Over at Amazon, this Dewalt DWA2T40IR 4pc FlexTorq impact-rated screwdriver bit set is currently low-priced at $18.
This is not a huge deal, but it does beat a pre-Black Friday 2017 deal by $2. The FlexTorq 40pc bit set typically sells for $25 at some other retailers.
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A bit of price history research shows that this 40pc FlexTorq bit set has been at this price since May. The deal might last a couple of more weeks, or end tomorrow, it’s always hard to predict these things.
Dewalt’s “Magnetic Screw Lock System” is handy, but I haven’t found it to be a must-have.
Price: $18
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Compare(via Acme Tools)
It’s unclear as to when the pricing
Don’t need new bits? Maybe you’ll at least be amused by what seems to be some kind of Amazon auto-correct, translation, or 3rd party weirdness that put the following into the product description for the Dewalt FlexTorq bit set:
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Flexor allows bits to flex up to 15 degrees which equals increased durability and reduced breakage for longer bit life. This set allows you to maximize you Impact ready system. It features a 10x Magnetic Screw Lock System for strong fastener retention and is preferred by professionals everywhere.
Sorry, these bits don’t flex, but like many other impact-rated screwdriver bits, they can temporarily absorb excess torsional energy, twisting the bits a little instead of breaking them.
In regard to Dewalt FlexTorq screwdriver bit quality, they’re good, or at least I haven’t had too many issues with them, but I’ve also taken a stronger liking to Bosch and Milwaukee Shockwave bit sets over the past few years, mostly due to better pricing or wider availability. I had a bit holder lose its magnet, which is always frustrating, but that could happen to any brand.
And as a reminder, Bosch’s 24pc impact bit set is also still on sale, although it’s backordered at the moment (but you can still order).
See Also(Bosch 24pc bit set via Amazon)
James
Nicely priced? I don’t get it. The price is neither $6.90 or $4.20.
John Flores
Lol
Stuart
Fairly-priced? Sorry, “nicely priced” came to mind first and I stubbornly stuck with it.
This Milwaukee Shockwave 100pc bit set is priced at $42.00 via a Fulfilled by Prime 3rd party.
And this Knipex insulated wire stripper. $42.00
And this Atlas tool bag. $42.00
There are a bunch more. =)
James
Lol
The Baker
Does anyone actually use the short bits out of these sets.
I have bought many sets of bits and I have bins full of unused short bits. Admittedly I almost always use the bits in cordless drivers.
fred
Short (aka insert) bits mostly get used with a bit holder/extension.
Using them comes in handy when you need to swap out bits – or you want to use an extension to reach into a fastener.
In production work – you might swap out an insert bit for a fresh one after x or y number of drives. The same can apply with driving drywall screws – where you tend to wear out the PH#2 bits,
Altan
For me 25mm/1″ bits are dead already, there are long ones like 3.5″ or 6″ bits, there is no need to use a bit holder.
Frank D
The short bits like Philips 2 are cheap in one of those bulk dispenser / holder type things and work great with a locking 2 inch extension holder, especially if it is also magnetic. I have three or four of those extensions, only have trouble with one dewalt, from the get go always have to use a set of pliers to get a bit out. Maybe it got used on a driver one time early on; so now I make sure to use and buy impact rated locking extensions.
Anyway, it is cheaper to buy 50 small bits in bulk, and replace them as needed … versus buying mini packs of 2” bits and making those last.
Plus with the extension, you get infinite 2” torx, square etc bits too; if you buy one of those little impact driver kits with an extension and one or two bits of a kind.
Corey Moore
The Dewalt ones that came with flextorq, if I’m remembering right, had both the sleeve with magnet ring that needed to be removed to change bits, and to boot had a threaded collar and a sort of gasket inside that you had to spin to loosen the grip, and vice versa to lock it in. Removing the bit while the collar was tight, resulted in quite a bit of work against the squeezed gasket. I liked the idea and security, but more often than not, I was in a hurry and fought it, and then the really thin magnet ring always seemed to shatter/disappear with no immediate notice.
Oddbod
Regarding the flexing of impact bits, here’s what I don’t get:
Impact drivers are sold on how hard and how fast they hit, to quickly drive fasteners.
Impact driver bits are sold on their flexibility and toughness, to increase longevity.
But aren’t these two qualities in opposition? A flexing bit is a spring which reduces peak impact force, and possibly spreads it out over a longer period of time.
Each new driver generation hits harder. Each new bit design is bendier.
Could you achieve the same effect as a fancy hard-hitting impact with fancy bendy bits by using a cheap/weak driver with cheap/stiff bits?
Joren
I have this thought / question as well.
When it comes to sockets, you don’t want the brittle steel of a chrome vanadium based socket, as it is so brittle it could easily shatter under a good impact, so they go with a softer, more ductile steel (the soft black sockets).
Trying to do that with an insert bit for say, Phillips drive, would not work, as the hex drive profile is too close to round for the torque applied, and the tip itself would just strip out out the driver too quickly.
Not sure what they do here with “impact rated” “flex” insert bits, but I wonder if it’s a metallurgical combination providing lower brittleness, while keeping the surface hardness as high as possible?
Corey Moore
I believe the pitch of flex or torsion zones, is both survivability of impacts and that some kind of return spring is going to help drive stuff.
Adam
The goal is not a direct transfer of force, but rather a flexible object that compresses and then springs back very fast, absorbing the immediate impact and then quickly generating a large buildup of force in a very small period that’s enough to move the target. It’s all about controlling the forces applied so that they’re applied gradually and correctly, rather than all at once (which snaps bits and screws).
Think of a baseball or golf ball: when struck, they compress rapidly by absorbing the force of impact and then they spring back to shape, pushing themselves away from the bat/club at higher launch velocity. Bits and screws are fragile compared to the anvil and forces of that driver. So the impact bit absorbs the immediate force of the impact, twists slightly, and then returns to shape, pushing the screw forward with some of the impact force and some from the bit straightening itself out.
TonyT
Very interesting…so how does a oil driver (e.g. Milwaukee Surge) compare?
Adam
Couldn’t rightly say, I’ve never owned one. As far as I understand, oil drivers still use a hammer & anvil, they just encase it in oil for noise reduction and other dubious claims.
Regardless, the physics all stay the same: it’s mechanical energy being transferred from the source to the bit and finally from the bit to the screw.
aerodawg
Never hurts to have more bits on hand, and I’ve been well pleased with my last Flex Torque set.
AJ Iovanna
I have found a pack of gold colored 1 in Phillips head DeWalt bits in a black DeWalt tough box. I believe I bought it in 2008 but I have been trying to find what the complete set look like online, but have had no luck. Does anybody have any suggestions or answers to what this complete set with a look like.