A key thing with drivers is the alloy and workmanship; while cheap made-in-China drivers are often bad, a low cost alternative are Taiwanese drivers and it must says so either stamped on the shaft or the box. They are often sold in computer stores, rather than hardware stores. So far, Taiwan tools have not been counterfeited by the Chinese, I guess there is some pride in not using brands for their rival 'rouge' nation. Japanese drivers are good too, but they are rare in the USA.
Wiha, Wera, Excelite and many many others are superb, but while the alloys are first rate, the push to economy has reduced quality control. So don't expect perfection from Germany, as was once their reputation, its mostly in the finish of the handles and the alignment of the driver shaft to the handles.
Depending on how often you use drivers, if you're not a professional technician, Taiwan tools can work well. Poor alloys will deform with one use, better drivers may succumb after metal fatigue with repeated use or rarely with age. Great alloys last a lifetime. Good tools are often steel alloys with Chromium, molybdenium,vanadium, the best I've used is CMV, all 3, or pairs of them, CroMo or CV. What results is the best qualities of steel for tools: ductility, hardness etc., suffice to say good ones never deform, the lesser ones may snap, and the best will not yield, you can apply quite a bit of torque to them to deal with the stuck screw and it will be worth the cost when that happens.
A set of 6-7 micro drivers from Wiha will run about $20-30. I also have long shafted micro drivers from Taiwan that cost $5 for a whole set, good for reaching into deep slots, they are CV steel, see photo. You can see in this photo the alignment issues with the Taiwan drivers. They are not bent by me but were made that way, they cannot be straightened because the steel is hard.
When I get these in computer stores I test it by taking a long nose on the shelving and try to bend the heads, if it doesn't yield, that cheapo will likely work well. If it breaks, I give it the service person and tell them the product is defective.
Security drivers are another issue, as they are less prolific, Taiwan versions can be mixed. While the steel is often good, the casting is subpar, yielding unevenly casted heads, that may not fit properly, or will apply torque in the wrong points, that could strip a screw. What I've done is look at the tools on the shelve and compare the heads, I've mixed and matched the sets to get a perfect one, but again it depends if you have that much choice. A $7 set of security drivers run $70 for a Wiha variant.
Finally, I never lend my good tools to anyone
That's the reason I have to buy more, they get lost. I now have a set of Taiwan sacrificial tools for lending, or easy access, and keep the good one's locked away.
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