Chromium-molybdenum-vanadium, CMV, alloy steel is the reason to get this set of Wiha precision drivers, or any competitor drivers such as XceliteXcelite XP600 6-Piece Precision Slotted and Phillips Screwdriver Set . Wiha however, offers more driver sizes and a case compared to the equivalent Xcelite. CMV alloy is used from aircraft landing gear to gun barrels with the actual percentage of the key ingredients determining its ultimate strength compared to other CMV mixtures; regardless, any CMV is far stronger than plain steel, and often of steel made of CM or CV only. Precision drivers have tiny thin tips, and hand torque can easily deform or snap tips made of softer metals; I've destroyed many cheaper drivers this way. You can buy almost 4-10 sets of Chinese made Home Depot or no-name brand precision drivers against one Wiha set that could last you a few projects, or none. Alas, cheap drivers can break or deform when you least expect it, or its machined poorly and outright deforms the screw head, adding more to your repair work, or bring it to a halt until a new driver is found. There was a time steel tools in the US were made of good alloys, but today you can get drivers that look good, but of poor quality steel. Consumers cannot confirm the type of steel in a product because testing is destructive and highly specialized. You'll have to take the makers word for it that its really CMV steel and trust them; unknown brands could simply label it fraudulently and charge more, so maker reputation is key to good steel. Xcelite stamps the makeup of some tools on the handles. Drivers can be out of alignment with the handle or worse, as some negative reviews mention. Its not obvious at first glance, but closer inspection shows I have one in my set and is posted on the photos. Based on the finishing on the shaft, the Wiha driver is a slight bit more economically made compared to typical Xcelite, but Wiha models are so widely available. Given Wiha's reputation, I'd simply exchange it as the chances are the replacement will be fine. Perusing Xcelite, I noticed even their promotion photo, the 2nd driver from the right is slightly out of alignment with the handle, see photoXcelite XP600 6-Piece Precision Slotted and Phillips Screwdriver Set ; the shaft is slightly to the right and you can see it on the shadow. A less than mathematically perfect driver can be still be practically perfect, so absolute straightness may not be necessary, so I rate Wiha drivers an excellent value. There is no reason to settle for less than perfection, but the CMV tool makers are few today, so one may have to compromise with minor imperfections, and its easy to exchange Amazon purchases.
