By now you have probably already heard of the Kobalt Double Drive screwdriver and the new Double Drive ratchet, which feature unique gearing to speed up fastener-driving tasks. What you probably haven’t seen yet is Husky’s new ratcheting screwdriver that is said to be 3x faster than ordinary ratcheting screwdrivers.
So is this a Triple Drive screwdriver? Not quite. The ratcheting screwdriver has a gear multiplier so that 1 turn of the handle equals 3 turns of the screwdriver bit. But unless you lift your hand from the handle for repositioning after every turn, there’s still going to be a zero-motion return twist.
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Even so, the ratcheting screwdriver does claim to be 3x faster than ordinary ratcheting screwdrivers, which seems handy. The 21-piece set is priced at $10 and comes with 7 SAE sockets, a 1/4″ square drive adapter, and 12 screwdriver bits.
Screwdriver bit sizes: slotted 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″; Phillips #0, #1, #2, #3; Torx T10, T15, T20, T30.
Sockets: 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 11/32″, 3/8″, 78/16″, 1/2″.
The screwdriver handle opens up for convenient bit storage and the soft rubber grip is said to be chemical-resistant.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
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Our Take
It’s a $10 ratcheting screwdriver that comes with 7 sockets, a hex-to-square adapter and 12 screwdriver bits, and we first saw the set in the holiday tool gifts display at a local Home Depot. A good ratcheting screwdriver typically costs a lot more than $10, although we’ve seen some nice inexpensive ones before.
It’s a risk, but at least Home Depot has a good return policy.
Allen
Also about one third the torque I would imagine ?
Robert
Stuart,
Do you know if this driver is permanently geared that way, or is it switchable with “conventional” gearing? Logic would indicate that it could be a bear to turn in situations that required higher torque with otherwise standard gearing. It would be nice to be able to switch between two options depending upon the need.
That said, Sears has had a Craftsman speed multiplying ratchet for some time now. When I saw this item, I checked their site for current reviews. It seems that they’ve conveniently removed a slew of negative reviews that had otherwise remained posted for a long period.
I don’t know how this tool would hold up by comparison. As you indicated, the price tends to reveal a lot. This may prove to be better in theory than practical application when real world torque or other abuse is applied.
Robert
Stuart
I’m not familiar with the Craftsman version and haven’t tried one of these yet either.
I would bet that this driver only has the speed-multiplying gearing. A switchable conventional gearing options seems to be simply too much to ask for at the $10 price.
Robert
I would think so too. That would then refer me back to my original dilemma. This is obviously rhetorical from your vantage point. It would seem that this could be quite difficult to crank in a typical higher torque situation in the absence of an option to switch to conventional ratcheting. You obviously can’t determine that until you can examine one personally.
When I reread my last post, I realized that I referred to it as “conventional gearing.” That would falsely imply a ratio which obviously wouldn’t exist with standard ratcheting. I figured that you would catch my drift however.
Anyway, I would expect that the multiplied gearing would be nice in the absence of much resistance, but might require another tool if any real torque was needed.
Robert
Robert
You know what? I’ll bet that you have to simultaneously grasp the top of the grip while turning to obtain the 3x gearing. It might behave like a standard ratchet if used normally. Just guessing.
Robert
ESB
Most ratcheting screw drivers have a locked position in between the clockwise and counter clockwise settings, that should work for high torque situations
Stuart
Good point!
@Robert, the driver didn’t look to have a sleeve like Kobalt’s Double Drive screwdrivers do.
jesse
No thanks. Waste of money for sure.
Robert
Ok Stuart, now I’m puzzled. Unless Home Depot has one open to examine, I’ll have to buy one to satisfy my curiosity! I can’t figure out how turning the handle against the resistance of a fastener alone, could activate a multiplied gearing mechanism. It would seem that something else would have to be held stationary in order to accomplish that. Otherwise, I don’t see how it could do anything aside from standard ratcheting. Does that make any sense?
Robert
Adrian
Go to Lowes, we have similar products by Kobalt. We have them out so you can look at and try them. Plus they come with a Life Time Gurantee.
From a Lowes employee.
The Motts
I bought one of these tonight, after seeing this post. The part of the driver that narrows above the white line on the grip has to be held to gain the 3x effect. It’s similar to one that Sears used to sell. I don’t know how to post a link but if you Google “Craftsman 47479” you can find out more about it.
[Ed note: LINK to Craftsman version]
Stuart
Thanks for the clarification!
The back of the Husky card doesn’t have any instructions about where to hold. Are there any markings on the driver itself saying “hold here for 3x mode,” or something to that effect? If not, I bet there might be a lot of returns.
The Motts
No, there are no markings like that on the tool.
Robert
The Motts,
Thank you. That clarifies a lot of things. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you had to stabilize something while twisting the grip in order to multiply anything.
I appreciate the clarification. I hope you enjoy it, and didn’t just blow the cash to satisfy your curiosity.
Robert
Robert
Stuart,
Here’s a link for the Craftsman tool I was referring to earlier. This page does in fact include some of the negative reviews that are not currently on the main Sears site. It doesn’t look anything like this tool so it’s not a “rebranded” issue, but it’s the same speed multiplying principle.
http://community.craftsman.com/Craftsman-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-reviews
Robert
James C
So I gotta wonder, is there now a race to incorporate a “double drive” feature with this 3x mechanism to get a 6x version?
Meanwhile, my search continues for a quality ratcheting screwdriver.
Allen
I found a snap-on and would recommend anyone buy one, didn’t realize how good one could be.
fred
I grew up using Yankee (Nort Brothers – then Stanley) spiral ratcheting screwdrivers. Except for the Amish (I hear they still use them) I think that cordless impact drivers have all but replaced the Yankee drivers.
While I’m not a fan of multi-tip scrrwdrivers – some of my guys like the Megpro:
http://www.amazon.com/Megapro-211R2C36RD-13-In-1-Ratcheting-Driver/dp/B004VJY1EC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351455151&sr=8-1&keywords=megapro+ratcheting+screwdriver
James C
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve got 5 or 6 different ones in my Amazon wish list and I’m watching to see if the prices drop.
Steve R.
I think Snap-on makes a pretty good ratcheting screwdriver, and have had a “standard” one (orange ergo plastic body, regular length shaft) for about 20 years. It gets used around the house and has never been abused, but it was about $40 then, and it now costs $62. Do you get what you pay for? I suppose, but that’s still a lot of money, and other versions of it go for even more. It’s probably over-engineered for the average guy; however, it looks great and is comfortable to use. It depends on what your expectations are for the tool, as well as other (sometimes intangible) variables. Incidentally, no double- or triple-drive options are available on it. Keep in mind, the more gimmicks you introduce, the greater the opportunity for failure down the road.
Robert
Here’s a link for a company called “Spec Tools.” I honestly have never heard of them. At any rate, this link will take you to a similar product that seems to work on the same principle as this. There’s a video located under the center product which is the item in question. Click on it for a quick demo.
When you grasp the top of the grip with your support hand, the speed is multiplied. You loose torque however, due to the increased gearing ratio. For higher torque, you simply release it and use it as a standard ratchet. On the Spec site, they say to break the screw loose in the standard mode. You then work it the rest of the way with the speed multiplying function. That would be the ratcheting equivalent to spinning a driver.
http://www.spectools.com/indexus.html.htm
Robert
Kurt
It looks interesting for the price. I might check it out next time I am at HD.
shaun
For Christmas i got a home depot gift card and bought this screwdriver. Do not purchase why, because I did for you. If you have the slightest resistance you have to be a muscle man to turn it. Very worthless, yes you can use it as your conventional ratchet screwdriver but the 3X rotation is worthless unless your putting a screw through sheetrock, this was the only way I could get it to work with out having to burst a blood vessel in my head. Having to hold the small bottom of the handle and twist the upper portion of of the handle is impossible and impracticable. So go get your self a kobalt or craftsman and save yourself some grief.
Dennis
Yes, more gearing less torque. Maybe a slide switch for high/lo setting.
Todd Well
I had a variant of this about 20 years ago from Lee Valley. 4:1 gear; could also ratchet in this mode or regular driving mode. It was great for installing long machine screws, typically when replacing shower control valves.
It would also work in overdrive (it was called the Overdriver) on regular wood and sheet metal screws, but I ended up stripping the gears. They stopped selling them shortly after I worn out the second one.