Buying screwdrivers anymore?

[JHZR2]

What's the point? I mean, with the 1/4 hex becoming ubiquitous for everything from impacts to ratchets (I've seen a bunch of ratchets now have 1/4" female hex), what's the point of traditional screwdrivers? One good handle (I prefer ratcheting) and a tiny box of 1/4" bits gets you any driver interface you need, including hex itself up to around 6mm. Get bits with the right shank and they're good in an impact driver too.

So who is buying regular screw drivers anymore and why?

 

[cb_13]

Around the house I use a Craftsman handle with set of hex bits. That set up doesn't always fit/reach into the area's I need a screwdriver for when doing automotive work though.

 

[spackard]

I like my Snap-On ratcheting driver a lot, but sometimes a conventional gets into places a ratcheting cannot, plus length, and a regular won't go walkies at work. Use a conventional for a prybar. A hex always takes extra setup and teardown; a conventional I can just grab and use.

Last I bought was a used, longish #3 Phillips, Wiha. But yeah, I buy mostly bits. I have sufficient screwdrivers.

Also, for portability or weight, a 4-in-1 on the motorcycle or grab a Klein 11-in-1. I don't like the wiggling but I like the portability.

 

[Merkava_4]

You can count me as a traditional screwdriver guy. I love my MAC hard handles. They may be hard handles, but they feel very good in my hand.

 

[oldhp]

I have to have a screwdriver.......lost all my chisels, and pry bars.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
[font:Verdana]You can count me as a traditional screwdriver guy. I love my MAC hard handles. They may be hard handles, but they feel very good in my hand


Very nice set! I'm a hard handle guy myself, The rubber stuff doesn't last in ATF.

 

[anndel]

I still use conventional screw drivers - either Snap On or Craftsman.

 

[silvercivicsi]

I use those free screwdrivers that you get with a purchase at harbor freight, must have 6 or 7 sets all over my work bench.

My "good" screwdrivers are a craftsman set that I got from my uncle when I was 13. They were his and he passed them on to me, no idea how old they are but I like 'em.

 

[hpb]

I have about 30 different screwdrivers, but I always come back to my old favorite, a Snap-On ratcheting type that I purchased 23 years ago as an eager young apprentice mechanic. It cost about $90, a lot of money at the time! It has proven a worthy investment however. The torque you can exert on stubborn screws with that thing is amazing. It came in a plastic case with a whole heap of different bits, including Torx, and I replaced lost ones over the years with genuine Snap-On stuff.

I still buy a new box of Stanley screwdrivers every couple of years, just to use and abuse, and I don't get too upset if I misplace one or two.

 

[jacky]

i use a #2 philips for everything
i like like screwdrivers with a soft rubber handle

 

[Trav]

I cant get use to multi bit drivers, they just feel fat and clumsy to me.
Sometimes you need a thin shaft driver or a longer screwdriver, last night i needed one for a door panel, no way a 1/4 hex is going into the recess.

IMO they are good to keep in the car as an emergency tool to save space or for those small security head torx and allen head screws where you don't want to buy a whole set of singles.

 

[stephen9666]

Trav has it right.

Bit drivers are often too short or bulky for a lot of jobs. Just last week I was removing some trim to inspect something on our Beetle and there's no way a bit driver would have worked.

Bit drivers have their place. I own and use them, but they aren't a total replacement for screwdrivers.

 

[spasm3]

I've used them in tight places, like radiator or heater hoses, where the bulky bit driver will not fit. Prying things, like sinks from a counter top.

 

[Kestas]

I switched to hex bits 25 years ago and never looked back... at least for most of my automotive work. The tips are hardened to 62 Rockwell C. I don't think standard screwdrivers are that hard, and they get messed up sooner in tough situations. You can choose the right sized tips for the job without having an array of ten screwdrivers. The downside is the tips fall out at the most inopportune places.

I still like to have conventional screwdrivers at my basement tool bench for lighter work.

I keep a screwdriver in my toolbox dedicated for prying and chiseling.

 

[simple_gifts]

I am assuming the original post is regarding "people size" mechanical type stuff.

Plenty of computer/electronics work where the proposed alternative is a non starter.

edit:ah i see all my ? have just been addressed.

 

[fdcg27]

I have some of each.
A real screwdriver is typically easier to use with really tight or awkwardly placed fasteners, while a driver with a bunch of bits can be useful where you don't have a screwdriver with exactly the right head or you don't feel like carrying along a bunch of screwdrivers to find the exactly correct fit.
Both have their uses.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

"old style" screwdrivers have many uses.

1. they are skinnier, so you can stick them down holes(sometimes you have to grid the heels off)

2. you can grind on them and make tools, like I have made a drum brake spring removal tool out of a screwdriver.

3. you can use them as PRYBARS, wedges, poor man chisels.

4. a traditional screw driver can be RESHARPENED AND RETAPERED.

 

[dlundblad]

Funny this is brought up. While in Menards yesterday, I bought a clearanced black and decker bit set that came with a case for $3. I find myself needing non traditional bit more and more so I figured this was worth the purchase.

I still find myself using "old" screwdrivers though. They are great to have around and have many uses. The parents bought me this a few years ago with my name etched in them. Doubt Ill ever have to buy any more assuming these don't come up missing.

http://www.searsoutlet.com/8-pc-Screwdriver-Set/d/product_details.jsp?pid=14439&mode=seeAll

 

[tom slick]

I need screwdrivers for electrical and electronics work to the point that I have specialized screwdrivers just for screw terminals on stuff like PLCs.

 

[HerrStig]

The Phillips on high end Japanese audio and communications gear are slightly different in head configuration, just enough that you can mess a tight one up with a "US epec" Phillips. Japanese bike carbs can be the same way. I got a good set of drivers from "Nationalist" China for short bucks which fit perfectly.