LTT Ratcheting Screwdriver

[dr_clyde]

I’ve watched Linus’s videos over the years, and while he’s a bit of a goof he’s got some decent content if you’re into PCs or computers at all.

GJ is definitely not his market. He’s selling a screwdriver with his brand, much like the rest of his merch. The people who buy it do it to support him, not necessarily to buy a quality tee shirt or whatever. The dude has a whole line of merch that is purchased at a premium strictly because it says LTT on it. Why would this screwdriver be any different?

The whole idea of companies like Linus Media Group is to make money, either by sponsorship, product sales, or ad revenue. So he makes a screwdriver and sells it. So what? If he sells some and makes some money, good for him. If he doesn’t, he’ll find something else to sell that will.

I won’t buy one, i have several screwdrivers I’m happy with. But I’m sure it’s at least a decent driver. Computer nerds spend a LOT of money on their rigs. A sub $100 screwdriver with LTT branding is a drop in the bucket when you’re building a $3k+ workstation or gaming rig.

 

[American Locomotive]

The Metmo is not comparable to this tool at all. The Metmo driver is a functional toy - it's not supposed to be a "serious every day tool". It's built well, with high quality machining, but it's not trying to be the "next best thing". MetMo is not pushing it as the end-all to screwdrivers either. They're very clearly marketing it as a more of an heirloom novelty.

I have never heard of the xDrill until now. Never saw it mentioned on any YouTube video (and I watch a lot of tool and machining videos), and never saw it mentioned on any news/tech/whatever site. Doing some Google Searches, I can only find it mentioned on ToolGuyd and a few random other noname blog sites. I'm sure if it had been posted to Garage Journal, it would have been thoroughly trashed.

I think the reason why most of are skeptical of this thing, is because it's just a ratcheting screwdriver. There are billion different varieties of them. It's not like LTT is manufacturing this ("the ratcheting mechanism and bit holder by MegaPro" is a pretty weasily way of saying "they make the entire thing"). The only substantial differences compared to the MegaPro are the handle shape/material, the knurling, the modified bit separator and a slightly refined ratchet.

Are those things worth an extra $30 over existing MegaPro drivers on the market? Is a lightly modified MegaPro driver worth SnapOn money without the SnapOn warranty or support?

 

[CallumRD1]

The Metmo is not comparable to this tool at all. The Metmo driver is a functional toy - it's not supposed to be a "serious every day tool". It's built well, with high quality machining, but it's not trying to be the "next best thing". MetMo is not pushing it as the end-all to screwdrivers either. They're very clearly marketing it as a more of an heirloom novelty.

I have never heard of the xDrill until now. Never saw it mentioned on any YouTube video (and I watch a lot of tool and machining videos), and never saw it mentioned on any news/tech/whatever site. Doing some Google Searches, I can only find it mentioned on ToolGuyd and a few random other noname blog sites. I'm sure if it had been posted to Garage Journal, it would have been thoroughly trashed.

I think the reason why most of are skeptical of this thing, is because it's just a ratcheting screwdriver. There are billion different varieties of them. It's not like LTT is manufacturing this ("the ratcheting mechanism and bit holder by MegaPro" is a pretty weasily way of saying "they make the entire thing"). The only substantial differences compared to the MegaPro are the handle shape/material, the knurling, the modified bit separator and a slightly refined ratchet.

Are those things worth an extra $30 over existing MegaPro drivers on the market? Is a lightly modified MegaPro driver worth SnapOn money without the SnapOn warranty or support?

Just to correct one piece of information, LTT is licensing the mega pro ratchet and bit holder intellectual property and modifying it for their own design, for example the direction selector works the opposite way to virtually all existing screwdrivers except for the Snap-on one. Megapro is doing none of the manufacture of the screwdriver.

 

[American Locomotive]

Is it mentioned anywhere explicitly that megapro is doing none of the manufacturing? I find it hard to believe that someone else would be making it, especially with how often he mentioned their "partner" Megapro.

 

[KnurledNut]

An incomplete list of current quality ratcheting screwdriver prices*:
83.85 Hazet
76.50 Snap-on
73.15 Matco
72.00 PB Swiss
69.99 LTT
69.77 Gedore
59.99 MAC Tools
59.98 Craftsman V-Series
51.26 Facom
43.33 Proto J9323
41.79 Wera
39.92 MegaPro Automotive
37.47 Stahlwille
34.95 Williams
34.75 Bahco
30.29 Wiha
22.45 GearWrench
21.97 Klein 32305
21.50 Vessel
19.41 Felo

*...less shipping where applicable. Insert bit style only.

 

[rancherbill]

Wow, chasing a small and declining market. These guys must be taking drugs to think they are getting into this crowded market niche.

 

[dr_clyde]

Wow, chasing a small and declining market. These guys must be taking drugs to think they are getting into this crowded market niche.

Tech nerds selling branded merch to other tech nerds. Completely ignoring the screwdriver market at large.

The also sell branded hoodies, water bottles, underwear and tee shirts. People buy them because they say LTT on them. Not because they’re great hoodies.

The people who buy this screwdriver will do it to support Linus and to get a branded screwdriver. That’s it.

These won’t be sold at lowes. These won’t be at ace hardware. This is just another product LTT will put in their merch store, except this one has applications outside of pure merch support and actually can function as a tool as well so it caught the attention of the tool snobs.

 

[KnurledNut]

Is a lightly modified MegaPro driver worth SnapOn money without the SnapOn warranty or support?

I would consider it heavily modified. Every aspect of the tool has been modified including the ratchet mechanism.
Linus also stated the tool comes with a warranty. Everyone is beating a dead horse with the "its too expensive" wave. Look at the list I posted above. The prices of quality brand drivers have gone up. How many of those options are made in North America? How many of those brands support a small business? How many of those brands are small batch?

The baby boomer wood handle screwdriver grease monkeys of Garage Journal are not his target audience.

I started this post thinking maybe we would have at least one member that had been to one of the meet ups and actually used the thing and could offer an opinion. Guess I should have known better.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I'm still really baffled by where all this kneejerk dislike comes from. This seems to simply be a daily tool user redesigning and then selling their dream screwdriver after being dissatisfied with state of the market. Maybe it's a mediocre tool, but outside the professional tool users leaving reviews on the store page, the tool simply hasn't made its way out to many demanding users yet.

It seems like people are usually inclined to give the benefit of the doubt, especially with a passion project like this. The pricing is high but not unreasonable compared to their stated direct competitors, and they clearly want to get this right and have improved on an established, respected design.

While I question the rationale behind this project, it's really the influencer marketing behind it that raised the red flags for me. This product, though overpriced at least seems to be legit effort. A disturbingly high proportion of the products that influencers try to sell are questionable at best or outright scams at worst. If you think simply comparing yourself to the competitor of your choosing means anything, then Harbor Freight's misleading comparisons must make sense to you. You have to earn your reputation first. Then your customers will be comparing your products to the competition it measures up to.

 

[DIY]

I personally don't like ratcheting screw drivers for PC work. The screws are very short (not many turns required) and the threads are very fine requiring a good feel to prevent cross threading. Seriously for PC work you only need a Phillips #2 & #1 which works on 99.9% of the screws. I have the snappy ratcheting screw driver kit and find it cumbersome for PC work. Wish Linus all the best with his business ventures.

 

[Pantsfall_McFixit]

I'd like to see this used for mechanical/automotive. If it can stand up to that, then it should last for PC building and repair. Also backdrag really matters when working with computers, as there are lots of tiny screws that cannot take much torque, or things break.

 

[dukefx]

An incomplete list of current quality ratcheting screwdriver prices*:
83.85 Hazet
76.50 Snap-on
73.15 Matco
72.00 PB Swiss
69.99 LTT
69.77 Gedore
59.99 MAC Tools
59.98 Craftsman V-Series
51.26 Facom
43.33 Proto J9323
41.79 Wera
39.92 MegaPro Automotive
37.47 Stahlwille
34.95 Williams
34.75 Bahco
30.29 Wiha
22.45 GearWrench
21.97 Klein 32305
21.50 Vessel
19.41 Felo

*...less shipping where applicable. Insert bit style only.

You gotta look at the source, not some retailers who like a fat 100% profit margin. Apart from the PB Swiss the prices for the European ones are much lower. A Hazet for example is about 40€, the Wera is 22€ etc., even cheaper if shipped outside the EU.

 

[F-22]

Hmm this thread got me thinking about the requirements for this application - PC usage fasteners are typically M4 and smaller, maybe M5 in some limited stuff.

Besides ratchets, you can get this rotation with a one-way-bearing or a sprag clutch too. something like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32997331611.html
There's a table of such cheap bearings below. The one rated to 24Nm should still be small enough to fit in the handle (22mm). That's how much oil filters and spark plugs are usually tightened to! You can snap on 12.9 high tension M6 screws with it, and even tighten M8 quite well.
It gives you a stepless "ratchet", extremely smooth... Snap on sells a 3/8" drive ratchet like this.

I bet with a bit more extra research and design, this could actually work very well for a bit driver. Heck, mount two of those bearings to maybe give even less chance of a slip and great stability. But I guess the outer cage needs to be a tight fit in a metal housing to prevent that part from slipping?

TBH makes me want to make my own bit driver. Would be a cool simple project on the lathe...

Edit: Well, an obvious issue with it is that it only allows rotation in one way. Would need to use two of them and some way to couple/uncouple the shaft between them, or a totally custom bearing, to really have one for both screwing on and off.

 

[Ton ton]

Tech nerds selling branded merch to other tech nerds. Completely ignoring the screwdriver market at large.

The also sell branded hoodies, water bottles, underwear and tee shirts. People buy them because they say LTT on them. Not because they’re great hoodies.

The people who buy this screwdriver will do it to support Linus and to get a branded screwdriver. That’s it.

These won’t be sold at lowes. These won’t be at ace hardware. This is just another product LTT will put in their merch store, except this one has applications outside of pure merch support and actually can function as a tool as well so it caught the attention of the tool snobs.

Thank you for answering my question.

 

[Ton ton]

I have yet to see anyone copy Snap on's droopy handle ratcheting screwdriver.

 

[F-22]

Didn't draw in a while, but just had a little too much time at work... Here's roughly what I meant. I might take a go on it. Maybe have a bit of fun with designing the handle to match something like the swissgrip handles (could be made with a ball endmill on a rotary table I think).

 

[American Locomotive]

I would consider it heavily modified. Every aspect of the tool has been modified including the ratchet mechanism.
Linus also stated the tool comes with a warranty. Everyone is beating a dead horse with the "its too expensive" wave. Look at the list I posted above. The prices of quality brand drivers have gone up. How many of those options are made in North America? How many of those brands support a small business? How many of those brands are small batch?

The baby boomer wood handle screwdriver grease monkeys of Garage Journal are not his target audience.

I started this post thinking maybe we would have at least one member that had been to one of the meet ups and actually used the thing and could offer an opinion. Guess I should have known better.

It's a ratcheting screwdriver, not a turbojet. There's only so much you can "modify". It has a megapro mechanism and tool holder, with a different shape and slightly changed bit holder.

- Of the 20 drivers you posted, 8 of them cost over $51
- Of those 8, 3 of them are Tool Truck brands, and therefore naturally command higher prices for the lifetime warranty and support.
- Of those reamining 5, two of the prices are way jacked up due to the lack of real manufacturer prescence in the U.S.. i.e. you can get the Gedore and Hazet from about half the price by purchasing them directly from European retailers.
- So that just leaves 3 drivers above $51.

There is no way this thing is $30-40 better than non-trool-truck top-tier Japanese, American or European drivers.

...and I'm a PC-building millenial, been doing it for 15 years. 99% of the PC stuff I do only needs a #1 or #2 phillips, so a bit holding ratcheting driver is of really limited use anyways, IMO.

 

[mike93lx]

Linus also stated the tool comes with a warranty.

As good as the backpack warranty?

Is it in writing?

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

...and I'm a PC-building millenial, been doing it for 15 years. 99% of the PC stuff I do only needs a #1 or #2 phillips, so a bit holding ratcheting driver is of really limited use anyways, IMO.

In the old days (still will build what I need, but once you give up gaming, you don't need to build as much), the case screws were #2 or hex head, (don't use the bit and they held in with the magnet to start them).

 

[Bubba Fett]

Also worth noting that none of this hostility existed for the xDrill, a product made by people who were clearly not tool users, Kickstarted, and that remains vaporware several years later.

That's because no one took it seriously. It wasn't even good enough to think about. The comments over at Toolguyd should give an overall indication of the low opinion.

 

[FuzzyTiger]

As good as the backpack warranty?

Is it in writing?

I think he came to his senses and put it in writing for the backpack and screw driver.


Anyways in regards to this screw driver I sat through the full live stream and other videos. They did a tear down and had their engineer explain a lot of the details and design decisions. Lots of great explanations and information.

My conclusion is that it seems (I haven't seen or held it) to be a very well thought out screw driver that looked at all the right competitors and tried to incrementally improve upon their designs. I'll accept that it might be the best designed ratcheting screwdriver on the market right now at least based on the criteria they said matters most. I think as far as influencer merch goes they put in the work to make a genuine product. This isn't a cheap rebranding play. It's probably a passion project for Linus since he really seems to care about it.

I see two main problems though:

1) For me personally I don't see a huge value in ratcheting screw drivers. Maybe I just don't build enough computers but computer screws are tiny. They bottom out long before I would ever find myself wishing it had a ratcheting mechanism. I love my Vessel impacta for taking abuse on automotive tasks and my Wera for everything else. All non ratcheting. The only times I've wished for ratcheting has been working with longer screws where I'd go to a power tool instead.

2) The price. They're up front about their belief that they are selling a better screw driver than Snap On and won't apologize for the price. The problem is that no one will argue that Snap On is priced well. They're unapologetically expensive and it's understood you are paying a large markup for the Snap On brand. The difference though is that Snap On has been making and supporting their professional quality tools for decades. It is their singular purpose (after preying on new mechanics maybe?). Linus has a snap on screw driver that has served him well for 10+ years and he mentioned that it's developed issues at this point. Snap On will take care of it. LTT has been around for a while now but as a tool company they are literally day 1 today. If I'm buying the snap on today, I'm doing so with the expectation that 10 or even 20 years from now if I have an issue they will make it right. If I'm buying the LTT screw driver today, can I get it replaced in 1 year? 5? 10? 20? Those are all maybes. In my head I would break down a $70 snap on screw driver as a $35 screw driver, $25 proven warranty, and $10 for the value of a brand who's product I can buy with no research and feel confident it'll be one of the best. A $70 LTT screw driver is a $60 screw driver, $10 unproven warranty, $0 for any value to me as a tool company. So even if I give LTT that they have the better screw driver it just doesn't make sense to me.

Overall I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity by LTT and it confirms everyone's suspicions about the way they see the tool business. If they came out with this screw driver and priced it aggressively we'd all be singing it's praises and talking about this upstart YouTuber who just showed up all the industry heavy weights. The screw driver wouldn't be as profitable for him but the next time he came out with a tool? It would be met with a lot less scrutiny and people would let a higher margin slide. Someday he could even work his way up to charging Snap On, and PB Swiss prices. But he's not there and his pricing strategy makes it clear that he's not looking to establish LTT as a tool company. It would have been an odd expansion but hey Volkswagen sells sausages, and Michelin Tires reviews restaurants. They are focused (as they've always been) to establish themselves as a lifestyle brand company that released a decent screw driver that one time.

 

[rancherbill]

Tech nerds selling branded merch to other tech nerds. Completely ignoring the screwdriver market at large.

The also sell branded hoodies, water bottles, underwear and tee shirts. People buy them because they say LTT on them. Not because they’re great hoodies.

The people who buy this screwdriver will do it to support Linus and to get a branded screwdriver. That’s it.

It sounds like the description of fundraising for a halfway house not a viable business. Craftsman or Snap-On got big because of products sales not tee shirts.

 

[dukefx]

Anyways in regards to this screw driver I sat through the full live stream and other videos. They did a tear down and had their engineer explain a lot of the details and design decisions. Lots of great explanations and information.

I only saw the 4-5 min intro video, but I agree with the rest of your post. I have plenty of (big brand) screwdrivers, my father has way more (all the way from no name made in PRC **** to high quality ones, a lot of really old ones as well). I've also worked in a computer repair shop for 3 years when I was young. I can say I have plenty of experience when it comes to this topic. His screwdriver design is total nonsense. If I needed a screwdriver for PC building/repair I'd simply take a Facom/USAG PH1/PH2 reversible blade and shove it into my Felo Smart handle (ver. 1, because the ver. 2 could potentially scratch something) which is imho the best handle design out there, even prefer it over the swiss grip. You can magnetize the blade or throw in a 1/4" magnetizing attachment from Vessel or whatever. Hell, even a screw holder from Wera or something similar could fit if you need one unlike on the LTT driver. A stubby version of the mentioned setup is also possible for those rare occasions. Facom/USAG also make shorter blades and Felo has a stubby handle. That's pretty much it. I really don't need to see some video of a fellow engineer bullshitting for several minutes why their incredibly poor design is so good.

 

[dr_clyde]

It sounds like the description of fundraising for a halfway house not a viable business. Craftsman or Snap-On got big because of products sales not tee shirts.

YOU GOT IT!

This IS a fundraiser. NOT a tool business. Linus is NOT trying to be a tool company. He's a media company, and he added a screwdriver to his merch store.

He makes MILLIONS doing what he does already, why would he try to run a tool company instead? If for some reason it takes off and can sustain itself as a viable, independent business cool. If not, he doesn't need it to.

People who want to support LTT buy their merch not because it is a good deal, but because it supports the creator and they get a token for their generosity.

Think of it like popcorn the Boy Scouts sell. It's not a good deal at $20/box but you buy it to support your nephew who's raising money. Instead of giving him $20 and you get nothing, you get a box of popcorn.

These are two very different business models and it is very clear to me that a lot of guys here think Linus wants to own a screwdriver/tool company while instead he just wants to sell a screwdriver he designed in his merch store. BIG DIFFERENCE.

 

[KnurledNut]

Who cares if he has a merch store? Every major tool company sells hats, hoodies, stickers, etc.

I dont care if McDonalds comes out with a ratcheting screwdriver.
But if there is a guy at McDs that has religiously used a Snap-on for the last decade, and decides to make one better than than what is available, im willing to try it. More power to him.
At the end of the day, the tool that is least frustrating to use, and holds up, is the winner in my book.

 

[dr_clyde]

Who cares if he has a merch store? Every major tool company sells hats, hoodies, stickers, etc.

I dont care if McDonalds comes out with a ratcheting screwdriver.
But if there is a guy at McDs that has religiously used a Snap-on for the last decade, and decides to make one better than than what is available, im willing to try it. More power to him.
At the end of the day, the tool that is least frustrating to use, and holds up, is the winner in my book.

I mean, yeah. May the best screwdriver win.

If he feels passionate about this ratcheting screwdriver so much that he makes his version of the "best available" then sure, go for it. I'm not saying he shouldn't make and sell it.

It just seems like people are missing the point. Guys in this thread are acting like Linus is intending to take over the screwdriver market and become a tool company, as if he really intends to compete with the big dogs like SO. While the SO driver was his main comparison and may very well be the "competition" it is probably more accurate to say the SO was his inspiration and targeted price point. In reality, this is just another branded thing in his online store. Albeit a little different than what he already sells, it is still a piece of branded merch for him to promote his brand. If by some effort and design he makes a screwdriver better than what's already available, that's gravy, but that's not why people are buying this driver. If a PC builder was to buy a tool to use in their hobby, it is far and away most likely a screwdriver of some sort. Linus liked the SO driver personally, so he made his product akin to what he personally likes to use.

It is designed, marketed and branded to be sold to his YouTube subscribers as another product for revenue for Linus Media Group, and that's really it. Linus Media Group is a company that sells CONTENT and ACCESS as their main product. Floatplane, LTT, WAN Show, TechQuickie and other brands under the umbrella are where the money is made and the merch is just low hanging fruit that self advertises.

 

[KnurledNut]

I mean, yeah. May the best screwdriver win.

If he feels passionate about this ratcheting screwdriver so much that he makes his version of the "best available" then sure, go for it. I'm not saying he shouldn't make and sell it.

It just seems like people are missing the point. Guys in this thread are acting like Linus is intending to take over the screwdriver market and become a tool company, as if he really intends to compete with the big dogs like SO. While the SO driver was his main comparison and may very well be the "competition" it is probably more accurate to say the SO was his inspiration and targeted price point. In reality, this is just another branded thing in his online store. Albeit a little different than what he already sells, it is still a piece of branded merch for him to promote his brand. If by some effort and design he makes a screwdriver better than what's already available, that's gravy, but that's not why people are buying this driver. If a PC builder was to buy a tool to use in their hobby, it is far and away most likely a screwdriver of some sort. Linus liked the SO driver personally, so he made his product akin to what he personally likes to use.

It is designed, marketed and branded to be sold to his YouTube subscribers as another product for revenue for Linus Media Group, and that's really it. Linus Media Group is a company that sells CONTENT and ACCESS as their main product. Floatplane, LTT, WAN Show, TechQuickie and other brands under the umbrella are where the money is made and the merch is just low hanging fruit that self advertises.

We get that.
Where do you suggest he sells it?
The LTT tool truck?

 

[dr_clyde]

We get that.
Where do you suggest he sells it?
The LTT tool truck?

All I'm saying is some of these comments read like they're expecting him to suddenly HAVE an LTT tool truck.

All this is basically is a guy selling a tool on his merch store and guys are saying stuff like "that's not how Craftsman or Snap-on became big" as though that was the intent from the beginning.

I think people are reading into this way too much as though LTT is expecting the sales of this screwdriver to drive growth and viability of his company when its probably nothing more than a neat product he can sell to a niche customer who's already willing to spend a chunk on a gaming rig and fancy peripherals.

Its not for me, but I hope it does well. I already have 3 or 4 ratcheting drivers I'm happy with.

 

[Professional Tool User]

This IS a fundraiser. NOT a tool business. Linus is NOT trying to be a tool company. He's a media company, and he added a screwdriver to his merch store.

People who want to support LTT buy their merch not because it is a good deal, but because it supports the creator and they get a token for their generosity.

Think of it like popcorn the Boy Scouts sell. It's not a good deal at $20/box but you buy it to support your nephew who's raising money. Instead of giving him $20 and you get nothing, you get a box of popcorn.

Your use of the term fundraiser is confusing me. Many big Youtube channels are known to do more in merch sales than ad revenue, sponsors, and donations. It's more of a side business than a fundraiser. You are comparing giving a kid money for extra curricular activities vs supporting a for profit business. LTT's YT channel is large enough to be a full time business. If the channel is a hobby and didn't have the money making potential to make it more than that, I might let it slide. Regardless, integrity and being aware of the potential conflict of interest between you and your followers still matters. Even those disgusting pharmaceutical commercials on TV have to quickly blurt out their disclaimers at the end. Lockpicking Lawyer is an example of how you sell merch while maintaining your integrity. After he realized that the lock picking tools available on the market where either cheap but low quality or high quality but extremely expensive, he sourced his own tools to cover the middle of the market to make it easier for others to get into the hobby. This is filling a need vs creating an expensive product where there are already a lot of other cost effective alternatives.

 

[dr_clyde]

Your use of the term fundraiser is confusing me. Many big Youtube channels are known to do more in merch sales than ad revenue, sponsors, and donations. It's more of a side business than a fundraiser. You are comparing giving a kid money for extra curricular activities vs supporting a for profit business. LTT's YT channel is large enough to be a full time business. If the channel is a hobby and didn't have the money making potential to make it more than that, I might let it slide. Regardless, integrity and being aware of the potential conflict of interest between you and your followers still matters. Even those disgusting pharmaceutical commercials on TV have to quickly blurt out their disclaimers at the end. Lockpicking Lawyer is an example of how you sell merch while maintaining your integrity. After he realized that the lock picking tools available on the market where either cheap but low quality or high quality but extremely expensive, he sourced his own tools to cover the middle of the market to make it easier for others to get into the hobby. This is filling a need vs creating an expensive product where there are already a lot of other cost effective alternatives.

How is there any sort of conflict of interest? As far as I know he's been pretty upfront about what's going on. He's selling a thing he makes for money, seems pretty straightforward. As far as I know, at no point did LTT ever intend to become a tool company as their primary source of income. They are selling screwdrivers they designed and like among many other products to make money to continue making tech videos for YouTube available to watch for free. If they set up a screwdriver company as a separate entity designed to strictly make and sell tools at a profit on it's own merits alone, then pushed their own products on the LTT channel without disclosing their stake in the screwdriver company, yeah, I could see the conflict of interest argument. Anyone buying an LTT screwdriver knows exactly what they're buying and why.

A good example is a small brewery that sells tee shirts and hoodies in their brewpub. No one complains about spending a $75 hoodie from a creator or a brewery or whatever when there are less expensive and arguably better alternatives available. No, you buy the hoodie because you want to support or represent the enterprise selling it. No one accuses a brewery of being a clothing company, yet people shell out thousands of money for branded merch. It supports the company in a tangible way where both parties get something they're happy with.

I do think you're wrong about the intent though, there are MANY YouTube enterprises that are for profit and are full time companies that use funding sources like Patreon and merch sales as a primary source of income. They rely on the donations and subsidized purchases of goods to make their living, much like a fundraiser. You are raising funds after all. It's just not in a traditional "product for money" transaction. This is primarily because youtube is free, so if you want to make a living as a creator, you need to raise money in some way that isn't selling your product. The product is content, by the way.

And yeah, fundraiser may not be the best term for it, but in LTT's case the sale of their merch is not the primary source of income for their channel. LTT's channel is well beyond a hobby, he employs many people and is a multimillion dollar a year enterprise. While I'm sure the dollar figure from merch sales is significant, product endorsements and sponsorships outweigh that by far as the main earner and this screwdriver is not a sponsored item nor an endorsement of anything other than their own product. Even if my math is wrong and they DO sell MILLIONS of dollars a year in merch, the intention is still very much like a fundraiser. You actively choose to buy a hoodie from LTT instead of Nike or Carhartt or whatever because you want to support the channel. Nike is in the business of making clothes, not content. If you want to support the content you like, you buy the merch or donate money.

 

[neersighted]

It seems like there's some confusion going on in this thread then, but everyone is in rough agreement. I don't think anyone (including myself) who expresses interest in this product expects LTT to suddenly become a tool company -- I'm interested in the tool in a vacuum regardless of who makes it, because it is a tool I use and I am looking for a better version from any manufacturer.

I think overall sentiment is roughly the same -- think what you want about LTT the company, but the tool has been made with the partnership and guidance of an established tool company in order to a meet different set of goals set by an experienced tool user (who can talk convincingly about the product design) and by an engineer who is able to talk convincingly about the engineering decisions.

I'm hoping for a strong entry into a niche market (ratcheting screwdrivers) that I can use daily/for years to come, which will require quality engineering and manufacturing, as well as improvements over my existing (expensive) stable of drivers. So far this looks promising along that front -- my order is in and I'll post here when I have the tool in hand.

 

[macnugget]

I’ve got one on order. I’m a casual viewer of LTT online content and the product interests me. I don’t really understand the source of the apparent hostility towards LTT thats come up in this thread, but it doesn’t seem to have much to do with the screwdriver.

 

[Professional Tool User]

How is there any sort of conflict of interest? As far as I know he's been pretty upfront about what's going on. He's selling a thing he makes for money, seems pretty straightforward. As far as I know, at no point did LTT ever intend to become a tool company as their primary source of income. They are selling screwdrivers they designed and like among many other products to make money to continue making tech videos for YouTube available to watch for free. If they set up a screwdriver company as a separate entity designed to strictly make and sell tools at a profit on it's own merits alone, then pushed their own products on the LTT channel without disclosing their stake in the screwdriver company, yeah, I could see the conflict of interest argument. Anyone buying an LTT screwdriver knows exactly what they're buying and why.

I do think you're wrong about the intent though, there are MANY YouTube enterprises that are for profit and are full time companies that use funding sources like Patreon and merch sales as a primary source of income. They rely on the donations and subsidized purchases of goods to make their living, much like a fundraiser. You are raising funds after all. It's just not in a traditional "product for money" transaction. This is primarily because youtube is free, so if you want to make a living as a creator, you need to raise money in some way that isn't selling your product. The product is content, by the way.

And yeah, fundraiser may not be the best term for it, but in LTT's case the sale of their merch is not the primary source of income for their channel. LTT's channel is well beyond a hobby, he employs many people and is a multimillion dollar a year enterprise. While I'm sure the dollar figure from merch sales is significant, product endorsements and sponsorships outweigh that by far as the main earner and this screwdriver is not a sponsored item nor an endorsement of anything other than their own product. Even if my math is wrong and they DO sell MILLIONS of dollars a year in merch, the intention is still very much like a fundraiser. You actively choose to buy a hoodie from LTT instead of Nike or Carhartt or whatever because you want to support the channel. Nike is in the business of making clothes, not content. If you want to support the content you like, you buy the merch or donate money.

Looks like my definition of conflict of interest and integrity are a lot stricter than yours. As much as I love to make fun of Snap on, the Snap on guy at a previous job is probably the most honest vendor with a vested interest that I've met. He let the tools speak for themselves and never tried to aggressively push anything. If I asked him about a Snap on branded tool and he thinks there's a more cost effective alternative that he can bring in, he'll recommend that instead. He even let me back order a Sunex pry bar rack that cost less than buying online off an industrial distributor catalog he occasionally used to keep customers happy. He didn't make money on it and I kept on bugging him every week about it until it arrived. And of course he always provided the service you'd expect out of a tool truck. To me integrity means putting your customer's needs, not wants first even if it means generating less sales.

As for my position on big channels relying on merch to make the big bucks, go check out all the videos that try to estimate Mr. Beast's net worth. The conclusion is ad revenue, sponsors, and donations can only take you so far.

 

[dr_clyde]

Looks like my definition of conflict of interest and integrity are a lot stricter than yours. As much as I love to make fun of Snap on, the Snap on guy at a previous job is probably the most honest vendor with a vested interest that I've met. He let the tools speak for themselves and never tried to aggressively push anything. If I asked him about a Snap on branded tool and he thinks there's a more cost effective alternative that he can bring in, he'll recommend that instead. He even let me back order a Sunex pry bar rack that cost less than buying online off an industrial distributor catalog he occasionally used to keep customers happy. He didn't make money on it and I kept on bugging him every week about it until it arrived. And of course he always provided the service you'd expect out of a tool truck. To me integrity means putting your customer's needs, not wants first even if it means generating less sales.

As for my position on big channels relying on merch to make the big bucks, go check out all the videos that try to estimate Mr. Beast's net worth. The conclusion is ad revenue, sponsors, and donations can only take you so far.

I want you to explain to me like I'm five how Linus selling a screwdriver he designed to support his channel is a conflict of interest or in any way representative of poor integrity.

His customer is the viewer. They're getting free content they can support by buying his merch. Or not. It's optional. You're not required to buy anything.

I fail to see how he's lacking integrity here. Or in any way a conflict of interest. I can't think of a single way Linus or his company has been dishonest, immoral or in any way misrepresentative of the truth. Please provide examples.

 

[macnugget]

LTT posted a 30 minute video today discussing all the work they put into the design.

 

[rancherbill]

This IS a fundraiser. NOT a tool business. Linus is NOT trying to be a tool company. He's a media company, and he added a screwdriver to his merch store.

He makes MILLIONS doing what he does already, why would he try to run a tool company instead? If for some reason it takes off and can sustain itself as a viable, independent business cool. If not, he doesn't need it to.

People who want to support LTT buy their merch not because it is a good deal, but because it supports the creator and they get a token for their generosity.

I have never heard of this guy before. I looked at the ltt website.

He should add sustainably manufactured, made from post consumer materials, ethically sourced, vegan, lactose free, manufactured in a nut free facility, gluten free and Tasty.

It will bring even more buyers into this niche.

 

[neersighted]

Thanks for the video link!

I had a little more time to think, and I think I can sum up my thoughts on the disconnect some people see with this product. If LTT wanted to make money and sell a screwdriver as merch, they could have just done an off the shelf rebranding and made a healthy profit (and of course, 'real tool companies' do this all the time to flesh out their offerings). Even importing/rebranding tools to specific requirements the wider market is unaware of or doesn't make widely available can add real value beyond the brand, when done right.

However, designing your own tool, even based on the IP/design of a partner (and leveraging that partner's sub-manufacturers) is a different ball game. This is not making a tool to maximize profit, but instead making the best tool you can because the existing tool manufacturers won't.

This isn't exactly LTT becoming a tool manufacturer, but it isn't standard brand merch either -- it's leveraging the existing clout/following and capital of a company to put out a niche offering that the market otherwise wouldn't create on it's own. These are likely priced as high as they are due to the cost of manufacture being higher than what other brands may endure (due to a picky product designer) as well as high R&D costs due to not being an established tool company with existing prototyping and manufacturing infrastructure.

I doubt LTT is taking a loss on them, but they're likely not making nearly as much as people think (or as much as they could from a rebrand). They're having their own employees do final assembly in Canada -- this is a practical move since they are doing the injection molding in Canada, but it also adds costs (and they could simply do the injection molding overseas to avoid it, if they didn't insist on Canadian manufacturing).

They're able to take a risk and gamble on a product that there hasn't been a lot of prior demand for precisely because some people will buy it because of the brand. There's a guaranteed level of sales because of their following, and that lets LTT/Linus take a big risk on this product. But I don't see that as a bad thing -- a tool that might otherwise not be able to be made (because of demand or profitability) exists because of LTT's following, and it might just turn out to be one of the best entries in this space if they get it right.

I look at this as a tool and not merch because to me, that's what it is. Am I the primary buyer? No, most likely it is going to be avid followers of the Youtube channel. However when you look at who the tool is made for, it's clearly made for people who use tools daily and want the very best -- that's why I ordered one.

Edit: The only other way this would have come to market is a Kickstarter, and I think we can all agree that a dude leveraging his companies' capital and following to self-fund a niche/high risk product is better than taking money in advance of even having a prototype, with no guarantee of ever getting anything in return.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I want you to explain to me like I'm five how Linus selling a screwdriver he designed to support his channel is a conflict of interest or in any way representative of poor integrity.

His customer is the viewer. They're getting free content they can support by buying his merch. Or not. It's optional. You're not required to buy anything.

I fail to see how he's lacking integrity here. Or in any way a conflict of interest. I can't think of a single way Linus or his company has been dishonest, immoral or in any way misrepresentative of the truth. Please provide examples.

Let's start with basics. A lot of people who commented on the thread have said that a ratcheting screwdriver would not be their preferred choice when working on computers. If I wanted to sell a screwdriver to people who work on their own electronics, it definitely wouldn't be a full sized ratcheting screwdriver. A precision screwdriver makes more sense. You can turn a standard precision screwdriver fairly fast by hand. Electronics screws generally aren't tightened down that hard. If the goal is to increase how fast you can turn the screw, there's electric precision screwdrivers out there like the one in the link below.

Mini Electric Screwdriver, Small Cordless Power Screwdriver Set with 55 Precision Bits & LED Light & Magnetic Mat, Handy Repair Tool for Phone Watch Camera Laptop by POWERGIANT - Newegg.com

Buy Mini Electric Screwdriver, Small Cordless Power Screwdriver Set with 55 Precision Bits & LED Light & Magnetic Mat, Handy Repair Tool for Phone Watch Camera Laptop by POWERGIANT with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

There are at least two ways that this is a conflict of interest. He's is going on a emotional tangent and selling something that doesn't fit the needs of his audience. Trying to sell a marginally better product at twice the price of most of your competitors while riding on the goodwill of your fans is another one.

 

[Professional Tool User]

Thanks for the video link!

I had a little more time to think, and I think I can sum up my thoughts on the disconnect some people see with this product. If LTT wanted to make money and sell a screwdriver as merch, they could have just done an off the shelf rebranding and made a healthy profit (and of course, 'real tool companies' do this all the time to flesh out their offerings). Even importing/rebranding tools to specific requirements the wider market is unaware of or doesn't make widely available can add real value beyond the brand, when done right.

However, designing your own tool, even based on the IP/design of a partner (and leveraging that partner's sub-manufacturers) is a different ball game. This is not making a tool to maximize profit, but instead making the best tool you can because the existing tool manufacturers won't.

Rebranding an existing product makes a lot more sense unless your idea has so much potential to the point it's a unicorn. If I wanted a custom tool of some sort and I can't easily make it myself, I'd probably call up the local machine shop or send in a new tool suggestion to Lisle or Snap on. Designing the tool is only half the struggle. Finding someone to manufacture the tool and selling the tool is equally difficult. Tim Leatherman failed to secure large contracts from big companies for his multitools as originally planned. He also had trouble getting someone else to do the manufacturing for him, so he set up his own manufacturing facility.

 

[macnugget]

Trying to sell a marginally better product at twice the price of most of your competitors

You've made many complaints in this thread about how you believe the LTT screwdriver is overpriced. That's fine, you're welcome to that opinion. However, The LTT screwdriver is USD $69.99 and the SnapOn screwdriver which Linus has been using and wanted to improve is USD $76.50. We can at least strive for accuracy in our complaints, I hope. "Twice the price" seems like a bit of hyperbole to me, even with the "most of your competitors" qualifier. The "high" price of the LTT screwdriver might just be evidence that you and LTT disagree on who their competitors in this space actually are.