow ground screwdrivers!

I've seen a lot of buggered up drivers on used multi-tools on eBay and I've buggered up a few myself. Here's an old Victorinox Soldier knife that I bought used with a chip on the small driver - not uncommon. Twisting the small drivers wouldn't surprise me. If you twisted the large flat driver on the SwissTool, then I'd stick with the conclusion that you have Herculean strength!