Are Nut Drivers a Favorite Tool? For What?

[beelsr]

not too often nowadays...

hoseclamps
8mm when changing out carbs on stihl gear (2 nuts)

I used to use them more before i got an impact driver and got a set of SAE & Metric nutdriver "bits". Easy off and i'm pretty good at driving them in slow enough not to trip the hammer mode. I usually will grab a bit driver and pop the bit in the handle to finish torque them.

If I was looking for a set now, I'd get a 1/4" driver and use sockets or what I do above.

 

[Outlawmws]

I use them a lot and for the same uses as many have said. I also use them on about every fastener on any Briggs engine except the flywheel nut and the head bolts. for cover screws they are just faster than a ratchet.

I'm NOT a fan of the 1/4 driver and a socket. that arrangement cannot deal with long screws that commonly require a hollow shaft to get to the screw; even a deep 1/4 may not have the reach required).

I probably use more sizes than most that have discussed use, and have use every size from 3/16 to 5/8. I recently (this summer) picked up a an old 3/4 and 13/16, and admittedly have not used those two as yet.

I have three sets, as I used to have a need for them in more than one place, but could certainly get by with one set these days. If I ever get an inside workbench setup for electronics, I'll definitely have one set there.

 

[tjmonsen5]

When I work on my jetskis, I always bring out the yellow and maroon craftsman nutdrivers. I believe that is 5/16 and 1/4? I used them on hose clamps. They are GREAT for hose clamps, but i have not found a use for anything besides that.

 

[Jim C.]

I have a metric set and an SAE set. I use them occasionally, but not too often. They're right in my box, but for some reason I just grab something else.

Jim C.

 

[srmofo]

They seem pretty useful for taking apart household appliance like dryers, ovens, etc. Auto techs seem to like them for hose clamps.

this is what I use them for

red yellow and orange...1/4, 8mm, 7mm

 

[Tarheelgarage]

I've got a Cman SAE set in and older home toolbox that I used the other day to remove the cover on my home heatpump.

I never use them during daily work in the shop; mostly obsolete.

 

[compyello]

I have a set of craftsman standard nut drivers that I use mostly on lawnmowers, such a removing an air cleaner cover or the recoil assembly. I have thought about picking up a set of metrics just to have, I really don't see using them much

 

[losabio]

They seem pretty useful for taking apart household appliance like dryers, ovens, etc. Auto techs seem to like them for hose clamps.

Oddly enough, I used a hollow shaft Stanley USA clear handled 1/2" nut driver a little while ago while replacing some toilet guts. This was on the tank to bowl connection screws. They were convenient and fast for this low torque application, and the hard handled construction was easy to clean after being used on plumbing.

Also, since I apparently forgot that you can use Channellocks/Cobras on nuts, I brought the tank out to the garage and used my vise as a giant adjustable wrench on the flush valve nut. I've been so dogmatic about the need to use adjustable wrenches on fasteners as opposed to slipjoints, that I had blinded myself to a perfectly good application for a pair of Cobras.

 

[gatewaysysop]

theyre great for hoseclamps and when threads extend far beyond the nut (most nut driver's shafts are hollow

Definitely one of the best options for hose clamps, without a double. This was the primary reason I bought mine (well, that and being on sale ).

I also like them for more delicate stuff (electronics, say) where I could use a regular screwdriver, but prefer the additional control of a nut driver. The shorter handle is sometimes better as well in those cases.

 

[lotsoftools]

I use 1/4" and 5/16" almost every time I'm working on machines at the laundromat. Most of the panels and hose clamps use 5/16".

 

[EvilWelder]

I use them for hose clamps and that is about it.

 

[cgv69]

I'm NOT a fan of the 1/4 driver and a socket. that arrangement cannot deal with long screws that commonly require a hollow shaft to get to the screw; even a deep 1/4 may not have the reach required).

I'm Sorry but I'm not following you? If a 1/4 driver and deep socket couldn't handle a job like that, I don't see how a standard nut driver could? The only way I could see that is if the nut driver had a hole in the center and a hollow shaft but all the ones I've seen have been solid and no more capable of handling that kind of situation then a driver/socket.

One other cool thing you can use with a 1/4" driver are magnetic sockets. I have a few of them and they can really save your *** on really hard to reach nut or bolts that are in an impossible to reach location. With a standard driver or or socket, if you knock the screw or nut off or even just drop it if you let the tool go too horizontal. In those cases, with a standard socket or nut driver the part could fall off to never-never land but with a magnetic socket I've never lost anything.

I do have one 3/16" driver that I bought specifically to install front sights on Glock pistols. There is very little clearance room to install or remove the tiny little hex head screws that are used to install night sights in those pistols. I used a nut driver for this because I needed to grind it down so that the walls of socket portion are only around 1/16-1/8" thick and only about 1/8" deep. I couldn't really do that with a socket.

I guess we all have are own preferences based on our own experiences but I flat our love my Snap On ratcheting driver. Other then some old ball situation like the one I described above, I've never run into something I couldn't do with my SO driver and a socket that a standard driver could do. I have however done a lot more with the SO driver then I could ever dream of doing with a standard nut driver!

To each their own I guess.

 

[Robbie UK]

The only way I could see that is if the nut driver had a hole in the center and a hollow shaft but all the ones I've seen have been solid and no more capable of handling that kind of situation then a driver/socket.

Err… a great deal of nut drivers have a hollow shaft and torquing down long threads beyond the reach of a deep socket is one of their USPs, as the thread has already alluded to.

 

[Outlawmws]

I'm Sorry but I'm not following you? If a 1/4 driver and deep socket couldn't handle a job like that, I don't see how a standard nut driver could? The only way I could see that is if the nut driver had a hole in the center and a hollow shaft but all the ones I've seen have been solid and no more capable of handling that kind of situation then a driver/socket.

One other cool thing you can use with a 1/4" driver are magnetic sockets. I have a few of them and they can really save your *** on really hard to reach nut or bolts that are in an impossible to reach location. With a standard driver or or socket, if you knock the screw or nut off or even just drop it if you let the tool go too horizontal. In those cases, with a standard socket or nut driver the part could fall off to never-never land but with a magnetic socket I've never lost anything.

I do have one 3/16" driver that I bought specifically to install front sights on Glock pistols. There is very little clearance room to install or remove the tiny little hex head screws that are used to install night sights in those pistols. I used a nut driver for this because I needed to grind it down so that the walls of socket portion are only around 1/16-1/8" thick and only about 1/8" deep. I couldn't really do that with a socket.

I guess we all have are own preferences based on our own experiences but I flat our love my Snap On ratcheting driver. Other then some old ball situation like the one I described above, I've never run into something I couldn't do with my SO driver and a socket that a standard driver could do. I have however done a lot more with the SO driver then I could ever dream of doing with a standard nut driver!

To each their own I guess.

Err… a great deal of nut drivers have a hollow shaft and torquing down long threads beyond the reach of a deep socket is one of their USPs, as the thread has already alluded to.

This ^^^^ All of my nut drivers (at least 30) are hollow shaft and probably 2X as deep or more than a deep socket.

The purpose of that is to allow you to spin them instead of wearing out a wrist on a ratchet. Hence the nickname of "spin tight" by many that use them a lot.

Once you learn how to spin them by the shaft, unless you have munged grody threads that prevent you, spinning them snug and then doing the final torque with the handle and your wrist is how you use them.

I would never knowingly but a solid shaft nut driver.

 

[crewchief888]

hose clamps
1/4"
5/16"
7mm
7mm for glow plug wiring
11/32" & 3/8" for mechanical guage wiring
7/16" for instaling grease zerks in a shallow counterbore on hyd cylinders

 

[LumpyMusic]

7/16" for instaling grease zerks in a shallow counterbore on hyd cylinders

Zerks. I forgot about zerks. 8mm for my applications. Using a nut driver makes it a one hand operation. On a really good day, if I hold my mouth right, I can do it one handed with a 1/4 drive ratchet. But the nut driver is just way too fast and simple.


Lumpy

Were you the voice of Casper?
No. Popeye, Yogi, Barney Rubble and Wells Fargo Bank.
www.LumpyMusic.com

 

[Socophreak]

Use them all the time for commercial kitchen appliances, coffee/espresso machines, etc. Use them about as much at my Philips. Stupidly handy to have.

 

[rmsg0040]

hvac -- 1/4, 5/16

took apart a dryer once and used some bits

I prefer bits and use em on cordless impact or cordless screwdriver,

no standard handles for me

 

[OEXL16B]

dustytool,

As you can see by all the replies, nutdrivers are a necessity. My favorite nutdrivers are Craftsman, but when Sears shuts their doors, I'll be moving onto KD from NAPA; which are the same nutdrivers made by Danaher Corp. available in blue.

 

[otis66]

I'm always using mine when I'm working in the electical box of a MCI coach or a school bus.

 

[Farleyfan]

I use mine quite a bit, specially on small engine work.
My favorite set up is a 1/4" drive handle that you use whatever
1/4" socket you need along with a 1/4 ratchet.
Once you break the bolt loose pull the ratchet off and spin away.

 

[Harwinton]

I never was all that big on nut drivers, but I'll use my 1/4" hex drive sockets with a screwdriver-type handle for low-torque applications.

 

[speed bump]

I never was all that big on nut drivers, but I'll use my 1/4" hex drive sockets with a screwdriver-type handle for low-torque applications.

Sockets seem to get lost, not fit on long studs or get left on the fastener way too easily. With nut drivers I can put it on pretty much any stud, grab the right one by color, and you can buy them in either hollow shaft or magnetic making it a piece cake for any application.

 

[JoeyMitch]

Well I mostly use mine when there are a lot of nuts. First I will lossen them up with a ratchet, then finish it with a nut driver.

 

[318fekim]

I have a Craftsman 6 in 1 screwdriver that has to be one of my favorite tools....I use the heck out of the 5 /16 nut driver configuration with the #2 bit removed.

 

[Outlawmws]

Getting back to the nut driver vs. socket on a driver:

These are 3" long #8 screws and nuts. The hollow Nut driver could swallow the entire 3" screw to the bottom of the nut driver "socket". A test with a probe showed you could get more than 4" inside it and still catch the nut.

The nut is positioned at the deepest point the socket could get to it. The deep socket for the purpose could not even get to the 2" point...

 

[Ovalinaz]

I use my Snappy 1/4 Nut driver for Small hose clamps for hoses and such

 

[camarotoolman]

5/16 and 10mm are good sellers, rhe rest are throw aways.

 

[HandyManny]

The reason I ask, is I impulsively bought a small set of metric nut drivers a long while ago and have NEVER put them to use. I'm a home mechanic who works primarily on bicycles, motorcycles, electronics, household stuff and occasionally cars.

I guess I am just in the habit of grabbing a socket, extension and a stubby wrench and fail to consider if a nut driver is more handy for the task. I also generally like the speed and torque delivery of a stubby ratchet over a driver.

Who puts their nut drivers to use and why?

I use nutdrivers a lot on small fasteners, especially machine hex head screws, sheet metal screws, etc. Actually anything a 1/4" drive ratchet is for can easily be handled with a nutriver. I like them on screw-tight hose clamps for automotive, they don't slip like a flathead screwdriver will.

They are a favorite tool among electricians and HVAC trades people.

Get the hollow shaft versions, they are more verstatile.

I use mine a lot in the garage and around the house.

 

[HandyManny]

I use mine quite a bit, specially on small engine work.
My favorite set up is a 1/4" drive handle that you use whatever
1/4" socket you need along with a 1/4 ratchet.
Once you break the bolt loose pull the ratchet off and spin away.

I use this combo a lot too myself. But I also like ot have a set of common sizes of holow shaft nutdrivers too.

 

[Davo3]

I use my Klein 632 daily at work (electrical stuff) from 1/4 to 7/16, metric too.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

No nut drivers for me. Like some others here, I use my spinner handles with a socket instead. I have a 1/4" CM and 3/8" Williams spinner handles. Usally I just lay the spinner handle in the middle of the Hansen tray and carry it to where I need to go if not working right at my box. That way I have more than one size handy if needed.

If a deep wall socket is not deep enough, I can always use the spinner handle with a 3" or 6" extension on my 1/4" pass thru set. That would be up to around 9" of stud clearance.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

electrical-electronic under dash type tight places where anything else is too wiggley, clumsey or fat... Can spin my SnapOns with two fingers and don't have to be concerned with pulling the socket off the end of an extension when buried amongst a mass of wire harnesses.. When I am standing on my head under dash; the last thing I want to be doing is fishing for a 1/4 drive socket..... When the nut drivers are NOT the answer; that long flex shaft SpapOn driver will actually make a 180degree u turn.. .. Tough or stubborn fasteners get a ratchet or 1/4 drive flex handle.. I value them all

 

[sberry]

I use them constant, must have about 50, 10 each of 5/16 and 7/16

 

[LumpyMusic]

1/4, 5/16, 7/16, 10mm, 1/2

I have several of each. Easily a dozen 7/16 as that is the most used bolt head in my shop.


Lumpy

You played on "The Love Boat"?
Yes. White tux, huge sideburns.

www.LumpyMusic.com

 

[SWT Racing]

The only nutdriver I have is a 5/16". I keep it in my carburetor tuning box for Holley bowl screws. I also cut about 2" out of the shank and TIG welded it back together so it was shorter for easier access.

 

[franzdom]

No nut drivers for me. Like some others here, I use my spinner handles with a socket instead. I have a 1/4" CM and 3/8" Williams spinner handles. Usally I just lay the spinner handle in the middle of the Hansen tray and carry it to where I need to go if not working right at my box. That way I have more than one size handy if needed.

If a deep wall socket is not deep enough, I can always use the spinner handle with a 3" or 6" extension on my 1/4" pass thru set. That would be up to around 9" of stud clearance.

What spinner handle works with the pass through set? Is it the gear wrench type pass through you are talking about?

 

[PRH44]

I use the hollow shaft nut drivers, the 7/16 primarily. We use a lot of 1/4" hardware installing smaller conduit sizes. The minerallac closure bolts, strut straps, all thread rod, etc. It fits in the pouch easily and is all one piece.

 

[Super Sport]

Getting back to the nut driver vs. socket on a driver:

These are 3" long #8 screws and nuts. The hollow Nut driver could swallow the entire 3" screw to the bottom of the nut driver "socket". A test with a probe showed you could get more than 4" inside it and still catch the nut.

The nut is positioned at the deepest point the socket could get to it. The deep socket for the purpose could not even get to the 2" point...

If you were in such a scenario, a hollow shaft nut driver definitely holds an advantage. But I must ask, how often does anybody run into a nut that far up a bolt?

I don't have a set of nut drivers as I don't see a reason to buy any. I have yet to run into any scenario where a socket on a 1/4" driver would not work. My box is already limited in space, I don't need a dozen nut drivers when I already have sockets and a 1/4 driver. But like every tool, there are people out there who love them.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

What spinner handle works with the pass through set? Is it the gear wrench type pass through you are talking about?

The spinner handle is from Craftsman and yes it's a "Vortex" style. It works with the GearWrench, Craftsman, and the older Kolbalt pass through extensions and sockets.