Smallest Phillips or Jis Screwdrivers

[SgtRock]

Greeting EEVBees:
     I need to disassemble a lot of laptop displays. They all have a lot of various and extremely small phillips type screws. I want to make sure I have a full selection of the smallest possible phillips type screwdrivers.
     I have had a particularly difficult time with screws holding the inverter boards to their clips. In order to get them out I invented what I like to call the "Bodgered Buggaroo" using an extremely small flat bit and a small set of Vise Grips. I thought I had invented the "Bodgered Buggaroo" but my friend said it had been independently invented countless times, and was first documented by a kit man from Bletchley Park who said famously "Hell! Anyone can do the job with the right tools"
     I would like to know what the smallest phillips type drivers are and where to obtain them. Could someone please point me to information and supply. I am in the US, but will buy from anywhere.
     You are also invited to recount your own screwdriver difficulties.
     P.S. Congratulation AUS, UK and NZ. Merriam Webster US has just added Boffin to its list of approved words. Bodger and Plonk cannot be far behind.
Clear Either

[saturation]

Check wiha catalog, they know screwdrivers.  From there, you can choose other brands.  If you want tools to last a lifetime, look at German made Wiha, but they are not cheap.

For example, Wiha set of precision drivers typically for watches or iPods etc., about $30.  No-name Chinese brand, about $1-3, US label drivers from Home Depot or Harbor Freight, same set of sizes but made in China too, about $5-10.

http://www.wihatools.com/

Are they worth the money?  The trick is finding tools made of chrome vanadium molybdenum steel, they last long and to know its really made of it.   Long ago, 1980s circa Sears craftsman and US made screwdrivers of various brands were made of this and they lasted forever, you typically lost them rather than the driver break.  Cheap drivers don't tell you what type of metal they use, and even if they did, there is no way for a consumer to check it for accuracy other than using a press to destroy it and see if its tensile strength is of good steel.  I've broken many cheapo driver from metal fatigue or with just with hand torque.  It has halted a lot of my work because I have no other tool to use.  So fed up, I splurged on these and life is good.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Smallest Pozi driver I've seen is 000, although it's rare to see anything smaller than 00 outside of miniature stuff like watches, cameras etc.
00 drivers are pretty common as they are often supplied free with replacement LCDs for handheld games etc. 000 tends to be more the realm of precision makers like CK and Wiha :
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=500006+1003068&Ntk=gensearch_001&Ntt=000+driver&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial

You may also encounter some small torx heads, so it's handy to have tx7 down to about tx5 or tx4 drivers.


 

[SgtRock]

Thanks to all. Just what I needed.

[saturation]

Here's a sample of what happens to cheapo drivers after one use at the wrong torque.

CMV steel is typically used for extra strength apps like gun barrels, rail road ties, and aircraft landing gear.  The exact formula can change but the trio combo creates a very strong alloy.  So any CMV steel tool is the best there is; the only difference is the actual composition of rare elements in the alloy: some CMV steel can be slightly better, or worse, than others depending if the foundry is looking for economy CMV steel [ less rare elements mixed in] or making the best ever.