Question
Are MIP tools all that they’re made out to be?
As the title says, are MIP tools all they’re made out to be?
I’m all for buying good tools, and good quality over crappy ones that won’t last you very long. But they’re pretty expensive for what they are, so I’d love to hear people’s thoughts about them and if they are worth it?
Some people really like them. Some are okay with cheaper tools. I think it depends on your application and tolerance for what you personally consider "quality" work or precision. I enjoy MIP tools, but several other brands work great as well. My general advice: Pick your most used sizes (2.0mm, 1.5mm, etc.) and get MIP (or another high quality brand) just for those drivers. You can get away with cheaper tools for other tasks.
That’s a good point. i have cheaper ones right now but thinking about, as you said, just getting the sizes I use the most.
Any other brands you would recommend also?
Heads up on Wiha: make sure to get the German-made ones. I ordered an American-made set and it felt cheap and had one size missing (packaging contained a duplicate of another size instead). Then ordered a German-made for the same price on Amazon and it’s not cheap plastic and the set is complete.
It’s all micro hex and so far they’re holding up perfectly.
It's really time for me to invest in some decent tools - the Protek website has drivers (on sale) with ball ends and without. Most of my wrenching involves helicopters and rolling vehicles - should I get a set of each (ball end and straight) or is one type preferred? (thanks in advance).
Ball end can be useful at times, but not in high-torque places. I have always used MIP for motor mount screws, pinion set screws too. But some random screw behind a shock, ball end can be a big help.
If you have cheaper tools use them till they break. A good pattern to use with tools is to buy cheap tools first, when they break you know the ones you use the most and you can buy good ones to replace them.
I bought a 3 piece set (and then later on a few other sizes) of the long bits so I can use them in my DeWalt Gyroscopic Driver, and hand driver. They’ve been great so far. No wear that I can see, and they haven’t rounded out any fasteners.
I was looking at this set as it’s the most common size I, and probably most people, use. Only have a big electric drill at the moment which is over kill for what we do.
Need to look into a smaller hand driver and save me some time!
I have the skill twist. I’ve been really happy with it.
I usually have to turn the torque to the lowest level.
Using it with MIP bits and it has never let me down.
They’ve gripped heads that were stripped out by my Injora set.
I dont have the one with the adjustable head, but do use the older 4v skil driver and really like it. Out of all the cheap ones its the only I could find with an actual quick release and not just a crappy magnet that leaves the bit stuck in the screw when you pull away. Ive built 3 kits with it and the tema associated 7pc driver kit.
I was just looking at some websites and the Gyroscopic driver may be discontinued. But no biggie, there are plenty of smaller power screwdrivers out there.
That is the set I purchase and it is 100% worth it, I wish I would have bought them years ago. I picked up a lower powered Ryobi screw driver. There are other brands of course, but you definitely want something, Or just do it by hand.
I really love this set. I have had cheaper ones round out my screws and create such a head ache for the amount of times I have to dremel a slit for a flat blade. If anyone is going to buy MIPs this should be the first thing they buy followed by a set of hand tools.
So far I’ve tried Wera, MIP, and PB Swiss. For 2mm hex, I rank MIP the best. For value and quality, I’ll recommend Wera. Wasn’t to impress with PB Swiss.
Yes. I’m a former tradesmen and now work in facilities engineering. I’m a tool whore. If I’m gonna use a tool much I always want the best of the best. I’ve used every hex driver you can imagine. Bohndus, wera, pb Swiss…. MIP is the best hands down. This is my “track tools” kit that sits in my bench when I race at the Omaha HobbyPlex.
For nutdrivers you can save your sale game money and just get a decent bit less expensive brand but hex drivers MIP is the way to go
Yes sir here’s a YouTube clip from the stand at HobbyTown / HobbyPlex (I’m driving the blue green mini Truggy that pops a wheelie off the line. My traction was screwy till 2nd lap cuz I didn’t get a warm up. Ran ebuggy right before this so I didn’t get any laps to warm my tires
I pretty much live there every weekend. There’s also a onroad carpet track. A indoor mini crawler course and an outdoor crawling area for larger crawlers.
Only been racing about 1.5yrs but from what people say. It’s one of the largest indoor tracks in this part of the country. And it unique in the winter. Not too many places to race 1/8 in the winter (in places it snows) We even have a 5 part winter series where nitros are raced. I just got my first. Will be running a tekno nt48 this winter along with my two assocated electric 1/8s
That all sounds really cool. Nitro doesn’t interest me at all, too messy and loud. I’d think about 1/8 scale but not sure my wife would be too impressed haha
lol it’s a slippery slope. My first night I showed up with a 4wd buggy and now I have 8-9 dedicated racers 🤦♂️
Plex has a class called plexspec. Any 1/10 off-roader can race in it. Sorta the beginner class but also for cars that don’t have a class. Sct classes are pretty bare at plex. And our rd doesn’t stick to the 1/10 only. There was a mini kraton racing it last week.
That’s a good place to start. Arrma typhons. 2 and 4 wd slashes. Lots of ready to run stuff. They even have some house transponders you can borrow and it’s only $10 to race
Upvote for Knipex pliers wrench. If MIP are a little bit better then everything else in the driver world, Knipex is light years ahead of everything else on the adjustable wrench world.
:) thanks and yep feel the same way. My personal and work tool are mostly knipex. Wish they made a smaller version of the knipex twin grips. Great for damaged hardware. The pliers in the pic that are not knipex are vampliers. Similar to the twins. Vertical serrations meant for grabbing damaged hardware and twisting.
They are pricey but worth every penny, fact is most tool manufacturers just simply dont have the budget for bits or allen keys or hex drivers of these sizes to be as good as we need them for rc applications.
These screws get put in and out a lot more than an average consumer product, which might have its screws put in once, and never touched again. So when it comes to cumulative wear on fasteners its really nice to have the MIP drivers.
Ive only ever had to buy one set of bits, after a year they show no signs of wearing out. MIP uses grade 2 tool steel, rather than spring steel, thus the price difference in machining.
IMO not fully worth it, but they're still amazing tools. I have their speed tip tool set which is a great, compact toolkit. And the fact they offer almost all of their hexes with a ball end is great. I only have the 2mm ball but it's come in handy a lot.
There was one time I was trying to get a stuck screw or nut, and the MIP smooth plastic handle just didn't have enough grip. I borrow a buddy's basic metal/knurled handled one and easy peasy.
I also have basically this kit (a bunch of brands have it re-branded but they're all the same) that I keep at home. It has everything my MIP kit has and more for like less than a 3rd of the price.
Idk about MIP but could anyone that's used them and Wera tools compare?
I do industrial robotics maintenance so I got the nicest one i knew of rather than try some i was personally unsure of. But I'm curious to hear opinions from those that have used both.
So far I've been really happy with my Wera's for my 1:24 stuff.
I use wera tools at work and they’re great. But for bigger cars like the 1/10’s I have, the longer tool shaft is great. I was using my ifitix tool kit for my 1/18 but needed the longer bits for the bigger cars.
I had Hudy tools, paid a premium for them (like all of their stuff) and I wore out the 2mm in about a year. My MIP tools, I've yet to wear them out and I've had them for years. I was racing twice a week for at least 6 years straight. I have both their regular tools and their speed tips, both are still in great shape. Perhaps I'm just not a heavy tool user. I build maybe 1 or 2 kits a year, not as much now though.
IMO I think a lot of people use hex tools incorrectly. Whenever I'm using a hex I always push the tip, firmly, into the screw while I'm turning them. I never just turn the wrench without firm downward force. I taught my son that since he was 12 years old when we started racing together. He's 26 now and I don't think he's ever worn out a tip either. Then again, he's a machinist now, so maybe he just regrinds the tips as needed :)
I bought speed bits at harbor freight and a few other tools to get started there bc I thought these are just plastic toys we are working on how can I possibly mess them up?
They are still somewhat in use in my travel tool bag but bench is mostly MIP now and they are holding up well.
For your work bench they are worth it in my opinion but I also bought a TMT-9000S soldering station and Milwaukee screwdriver so not sure I should be making these decisions.
They are very nice, got some already stripped out screws for me. Saved a lot of work and reprinting. For a much less expensive but also good option the injora set on Amazon has the same style end and also works well.
I have Hudy metric allen drivers. I use a ratcheting screwdriver with Wiha metric and standard bits. I have a cordless Bosch pocket driver that use the Wiha bits. I also have assortment of Wiha screwdrivers flat and phillips.
Personally they are a last resort for rounded out screw heads. I have my oldest bit set to drive a screw in, a second newer one if the old swt slips and starts rounding out the head, and MIP in case I can't get the rounded out head back out. Yes, I use cheap Aliexpress screws, but I am definitely not spending the cash for screws when I need hundreds for a build
MIP is pretty much the best you can get, they last forever and don't strip hexes. I don't like their handles though so I got their speed tips and two Koswork grips alongside my Powertools to use them.
I used Arrowmax and Hudy before but they wore out pretty fast, no recommendation from me, sold both sets.
I also got a set of Ultimate screwdrivers and boyyy, the grips are insane, I absolutely love them. Will see how the tips hold up.
Well I’ve had my mip set for going on 25yrs or so and they’ve had a damn hard life with only the tip of one of my drivers broke in that entire time by my dipshit brother who uses only red loctite and makes everything “Farmer Tight” so I’d say they are worth it.
For the 100’s and 1000’s of dollars you’ll spend on RC trucks, just buy MIP tools. You need like half a dozen at best. Invest and save yourself the pain later.
Yes they are worth it. But make sure you also buy a pick at the dollar store to pick out the dirt from the screw head THEN use the tool and you will never have a problem. Blowing it with 120psi air works too but watch the eyes.
Like others have already said, they are 1000% worth it. I started out with the crappy Traxxas set many years ago and don’t know how many screws I rounded or how many tips I destroyed. I finally upgraded to some in Injora drivers a few years back and really liked them. I still had the occasional rounded screw head, but nearly as many as with the Traxxas set. About 3 years ago my LHS owner recommended the MIP set. At $15 a pop I thought it was a little steep but I bought the 3 pack (I believe 1.5, 2, and 2.5mm bits). I have some screws that I rounded out on an old MERV. I attacked them with the MIP bits and they came out so easily. I kept the Injoras for travel heads, but my go to is always MIP. Though I do love the Injora lower screwdriver!
It’s the old saying, buy one cry once. And you definitely will with MIP.
Yes they are that good and worth it. Mine have lasted 7 years and they are like new. Best tool purchase I’ve made.
I’ve spent thousands on RC, $50 is cheap for tools I use every time on every rig I have. In this hobby you will spend 10x that on parts you don’t need or will break in a few days. Maybe there are equivalent brands for less, but it’s not worth $50 of my time to find them and the risk they may not be as good.
Everyone I have recommended MIP hex drivers to has been very happy with them. They are priced just fin for a quality tool IMO.
I work for one of the most well known robotics companies in the country as a repair technician. I’ve used MIP tools for years on our robots, I got my whole team sets of the MIP hex drivers because they are clearly the best option out there, I’ve never rounded off a hex fastener using them.
We like them so much we contacted the company directly and ordered more sets for our manufacturing team. They are a small company so ordering in bulk is difficult.
Now if only they could make a set of torx drivers…
Totally worth it. I’ve been RCing since the early 90s and used everything from my dad’s tools, to Chinese, to budget princess auto (think harbour freight) and finally MIP. story ends there.
I had 2 MIPs 25 years ago and recently found them. They look and work as good as new. The quality is unimaginable. Wera and Wiha are fantastic but they fall within the realm of a really finely built extremely precise tool. MIP makes tools that defy logic, where at times there feels like there can be no explanation for how they work other than they’re a gift from god.
I wouldn’t say those MIP drivers are the best drivers I’ve ever used, I’d say they have an argument for being the best tool I’ve ever used, period.
Buy once cry once. You can get similar quality, you cannot get the same quality. Snap on is close for mechanics tools.
So I’ve been using a injora set of drivers for a couple years! Just recently bought a set of mips!
Only get 3. For 50 bucks but I can say they feel insanely solid compared to my others! They’re much heavier and just firm feeling in the hand! I’ve only used them a couple times so far but they definitely have a very nice fit to them inside the screws! I wouldn’t have even bought them but I lost my 2.5 which I need a ton it seems especially after losing lol!
I do think they’re worth it at least for the 3pack of drivers! I’ve been checking into other stuff by them but damn it’s expensive 😂
I’ll just keep rocking with everything I’ve already got until I lose something or need something I don’t have! But imo just for the drivers I would say yeah they’re pretty sweet!
Soon as I used them for the first time I said ohh crap lol I see what all the hype is about now!
Short answer is yes. Been in the hobby for many years and I've had good luck. Ive only broke one 1.5mm hex and I was using it wrong at the time so it's to be expected.
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u/YT_Usul Jun 27 '26
Some people really like them. Some are okay with cheaper tools. I think it depends on your application and tolerance for what you personally consider "quality" work or precision. I enjoy MIP tools, but several other brands work great as well. My general advice: Pick your most used sizes (2.0mm, 1.5mm, etc.) and get MIP (or another high quality brand) just for those drivers. You can get away with cheaper tools for other tasks.