Anyone else barely use screwdrivers?

[gaffobohs]

Well?

Just wondered this as I saw the thread on screwdrivers. And have seen many other threads on them too. I work as a diesel mechanic and find I barely use them at all. If I'm taking a dash apart or putting screws in I ALWAYS use my makita impact driver. Just have a cheap 100 piece master craft set set from canadian tire. Only times I really use them is if I'm wiring plug ends on block heater cords or using my flatheads as pry bars/picks/chisels.

Really don't think I could spend serious $$$ on a decent set.

Anyone else the same?

 

[Rossco]

Yeah I never use them for turning any kinda screw. Most self tappers here are Robinson heads.

They mainly get used for prying, chipping, scraping, cleaning etc.

 

[1950mercury]

Use them all the time. Ive never had an impact that was small enuff to replace them

 

[RedneckWelder]

I dont really like screwdrivers and instead prefer to use a drill with a bit adapter or a 1/4 impact driver. Seems I strip less heads that way and the job gets done faster.

 

[Techie1961]

I have a Milwaukee bit box that I have stuffed with Torx, Phillips, Robertson, Flat, nut drivers, metric sockets, and adapters. It seems that I carry it everywhere along with my Milwaukee 12V impact. Don't know how I ever lived without it. Barely touch the prybars, er, screwdrivers anymore.

 

[92integra]

i am in the same boat as you..... just got some regular old cman's for the punching and prying maybe ill bust out the tiny p0 once every 3 months..... for me snap on screw gun with a blue point 6 inch bit set get it done.... i really love that bit set thoe it has torx up to t30 and a p1-3 1 flat head and 1/4 magnet driver i gotta grab the part number so i can show you guy's the bit's flip up out of the case for easy removal and install back a screw gun in only going to strip it out.

 

[Filson]

Same boat x2. I use them, sure, but 85% of the time, it's all drill/impact. I never understood why people spend so much money for a set of Snap On screwdrivers. I've never broken a $30 dollar set of screwdrivers before. I just pick a set with comfy handles from a big box store and call it good. Haven't been disappointed yet.

 

[AndrewV]

I use mine often. A couple times a day.
But im lazy to. No point if i have room, use the snappy #2, #3 sockets, same for flats. And a lot of torx now that i think of it.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I'm with you OP. Working at a truck dealership I used my flat heads for scraping more than anything. I've bought a set of Williams (Snap-On) hard handles and a set of Craftsman Pros, but always go back to my M12 impact driver or Snap-On ratcheting driver.

 

[sonvolt]

I'm always using my screwdrivers and Allen wrenches I'm fixing machine tools though not cars.

 

[beatcad]

I use mine always. but I work on a bunch of things.
never for prying! I have other tools for that. ok maybe I will pry little things w/ the freebee tool truck screwdrivers only because ive got dozens of those

I work mostly on vintage stuff(cars/motorcycles/bicycles) so I need them a lot.
but almost always I will replace a flathead screw or bolt w/ a Phillips head or even a hex head or even an allen depending on what i'm doing.
the trim around the windshield of my '57 chevy I switched from flat to Phillips. sure it wasn't "stock" but I don't care.
theres nothing worse that trimming out a car(or bike) and slipping on a flathead screw and scratching fresh paint!
thank god for Mr. Phillips. yes, they're named that after the guy that invented the x pattern head.

 

[HTGTS350]

Ive come across so much dashboard carnage in newer vehicles caused by careless people with impacts that I seem to be using my screwdrivers more than ever, you just can't beat the torque control of tool in hand.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'm not a professional wrench for say, but I couldnt get by at work or at home without them. I might use them once a week or daily for a week, it all depends.

 

[gagreen]

Ive come across so much dashboard carnage in newer vehicles caused by careless people with impacts that I seem to be using my screwdrivers more than ever, you just can't beat the torque control of tool in hand.

This

 

[nicksnothereman]

Yeah I never use them for turning any kinda screw. Most self tappers here are Robinson heads.

Dude...get the p2/r2 bits (titanium coated) they're awesome.

Otherwise...screwdrivers + car=don't really get used to turn screws. There's some body screws though and of course pop rivets but it's typically low torque low trouble stuff.

I have ONE (count it!) dedicated screwdriver for automotive and it's slotted so it don't get used that much. That doesn't mean I don't have philips and it doesn't mean I don't use screwdrivers it just means I don't have specific automotive screwdrivers that are not torx. In retrospect even my torx drivers are not single purpose, use them on electronics sometimes. Hex, I've used on household stuff so no on specificity.

Since I have one dedicated screwdriver I can honestly say I have more screwdriver prys and sets than I have screwdrivers because I've got a bunch of those. Hey, cheap screwdrivers always get used.

I'm not saying I don't have a bunch of screwdrivers, I'm just saying I don't really use them for automotive stuff when it comes to turning fasteners. It's not something I would recommend loading up on versus other hand tools if you're planning on buying expensive stuff. Though, if you think you can get by on a craftsman 8 dollar crystal handle set as far as philips and slotted you're probably right. Not ideal but will get the job done, don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise.

 

[Zeroek]

I'm always using screwdrivers. I don't have a small impact driver. I use my cordless ratchet a lot though.

 

[MikeF2316]

Ive come across so much dashboard carnage in newer vehicles caused by careless people with impacts that I seem to be using my screwdrivers more than ever, you just can't beat the torque control of tool in hand.

Yup, nothing like seeing a screw head driven right through and cracking the tab on a dash panel on your new car...

Drill/drivers with adjustable clutches are so much better for installation, if only you're smart enough to set it correctly.

 

[MikeF2316]

I agree, most of my screw turning needs are done with impact drivers (or drill/drivers) these days. Last month I helped my brother move, we had to take the wooden feet off a sectional couch to get it out of his basement. He'd already packed his one (yes he only owns one!) cordless drill. We had to remove 2 screws from 4 feet per section time 4 sections - 32 long wood screws - by hand! It was horrible! All I could think of was my beautiful M12 impact sitting in my toolbox 20 miles away...

 

[Matt_C]

Not nearly as much as I used to. I tend to do more windscreens than I do door glasses these days, and many newer cars don't have screws holding scuttles or trims down; it's all clips and poppers.

When I do use screwdrivers, I generally use my ratchet screwdriver with whatever bit(s) I need for the fasteners. I don't really need a plethora of "single" screwdrivers, even though I have a set of Torx, a bunch of Phillips, and a largish flat, and an interchangeable shank Facom driver - I nearly always reach for the ratchet screwdriver. Either that or my drill driver with screwdriver bit in the end - but that's cos I'm lazy and it's much quicker!

But, even though I've got a few (in various forms of bits, shanks, and dedicated), I very very rarely use flat screwdrivers. I never understood (probably because of my line of work) how so many screwdriver sets had more flats in them than cross-points. Take the Snap-On sets - typically there's more flats than cross-points, and I see the other manufacturers do the same. I can't even say I've seen a package set of Phillips screwdrivers, like #1, 2, 3, and 4.

Now and again I do reach for single drivers - yesterday I needed a #2 Phillips to get a switch pack out of a door pad, and my ratchet screwdriver was too long and bulky to get in the space, so a smaller, dedicated driver was needed. Now and again I need a torx driver for a mirror boss or single screw, and it's quicker to grab the relevant torx driver than it is to grab the ratchet screwdriver and swap out the right bit. And sometimes you get that seriously stuck screw and I'll use a regular driver with a bolster on it to crack it off (there should be a rule that ALL screwdrivers should have a bolster on them!), and in a few specialty cases, like long and/or thin drivers needed for tight spaces. And I have a #4 Phillips for DAF truck bonnets; again with the bolster and also because a bit fat driver is usually needed for those.

 

[pepi]

Hardly ever and always wonder about these drawers full of them, I consistently see here.... Its like what's up with that......... filler for an over grown toolbox or pegboard ?

I have 10 can do anything I need, 5 common, 4 phillips and a reed & prince.

 

[Matt_C]

Hardly ever and always wonder about these drawers full of them, I consistently see here.... Its like what's up with that......... filler for an over grown toolbox or pegboard ?

I have 10 can do anything I need, 5 common, 4 phillips and a reed & prince.

My problem is, I don't have enough room in my toolbox, yet I still keep the rarely used screwdrivers in there "just in case", as I'd hate to need them and not have them to hand!

It's like spanners (wrenches). I don't often use those, as I nearly always use a 1/4" or 3/8" ratchet for nut/bolt work. However, I still have two sets (combination and flex-head ratcheting, both metric) in my box!

 

[csargents1546]

Same here, my drawer of screwdrivers hardly gets opened. Snap on driver keeps bringing around the promotional sets, I look at them and see really expensive waste of space, for me that is. Being a diesel engine guy, I have next to no use for hand drivers. Once in a great while, I need a Phillips removed, but that is what the cordless driver is for.

 

[87FoRunner]

I use a HF flathead in torsion mount tail lights a lot

I use a Snap-on ratcheting nutdriver and a handful of sockets when it's interior time. Most newer trucks are torx and very low torque.

I have a p3 bit'd socket I use on older International door parts a lot.

 

[LumpyMusic]

You mean some of you guys actually USE your tools? Not me. I just polish, refinish, keep them in my rebuilt vintage USA made Craftsman/SnapOn tool cabinets (I've had new steel panels milled out of US made steel, certified mined in the US by American citizens and touch up paint ground from certified US made pigments and solvents, kept in hand blown glass bottles). And of course, I argue on web forums about how my tools are better than your tools and about how the shift to offshore manufacturing has been the reason for the downfall of humanity. I'm quite sure my opinions are absolutely correct because whatever you've welded, I've welded something thicker and to tighter tolerances. And whatever amperage power you've installed, I've installed something higher, into a more expensive and critical project.

I'm on my 3rd 55 gallon drum of tool polish this year.

...


Sgt Lumpy

 

[Horror Business]

 

[jjjrmx5]

Ive come across so much dashboard carnage in newer vehicles caused by careless people with impacts that I seem to be using my screwdrivers more than ever, you just can't beat the torque control of tool in hand.

LOLZ.

So so so so true.

In my line of work, you can use a small impact to remove fasteners, but if working around plastic items like vehicle interiors, belly pans and the like, you'll get your *** fired in a second installing with them.

Had a captain douche-nugget floor asssembly guy try and use an impact to reinstall the guts of a dashboard on the passenger side where the A/C system is. He fractured two plastic hold down tabs with the molded in metal rings. He continued to put it all back in KNOWING what happened. Got vehicle interior all back in and QC guy took it for a spin only to hear a big rattle in the dash.

Guess what had to be done?
Well no ******* ****, *******.

Everyone's about speed. Not so much for technique or doing things PROPERLY. I hear about it in auto repair shops everday from co-workers and friends.

Just because you OWN tools does NOT mean you know how to use them.

/rant.

 

[RedneckWelder]

You mean some of you guys actually USE your tools? Not me. I just polish, refinish, keep them in my rebuilt vintage USA made Craftsman/SnapOn tool cabinets (I've had new steel panels milled out of US made steel, certified mined in the US by American citizens and touch up paint ground from certified US made pigments and solvents, kept in hand blown glass bottles). And of course, I argue on web forums about how my tools are better than your tools and about how the shift to offshore manufacturing has been the reason for the downfall of humanity. I'm quite sure my opinions are absolutely correct because whatever you've welded, I've welded something thicker and to tighter tolerances. And whatever amperage power you've installed, I've installed something higher, into a more expensive and critical project.

I'm on my 3rd 55 gallon drum of tool polish this year.

...


Sgt Lumpy

Tool hipster!

Ive come across so much dashboard carnage in newer vehicles caused by careless people with impacts that I seem to be using my screwdrivers more than ever, you just can't beat the torque control of tool in hand.

Well, not being an idiot and trying to run down the screw like it's a lugnut is part of using power tools properly...

 

[RCStocker]

I am retied but I am fixing electronics and other things all the time. I have a 12 piece set of small drivers and picks in a case from Snap-on. It is the best set. I have all brands of screwdrivers but the tips of the Phillips are such a good fit with the Snap-on. I have Craftsman and they just do not grip. I have some new Channelock driers I got at Costco cheap a few years back and they have good tips. I was surprised. I use my Snap-on's all the time. I was a contractor for years and did a lot of electrical work before drivers were even invented. I really have over 100 drives of all types. I sure like the quality of my Snap-on. This is one time the best makes a real difference.

 

[Matt_C]

^ This guy cracks me up!

 

[Packard V8]

Yes, yes, and yes. Being able to select the correct tip and the correct length often makes the difference in being able to do the job.

Recently, installing slot screws in the three hinges on a basement window required reaching over a pipe almost a foot away. A cordless driver with extensions was just too limpdick for the precise control needed to prevent marring the paint. A 16" long Craftsman screwdriver was just perfect.

That's why I have a full drawer of screwdrivers in each of three locations. They're inexpensive and the correct one will accomplish the task when a cordless driver would make it more difficult.

And X10 on seeing the carnage resulting from the careless use of power drivers. Like any other tool, it can be misused.

Bottom line, as I get older, I'll likely have to go to power more often. The wrists are feeling the effect of fifty years of torque. Back not that long ago, when I put the right hand tool on a fastener, it usually moved. Today, the wrists are sometimes the first thing to give.

jack vines

 

[Bobdog]

I have a 9 in 1 that I use everyday.

I almost never use any of my standard screwdrivers though, so spending a bunch of money on a high quality set would be a waste for me.

 

[byoungblood]

If you don't use screwdrivers much, you must not do a lot of work around the house. Seems like I'm always putting something together or fixing something around here. Including slotted drivers!

I have several different lengths of common sizes, which comes in handy more often than some think.

 

[uart]

Two main reasons why I still use hand screwdrivers:
1. Feel and control.
2. Reach and access.

By feel and control I'm talking not just about better torque control, but also that you get a much better feel for whether or not a fastener is just about to strip.

Like most others here I do use a drill or impact driver whenever I can get away with it though. Saves a ton of work. Sometimes if I've got several screws that I'm a bit concerned about stripping (into wood for example) I'll also use a hand driver to test the drill/driver torque setting. Like I'll drive a screw and then try tightening it a little more by hand just to be sure it feels about right before continuing with the others.

 

[mmack66]

Nope. When I use one I go 100% with it.

 

[Dr.phil]

you guys must not work on small engines or carbs.

 

[kiatech]

Hardly ever when I was an auto tech, use them ALL the time as an electrician. Those wires don't terminate them selves!

 

[Chandos]

What's the COO for the hand blown bottles?

 

[Trucky]

Not as much as I'd like, preferably. Though when I do... it's a good feeling having nice quality screwdrivers.

 

[Farmall450]

If I know I'm only running into one thing, I'll grab said instinct. Otherwise it's a impact or ratcheting screwdriver (SO of course )