Well [member=58818]Mini Me[/member] I guess it kind of depends on the shape of the tip you are using.
I am very much in the Robertson camp(square), for assembly type screws, with Pozi #2 for most of the hardware.
I absolutely hate Phillips, doing all I can to avoid them. Drywall guys love them for the cam-out, which is why they are so bad for nearly everything else.
Like Oliver said, the 1" insert bits (Phillips) are effectively consumable/disposable. That's why so many retailers sell them in 10 packs (or more). I generally buy them in one of the big box stores, in one of the bigger contractor tool brands (DeWalt/Makita etc) They hold up better, in the limited use I give them.
I try not to use Phillips under power, hand drive only, if possible.
I try to avoid insert bits anyway, preferring the 2" (50mm), mostly because I drive cabinet screws with an impact driver. They don't do so well with magnetic inserts, because they have a tendency to pull out, leaving the tip in the last screw.
Lots of people like Torx (star) bits too, but I still prefer square, they seem to be the least strip-prone.
All that being said, I keep virtually every type/size in my box, since I don't have a choice is many cases.
I have them all in 2" Hex (fractional and metric) Torx, Robertson, Pozi, and Phillips. The specialty oddball ones are all 1" inserts.
I also have a pretty big selection of 100mm, usually used with a hand driver. Those are all Festool, which I assume are Wera? They don't say anything other than Festool.
Brand wise, the others are mostly Wera too, except for the Phillips from the hardware store.
My hand drivers are Wera too, but that is a more recent purchase. I used Bondhus before, still use them occasionally, but they are ball-tip. That's one of those pluses that is also a minus at times.
If I nee seriously stubby, it's a 1" bit in the right-angle attachment of the CXS.....and rethink my decisions [blink]
So, at least in my opinion, the better quality brands are indeed better. They fit the fastener better, and last longer. It's a delicate balance between hard enough not to just mush, but not so glass hard that they break. That is how my favorite #2 square bits normally die. I use the same one daily, for multiple years, driving thousands of screws. Then suddenly, that tiny little 1/8" or so that is actually inside the screw has a catastrophic failure, staying in that screw forever. This is all with an impact driver, so it is probably causing it, but it's over such a long time, I don't mind.
Kind of a ramble, but I hope it helps.
