Screwdriver Decision Fatigue

[rust in the eye]

Somebody else posted these up already:https://www.harborfreight.com/demolition-screwdrivers-2-piece-64859.html
Two of the most often used screwdrivers they are TELLING you to hit with a hammer or use as a prybar that they will guarantee forever, for SEVEN bucks?
I'm sold!

 

[bobg03]

I'm happy with my Klein Set that I've had for a long time, but also purchased a simple set of Vessel in 4 JIS sizes. For any Repetitive tasks like furniture assembly the ratcheting williams fill the bill for my use.

 

[AEAdam]

Somebody else posted these up already:https://www.harborfreight.com/demolition-screwdrivers-2-piece-64859.html
Two of the most often used screwdrivers they are TELLING you to hit with a hammer or use as a prybar that they will guarantee forever, for SEVEN bucks?
I'm sold!

Why would you hit a Phillips screwdriver with a hammer? I feel like a lifetime warranty for the HF screwdrivers is a genius idea. They are so ugly and so crappy, you’ll use it once then buy better screwdrivers and leave these in the bottom of the junk drawer or rusty toolbox where they will last a lifetime. These are the cockroaches of screwdrivers.

These are screwdrivers you buy your son in law so he’ll stop getting your daughter to ask you for help doing things he should know how to do. These are dorm room tools.

For not that much more money, you can get decent US made tools. These Harbor Freight tools are literally tent stakes and ice picks masquerading as screwdrivers. When you invite your garage journal friends over, you should hide these with your collection of knitting pattern magazines. (Trying to keep this joke G rated). It’s a JOKE guys!

 

[rust in the eye]

Why would you hit a Phillips screwdriver with a hammer? I feel like a lifetime warranty for the HF screwdrivers is a genius idea. They are so ugly and so crappy, you’ll use it once then buy better screwdrivers and leave these in the bottom of the junk drawer or rusty toolbox where they will last a lifetime. These are the cockroaches of screwdrivers.

These are screwdrivers you buy your son in law so he’ll stop getting your daughter to ask you for help doing things he should know how to do. These are dorm room tools.

For not that much more money, you can get decent US made tools. These Harbor Freight tools are literally tent stakes and ice picks masquerading as screwdrivers. When you invite your garage journal friends over, you should hide these with your collection of knitting pattern magazines. (Trying to keep this joke G rated). It’s a JOKE guys!

You're kidding, right?
I'm going to buy them. I'll report back. I've done way worse things with $7 before.

 

[liliysdad]

I’ve been through all sorts of drivers, and I’ve settled on Weras and Tekton hard handles.

 

[rooster59]

Anybody remember the Primitive Pete filmstrips with accompanying vinyl record from shop class? The boys from Audio Visual brought it into class on the cart? Mr. Johnson didn’t go for whacking screwdrivers with a hammer. Especially a claw hammer.

 

[garageuser]

What the hell actually uses Pozidriv fasteners? I don't think I've ever seen or needed a Pozidriv driver but they're included in every bit set and lots of screwdriver sets too.

I probably have more Pozidriv than Phillips in my house because all the furniture and fixtures are from Ikea. I actually have the opposite problem where I wanted some pz bits for said furniture but can’t find any during the many Home Depot/Lowes bit set sales. I’m guessing it’s cause I’m in the US.

 

[M6erfan]

Why would you hit a Phillips screwdriver with a hammer?

Frozen threshold screws or the like? But yeah, around the house a "demo" phillips screwdriver doesn't have a lot of utility.

I feel like a lifetime warranty for the HF screwdrivers is a genius idea. They are so ugly and so crappy, you’ll use it once then buy better screwdrivers and leave these in the bottom of the junk drawer or rusty toolbox where they will last a lifetime. These are the cockroaches of screwdrivers.

These are screwdrivers you buy your son in law so he’ll stop getting your daughter to ask you for help doing things he should know how to do. These are dorm room tools.

For not that much more money, you can get decent US made tools. These Harbor Freight tools are literally tent stakes and ice picks masquerading as screwdrivers. When you invite your garage journal friends over, you should hide these with your collection of knitting pattern magazines. (Trying to keep this joke G rated). It’s a JOKE guys!

I'm calling ********. Give some objective evidence to back up your rant. Many here, over the years, have given good marks to some of HF's screwdriver offerings.

 

[AEAdam]

I'm calling ********. Give some objective evidence to back up your rant. Many here, over the years, have given good marks to some of HF's screwdriver offerings.

Lighten up, Francis

(anybody get that one?)

Come on, the son in law reference? Really? Nothing? You know my daughter isn’t married, that was all a joke. Nothing? Is this mic on? tap tap tap

 

[M6erfan]

Lighten up, Francis

(anybody get that one?)

Yeah, you make a three paragraph rant about screwdrivers and I'm the one that needs to lighten up

Still waiting for that objective evidence, mr. engineer . . .

 

[rust in the eye]

Anybody remember the Primitive Pete filmstrips with accompanying vinyl record from shop class? The boys from Audio Visual brought it into class on the cart? Mr. Johnson didn’t go for whacking screwdrivers with a hammer. Especially a claw hammer.

Never heard of him

 

[rooster59]

Pozidriv for mounting X-country ski bindings.

 

[garageuser]

These are screwdrivers you buy your son in law so he’ll stop getting your daughter to ask you for help doing things he should know how to do. These are dorm room tools.

The ultimate GJ son-in-law approval scale: HF <-> Snap-On

 

[dchawk81]

Lighten up, Francis

(anybody get that one?)

Come on, the son in law reference? Really? Nothing? You know my daughter isn’t married, that was all a joke. Nothing? Is this mic on? tap tap tap

I don't know your daughter so that whole thing was self-checkout yelling at cloudsy.

Plus you used the general you instead of referring to your own particular non-existent son in law.

 

[BrandonV]

Why would you hit a Phillips screwdriver with a hammer?

I just had to post it as a joke but I agree.

 

[Madjik Man]

Lighten up, Francis

(anybody get that one?)

Come on, the son in law reference? Really? Nothing? You know my daughter isn’t married, that was all a joke. Nothing? Is this mic on? tap tap tap

You touch any of my stuff… I’ll kill ya.

 

[garageuser]

Thanks for all the input!

You've convinced me to pick up some blue Vessel Megadora for Phillips.

50/50 for US/SAE flathead choice. Either US made with handles I'm not particularly fond of (Klein, Williams, Tekton) or some throw away, disposable chinese set from HD/Lowes/HF.

 

[BrandonV]

Thanks for all the input!

You've convinced me to pick up some blue Vessel Megadora for Phillips.

50/50 for US/SAE flathead choice. Either US made with handles I'm not particularly fond of (Klein, Williams, Tekton) or some throw away, disposable chinese set from HD/Lowes/HF.

I tend to find that for slotted screws the driver wears less than something like a Philips tip.

HJE still has a Made in USA acetate set.

10 Piece Husky USA Screwdriver Set

10 Piece Husky USA Screwdriver Set

www.harryepstein.com

 

[M6erfan]

Thanks for all the input!

You've convinced me to pick up some blue Vessel Megadora for Phillips.

50/50 for US/SAE flathead choice. Either US made with handles I'm not particularly fond of (Klein, Williams, Tekton) or some throw away, disposable chinese set from HD/Lowes/HF.

Have you looked at Channelock offerings? Made in USA and 2 choices in handle material. I like the acetate handles personally.

 

[garageuser]

I tend to find that for slotted screws the driver wears less than something like a Philips tip.

HJE still has a Made in USA acetate set.

10 Piece Husky USA Screwdriver Set

10 Piece Husky USA Screwdriver Set

www.harryepstein.com

Great find! These are very nice but I'm concerned about the classic acetate smell issue. I will reach out to HJE and see if they're new so maybe it's as not as much of an concern. Plus I can't tell how many actual drivers it comes with. The page says 10, the picture has 12, the url says 14 and the page title says 17 Bummer shipping is so expensive at 50% of the set itself.

Have you looked at Channelock offerings? Made in USA and 2 choices in handle material. I like the acetate handles personally.

Thanks, totally forgot about them!

 

[Etchase]

Epstien for the win! They have these on larger sets, and as singles.

5 pc Proto Hex Nut Screwdriver Set

5 pc Proto Hex Nut Screwdriver Set

www.harryepstein.com

I’ve had these for several years, no odor issues. They solved that issue a couple decades ago I think.

 

[BrandonV]

Great find! These are very nice but I'm concerned about the classic acetate smell issue. I will reach out to HJE and see if they're new so maybe it's as not as much of an concern. Plus I can't tell how many actual drivers it comes with. The page says 10, the picture has 12, the url says 14 and the page title says 17 Bummer shipping is so expensive at 50% of the set itself.


Thanks, totally forgot about them!

Not sure on the acetate smell. For starters I would wear that as a cologne so my opinion is worthless.

I also have acetate screwdrivers that have lived 40 years in 100F+ temperatures for decades and I can't smell anything so IDK .

 

[BrandonV]

Epstien for the win! They have these on larger sets, and as singles.

5 pc Proto Hex Nut Screwdriver Set

5 pc Proto Hex Nut Screwdriver Set

www.harryepstein.com

I’ve had these for several years, no odor issues. They solved that issue a couple decades ago I think.

Sad part is they solved that issue in part by discontinuing them. I loved that handle. .

 

[Pinemarten]

Why would you hit a Phillips screwdriver with a hammer?

I have a a #2 Phillips made by Sunflag that has a striking cap. It is my dedicated JIS screwdriver for the screw that needs to be removed, but the part it is installed in can't handle impact driver stress levels.

I had a screw in a Yamaha brake master cylinder cover that I was preparing to tap while loading the screw with turning force.
Suddenly it went "click" and came free. I never did strike it, but I think I was using practices the tool was designed for.

PS: I wasn't using a claw hammer

 

[Etchase]

The best offering in the Stanley brand are their 100 plus line. Long history for this model.

Stanley 66-158 8-Piece 100 Plus Screwdriver Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NIGJMM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[BrandonV]

The best offering in the Stanley brand are their 100 plus line. Long history for this model.

Stanley 66-158 8-Piece 100 Plus Screwdriver Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NIGJMM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

COO is now Taiwan but I've tried old & new and they're identical IMO. Good set.

 

[AEAdam]

Hit me in the face with a pie: reading the monarch lathe thread by Grant and there’s some serious screwdriver **** in the latest posts.

I’m telling you guys. When my house project is done I’m thinking seriously about some sort of Porsche project. Not sure what it will be. But it might start with some little tool box full of euro tools just for fun. The “color code” PB SWISS drivers will be high on the list.

Check out Grant’s threads for some inspiration. Not sure how you guys would compare PB Swiss to Vessel. They look similar to my eyes but the PBs have cooler colors.

Just in case anyone is interested in my electrical class kit, here’s a pic:

 

[Bubba Fett]

Stanley 100 Pluss drivers are very durable. The new Taiwan drivers are great, though I do prefer the old USA-made ones. I often find them in antique/rummage stores, garage sales, etc.

For a bone-basic acetate handle set, Craftsman is just fine. The new ones at Lowes are made in Taiwan, but they are better than what Western Forge was making. The tips actually fit. The cost is low, and they are easy to get.

 

[four.cycle]

^ That 4-piece Proto set from Epstein's is one of the best deals going right now on slotted drivers if you want a hard handle.
I've been shopping for a gigantic slotted screwdriver for my buddy - I gave him one years ago and he apparently destroyed it on a job.
Best deal on "big" I've been able to find is a Pratt-Read from CripeDistributing for about $12 bucks (including shipping).
If you know of something better - big slotted - at a low price point - let me know.
Only issue with that one is it's not bolstered all the way through the handle, so first time he takes the 5-pound hammer to it, it's toast.

 

[AEAdam]

Yeah, you make a three paragraph rant about screwdrivers and I'm the one that needs to lighten up

Still waiting for that objective evidence, mr. engineer . . .

Oh stop it. I’m sure those are perfectly adequate for the OPs needs and I agree the low price makes them attractive to certain non-tool-loving people.

I would never buy a set of those because I’m a self proclaimed tool snob. I have instincts in my kitchen junk drawer. What normal person does that?

By the way, when they lost the Snap on ratchet screwdriver, I replaced it with an Enders in protest. But no one uses that. The people I live with (my family) couldn’t give two shits about tools but they all prefer the instincts. Fancy that. I was like “thats an $80 screwdriver you lost!” They eventually found it.

I don’t know about you guys, outside of misc jobs and electrical, I don’t use my screwdrivers that often. My 80s German cars were full of Phillips (or pozi) screws. No more. I encounter very few screwdriver jobs in modern cars. Torx have sorta taken over.

For carpentry, everything is torx and driven with a gun.

 

[richfinn]

Vessel for me, I've tried a lot of brands including tool trucks and all of the Euro offerings. They are just comfortable and tough and they clean up easy.

I do have the P B Swiss ratchet screwdriver and some Snap-On mini drivers (but only because I hadn't discovered Vessel at the time)

 

[garageuser]

Stanley 100 Pluss drivers are very durable. The new Taiwan drivers are great, though I do prefer the old USA-made ones. I often find them in antique/rummage stores, garage sales, etc.

For a bone-basic acetate handle set, Craftsman is just fine. The new ones at Lowes are made in Taiwan, but they are better than what Western Forge was making. The tips actually fit. The cost is low, and they are easy to get.

Interesting. I tried some new basic Husky acetate ones and the flathead quality was terrible. The supposed parallel tip grooves were all crooked and one of the drivers tips still had excess metal chunks hanging off. Made me rule out Craftsman acetate ones but I’ll reconsider now.

 

[AEAdam]

Vessel for me, I've tried a lot of brands including tool trucks and all of the Euro offerings. They are just comfortable and tough and they clean up easy.

I do have the P B Swiss ratchet screwdriver and some Snap-On mini drivers (but only because I hadn't discovered Vessel at the time)

Tell us more about the roll cart? your Veto is on. I feel like my Klein bag/bucket thing above is a poor substitute for the Veto pro pac. It’s heavy empty and slightly wide mouthed so a bit tippy.

 

[Kuma601]

As convenient as bit drivers tend to be, I dislike that bit play when snugging them up. On some no big deal yet I like to feel how the fastener is doing and that play numbs it. Also figuring out if the fastener has a loose head tolerance of it it is the bit then when both combine it feels really sloppy.

This pertains more to using hex keys though in general I prefer a snug fit so that I don't cam out or bungle a fastener head up using a crappy driver.

 

[Steve_P]

What the hell actually uses Pozidriv fasteners? I don't think I've ever seen or needed a Pozidriv driver but they're included in every bit set and lots of screwdriver sets too.

They are actually more popular than most Americans think- because most of us just assume they're phillips, and then ***** when the driver doesn't fit properly. They are used in the interior of a lot of 60-70s American cars where they used self-drilling screws to speed assembly. Like for something like a door panel, there wouldn't be mating holes in the door for the screws, just holes in the door panel; the assembler would install the door panel, and then use self-drilling screws that he inserted into the hole in the door panel, and then drove in with an air tool and it pierced the steel. Fast and easy, no holes to try and line up. They used pozi-driv screws for this because the recess can take higher torque than a phillips.

And as many have said, they're very popular in Europe, because they're superior to a phillips head.

 

[Steve_P]

I have the Milwaukee ECX, frankly I find it to cam out too often so I went to Robertson. Much better. Wiha makes a 'block driver' which is similar to, but different than ECX. I've never tried it though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M11V66U/?tag=atomicindus08-20

That Wiha works great. I have two of them, and also that bit for a cordless screwdriver. Makes a huge difference vs a slotted driver.

 

[Ton ton]

Have you looked at Channelock offerings? Made in USA and 2 choices in handle material. I like the acetate handles personally.

The big slotted channellock screwdrivers tips snap when my Dad grabs hold of them- speaking from experience.

 

[garageuser]

As convenient as bit drivers tend to be, I dislike that bit play when snugging them up. On some no big deal yet I like to feel how the fastener is doing and that play numbs it. Also figuring out if the fastener has a loose head tolerance of it it is the bit then when both combine it feels really sloppy.

This pertains more to using hex keys though in general I prefer a snug fit so that I don't cam out or bungle a fastener head up using a crappy driver.

Take a look at this Wiha Centrofix bit holder. YouTube reviews say it handles almost any bit with no play whatsoever. No ratchet and no onboard storage but if no wobble is what you're looking for, this seems to be the best.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B8L4M7G/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[richfinn]

Tell us more about the roll cart? your Veto is on. I feel like my Klein bag/bucket thing above is a poor substitute for the Veto pro pac. It’s heavy empty and slightly wide mouthed so a bit tippy.

It's actually van racking inside my work vehicle (roadside tech fixing broken down cars), it has roller bearing drawers and carries car batteries and more tools inside the drawers.

The bag is a Veto Pro Pac OT-MC (I added the end pouches and socket storage), they are great bags would definitely recommend.

It's still a work in progress, I keep refining my "load out" as I buy more stuff and remove stuff I don't use much, the big advantage is I can take the bag into garages and car parks where vehicle access isn't possible, it's designed around an initial 10 minute assessment of what exactly I'm going to do with the breakdown, but quite often you can find and fix simple faults with just that simple tool kit (I have a box of small parts/and a diagnostic tablet that I take with me too).

 

[AEAdam]

Take a look at this Wiha Centrofix bit holder. YouTube reviews say it handles almost any bit with no play whatsoever. No ratchet and no onboard storage but if no wobble is what you're looking for, this seems to be the best.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B8L4M7G/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I desperately want to love those. I have a Wiha handle that takes shanks and makes them length adjustable. I just don’t love it.