My Father once told me that I should make sure I had an extra-long screwdriver. So, around 12 years ago (according to my Amazon order history), I did just that – I purchased two Gearwrench 16″ screwdrivers, a Phillips #2 and a 3/8″ slotted screwdriver.
I used one of those Gearwrench screwdrivers the other day, and it prompted me to think back to how much – or little – use these 16″ screwdrivers have seen.
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I don’t think my Father really meant for me to get such long screwdrivers – maybe a typical slightly extended length screwdriver was what he had in mind. I also remember partially buying the screwdrivers in jest.
But, they’ve come in handy more than a couple of times over the years.
As bad as it might sound, the screwdrivers have been used at least 4 out of 5 times for poking, probing, or part manipulation purposes. Sometimes that’s just what I need, over say a flexible-shaft pickup tool. Having two long screwdrivers with strong and rigid shafts and comfortable handles means I don’t have to improvise with electrical fish rods or cut up a clothes hanger.
Yes, there are telescoping parts grabbers, but they’re weak and can’t take any force. Any more than the slightest pressure could foul up most extending pickup tools.
I have really been liking Gearwrench’s screwdrivers, and recently bought more. I bought their 16″ screwdrivers way back because I was fond of the Gearwrench brand and because the price is right, and I’d buy them again today.
I have accepted that I might not have an “only a 16″ screwdriver can tackle this task” type of moment. I have used these screwdrivers in the way they’re meant to be used, such as accessing fasteners in the back of deep cabinets, or under tables. I suppose it’s fair to say that they made the tasks easier, despite not truly being indispensable.
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But, I suppose that’s okay, right? Some electricians use knives or even their teeth to strip wires (please don’t do this!), but a wire stripper works best and easiest.
So even if there might be a time when ONLY these screwdrivers can help me complete a task, they make some tasks easier on occasion, thus earning them a permanent spot in my tool box.
When I purchased them, I couldn’t think of any application where I’d be reaching into something deep enough where only this would work, but I have been proven wrong. Let’s say, for example, you need to tighten something and there’s an obstacle in the way; having the extra reach means not having to first empty a shelf in order to fit my entire arm in there.
Or, consider having to install or tighten a bracket at the rear of a cabinet – a 16″ shaft means I don’t have to awkwardly crawl inside, I can reach the fastener from a more comfortable position.
It goes against my nature to misuse tools – or at least to publicly admit to it – but those 4 out of 5 times when I need these drivers for just having strong long shafts and comfortable handles – that’s when they’ve been indispensable.
There was one time after our last move when I couldn’t find these screwdrivers, and I had to tape together several other tools and accessories in order to reach something.
It’s been around 12 years, and I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of these Gearwrench screwdrivers, even if we just talk about just the 1 out of 5 times when there have been tricky fastening tasks that were made faster or easier.
They also have similar screwdrivers in 20″ and 24″ lengths, but I think 16″ proved to be a good sweet spot for me. I’m also glad I went with Gearwrench, and must admit that I find the new model’s updated handle design to be awfully tempting. But, my older red-handle-styled screwdriver is still going strong, and so there’s no need to upgrade yet.
Now that I’ve tarnished my reputation by admitting to mostly using these extended length screwdrivers for tasks that don’t involve tightening or loosening screws, I want to hear about your experiences.
Do you own any long screwdrivers? How do you use them? Or is this a “never needed one” type of tool for you?
Buy Now: Phillips #2 via Amazon
Buy Now: Slotted via Amazon
I’d definitely buy the Phillips #2 again. I don’t recall when I purchased the Phillips screwdriver, but it might have been earlier than the slotted driver I picked up 12 years ago on sale and with a gift card. I haven’t used the extended length slotted screwdriver as much use as the Phillips, but I have no regrets as I bought it at a good discount and with a gift card.
Jared
I’ve got an extra-long large flat blade. I’ve used it a handful of times in the past 5 or 6 years since I bought it… but never to turn a fastener. 😄
Mostly just prying or manipulating tasks. I don’t know if I would buy it again or not. Probably I suppose – I think I picked it up cheap as a just-in-case and would probably do that again. In my case it’s just like a long pry bar with a straight end.
I don’t think I would bother spending a lot on a screwdriver like this – unless you have a better use case than me.
Canadians might want to check this out: https://www.princessauto.com/en/2-pc-extra-long-screwdriver-set/product/PA0008981607
It’s a two-piece set of extra long screwdrivers for $3. What’s more, starting October 1 Princess Auto has a free shipping with no minimum promotion starting. So you could literally have a pair of these delivered to you for $3.
Jared
It occurred to me I also own a #2 Robertson power bit that’s at least 12″ long. I use it only very rarely – but still more often than the flat blade I mentioned.
I’ve found it handy when trying to use a power tool on a fastener that’s close to an obstruction – furniture legs for example. One of those interchangeable head tools (e.g. Bosch “chameleon”) would accomplish the same thing. Because it’s so long, even though I’m at a bit of an angle in those situations, the tip is still secure in the fastener and I have room for my drill or impact driver.
I admit though, roughly half the time I pop it into my impact driver it’s merely for comedic effect.
JoeM
Hey Jared, I have to say a deep Thank You from the bottom of my heart, and a very emotional Hug from my Mother as well.
Stuart, I have to veer off into Ergonomics and Accessibility for a bit to explain what Jared has done, so please, forgive me.
Mom has Macular Degeneration due to advanced Type II diabetes, as well as severely deteriorated strength and bone density. She gets around outside the apartment on a Motorized Scooter. But she can’t really reach any kind of button to automatically open doors for people with Disabilities. Farther down, I expressed that I always wanted to try one of these kinds of screwdrivers, out of curiosity about them. And then you posted about the Princess Auto deal. I talked it over with my Mother, and tomorrow (October 1st) I’m going to order that set. I will then use Gaffer’s tape to make the pointed ends round, and non-marring. Then one will go on her Scooter as a long-reach button-pusher for elevators, accessibility door buttons, and even door bells.
Your suggestion/reminder may have just opened up a whole mass of places where my Mother just was too disabled to go before. So, much like many posters after you, the extra-long screwdrivers will be key to the gear she carries, but it will be used for any number of things other than as a screwdriver. No matter what, you’ve made a real difference in her Independence, and for that I will be eternally grateful!
So, Thank You, Jared.
MM
Many years ago when I was in boy scouts we made these for people at a local hospital:
Take a wooden dowel rod, cut to whatever length she likes. Put a golf club grip on the handle end and put a rubber cane tip or furniture leg cap on the other end. The wooden part of the handle can be painted or decorated in any number of ways and they are extremely easy and cheap to make. No metal either so no trouble with metal detectors or being near an MRI machine, etc.
JoeM
I was going to go much further than that at one point, but lately I’ve been preoccupied with other things on my mind. It wasn’t until Jared showed that deal, and Stuart connected it to my memory that I had always wanted to try one of these long screwdrivers to see what I could use them on, that it all clicked in my mind.
My Mother never asked for a solution for buttons or anything like that… she just kinda… well she complained in a very irritating way as she decompressed her horrible life experiences being her age, and so disabled… I will add I never ask to be the one she decompresses on… I keep begging her to join a Senior’s facility for their activities, and make new friends… Among many options was a Dowel Poker in the same vein as using these screwdrivers. We have lots of Dowel around here, and plenty of my tools would make quick work of it all… But the cheap screwdrivers from Princess Auto… (Think Harbour Freight in the US, except… Significantly less junk made stuff, and significantly more products as a whole, including custom aluminum cases with, or without, foam liners.) are a grand total of $3 CAD. With the exchange rate right now? 2 18″ Overall length tempered steel screwdrivers… For what I would have to say is about $1.75 USD…
That solves the grip, the shaft, and the lightweight design right off the bat… Add Gaffer’s Tape, so that it forms a ball at the tip? Voila… Quick button pusher for less than the cost of a Mocha from my Mother’s favourite local Coffee place. In fact… it’s 2 button pushers! So if one gets lost, we have a backup! Absolute worst case scenario: Use one of my saws to cut the bit off to create a flat end to build the ball off of. It’s all right there, and it’d be the fastest, and easiest, solution to a major ergonomics problem my Mother has.
And yeah… that means she won’t need to decompress on me about it anymore! Win-Win! (Though… I may still make a few Dowel variants, just in case… Plus I’ve got some super-reflective tape to put around the Shafts so she can easily see them with her fading eyesight. So Thank YOU, MM, for reminding me!)
Hon Cho
I have a couple of old flat tip very long screwdrivers. One is a Proto and the other is a Bridgeport, both made in USA. I don’t think I’ve ever used either one. I needed a long phillips tip screwdriver to repair a check valve without having to disassemble a pump. I ended up piecing together a long extension using 6 and 10 inch 1/4 drive socket extensions and a bit holder with a phillips bit. It worked but a long screwdriver would have been easier to handle. That said, unless I found one very cheap I wouldn’t buy until needed. I’m running out of storage space.
Matt
I’m with Jared. I use it to pry it chisel
Wayne R.
I’ve got the same pair, 20″ blades on no-name handles, just discovered again, never used. Issued as a solution to a dumb problem.
For a long time, the most cherished screwdriver (because it was hard to find initially) was a 12″ #3 Phillips power bit. Used it to get rack screws in past cables & fiber ducting. Made a huge difference, especially with the little 10.8v Bosch drivers (that still work great!).
Kit’s got 6″ & 12″ power bit extensions to get other bits past stuff too. Rarely needed but always appreciated when that time came.
I find this combo of bits, drivers & handles really is a showcase for power bits (whatever name for them you prefer). That Wiha Centrofix handle has zero bit wobble, amazing.
nic
i use mine more to make sure a screw is going in straight than for hard to reach areas. the extra length amplifies the angle making it easier to correct (at least when compared to the other extreme like a stubby)
they’re also handy for aligning parts – like inplace of a spud wrench
Chris
I used one to tighten up the bolts on a two piece toilet tank to fix a leak without getting my hand wet. I could have shut the water off and drained the tank, but I had it in me so why not?
William Adams
My father had a matching pair of very long Stanley #3 Phillips and a large flat blade — recall needing the pair for certain tasks when working on a Craftsman riding lawnmower and its various accessories — they’re in the pegboard toolholder at my workbench now and are are rarely, if ever, used.
fred
I have 3 long shaft Torx (T15, T20 and T25) screwdrivers from Gearwrench. The older versions of these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHTV4W7/
I also have a long shaft Pozidriv #2 screwdriver from Teng Tools (MD962N4D) :
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173306270504
My long blade mechanics (keystone) tip screwdrivers include:
Vaco 70155 – 7/32 tip – 21 inch long
OEM Industrial OG16C – 3/8 tip – 16 inch long
Prolinemax 0975-023 – – 1/2 tip – 18 inch long
KTool KTI-14219 – 5/8 tip – 19 inch long
Ate Pro 86185 – 1 inch tip – 27.5 inch long
The last two of these are more pry bars than screwdrivers.
I also have 3 long blade Phillips screwdrivers:
Proto JP0216R – No.2 – 16 inch long
Vaco P202 – No.2 – 21 inch long
Jonard SD-243 – No.3 – 24 inch long
A few more links for the Phillips:
Jonard
Klein-Vaco
A few links for the mechanic’s tip drivers:
Ate Pro
Klein-Vaco
Jammer
I’ve got a pair of 12″ xcelite Phillips screwdrivers in P1 & P2 sizes. The tips are hardened and the shafts feel solid. I don’t think I’ll ever have a need for anything longer than these since I’ll likely use my 12″ x 1/4″ hex bit extension on the end of my 6″ bit driver, if needed.
These 12″ screwdrivers have been helpful more than a handful of times when cords, cables and hoses get in the way.
Matthew
Super useful for electronics racks and server cabinets. I have a long Xcelite Phillips #2 that has seen a lot of use over the years.
MM
I have a pair of Snap-Ons, they are actually the only Snap-On screwdrivers I own. One is a #2 PH, there other is probably about a 5/16″ slot. I rarely use them, maybe only 2 or 3 times a year, normally for some hose clamp buried deep in an engine compartment or machinery.
Joe
My longest screwdrivers are a mix & match of 8” long shafts (phillips/slotted) in assorted tip sizes from a 41 Pc. Craftsman USA set I bought at Sears about 10 years ago.
It appears I’ve used them all at some point, just don’t recall where. They’ve held up well and still have lots of life left in them. They will likely outlive me.
Koko The Talking Ape
I recall those old iMacs required a long weird screwdriver to take apart. I think a Torx T5? It had to be at least 12″ long.
Ball_bearing
Wow, what year model was that? Was it the old CRT one with interchangeable plastic color covers from 20 years ago? I can’t imagine the flat LCD ones having so deeply recessed screws, but this is apple, so I better be ready for a surprise.
MM
The even older Macs, well before the IMac (the colorful one that was built into a CRT), also required this special tool. We called them “Mac Crackers” back in the day. If I remember right it was a T15. I still have one kicking around somewhere, I don’t think I’ve used it in two decades.
Ball_bearing
That was unexpected. Back then the only screwdriver types I was aware of were Phillips, slotted, and hex. I learned about Torx in 06/07 when working at RadioShack. I don’t even remember what they were used for.
fred
The first Macintosh computer was released in 1984 – 17 years after Textron introduced the Torx drive screw. Because they were a bit novel, you started seeing them on electronics – not so much because of their higher torque or low camout characteristics – but because they were viewed as tamper resistant. Back in the 1970’s finding a Torx screwdriver was not an easy task.
John Fleisher
Most likely 1984-1989, which is when the original all in one Macs were sold.
John Fleisher
Yes, Apple Macintosh All in one units required a 12” Torx-15 driver to remove the screws under the handle. The Mac Cracker was a spring loaded device to separate the case sides.
Ball_bearing
I have a Duralast 16″ 5/16 slotted… Sadly AZ don’t sell the Phillips companion, so I will need to get a Vessel or Gearwrench one. I hate having mismatched sets, but function is more important than cosmetic variations (I try to convince myself of that).
Josh
I have an assortment of screwdriver lengths. The good ones are from Cornwell and are 24″ in length. As a joke many years ago a friend gifted me an off brand flat bade screwdriver that must be close to 48″ in length. Turns out that has been quite handy a few times getting to radiator hose clamps.
Dave
I must have 30 of them, maybe 40. We use them with builders string when temporarily staking out excavations. Wrap some string around them and shove ‘em in the ground…. Don’t care if they’re slotted or Phillips- they work great to do a fast check of a potential site.
Scott F
I picked up a set of Long shaft (12/14/16″?) screwdrivers from the dollar store about 5 years ago on a whim – best 3 bucks I ever spent. To your point, rarely that I NEED that reach, but more often than not I don’t mind having it. One area I’ve found it really shines is dealing with small engine carbs – my 4 wheeler, dirtbike, go kart all have the carbs tucked in between a bunch of other stuff, and having the length makes loosening hose clamps, adjusting mixture/idle, and whatever other minute tasks I need to do in the area a whole lot easier. I tend to use the flat head more often than Phillips, but have used both several times.
I did not look at the pricing, but would probably pick up a gear wrench set once I destroy the dollar store ones. I don’t use them for strenuous tightening/loosening, so could be a while!
blocky
haha love this application.
I keep a large slotted in the van door and found it’s indispensable to get my serpentine belt back on.
Also have a 12″ Wera PH2 at my bench that I scored for $5. That ones an easy grab for anything I’m working on bc the shaft hangs lower than any other driver in the rack.
fred
I have a serpentine belt tool that I picked up years ago at a Napa autoparts store for around $5. Amazon sells this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Gates-91209-Belt-Installation-Tool/dp/B000CRFK4W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=%3A+%E2%80%8E+B000CRFK4W&qid=1632952585&s=industrial&sr=1-1
blocky
I’m delighted that this exists. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
JoeM
Honestly? I’ve never tried one, but always wanted to. I have no reasoning behind this, and I can’t justify it… it’s just… a feeling? I don’t even understand it.
Now… I don’t know if my aging Mother would “Approve” of such a thing, but it would certainly be nice to have one on her scooter, so she can reach out and push elevator and automatic door buttons. The world is not kind to people with accessibility issues.
avi
not a screwdriver, but I regularly use a 12″ extension on my drill to mount cabinets to walls, it keeps the drill out of the cabinet and is much easier to get to that fastener buried in the cabinet corner
JoeM
That actually makes more sense. Maybe that’s the original application that these extra long screwdrivers were originally for, before the use of power tools?
TimL
I use to use one ~16″ long #2 philips (magnetic) when I was assembling PC’s and needed some reach in small areas. I have a #4 philips for replacing toilet seat covers…lol…I couldnt find the #4 with a short handle.
John Fleisher
I use several 24” Craftsman #2 Phillips in my data center, to reach things deep inside the racks.
Jbongo
I have a pair of 12″ or 16″ screwdrivers that I honestly don’t remember where they came from. However, what I used the phillips for the most for was literally attaching our topper to the Christmas tree for many years. The fake tree had a hole up top the right size for the shaft of the screwdriver, so I would wrap duct tape around the screwdriver at the stopping point, stick it in the tree hole, and then put the angel over the screwdriver. It may have looked funny underneath, but it worked and you could never tell it was a screwdriver.
Dustin
I have a set of the harbor freight 22″ screwdrivers and they have come in handy for two things so far.
1. After hanging a large tv on the wall many mounts have screws that face downward that need to be tightened to capture the mount plate in place
2. I had a shotgun that the stock became loose and the screw was like 3/4 of a mile down a narrow opening and I was able to tighten it back up
CoBlue
An extra long screwdriver is an excellent tool to have around. Not so much for screws, but as manipulation tools as you describe. I’ve also found them to make excellent probes in soil that is at least somewhat.
I have a 2 foot one that I’ve used extensively to scout gopher tunnels. I don’t even know what kind of head it has on it.
fred
Not a bad use – but a T-handle soil probe might work better on tough soils:
https://www.amazon.com/Bully-Tools-99203-Tstyle-48_inch/dp/B00KOMTJ7E
If you are poking around where some u/g cable might be buried an fiberglas version might be better yet:
https://www.amazon.com/Nupla-69401-Classic-T-Nuplaglas-Handle/dp/B004N851MW/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=B004N851MW&psc=1
tijaune
Surprisingly, despite having multiple multi-bits screwdrivers, my quick grab is almost this pair of long phillips / flat steel caps Milwaukee demo drivers.
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Hand-Tools/Fastening/Screwdrivers-and-Nutdrivers/48-22-2002
Robert
A have the Stanley version of those and love them. Whether you’re doing demo or not, they’re just nice heavy duty drivers. I consider demo drivers to be toolbox basics at this point. Everyone should have a pair.
Joe
I don’t have any super long handled drivers (probably 8″ or 12″ are the largest that came with the big craftsman set I got), but I did get a 12″ extension (with bit retention screws) when I needed to secure a bookshelf to the wall with a ~1.5″ gap on top. I had been trying to do it with cobbled together extensions, but there was way too much flex and I kept slipping off the fastener. The rigid 12″ extension made this a piece of cake. I have also used it opening/closing my pool, the safety cover came with a comically large 1/4″ hex key (probably 18″long) for the anchors, but it’s tedious. Much faster with the long extension and a 1/4 hex bit (or any other bit backwards).
Random aside, I got a durabuilt set from Target probably 15 years ago, and it has the most oddly useful set of bits in it (for only having ~20), pozidrive and philips, the aforementioned really big hex bits, etc. I would never have thought it to be so good, but it’s a great set to start out with if you just got an apartment (and need to assemble a lot of IKEA stuff).
KG
I previously bought a really long Husky PH2 to install the top rail of a stair railing/handrail, where the spindles obstructed direct in-line access. Angling a standard driver (or drill) enough for the handle width to clear the spindles left me unable to register or push enough to engage the screws securely.
The extra long driver gave me closer to plump registration of the driver tip to the screw head, effectively lowering the engagement angle by adding more “run” (shaft length) relative to the same “rise” (handle width). It was just enough to get the job done and prompted me appreciate and purchase 6″ and 12″ bit holders when I bought an impact driver.
Short can help with confined space access, provided you can get in there with near to perpendicular presentation. Long can help present the driver tip near (enough) to plumb when you simply can’t get in there.
Back to the original question, I’ve maybe used that long driver 5 times in the years since and mainly because I had it, not because it not because I truly needed it beyond that initial use.
Nathan
I don’t have anything at 16 – I do have a 12 inch or near it Philips and flat. and I have a bit holder that will take a extension holder so it together would become around 15.
never used that way but it’s an option
Drew McDaniel
I have a set of 16″ and 24″ Craftsman flat, phillips and one or two hex sizes, circa early 1980s that I picked up at the regional (Philly) Sears Catalog outlet store. Think I paid around $5 for the set, which also contained a couple of regular screwdrivers. They came in handy a couple of times, especially the phillips which I’ve used as a punch many times. My part time job in college was at a printing plant, where the pressmen would use the long Craftsman flat screwdrivers to force the rollers on the printing presses either in or out. I know Sears lost money on those, because they returned the chipped or broken ones to the local Sears all of the time.
Now on the not so good use: the long flat screwdrivers technically could be treated as unlawful burglary tools in Philly. It was up to the officer’s discretion as to whether to confiscate and maybe charge anyone in possession of them. If you had a toolbox with the long tools along with other tools, you were probably okay. If all you had was a long screwdriver and got caught carrying it on your person or in your car by itself, you could end up losing it. My friend’s father was a cop, and he had a large collection of long screwdrivers and pry bars in his garage.
Ericthegr8
I’m a printer technician and I carry PB & Swiss Precision Swiss Grip Phillips #1 in 4” and 6” sizes. I also have Swiss Grip #2 regular drivers in stubby, 6”, 8”, and 16” sizes. The one complaint I have is that on the 8” and 16” drivers the shaft is thicker and doesn’t fit through some gaps and parts in some of the Epson printers I work on from time to time. Therefore, I need both the 6” for the thickness and the 8” or 16” length to work on the same machine.
TonyT
Don’t know how much I’ll use it, but I just bought a Wiha 30238X 5.5mm x 300 mm flat screwdriver; I couldn’t resist the close out price of $5.
https://crawfordtool.com/products/wiha-30238x-slotted-5-5mm-x-300mm-blade-softfinish-screwdriver-7-32-x-12
I also bought some longer handled small flat screw drivers (2.5mm x 100mm, 2.5mm x 150mm, 3.0mm x 100). For normal use, I think I prefer shorter screw drivers (40mm – 60mm), but again, couldn’t resist the close out pricing.