I have some craftsman screwdrivers and if I put them in a closed box the whole box will have a stench next time I open it. Apparently, the xcelite handles emits the odor.
Is there a way to permenantly clean off this odor?
For future reference, what brand of screwdrivers are of decent quality and don't have smelly handles?
I think the problem is that almost all screwdriver handles are made of vinyl, which contains plasticizers that evaporate forever. If the handle is clear or very shiney, it's probably vinyl.
The only screwdriver I've seen that uses a different plastic is the Buck Brothers 6-in-1 screw/nut driver that Home Depot sells for $2.97. Its handle is polyethylene (like DeWalt handheld power tools), which has no plasticizers and is almost odorless:
I think the problem is that almost all screwdriver handles are made of vinyl, which contains plasticizers that evaporate forever, or cellulose butyrate (whatever that is). If the handle is clear or very shiney, it's probably one of those plastics.
The only screwdriver I've seen that uses a different plastic is the Buck Brothers 6-in-1 screw/nut driver that Home Depot sells for $2.97. Its handle is polyethylene (like DeWalt handheld power tools), which has no plasticizers and is almost odorless:
Time. My Craftsman drivers don't smell- They are about 40 years old.
I'm guessing they make lousy chisels- and I'd hesitate before I opened a can of paint with them.
Jim
Tool handles are usually cellulose acetate plasticized with phthalates. Don't think they should smell but maybe there is trace acetic acid that is causing odor. Cheap Chinese plastic?
**Some years ago I got a toobox and a pile of cheap tools for my wife to use around the house. Every time I open the box, it smells like someone puked in it.
The best screwdrivers I've ever used are made by a company called Westward, and sold by Grainger. The handles are a gray rough plastic in a sort of oval shape. You can get a really good grip on them, even with sweaty or greasy hands, plus they don't smell
I have smelled new craftsman screwdrivers like OP has. Use them more and leave toolbox open when not in use so smell can go away:)
craftman screwdrivers now RUST EASILY, no doubt a way to save money
Sears sold off the craftsman tool line to raise money, the co combined sears k mart company is in serious danger of going out of business, or so said a news report recently.
I avoid sears !
Their aggressive selling of credit cards, and making me wait while the cashier processes their application ticked me off.
my turn in line, I had waited 15 minutes for others to get cards.just
3 people had been ahead of meSo I said call a manager, I asked the manager are you a retailer or a credit card supplier?
sir were trying to provide a service to our customers.
me i waited all this time unnecessarily, you need more staff if your going to do the card thing.
heres my merchandise you can put it back i dont want it, 500 buck sale gone, oh and incidently my next stop in your store was for a washer and dryer, i am headed for home depot:)........ i am done shopping at sears.
apparently seras has ticked off many of its customers, sales are reported poor
I havent bought anything there for years, except swap out some craftsman tools, and the newer craftsman tool quality has gone down a lot.......
I think sears will be joing montgomery ward and WT Grant soon in the dust bin of retail history
Some of the most durable screwdrivers I have ever owned are those cheap stanley ones with black and yellow handles, cheap and durable.....
Well, my old stanleys are red and yellow, not black and yellow, but I was quite happy with them. Of course, that was from when they still had a factory in New Britain CT. Not impressed with their current offerings- no idea where they are made, or by who. They feel wrong in my hand, and the fit and finish seems third-world.
I am more careful with my old tools now, lest they grow legs or get damaged. And at garage sales, any orphan old hand tools that aren't beat to death, are the first thing I look at. Not many of those out there, since most people always bought the cheap stuff, and the people who did buy the good stuff, if they are still breathing, aren't selling it. Sometimes estate sales have good stuff, but the companies that usually handle those around here price them sky-high.
Most of my 'good' tools are Craftsman from 25+ years ago. (and yeah, the screwdrivers did stink the first few years.) My semi-disposable tools for keeping in the cars and under the desk at work, are from wherever I trip across something that seems 'good enough' at a price I can stand. If I see a Sale! sign, and if they have a demo on the display where I can actually turn it over in my hands, I'll look. I won't buy a tool I can't handle first- been burned too many times. If a tool feels right in the hand, it usually is decent quality. If it feels like junk, it usually is.
.my turn in line, I had waited 15 minutes for others to get cards.just
I don't know the numbers today,but read an artical about 10 years ago where Sears actually made about 10 times the profit off the credit cards than they did off the murchendise.
Not sure of the rates as I do not use that card, but it is probabaly 20 to
24 % now. That is a lot of profit.
?????
Do you have Craftsman tools or Xcelite tools? Xcelite is not a type of plastic, it's a brand name. While Xcelite screwdriver handles do not have any inherent odor, that I recall, some of their containers definitely did. Casein plastic is often made from organic proteins and often stinks like sour milk. Xcelite interchangeable screw/nut/allen driver sets used to come in casein plastic boxes. Ooo-eee! Definitely stinky. ;)
nb
I guess I confused xcelite as the name of the plastic.
However, if you search "xcelite puke" you'd find that you're lucky your xcetite tools don't smell.
It's not the driver handles, it's the case they came in. And this was only one type of case. It was the single handle w/ changable drivers in a 2 part top/bottom case, the bottom being black plastic and the top being tranparent casein plastic. The top came off and the black bottom held the handle/drivers vertically. These were later replaced with clamshell style cases made of polystyrene (I think). The casein cased drivers stank cuz they were in the case all the time. Removing the drivers from the case would allow the smell to eventually fade from the handles.
Looking at their catalog, I see none of these driver sets offered in the older casein plastic set boxes. I guess customers made a big enough stink (pun intended) to get them changed.
I never thought of it as a puke smell, jes a sour milk smell, as milk is often the protein used to make casein plastic. It's rare to even run across casein plastic, anymore, but you'll know it when you do! ;)
nb
I agree with that, and have a card that I get cash back also. Started charging almost everything to that card just because of the cash back deal.
However there are millions of idiots in the US. Most of them do carry a balance.
Just took out a credit card at Sams Club because they had a deal if you get a card, you get so much money back that day. Probably will never use it again.
Hmmm, In my working days my tool box was Xcelite brand which contained 3G worth of stuffs. Old Craftsman made by Singer was real tool.
These are most likely mid 80s, early 90s Excelite screwdrivers (Exsmellite as we called them) . I bet they were also the vendor for Craftsman for that time.
Nothing seems to make that smell go away.
There products before and after that era seem OK.
You do know that Craftsman makes nothing? Xcelite made many tools for Craftsman. Is it a wonder they smell like XCelite tools?
Wrong.
You have it backwards. It was the handles of the tools that made the box stink.
Maybe. Leave them outside in the sun for a while. Repeat as necessary. Drill vent holes in the box.
SnapOn, Matco and Mac tools. I've used, and still have dozens of various types used in 40 years of DIY, auto wrenching, et al. Never, ever had an odor problem. You get what you pay for in any pro tool line.
Joe
-snip-
That's what I thought when I signed up for the $40 instant savings-- but then when I got the first bill, I see it is a cash back card, too.
3% on Sams purchases, I think. I usually only get 1% on groceries so now I charge my Samsclub groceries on their card.It ain't as good as it was a few years ago, but my credit cards are still paying their rent.
Jim
Idiots or broke people. I carried a balance through college because I didn't have enough/make enough money to pay for my books. Whether I made the right decision or not I dunno. Was having this discussion last night. I think my life would have been better if I'd either gone to a state school or trade school instead of the expensive engineering school, because the degree really just got me in the door at interviews and all the good jobs I've had I was unqualified for when I started, and both I and the interviewer knew it (but I talked my way in anyway, e.g. "I'm smart and a fast learner, and am willing to learn and work hard")
nate
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