Screwdriver Recommendations

[Joseph Meehan]

They look good, but I can't really verify their quality.

[nospambob]

[Terry]

I was in a Sears in Cleveland Tenn. about 30 years ago. I had a 25 ft tape with the tape broken. The clerk said that the tape was not covered under the warranty.

I took the tape outside and threw it at the ground hard enough to break the case. I took it back inside and handed it to the same clerk. He swapped it for a new one without saying a thing about what happened.

I quit buying Craftsman when they came out with a Sears brand. They would replace tin snips with the Sear's brand which did not have a life time warranty.

[Keith Jewell]

The best screwdrivers I have ever used are the Wiha Dynamics.

They're not cheap, but I have yet to wear out a tip in ten years. Some of them are getting a little scratched up, but the mating surfaces are still great. They have since come up with other styles such as anti-cam-out. I also have some System 6 tools and precision micro drivers from them. All top-quality stuff. System 6 even has torque-limiting handles available.

-Keith

[Father Haskell]

Start with a decent brand 4-in-hand or 4 way driver. The bits will cover 95% of your needs, plus you can drop them out and use the empty shaft as a nutdriver. Nothing else will drive a hex-head straight slot sheet metal screw without driving you nuts.

Tips on any straight slot driver should be hollow ground, not tapered. The sides of the hollow ground tip are effectively parallel where they engage the screw, and will not jump out of the screw head as soon as you apply any degree of torque. Taper ground tips can be hollow ground on a bench grinder, however. Either design tip should have its corners ground or filed back to 45 degrees if you intend to use it with flat head wood screws or hinge screws.

[Tekkie®]

Terry posted for all of us...

Why did you accept that?

[Tekkie®]

Bob posted for all of us...

no they are not

[ephedralover]

I bought the Craftsmam autoloading screwdriver and love it.

[Anonymous]

I bought a ( rachet ) screwdriver that came with a set of accessory tips that fit darn near anything that fastens.

It replaced the dozens of different drivers I'd been lugging around in my toolbox.

Allen, torx, hex-head, ...they all fit the driver. AND... with another adaptor, I can use them with my electric drill.

[Bob]

ssured that they were. Why do you say they're not?

Bob

[Tekkie®]

Bob posted for all of us...

assured that they were. Why do you say they're not?

Ask Snap-on. The manufacturer may make some tools for the Blue Point line b= ut=20 are NOT manufactured by Snap-on.

--=20 Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service.

[Bob]

as assured that they were. Why do you say they're not?

Ok, here's the result of some web searches:

"Kobalt tool boxes and chests are made by Snap On at their Snap On tool box manufacturing facility in Algona, Iowa. Snap On also makes the Kobalt tools. The Kobalt brand uses different forgings than the Snap On as well as different materials and heat treatments."

"Lowe's first worked with BOLT starting in 1996 to launch Kobalt Mechanics Tools. Manufactured for Lowe's by Snap-On, Kobalt Tools are recognized for setting new standards in professional quality tools available everyday to all consumers through Lowe's. "

"I was reading on your site about 'who makes what tools'. One part explians that the various manufactures use 'the exact same forgings' for all the various brands they sell. This is NOT true for Snap-on tools. Our retail brand Kobalt sold through Lowe's stores, shares very little if any traits with our traditional Snap-on line. They are made in the same plants, but most of the manufacturing tooling is different. They are made by the same UNION skilled machinists useing the same tried and true processes. The designs for these tools are completly different. They use different material and are heat treated differently. Dan Peronto, Tool Designer, Snap-on Tools, Kenosha Mfg Plant

I just had to prove to myself that what I heard was true.

Bob

[clifto]

Their guarantee says specifically they'll exchange any Craftsman hand tool if it fails to give complete satisfaction. If a grunt ever denies me an exchange of a tool, I plan to point that out to his boss.

[Ashton Crusher]

I bought the large set at costco and have been satisfied with them. I've had a lot of Philips screwdrivers in the past that were crap and these ones seem ok. Almost all Phillips wear out over time.

[Tekkie®]

Bob posted for all of us...

was assured that they were. Why do you say they're not?

I admit I was wrong. I also asked the Snap-on dealer and he stated what yo= u=20 quoted. He stated that s/o bought the lewis co which has made crapsman too= ls=20 among others. Specs are different between vendors - like many other produc= ts.

--=20 Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service.

[wkbrown]

Kobalt tools used to be made by J.H. Williams, a division of Snap-On. They were made in the same plants but not to the same specifications. See:

Now they are made by Danaher, the same company who makes Craftsman sockets and maybe other Craftsman tools. See:

[Tom The Great]

For basic screwdrivers, I like kleins. I found Klein screwdrivers sold at Sears under the Craftsman name. Meaning if they fail, if that can happen, it's easy to get a lifetime replacement.

Now for special screwdrivers, like ones with wire nut twisters, I opt for Ideal. Now they are ratching, sweet!

Just my options,

tom @