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Screwdriver for glasses

Updated: 22 October 2026

The arm on your glasses is loose, and the kit in the basket only says glasses on the title. A screwdriver for glasses has to be the thinnest flat that fills the slot. The word glasses is not a measurement. This page stays on spectacle hinges and the same sort of tiny screw on a watch link. The wider table is the [precision screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/precision-screwdriver). Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings and UK review notes on 22 October 2026 and did not measure tip thickness with a gauge. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The arm on your glasses is loose, and the kit in the basket only says glasses on the title. A screwdriver for glasses has to be the thinnest flat that fills the slot. The word glasses is not a measurement.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Kraftform Micro 12

Best overall

Wera Wera Kraftform Micro 12
8.9/10about £37.21
View offer
flintronic flintronic 18-piece mini set

Alternative

flintronic flintronic 18-piece mini set
8.8/10about £5.99
View offer
JKG JKG 11-piece mini set

Alternative

JKG JKG 11-piece mini set
8.5/10about £3.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why a normal screwdriver ruins the screw
  2. 2.What the sets in this comparison actually list
  3. 3.Magnet, cloth, and how hard to turn
  4. 4.When a phone kit is the wrong tool

Why a normal screwdriver ruins the screw

A spectacle hinge screw is a short slotted screw in a soft frame. A cabinet flat sits on the rim, cams out, and the frame takes the twist. Optical sellers say to work over a light cloth, keep the driver straight, seat the tip, press gently, and stop when the arm is snug. Hanford's SIL205, which is not one of the eleven ASINs here, lists slotted blades at 0.9, 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 2.4, and 3 mm, plus small Phillips sizes. Treat about 0.9 to 1.5 mm as the range optical kits often print, not as the size of every frame. How a piece count hides the size line is on the precision screwdriver buying guide.

What the sets in this comparison actually list

JKG, B0D31HMR2V, is £3.99 and 4.1 from 563. The title names glasses, watches, and doorbells. There is no size table. UK reviews say the flats are too thick for glasses and watch screws, and that the case does not click shut. Skip it for a hinge. The skip line is also on the best precision screwdriver set page. flintronic, B0B18TFDZR, is £5.99 and 4.5 from 927. The bullet lists Phillips from 0.8 mm to 3.0 mm and slotted drivers from 1.2 mm. A UK review used it on a sunglasses hinge. Others say the size marks are missing, the magnet is weak, and the case is brittle. The head-style line says pentalobe, which the bullet does not support. Wera's Kraftform Micro 12 is £37.21 and 4.8 from 6,715. The pouch can bend the shafts, and the amazon spec block does not list a 1.2 mm flat. Buy it when you already know the mix, not because the page says glasses.
Wera Wera Kraftform Micro 12

Testsieger

Wera Wera Kraftform Micro 12
8.9/10about £37.21
View offer

Magnet, cloth, and how hard to turn

Work over a light cloth. Hinge screws are short, and a carpet ends the job. Gareschten's title says magnetic. One UK review held a spectacle screw on the head. Others say the tips were not magnetic, or that the magnet was weak, and that a magnetiser arrived with no instructions. flintronic includes a magnetiser and still draws a weak-magnet note. JKG does not answer magnetism on the spec lines. Test on a spare screw over the cloth. Stop when the arm is snug. Another hard half-turn is how acetate cracks. That is a rule of thumb, not a torque from these listings. If the screw spins without tightening, the other side of the hinge is turning with it. A watch link is the same scale and not the same screw. Some bracelets use a pin. The flat that suited your glasses may not suit the link.

When a phone kit is the wrong tool

Phone kits are built around P2, Torx, and tri-point. Those bits do not drive a slotted hinge. Send them to the precision screwdriver for iPhone page. You want a printed flat near 1.2 mm, a Phillips only if the hinge is a cross, and a case that stays shut. If the frame is bent or the lens is popping out, an optician has the nuts a £5.99 set does not include. Stop as well when the slot is already round.

Common questions

What size flat fits a glasses hinge?
There is no single width for every frame. UK optical and jeweller lists often print flats from about 0.9 mm to 1.5 mm, which is the range on pages such as Hanford's SIL205, not a measurement of our bits. Use the thinnest flat that fills the slot and sits on the bottom. If it perches on the rim, it is too thick, whatever the title says.
Do I need Phillips as well as flat?
Often yes. Some hinges are a tiny cross, and some are a slot. Hanford's example set includes both PH00 and the small flats. In this comparison, flintronic's bullet lists Phillips from 0.8 mm and slotted from 1.2 mm. Look at the screw. A flat in a cross, or a cross on a slot, cams out just as a thick flat does.
How tight is tight enough on a hinge?
Snug enough that the arm does not flop, and loose enough that the frame is not twisting. Stop when the arm sits in place. Another hard half-turn is how acetate cracks. That is a rule of thumb from optical how-tos, not a Newton-metre from these amazon listings. If the screw spins without tightening, the other side of the hinge is turning with it.
Is a watch bracelet the same screw?
It is the same kind of small fastener, not a guaranteed match. A UK reviewer bought the Wera set for a watch-band screw. The spec block still does not list blade widths. Some bracelets use a pin rather than a screw. Seat whatever tip fills the recess, and do not assume the flat that suited your glasses will suit the link.
What if the screw is already rounded?
Stop. A thinner bit has nothing left to bite, and more force drives the stub into the frame or snaps the head. An optician can replace the hinge screw. The same stop applies if the lens is loose or the frame is bent. A new £3.99 set does not repair a slot you have already polished smooth.

Related pages

How to use a precision screwdriver

Precision screwdriver

Best precision screwdriver set: who should skip it

Precision screwdriver buying guide: match the recess

Precision screwdriver for iPhone bottom screws (P2)

Sources

Public UK sources are listed below. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 22 October 2026. This page did not lab-test the sets. A hardness figure on a bullet was not measured here.

  1. HSE, work near electricity (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Which?, what to do with a faulty product (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. ISO 8764-1:2004, cross-recess screwdriver tips (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. ISO 2380-1:2004, slotted screwdriver tips (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Wera Kraftform Micro 12 Universal 1 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Klein Tools UK, precision screwdriver set (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. iFixit, pentalobe screwdrivers (retrieved 22 October 2026)