This post may seem odd for this blog; after all, why would anyone be interested in my screwdrivers? After all, someone like Project Farm did a scientific(ish) comparison of various things and gives you a lot more data than I ever could.
But we’re all human, and sometimes a subjective opinion is valuable. And as people know, I have opinions :-) This may seem long but if you just want my opinions on the LTT drivers then skip to the bottom.
Anyway, one day I was re-organizing my cupboard when I realised that I had a fair number of screwdrivers in my toolbox, loose on shelves, in stacks in the cupboard.
And then LTT had a deal on their precision driver and bit set so I got one of them. Then later they had a deal on their ratcheting screwdriver so I got one of them as well. I didn’t need them, but I thought it’d be interesting to compare the hype against what I already had.
So now I have a lot of screwdrivers!
Stanley
When I moved to America in 2001 I didn’t bring any tools with me. After all, the electronic stuff (eg drills) wouldn’t work, and the rest I could get easily once I was there.
Just around the corner from the office where I worked was an old school hardware shop. I would sometimes pop in there at lunchtime to get stuff I needed.
The first kit I got were these Stanley drivers
What I hadn’t realised when I bought them was that two of the heads were duplicated, just on longer shafts. I tried comparing the head sizes to other (labeled) heads, and I think this is what was in it.
1/4" (SL7) with 4" and 6" shafts
3/16" (SL5) with 3" and 6" shafts
PH2 with 4" shafts
PH1 with 4" shafts
They’ve last well; some cosmetic marks near the tips but, other than the limited head selection, they’re just fine. And I’m not afraid to hit the handle with a hammer :-)
Old school precision drivers
Next I needed some precision screwdrivers. Same store had these super duper cheap sets.
Ooh, fancy; tweezers and a magnifying glass!
PH1, PH0
1.4, 2.0, 2.4, 3.0mm flat head
The lid hinge died pretty quickly, but duct tape to the rescue.
The biggest annoyance with these is the handles somehow fail to give the necessary grip on really tight screws and it can cause abrasion on your fingers as you try and grip harder and harder to undo that stubborn thing.
Some oddities
Stubby
At the same time I saw a stubby screwdriver; I wasn’t sure I had a need for it, but for a few bucks it was worth getting. The shaft is removable and flippable; one side is a PH2 and the other is SL7
Bits in the handle
Also from this hardware store came my first “true” changeable heads driver. In this one the bits were stored in the handle. It’s next to the stubby in the main picture. The closure for this was a simple plastic clip that was hard to open/close… and eventually snapped off. So now the handle won’t stay closed. But it kinda still works, and was convenient! Pozidrive, rather than Phillips bits. Huh.
PZ3, PZ2, PZ1
SL6, SL5, SL4
socket head adapter
10mm, 9mm, 8mm, 7mm, 6mm hex socket
Helping Hands
I was buying a new house and needed a screwdriver quickly, so went into the local CVS and bought this 3⁄16” (SL5); clear handle with blue stripes.
Yellow flippable
Pretty sure this came with some electronics kit (maybe a USB drive bay for 5.25” disks?). The ends aren’t very accurate in their sizing and it kinda looks like SL3.5 and somewhere between PH00 and PH000.
Curtis kit
Pretty sure this also came from the same hardware store. It was an interesting combination of things; a ratchet handle (with a grip that allowed more torque), a set of changeable tips, an extension shaft, a pocket-clip small driver, tweezers, spring claw, pocket flash light, electrical tape… such an odd selection!
The tool heads were also pretty varied; I didn’t have any Torx before. So…
SL6, SL4
PH2
PZ1
T25, T20, T15, T10, T8
S3, S2, S1, S0
socket head adapter
12mm, 11mm, 10mm, 9mm, 8mm, 7mm, 6mm, 5mm hex socket
This kit lasted well, and finally I had ratchet! The most annoying part was how the heads were stored. Getting them out of those rubber holders can be a pain, and the holder covers the marking that says what size the head is.
Already I was starting to get duplicate drivers.
Ratcheting drivers face off!
Megapro Automotive R
I still wanted a “real” ratchet driver; the Curtis one was OK but the wide handle and short shaft often meant I couldn’t use it when near the edges of something. I also didn’t trust it for real heavy duty stuff.
So I got this.
This feels heavy in the hand; it feels like it means business. And it’s labeled “Automotive” so, in theory, it should hold up to hard work.
The ratchet mechanism is smooth (I spent the next few days just playing with it as a fidget toy!). The hat that holds the bits is a bit hard to open but it moves smoothly. The handle has rubber strips and knobbly bits to maintain a good grip.
The provided heads are clearly also designed for heavy duty work; they’re large!
PH3, PH2, PH1
S2
SL6, SL4
T30, T27, T25, T20, T15, T10
These heads clip into the bit holder very easily and the markings on them are easy enough to read.
It’s a standard 1⁄4” fit with a pretty strong magnet so I can use the tips from the other drivers.
LTT “Retro”
I wasn’t going to get this, but LTT were having a “mystery driver” sale. I ended up with the “retro” driver. And it’s clear how this was influenced by the Megapro, but is different.
For starters, the LTT driver is smaller; the shaft is a little bit smaller, the handle a little bit smaller, the bits a little bit smaller, the storage hat a little bit smaller. This makes it lighter.
There are other changes as well; the handle is a new shape. It’s not rubber grippy like the Megapro, but has more of an angular design to help maintain grip. It also has a smaller neck which my middle finger falls naturally into. The storage hat is also easier to open and has extra “grip” areas to make it even easier.
Unfortunately either it’s the smaller bits (they’re about 5mm shorter) or the plastic used makes pushing the bits into the storage bits a little bit hard. I can only hope this plastic doesn’t get brittle as it ages because I feel it might be a weak point. I could be wrong, of course :-)
The bits also are harder to see the markings on. The black coating really makes it difficult; you have to angle them ‘just right’ in the light to see the size.
The other big change is on the ratchet itself; this is a little lighter. Along with the knurling it’s a lot easier to use this driver one handed when the screw doesn’t yet have enough friction to let the ratchet work. I can even turn the shaft with my thumb, alone; something the Megapro can’t do. For some reason they decided to reverse the direction that the ratchet selector works; in theory the LTT way is more natural since it matches the direction you will turn the handle, but it’s opposite to many others and so is a little confusing.
The bit set load is definitely more suited for computer work.
SL6, SL4, SL2
PH2, PH1, PH0
S2, S1
H4, H2.5, H2
magnetic screw catcher
The extra size available on the megapro also allows it to have a separator in the head, which I feel also helps manage the bit; the LTT storage head skips that to reduce size and weight.
Precision drivers face off!
Tekton Precision kit
The old school precision drivers I had were annoying me; I spotted this on Amazon; TEKTON 28301 Tech Rescue Kit.
This is a hell of a kit packaged into a small soft-shell case. It comes with a LOT of stuff!
As well as the magnetic screwdriver shaft, very fine nosed tweezers, a metal spudger, a nylon spudger, a suction cup puller, and a magnetic screw holder, it has a large selection of tips
2.5mm, 1.5mm, 1mm slotted heads
PH1, PH0, PH00, PH000
PH1, PH0 3" shaft
T5, T4, T3 (star bits)
TR15, TR10, TR9, TR8, TR7, TR6 (tamper resistant star bits)
TR8, TR6 3" shaft
TRI1, TRI0 (tri-wing)
2mm, 1.5mm, 1.3mm hex
TA27, TA23, TA20, TA18 (triangle)
PL1.5, PL1.2, PL0.8 (pentalobe)
6.5mm, 5mm, 4mm, 3.5mm, 3mm nut drivers
This is a great kit, and very cleverly put together; the bits are easy to remove from the plastic holders, which are clearly marked, and they are held in the case with velcro strips. The driver handle is knurled to provide a good grip.
The biggest problem I have with this kit is that I was tempted to use it for things I shouldn’t have; it’s a precision kit, not a general purpose kit!
MegaPro 251Precision
Since I liked the larger MegaPro so much, I thought I’d try their precision driver. It wouldn’t replace the Tekton kit, but it might be useful as a more portable “just need a screwdriver” tool.
Unfortunately the storage hat is about all it has in common with the ratchet. The heads are all “flip” style (each head has two tips) and they’re not easy to get in/out of the shaft.
The selection of heads is good…
T15, T10
S3, S2.5, S2, S1.5
P2, P5
SP2.6
TA 2.3
TX5, TX4, TX3
TT15, TT10, TT8, TT6
PH2, PH1, PH0, PH00, PH000
SL3, SL2.5, SL2, SL1.5
Unfortunately because of the double-sided nature they can’t be organized in a sane manner so I’m always searching for the right one.
LTT Precision
This was combined deal; the driver and the bit set together. It comes in a storage box and the lid can be removed and is magnetic with compartments so screws can be held together; especially useful when some kit has different sized screws!
The big hype from LTT about this driver was the spinning hat; so much time was spent talking about how it can be a fidget spinner and it runs for a long time and… yeah, OK, it’s smooth, it’s clever. But this is a screwdriver. Unfortunately the storage head can only hold 3 bits, so this is very unlikely to ever be used “on its own”; all the bits will live in the storage box along with the driver.
The box is much bigger and heavier than the Tekton kit. If you’re gonna throw it in a toolbox then it’ll probably last longer, but my use case is less demanding; the smaller soft shell case wins.
There’s a lot of bits in this set and the base of each bit is smaller than traditional; this lets them use a longer shaft on each one, which might make it easier to get into hard-to-reach places.
PH2, PH1, PH0, PH00, PH000, PH0000
SIM card ejector
P6, P5, P2
SP8, SP6, SP4
PZ1, PZ0
S2, S1, S0
TR26, TR20, TR15, TR10, TR9, TR8, TR7, TR6
T5, T4, T3, T2
Standoff remover
TA3, TA2
Y1, Y0, Y00, Y000
SL4, SL3, SL2.5, SL2, SL1.5, SL1
H5, H3.5, H3, H2.5, H2, H1.5, H1.3, H0.9, H0.7
Magnet
hex socket 5 4 3.5 3 2.5
g socket 4.5 3.5
adapter to allow these to be used in a 1/4" driver
As with the LTT ratcheting driver, it’s really hard to read the bit labeling; it’s embedded into the foam of the storage case so there’s very little contrast and hard to read. The bits, themselves, are easier but the marking is hidden when they’re in the case!
Summary
So that’s it; that’s all my screw drivers!
Going forward I’m likely to use the MegaPro ratchet driver for “tough” work, and the LTT ratchet for computer stuff. I guess, in theory, I could swap some of the LTT bits into the MegaPro storage hat, but keeping them separate is probably easier.
For precision work I’m conflicted. The shape of the LTT handle is a little bit better than the Tekton one. But I’m also likely to want a spudger when I’m taking things apart, so the LTT kit on its own just isn’t sufficient. I’ve tested and I could just swap over the handles; use the Tekton bitset with the LTT handle. That might be thing to do.
Unfortunately I’m not sure the LTT stuff is value for money.
The Tekton kit cost me $27 from Amazon; the LTT precision kit (including tax+shipping) was $64. Yes, the LTT kit has a lot more bits, but its missing things needed to make it a “complete” kit.
Similarly the MegaPro ratchet was $37, the LTT was $53 (which is cheaper than normal because it was on sale; $40 vs $70, the rest being tax+shipping). This one is harder to pick; they’re both good drivers, but the bit set on the LTT one is more suited for computer work. Maybe there’s a different MegaPro with a different bit set that is closer!
I do wish LTT would be better with contrast on their bit case and bits, though! For someone who can’t tell the difference these labels can be very helpful.