Craftsman has come out with new folding nut driver sets in inch and metric sizes. The inch set has the added bonus of a magnetic insert within the 1/4″ nut driver, allowing it to be used as a 1/4″ hex screwdriver bit holder.
These look pretty basic in design. You have 3 varying nut driver sizes on both sizes – a larger size in the middle that’s flanked by 2 smaller sizes, and what I’m guessing are anodized aluminum handle slabs. Maybe the handles are made of plastic? Sears doesn’t say, aside from describing them as slim.
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While there are plenty of folding hex key sets out there, including Craftsman’s diamond-coated ball end hex key sets, this might be the first folding nut driver I’ve come across.
- Inch Sizes: 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 11/32″, 3/8″, 7/16″
- Metric Sizes: 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 mm
Price: $20 $10 each on sale
We’re close enough to the holiday season for me to consider these as stocking stuffers. In other words, I wouldn’t trust the price to be $20. I don’t mean for it to come across as harsh, but I seriously doubt that these are good buys at $20 each. I think $8 each would be reasonable, $10 might be expected. I could potentially see them priced as high as maybe $12.
Update: The price has dropped to $10 each, as we more or less expected.
Buy Now(Inch via Sears)
Buy Now(Metric via Sears)
While the folding nut driver tools look simplistic, they could come in handy, especially if you haven’t yet invested in a full set of individual nut drivers. Or… you could buy a socket spinner handle and use 1/4″ hex sockets you might already have, although that’s not an ideal option for those with smaller tool bags.
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Don’t count on using these on threaded rod either. The trend has been for new nut drivers to have hollow shafts that accommodate longer bolts and also nuts on threaded rod, such as the relatively new Klein nut drivers.
If I didn’t think these new folding nut driver sets could be potentially useful, I wouldn’t have posted about them. But one question keeps nagging at me. Do these tools solve a problem or frustration some users have? It’s not something I’d have personally found useful at any point along my toolbox history.
Aside from functionality concerns or considerations, I wonder why Craftsman didn’t colorize the handles differently – maybe red for inch and blue for metric? From the looks of it, both the inch and metric sets have red handles.
msergiob
Coud be handy for a bicicle bag…maybe.
fred
Maybe not so much – for $10 more you can buy a bicycle multi-tool like a Rap20 at Amazon – and they sell for $22 elsewhere:
https://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-RAP-20-Multi-Tool/dp/B01FT75TPY
Multitools like these have much more functionality for a bike road trip.
fred
BTW – I should have mentioned that another good multi-tool is from Crank Brothers
https://www.amazon.com/Crank-Brothers-Multi-Bicycle-17-Function/dp/B002VG40AM/
John
Neither of those multitools have nutdrivers, so I’m not sure they would work as replacements.
Warren Jones
Fred,
But not even ONE nut driver. Why did you even mention this?
Norm
It would actually be very useful to me if the Metric one had size 7. I wire a lot of European motors, they use a 10 and a 7. It’d be nice to have both that handy, with the bonus of a 90 degree handle for added torque.
Hilton
Yes dump the 9mm and add in the 7mm. Not sure the designers have actually ever used Metric before as it looks like they just went with an equivalent range of SAE.
Rami
I think that 9mm is quite useless. I wonder why they did not include 11mm instead of 9mm since it is far more common? I have seen 7mm only in hose clamps where it is quite common.
Drew M
N0 5.5mm?! A quality tool maker needs to copy this idea and make it right. I would buy one or two.
John
I use 9mm fairly often on my Volvo, so it’s useful to me.
Tim
I will probably pick these up.
I tend to work out of pocket pretty regularly so things that can save me from having to bring 10 different tools to any given area of my building are a blessing.
Tom
More gimmicky craftsman junk made in China I would guess.Buy American,Buy SK !
RC Ward
That is for sure. Sears is going down and Craftsmen went along time ago
Bolt
Seem like they’d really only be useful for their compactness and cheapness. So I might pick a couple up if I see em and the price is right.
T
http://www.match-hardware.com/eng/products/view.php?id=245
Seems legit. Lol.
fred
Seems like you may have found the OEM
AngryDrumGuy
I really would have an interest in either one if they went to 1/2″ and 13mm, but those sizes probably take up a lot of real estate in a “compact” tool.
ca
They should write Woodpecker on it and charge $200.
Brian
I have a Kobalt thumb ratchet set that I use for the purpose of this. It basically gives me some sockets, though it allows me to use it as a ratchet with a handle, as well as a bit driver. I think of this as a glove box tool that might be helpful. I was meeting some friends at a mall it was raining so I parked in the garage. I noticed there was an older lady messing with her car and looking rather upset, so I asked her if she needed help. Her windshield wiper had come loose and she lived hours away. Luckily I had my tools in my car, all I needed was a socket and to tighten the nut. This tool, if it had the correct size, would have saved the day.
Wayne Ruffner
I suggest that it was *you* who did save the day, by being equipped & ready to help. Good onya, and to the rest of us ready to assist others in a jam.
Farid
This might be OK to throw one in in my RC tool kit. But, for the most part, if I’m reaching for a nut driver, it because I need something with a long and unobtrusive shaft to use on a recessed fastener.
John
That’s a really strange attachment type choice they made linking the socket to the body. It’s just “wrapped around and not even solid so I imagine there is going to be a lot of wobbling if not always sure enough down the road. Not to mention any significant torque you put on those sockets is going to add to further loosening of that attachment point and wobble/flopping around in short order.
Jeffrey
Seems like a Craftsman gimmick tool… It will be Cristmas soon.
For years, instead of making the real tools better, they have been coming out with these gimmick tools.
Warren Jones
I agree. I decided not to buy this set because the largest size is too small. I want the 1/2″ size
Warren Jones
It may be a gimmick to you but this “gimmick” it is exactly what I need. I didn’t even know that such a tool existed until today when I saw one at Home Depot. It’s exactly what I’ve been missing, although I didn’t know so until today. I also found a folding tool with star bits. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any with Roberts or Phillips bits. I’ll keep looking for them, though, now the idea has been planted in my head.