sweet victory
Well-known member
If you're here, I guess the click bait headline worked. 
This is my review for the 26045 Witte bit driver set.
While looking through Witte's catalog, I came across a ratcheting bit driver that I wanted to try. I looked here, youtube, and just about every corner of the internet where geeks like us might talk about something like this. Nada. I have come to appreciate the quality and ergonomics of Witte's screwdrivers and thought that this quality would carry through into their bit drivers.
Initial impressions were horrifying. The machining was some of the worst I've ever seen from a tool made in the 21st century. The ratcheting mechanism portion of the tool looks nothing like the rendering/photo in the Witte catalog. It may have been machined with a butter knife, and QC checked while everyone was working from home. It felt like the components were all thrown into the jar and shaken until it all fit together. I counted only 12 teeth on the ratcheting mechanism. I promise I can count higher than that, it seriously only has 12 teeth. Between the end of the handle and the tip of the bit holder, there is roughly .25" of slop/play. I emailed the vendor asking about their return/warranty process - I was of the opinion that this is something that should've never have left the Witte factory. In the end, I ended up paying ~$10 return shipping and got a store credit.
The knurled shaft and the handle might be the only pieces made in Germany since they were the only pieces that appeared to be of good quality. I suspect the rest of it was made in India, China, or even Somalia. Who knows? All I know is that I would be ashamed to have my name associated with this product.
I'm hoping anyone who google searches the Witte part number/description, 26045 WITTE BITDRIVE TAMPERTORX BIT DRIVE W/RATCHET, will come across this thread and stay away. I have used $14 Husky bit ratchets that blow this piece of junk out of the water. If you feel like you need to spend $62.55 on a bit ratchet, go with PBSwiss or Snap On.
This concludes my review. Thanks for reading.
This is my review for the 26045 Witte bit driver set.While looking through Witte's catalog, I came across a ratcheting bit driver that I wanted to try. I looked here, youtube, and just about every corner of the internet where geeks like us might talk about something like this. Nada. I have come to appreciate the quality and ergonomics of Witte's screwdrivers and thought that this quality would carry through into their bit drivers.
Initial impressions were horrifying. The machining was some of the worst I've ever seen from a tool made in the 21st century. The ratcheting mechanism portion of the tool looks nothing like the rendering/photo in the Witte catalog. It may have been machined with a butter knife, and QC checked while everyone was working from home. It felt like the components were all thrown into the jar and shaken until it all fit together. I counted only 12 teeth on the ratcheting mechanism. I promise I can count higher than that, it seriously only has 12 teeth. Between the end of the handle and the tip of the bit holder, there is roughly .25" of slop/play. I emailed the vendor asking about their return/warranty process - I was of the opinion that this is something that should've never have left the Witte factory. In the end, I ended up paying ~$10 return shipping and got a store credit.
The knurled shaft and the handle might be the only pieces made in Germany since they were the only pieces that appeared to be of good quality. I suspect the rest of it was made in India, China, or even Somalia. Who knows? All I know is that I would be ashamed to have my name associated with this product.
I'm hoping anyone who google searches the Witte part number/description, 26045 WITTE BITDRIVE TAMPERTORX BIT DRIVE W/RATCHET, will come across this thread and stay away. I have used $14 Husky bit ratchets that blow this piece of junk out of the water. If you feel like you need to spend $62.55 on a bit ratchet, go with PBSwiss or Snap On.
This concludes my review. Thanks for reading.
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