Racheting screwdriver

[Axelace]

I am looking to buy a racheting screwdriver and I am in europe. The two main ones I know of are wera and PB swiss. I do not have 150 EUR or more, and I think I am leaning towards the kraftform kompakt 27, the one with the magnetic tip. It is around 45 EUR on amazon.de. I will be using it for general house work as well as computer and 3d printer maintenence. My previous driver was a xiaomi 16 in one. The bit container cap randomly fires out, making me lose all of my bits. I would not like to import from the US. Does anybody have suggestions for a racheting driver they like that comes from europe or can be bought here, up to 60 EUR? Is the wera decent enough for both jobs? A lot of people said it is horrible and you would be better burning your money (slight exxageration) than buying a wera, including on this very website. If anybody has suggestions, please tell me them and try to be as objective as possible.

Pluses , neutrals and minuses for my personal taste:

+ Knurling

+ smooth action

+ long warranty

+ made in the EU

+ good for PC building and that sort of stuff

| packaging

| cool look

| smooth handle

- unreliable

- loud

- weak

[TylerD321]

Are you aware that LTT actually makes a screwdriver?? I would hope so but you haven't mentioned it!

 

Screwdriver – Linus Tech Tips Store (lttstore.com)

 

Regardless of whether or not you want the LTT screwdriver this video should have enough information for you to be able to make a decision yourself.

 

 

[Axelace]

12 minutes ago, TylerD321 said:

Are you aware that LTT actually makes a screwdriver?? I would hope so but you haven't mentioned it!

 

Screwdriver – Linus Tech Tips Store (lttstore.com)

 

Regardless of whether or not you want the LTT screwdriver this video should have enough information for you to be able to make a decision yourself.

 

 

From that video, only two are easy to purchase in the EU. One of them is crazy expensive and the other is a wera. I was looking for something people like, for example maybe a bahco, that could work and is attainable in europe. I would love the LTT screwdriver, but when it's in PB swiss price ranges to buy in europe, I can't really justify it. Thank you for responding

[Absentia13]

58 minutes ago, Axelace said:

From that video, only two are easy to purchase in the EU. One of them is crazy expensive and the other is a wera. I was looking for something people like, for example maybe a bahco, that could work and is attainable in europe. I would love the LTT screwdriver, but when it's in PB swiss price ranges to buy in europe, I can't really justify it. Thank you for responding

I don't know if the Amazon basics one is available in Europe (def not made in Europe though) but I have it and it's pretty good. It was like 18 bucks, works well, good for whatever you need to do from time to time. The only thing I don't like is the handle insert (the drive rod thing) is a little looser than I'd like, but it's not bad. And it's even cheaper now 13 dollars US. I don't generally buy Amazon branded stuff but this was an exception.  

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-12-in-1-Magnetic-Ratchet-Screwdriver/dp/B07V5WYXP5/ref=sr_1_24?crid=3IBK2SSR9HGYM&keywords=ratcheting+screwdriver&qid=1698850746&sprefix=ratcheting+sc%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-24

[saintlouisbagels]

3 hours ago, Axelace said:

I think I am leaning towards the kraftform kompakt 27

I own two of them and I would recommend them.

The ratcheting is not amazing - sometimes it doesn't switch directions and I need to jiggle it back and forth to get it working. But it's pretty rare. Other than that, they're great and I'm a big fan of Wera in general. They're not knurled, but the shaft has flat sides which is good if you need extra torque with the assistance from a wrench.

[LAwLz]

Judging by the things you listed, it sounds to me like you don't really need anything fancy.

Just pick up some screwdriver that seems good at your local hardware store for ~10 dollars. It doesn't make sense to spend like 60 dollars on a screwdriver that you will use for building a PC and whatnot.

 

The benefit of having a cheap one is that you can actually use it as a tool without always feeling like you need to treat it like a baby.

[Arika]

2 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

It doesn't make sense to spend like 100 dollars on a screwdriver that you will use for building a PC and whatnot.

i've built my PCs with like $2 screw drivers. i think people put waaaay to much thought into....such a basic tool.

 

Especially for something that you realistically build once every few years.

[LAwLz]

2 minutes ago, Arika said:

i've built my PCs with like $2 screw drivers. i think people put waaaay to much thought into....such a basic tool.

 

Especially for something that you realistically build once every few years.

In this case OP also said "general housework" which might be more than once every few years, but I think your point and mine still stand.

You don't need to blow large amounts of money on basic things. A lot of times the cheap generic stuff works just as well. Especially when it comes to hand tools that you will probably not be that careful with like a screwdriver. They get lost, dropped, abused, misplaced, worn out, etc. Not an area where I'd want to spend a lot of money because I'd feel bad leaving a 60-dollar screwdriver out in the rain a week, or dropping it down into some mud or whatnot.

 

I can understand it for work because the time saved can be counted as money saved. But it seems like a lot of people suddenly got very interested in expensive screwdrivers (just a coincidence that they got into that right as influencers started advertising expensive screwdrivers, right?) and a lot of those use it for basic stuff at home.

Sometimes it's good to pause and think "Do I really want/need this, am I just being told that I want/need this?".

[Needfuldoer]

16 minutes ago, Arika said:

i've built my PCs with like $2 screw drivers. i think people put waaaay to much thought into....such a basic tool.

 

Especially for something that you realistically build once every few years.

Everyone should have one halfway decent screwdriver set. Nothing ruins a day quite like making a simple repair worse with a screwdriver made out of recycled Matchbox cars and cheese that doesn't even fit the fastener head properly. Even if it's not ratcheting, you want a variety of tips that aren't brittle but also aren't so soft that the flutes bend over.

 

The LTT Screwdriver is nice, but for years I got along just fine with a fairly basic 6-in-1 screwdriver and a mix of older Craftsman tools.

[RabbidEwok]

Wouldn’t really get a ratcheting screwdriver for PC building I’d look at an electrical set. Or one that’s not as bulky. 

[BrandonLatzig]

On 11/2/2023 at 4:08 AM, Arika said:

i've built my PCs with like $2 screw drivers. i think people put waaaay to much thought into....such a basic tool.

 

If you really are good, you probably could use a torque wrench for the job /s

[dizmo]

Just get the Wera, it's more than you'll reasonably ever need anyway. The PBSwiss is more for professional use.

Really, most better than bargain store screw drivers are going to perform well in your use case.