Any love for fold-up screwdriver sets?

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
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Lately I'm kind of hooked on getting a folding screwdriver set to stow in my gig bag for when I play a concert. It could also find a place in a kitchen drawer for those quick jobs around the house. Seems like a mighty handy thing to pair up with a folding knife of any sort. They seem to range around $10-$12. Do any of you guys tote something like these? Any recommendations on which brands hold up and which aren't worth bothering with? Here are a couple I've seen for sale on that big auction site.



 
I have a few of the top version bumping around the house. Always get abused for something, but the real winner for me are the 6-in-1 drivers. Much handier and easier to work with, although a "bit" less easy to store.

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I'd rather carry a pliers based multi-tool or a 6-in-1 screwdriver. That said, if you are set on the fold-up screwdrivers, my favorite folding Allen key sets are the Bondhus Gorilla grips, so I don't think you'd go wrong picking that brand. They are rugged and comfy to use, although a bit more bulky than the metal cased folding Allen keys
 
I have 2 folding Allen wrench sets. One metric; one imperial. I'd never seen a screwdriver set like that. I want one now. Of course I can't justify it because I have a complete set of Craftsman screwdrivers including all the standard, Phillips, and torques bit drivers.
 
I find the small sets of detachable 1/4 inch drive bits with a detachable handle to be good - just check that the bit holder is magnetic. These are commonly found in major hardware stores. I also recently purchased a pocket screwdriver set from Ace hardware that has 4 small bits (straight and Phillips) in a plastic handle with pocket clip (less than 4 inches long) for $4.
This little set plus my Swiss Victorinox Spartan will handle most light duty jobs.

One thing that surprises me is the lack of a 1/4 inch drive slot on the blades of most "survival and emergency rescue knives"; a slot like this could match well with commercial bit sets to make the knife more versatile. Just my opinion.
 
Faiaoga said:
...One thing that surprises me is the lack of a 1/4 inch drive slot on the blades of most "survival and emergency rescue knives"; a slot like this could match well with commercial bit sets to make the knife more versatile. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Hey! We may have just found the best idea to replace the corkscrew!
 
Tired_Yeti said:
Hey! We may have just found the best idea to replace the corkscrew!
Click to expand...

Good idea for some, maybe, but not for me. I use the corkscrew on my Victorinox Spartan to hold the Tiny Screwdriver that fits screws of my eyeglass frames - plus the corkscrew looks cool and makes me think I am James Bond on an assignment in France. With a Tiny Screwdriver on my MacGyver model of the SAK, I now have the Myopic Bookworm Total Ultimate Survival Tool. :D
 
I got a 6 in 1 from a local hardware store ...and i love it...the only flaw i found with it is ..i think..it should be made with the inside diameter of the tube/socket to be sized the same as the somewhat standard size of the bits used with the quick change bit attachment for drill motors....not just because i lost the larger bit for it...dangit!....but, it would make it that much more useful,
but, since the system is what it is when you buy it ...that's all it is with what it is...yah...
oh...and the nice big grip...another reason why it'ld be nice if it were "keyed " to other types of "standard" sized bits...

just saying..
 
There are many screwdrivers available that use the standard 1/4"insert bits, but I like the additional functionality of the 6-in-1. The 5/16" socket end of the 6-in-1 driver fits the bolt on many hose clamps, and #10 hex headed sheet metal screws. The other socket end is 1/4", same as the standard 1/4" hex bits, although the 6-in-1 screwdriver is not set up to retain them. You should be able to buy a replacement 5/16" double ended driver bit for your 6-in-1 screwdriver at the hardware store.
 
Honestly, as someone who uses tools a lot, unless space is at a premium I would get a real screwdriver. My two favorites that aren't single bit drivers are the Klein 11 in 1 and a new acquisition, a Craftsman ratcheting driver that takes 1/4" bits. Of the two if you're going to buy something to toss in a drawer, get the Klein, millions of electricians can't be wrong. If you think you're going to need lots of odd sized bits, get something that will take standard 1/4" drive bits like the craftsman one. Don't pay more than $20 for either.
 
I have a six in one torx (like the second pic) in my bow kit as it was the easiest way to make sure I have all the adjustment drivers I might need. Its heavier than I need, and at some point I'll find just the drivers I need, but for now, it does the job, and it remains in the bow case which was the most important factor.
For doing gigs, I would get better tools, since the last thing you want is to damage an instrument with a crappy screwdriver. There are some pretty good compact 1/4 drive kits available. if you get one that stores the bits in the handle, you can then get the bits you know you need, and none you don't.
 
I wear out the bits on my "four-way" driver every few months; luckily the hardware stores here have spares available.

I have a former neighbor who has a Chapman screwdriver set, and it was one of the neatest handle-shaft/bit sets I'd ever seen. I'm kind of a tool nerd when it comes to the "multi" screw- and nut-drivers. Of all of the ones I've had, I like the "four-way" types for screwdrivers, but I like the folding types for Hex keys and Torx keys. Another friend of mine does several motorcycle road trips a year, and he's taken several of the folding sets of Hex, Torx and standard screwdrivers apart, and built one set that does everything. (He's built two in case one gets lost while they're on the road.)

I get some pics up of all the various tools I've got when I can fins them.

~Chris
 
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