Snap on Screwdrivers

[ohblondi]

I have a question regarding snap on screwdrivers.

I am in the market and would like to buy one of the new 8 piece sets.

However, I am not sure which is better the hard handle or the soft.

I am not a mechanic who has a snap on guy come buy, so I can't try the feel of each screwdriver handle.

Interested in your opinion of soft handle vs hard handle and why you like one over the other.

This is my first started thread, so I'm new and if this has been covered in another thread please post a link so I don't waste your time.

Thanks

 

[organ]

I like hard handles. Never had the soft ones... heard dirt clings to 'em. If you choose the hard ones, buy the Williams ones from Amazon. Same screwdrivers for a lot less. I have a set, they're fine tools.

 

[n8n]

much cheaper here

http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Williams-100P-19MD-Hand-Tools-Screwdrivers-Driver-Sets

 

[jethro29]

a lot of it is personal preference both are great screwdrivers.the hard handle will get slippery if it gets wet and if you get carb cleaner or brake cleaner on the hard handle it melts the clear coat or something and they turn almost white and look real crappy.the soft handles wear well and clean up very easily with pb blaster or a similar product.so for these reasons I would have to recommend the soft handles.

 

[carterbeauford]

I find I can get more torque on a soft handle.

 

[organ]

much cheaper here

http://www.toolsdelivered.com/Williams-100P-19MD-Hand-Tools-Screwdrivers-Driver-Sets

Wish I'd known this... paid half that for a 5 piece from Amazon

 

[G_P]

if you get carb cleaner or brake cleaner on the hard handle it melts the clear coat or something and they turn almost white and look real crappy.

I have a couple old hard handle snap on's and have gotten all kinds of various cleaners and solvents on them with no visible damage or change at all

 

[1950mercury]

I like the instinct handles. Much better grip. its there newer design.I have hard hansles and dont like the square design. If you get hard handles buy the williams since you dont have a truck you deal with.

 

[ohblondi]

I figured I would buy them online through snap on like I have other things.

So they would definitely be the new instinct design. Wasn't sure which one felt better in the hand after a long day of screwdrivering???...

All I'm looking for is an opinion I also thought about buying one of each in a pretty standard length and just going from there, but than having one odd ball of a different handle would drive me nuts.

 

[wornoutoldman]

Why not buy one of each style in a common size and try em before you decide. I like both styles personally. But after a "long day of screwdrivering" I'd say the soft handles (which aren't super soft btw) would likely be my go to.

 

[97nismo]

Def the soft I am not a mechanic either but when I use them I need a lot of leverage and hard handled slipped even when dry...

 

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

I use the hard handle ones. I use them in the construction trade and I chose the hard handle over the soft due to slipping them in and out of my back pocket. I figured the soft handled ones wouldn't slide in and out of a jean pocket with ease. (Never tested the soft handled ones, just took a gamble, so if the soft handled ones do slide in and out of pockets with ease let me know)

 

[Givl Reggin]

Interested in your opinion of soft handle vs hard handle and why you like one over the other.

Get both - keep the soft handles for 'clean work' and use the hard handles where they'll get dirty from grease/oil because they're far easier to keep clean.

 

[Vegas Painter]

I love the soft handles. Will probably never use a hard handle again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[methomas70]

I love the hard handles. Will probably never use another soft handle again.

 

[healing]

I vote for hard

 

[oldwino]

I have both but grab a softie most of the time

 

[gagreen]

a lot of it is personal preference both are great screwdrivers.the hard handle will get slippery if it gets wet and if you get carb cleaner or brake cleaner on the hard handle it melts the clear coat or something and they turn almost white and look real crappy.the soft handles wear well and clean up very easily with pb blaster or a similar product.so for these reasons I would have to recommend the soft handles.

I have no issues with any chemical messing with my hard handles. MEK, skydrol etc... Same goes for my instinct soft.... skydrol will jack them up if you don't wipe them off but that goes for everything it touches.

Go with either, hard handles are going to be harder to get ahold of if you do not have a driver, generally overinflated ebay prices on the sets. The hard handles are my go to, but there is nothing wrong with the instincts at all.

 

[1950mercury]

Im not sure if i have hard or soft handles they are red with a black rubber? Inset in the red. They are soft enuff to be comfortable. I wouldnt want a spongy sonft handle.

 

[gagreen]

Im not sure if i have hard or soft handles they are red with a black rubber? Inset in the red. They are soft enuff to be comfortable. I wouldnt want a spongy sonft handle.

Youve got the hard version of the soft handles or instincts. They make a slightly softer rubber in the gray rather than black rubber which is not squishy. The hard handles everyone talks about on here are the solid plastic square handles, no rubber insets.

 

[gagreen]

For your comparison...

Both have very similar dimensions, both have the same shanks (the instincts in the picture are the extra long drivers so no hex bolster). I personally feel like i get more installation torque out of the hard handles, but more removal out of the instincts... I can use either set without any major fatigue all day long.

 

[peterbilr98]

the soft are junk go hard or instinct have bolth they don't discolor with cleaners

 

[Jsnyder93]

In my opinion i like the feel of the soft instincts, i like the triange handle shape compared to the squared handle, at the end of the day its a screwdriver. i have the green 8pc instinct set and would buy it over any set any day

 

[rtole]

Another vote for soft. I use the instincts, pro use.......during the winter my (and most other guys at work) hands get dry. I call them my hamburger hands, right now they are almost like scales. Hard handle screwdrivers slip right out. I have not had an issue with my handles getting slippery when dirty. My snap ons only get used like screwdrivers. I have cman for abuser screwdrivers. Often during a ****** flush I use the instincts to connect/disconnect from the ****** lines....quite often they get covered in ****** fluid. Still grip......no damage......and the ****** fluid leaves them very clean. I only wipe them off.

 

[bareass172]

On the off chance that you choose hard handles and go with the Williams set, read this first:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245027
Still waiting on a solution.

 

[gagreen]

On the off chance that you choose hard handles and go with the Williams set, read this first:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245027
Still waiting on a solution.

there is a difference in snap on and williams. Mainly in qc. Everyone can say they are the same till their blue in the face but fact of the matter is if you want full snap on quality, you gotta drink the kool aid and spend the snap on money. You'll find little aggravations like this over and over again in snap on industrial brands.

 

[Skin]

For clarifications sake,

hard handle instincts are all solid plastic.
soft handle instincts are essentially all hard plastic as well with the only difference being that the black areas are a grippy rubber. Its not actually a squishy handle like the name would imply.

Both clean up very easily.

Most people refer to the classic squared handles as simply "hard handles" so keep that in mind when reading peoples opinions.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

there is a difference in snap on and williams. Mainly in qc. Everyone can say they are the same till their blue in the face but fact of the matter is if you want full snap on quality, you gotta drink the kool aid and spend the snap on money. You'll find little aggravations like this over and over again in snap on industrial brands.

It's a small community here, so it's easy for people to latch onto the one thread on the bad driver that has come up recently and link it on every post referencing the Williams drivers. No disrespect to the headache 'bareass172' has been dealing with, but do a little searching on here and there is just as much bad SO quality control going on (i.e. the wire strippers that were two halves of different models about a year ago).

For how much people want to say there's any difference in SO vs Williams USA quality, it's all speculation. I'm the guy that received a Snap-On socket with my Williams USA 1/4" set, and have filled in all the missing sizes with Snap-On, and there is no difference in the quality of the sockets or how nice the chrome is. Same with the driver set I bought, no visible or functional differences from the Snap-On.

 

[azhatchback]

I use both soft grip and hard grip instincts. Mine are in red. Hard handle are grey and red and soft grip is black and red. I prefer the soft grip. You get more torque with them. They are very ergonomic and if you get the 8 peice set you will need to buy a #3 and #4, 8 inch long philipps if you want a more complete set.

I have had the soft grips caked with greese and black smears. They clean up easily with a shop towel and some windex.

 

[fatfillup]

Carb cleaner can whiten hard handles. Had it happen several times. But, a little rubbing compound will normally correct the problem and you can use polishing compound for a nice finish. I have a little air buffer that aids in cleaning them.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

there is a difference in snap on and williams. Mainly in qc. Everyone can say they are the same till their blue in the face but fact of the matter is if you want full snap on quality, you gotta drink the kool aid and spend the snap on money. You'll find little aggravations like this over and over again in snap on industrial brands.

Bingo...Sure as mentioned "**** happens". No company/nobody is perfect. But the difference here is when buying off a truck this is zero problem Whether we're talking about the incorrect halves on the wire strippers or this screwdriver, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my SO guy and/or MAC guy would address the issue within seconds....Case closed.

Problem here is trying to save 10 bucks on a screwdriver set, then crying for weeks on end a shank was pressed in "off clock". Thats a 5 second "fix" on a truck, but you wouldnt have even walked off the truck with that in the first place. In this case here of the unground shank tip theres no doubt thre issue is a genuine one, but having to **** with sending 13 emails with pix and jumping on one foot while tapping your head to get it resolved are why the trucks are just as much if not more relavent in todays market if you dont have time to kill trying to get stuff resolved.

The Kool-Aid is tasty for more the one reason...

 

[n8n]

Bingo...Sure as mentioned "**** happens". No company/nobody is perfect. But the difference here is when buying off a truck this is zero problem Whether we're talking about the incorrect halves on the wire strippers or this screwdriver, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my SO guy and/or MAC guy would address the issue within seconds....Case closed.

Problem here is trying to save 10 bucks on a screwdriver set, then crying for weeks on end a shank was pressed in "off clock". Thats a 5 second "fix" on a truck, but you wouldnt have even walked off the truck with that in the first place. In this case here of the unground shank tip theres no doubt thre issue is a genuine one, but having to **** with sending 13 emails with pix and jumping on one foot while tapping your head to get it resolved are why the trucks are just as much if not more relavent in todays market if you dont have time to kill trying to get stuff resolved.

The Kool-Aid is tasty for more the one reason...

I agree with what you're saying, but it seems just like a different kind of inconvenience... ordered three shallow impacts from the truck two weeks ago. Guy asked why I wanted those particular sizes, as "they're sizes you might never use." My response was, of course, that I already had all the common sizes, but wanted a complete set "just in case." Well he had to order from SO and so far I only have one, the other two are supposed to be in next Thursday... so this "truck service" I've heard of isn't really that great.

Not dogging SO in particular though... guy at the shop has a Matco impact gun (same as mine, love the sucker) that has some issues, I think the parts to fix it have been on order for over a month...! Probably could have done a better job by sitting down with the parts list and calling Matco direct myself :/

Now that said, I do like the quality of SO and Matco...

 

[4x4gearhead]

I have both instinct and hard handle. I find I like the old hard handles better for the most part, and in my opinion the soft ones get more slick with oily hands than the hard handles. I have always liked them better for this reason.

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Buy both, soft and hard handle

 

[bcradio]

Bingo...Sure as mentioned "**** happens". No company/nobody is perfect. But the difference here is when buying off a truck this is zero problem Whether we're talking about the incorrect halves on the wire strippers or this screwdriver, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my SO guy and/or MAC guy would address the issue within seconds....Case closed.

Problem here is trying to save 10 bucks on a screwdriver set, then crying for weeks on end a shank was pressed in "off clock". Thats a 5 second "fix" on a truck, but you wouldnt have even walked off the truck with that in the first place. In this case here of the unground shank tip theres no doubt thre issue is a genuine one, but having to **** with sending 13 emails with pix and jumping on one foot while tapping your head to get it resolved are why the trucks are just as much if not more relavent in todays market if you dont have time to kill trying to get stuff resolved.

The Kool-Aid is tasty for more the one reason...

More like 10 bucks per screwdriver.

 

[ohblondi]

I have an old set of harder handled screwdrivers that I have used for quite some time, not snap on. I figured I would keep them around for pounding with a hammer. So far it seems like an even mix of soft and hard with maybe the soft handles winning out.

To those of you who are saying buy both, I'm not a professional mechanic. I'm a hobbyist who has no need or space for two practically identical sets of screwdrivers. I figured the starting set of 8 would get me started and as I went along with projects and encountered a scenario where I needed a longer screwdriver, well than I'd buy it.

I have seen some people say the soft handles get slick with oily hands, my hands are always oily. Any other opinions or thoughts to back up that statement?

Also I appreciate all the responses thus far. You guys are great.

 

[gagreen]

I use both styles in hydraulic fluid, engine oil, fuel etc neither seem to get slippery. Personal preference and availability win out for you it would seem. The instinct handles are much easier to come by without access to a truck as you can get them directly from snap on. Although if you ebay you can find a decent deal and get whatever color combo and set size you want, check snap on's website before you bid... I see lots of auctions going over msrp on standard colors, if you want a rare color you'll pay more for it.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

It's all a matter of preference. I happen to like the soft grip for screwdrivers and ratchets.

 

[1950mercury]

For how much people want to say there's any difference in SO vs Williams USA quality, it's all speculation. I'm the guy that received a Snap-On socket with my Williams USA 1/4" set, and have filled in all the missing sizes with Snap-On, and there is no difference in the quality of the sockets or how nice the chrome is. Same with the driver set I bought, no visible or functional differences from the Snap-On.

Thats odd because the guy that owns toolsdelivered that sells a ton of williams said there is a difference in the sockets. And all my instinct phillips have acr tips. I have a friend that just bought a williams set and only the #2 Phillipshas an acr tip

 

[Matt_C]

I've got all three (albeit in different drivers and picks)

Old style hard, newer hard, soft grip and soft instinct (and another hard on the end there)

I think, at least looks wise, I prefer the hard handle - as fitted to the orange, and red, in my pic. Not a fan of the old hard handle on the left (have a matching orange handle on order I'm gonna swap it out with). The SoftGrip is fine - I have a ratchet screwdriver in this line, and I think, at least as far as the ratchet screwdriver goes, it's much nicer to use than the hard handle version I had before. The Instinct soft is a hose pick, and I've not used a screwdriver with that handle, but I'm sure it's fine too.

The thing I also really like are the hex bolsters - but what I really don't like is the bolsters are imperial! I only use metric! I actually have zero imperial wrenches in my box (other than one of those small double ratcheting box end's, with 5/16 on one end and 1/4 on the other). I can get away with metric wrenches on these bolsters, but they're an odd fit - the large #4 black handle needs a 13mm, the #3 orange handle needs the 12point box end of an 11mm (fits super snug) but the open end won't fit (and 12mm is too big), same for the SoftGrip flat, and the red #2 works with the open end of a 10mm, but it's a bit loose (fortunately, I have a SO Flank Drive 10mm wrench, so it still grips), but the box end of the 10 doesn't fit

Damn imperial!