Best Precision Screwdriver Set for Your Screws: Eyeglasses, Electronics and Special Tips

Many "best precision screwdriver set" lists rank one kit against another. The more useful question is which screws you need to open, because a set is only as good as the sizes and tip types it contains. This guide sorts precision sets by job, explains the sizes in plain words, and compares 12 sets from Japanese brands using the specifications on their product pages. Sources are listed at the end.

Why look at Japanese precision screwdrivers?

We sell Japanese tools, so this guide covers Japanese brands only. Here is what they offer, based on what the product pages and maker pages state rather than general claims about quality:

• Tip sizes listed. Each set except the VESSEL 9836 lists every tip inside (for example, ENGINEER DM-30: slotted 1.0 × 0.2, 1.2 × 0.3, 1.8 × 0.3, 2.4 × 0.45, 3.0 × 0.6 and 3.5 × 0.7 mm). You can check that your screw size is included before you buy.
• Sets built around one job. There are slotted-only sets (VESSEL TD-55, ENGINEER DM-30), a Phillips-only set down to #0000 (ENGINEER DM-20), a set for special screw types (ANEX 3476) and interchangeable bit sets (VESSEL 9836, ANEX 3600).
• Country of origin, where stated. Eight of the 12 sets list Japan on their product pages. The ENGINEER DM-20, DM-30 and DM-60 and the VESSEL 9836 are made in Taiwan.

What we do not claim: that these sets are harder or last longer than American or European sets. We have not found a test that compares them, so choose by the sizes and tip types you need.

Step 1: know your screw type and size

Pentalobe screws. Apple has used five-pointed pentalobe screws on iPhones from the iPhone 4 and on the outside of MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro models, in sizes such as P2 (0.8 mm) and P5 (1.2 mm), according to Wikipedia's summary. The ANEX 3476 includes five-groove tips of 1.3 and 1.8 mm. Whether they fit Apple's pentalobe screws is Not confirmed on the product page, so check the size your device needs before relying on them.

Fit matters more than the number of pieces. EngineerFix explains that an ill-fitting driver raises the chance of cam-out, where the tip slips out of the screw head, and calls cam-out the main cause of a stripped recess. The tip should fill the recess without wobble, with firm downward pressure while you turn.

The 12 sets compared

Specs are copied from each product page. Tip sizes are listed as the page states them (⊕ = Phillips, ⊖ = slotted, in mm). The VESSEL TD-56 page writes its last two tips as "00, 0" without a symbol; we list them as Phillips.

Best precision screwdriver set by job

Eyeglasses, watches and the smallest screws

• VESSEL TD-56S: Phillips #0 down to #0000 plus 0.7 and 0.9 mm slotted. VESSEL describes it as a set for ultra precision and small screws. The product page lists shank lengths from 10 to 26 mm and overall lengths from 90 to 106 mm.
• ENGINEER DM-20: a Phillips-only set from #0000 to #1, useful if every screw you work on is cross-head.

Everyday electronics and small appliances

• ANEX 900: four slotted sizes plus Phillips #00 and #0, with a color-coded rotating cap for each size, so you can find the right driver at a glance. At 110 g it is the lightest of the six-piece Phillips and slotted sets here.
• VESSEL TD-56: slotted 0.9 to 2.3 mm plus Phillips #00 and #0, with an elastomer cushion grip listed on the page.
• ENGINEER DM-60: Phillips #000, #0 and #1 with three slotted sizes. The only fixed-driver mixed set here that includes both #000 and #1.
• ANEX 800: slotted 0.9 to 2.1 mm plus Phillips #00 and #0, with a copper alloy grip.

Many screw types with one handle

• VESSEL 9836: 36 precision bits in S2 steel with one handle (94 mm × φ10). The page describes it as ultra precision, for small screws only.
• ANEX 3600: three double-ended bits on 4 mm hex shanks (six tips from Phillips #000 to #1 and slotted 1.8 and 3 mm), a 110 × 20 mm handle and a storage bag, at 95 g.
• ENGINEER DK-13: one handle with three replaceable blades, each pairing a Phillips and a slotted tip. At 49 g it is the lightest set here, and the page lists shaft lengths of 18 to 90 mm.

Devices with special screws

The ANEX 3476 includes a Y-type 1.8 mm tip, five-groove 1.3 and 1.8 mm tips, a six-groove T4 tip, a six-groove tip with a hole and a Phillips #00. Check the screw size in your device against these tips before you start.

Slotted screws only

The VESSEL TD-55 covers slotted 0.9 to 3.5 mm. The ENGINEER DM-30 lists each slotted tip by width and thickness, from 1.0 × 0.2 to 3.5 × 0.7 mm, which helps when a slot is narrow or shallow.

Smallest screwsVESSEL TD-56S

Phillips #0000 to #0, slotted 0.7 and 0.9 mm, made in Japan.

View TD-56S

Everyday electronicsANEX 900

4 slotted + Phillips #00, #0, color-coded caps, 110 g, made in Japan.

View ANEX 900

36 bits, one handleVESSEL 9836

36 S2 precision bits and one handle, for small screws only.

View 9836

Special screwsANEX 3476

Y-type, five-groove, six-groove T4 and Phillips #00, made in Japan.

View 3476

Phillips onlyENGINEER DM-20

Phillips #0000 to #1, six drivers, 123 g.

View DM-20

Compact bit setANEX 3600

Six tips on three double-ended bits, storage bag, 95 g, made in Japan.

View 3600

How to choose a precision screwdriver set

1. List the screws you open. Look at the devices you work on and note the head type (Phillips, slotted, special) and the smallest size.
2. Check that the set includes those sizes. Every set here except the VESSEL 9836 lists all its tips. A set with more pieces is not better if it skips the size you need.
3. Fixed drivers or bits. Fixed drivers (one tip per driver) are quick to pick up and have no joint between bit and handle. Bit sets cover more tip types in less space.
4. Find the size fast. Color-coded caps (ANEX 900) save time when you swap sizes often.
5. Use it correctly. Pick the tip that fills the recess and press down firmly while turning, as EngineerFix advises, to avoid cam-out.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japanese Screwdrivers by Job: VESSEL, ANEX and ENGINEER Picks
• VESSEL vs ANEX: Which Japanese Screwdriver Brand Should You Buy?
• Japanese Alternatives to Wera and Wiha: VESSEL and ANEX Screwdrivers, Bit Ratchets and Hex Keys
• JIS vs. Phillips Explained
• Japanese precision screwdrivers
• All VESSEL tools
• All ANEX tools
• All ENGINEER tools

Sources

• VESSEL, Precision Screwdriver Set No. TD-56S (manufacturer page)
• EngineerFix, A Complete Guide to Phillips Screwdriver Sizes
• Wikipedia, Pentalobe screw
• Product specifications: each linked product page in our store (VESSEL, ANEX, ENGINEER).

Last reviewed: October 2026.