Offset screwdrivers

The red-headed stepchildren of the screw driving family.  Offset drivers are rarely enjoyable to use- mostly because it means you are working on something where the designer buried a screw with no normal access angle.  This often means dropped fasteners, scraped knuckles, cursing and throwing stuff.

That being said- when you need an offset driver you REALLY NEED an offset driver.  Below are some of the types that I have used and am familiar.

The hex bit-and-vice grips combo (or hex bit-and-wrench combo):  Just like it sounds.  You have the screwdriver bit, but your screwdriver will not fit where it needs to fit.  You remove the bit, put it on the fastener, then turn it with a wrench.  Works, but a pain in the rear- you need four hands to make this work well.  The big upside is you already have all the tools you need- of course you have the hex bit and everyone has an adjustable wrench (or vice-grips)- so you can get to work right away.








The Chapman set:  The classic maker of the offset driver, Chapman has been making these sets for a while now- so long that many people refer to a ratcheting offset as a "chapman".  They work well, but they take special bits- so hope you don't need to use some special-security-type of bit that is not included in the Chapman set.  Not a particularly refined tool, but one that works and is super bullet-proof reliable.  Not a huge fan of carrying around a large case, myself though.  Many people like to keep tool sets in cases; I travel and the case is extra weight/space for me.






The Chapman copies:  Lots and lots of these around.  Most take normal hex bits, some have bits built in, some are actually pretty handy.   These are usually inexpensive and available everywhere.  They are also usually very cheap-feeling, with delicate ratcheting mechanisms.  The one I own right now looks to be made by Chapman.  There is no reverse lever on the chapman- you put the bit in the other side to reverse.  Some of the cheaper versions have a lever (but can take normal bits- Chapman and Xcelite drivers- both appear to come from the same factory)




The "S" offset:  Exactly what it looks like.  Slow and difficult to align at times, but nothing to break and lightweight (for when you need to travel with tools).  These are an "emergency use only" type of tool, you would never use an "S" driver unless you had to.  (PB Swiss offset "s" drivers)




The 1/4" ratchets:  Everyone makes one- you can attach a normal 1/4" socket to a ratchet, or you can get a special 1/4" bit holding socket.  Nice because you may already have a ratchet and socket.  Not-so-nice because this setup will be a bit thicker than the other options.  But if you have the space, a good way to go.  Seen below is a Snap-on 1/4" ratchet with a bit-holding socket (top) and the Wera bit ratchet (bottom).   The Wera is not the thinnest ratchet out there- it's total thickness is a touch more than the bit depth, but you can clearly see how much thicker the normal ratchet is.  This may prevent it from fitting in a tight spot.




The fancy ratcheting offsets:  Like the Rolls-Royce version of a Chapman set.  Wera and others make them.  Very nice, but pricey, and often thicker than other options (remember, offset drivers are ALL about working in tight spaces, so thickness is paramount).

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Long live the king! (Snap-on ratcheting screwdrivers)

Some background:  This is the stuff I use at work, have been for 20 years now.  I really like their tools (well, their wrenches and screwdrivers, anyway) and they have never let me down.  This is the brand that I am most comfortable using; never think, worry, or doubt these tools- this is important when the quality and speed of my work affects my income.  I have plenty of Craftsman (and Stanley and Husky and Proto and Kobalt...) tools at home.  They are great, their warranties are great, too- but when you are working in rural areas of the Philippines and your Craftsman driver or wrench snaps, well- you just can't drive down to the local Sears to get a new one.  I need stuff that never breaks for work.  (yes, I know Snap-on stuff breaks, too.  It usually breaks for a reason, though)

So here goes a quick review of the Snap-on drivers I have and use:

My first:  The yellow wonder.  Snap on still makes these in a number of colors (~$64).  Yellow is easy to spot on the ground- or in someone else's pocket when they walk away with your tool.

I beat the life out of this poor baby.  The ratcheting mechanicals were replaced twice over its life  (the repair kit is still $10 at Snap-on, awesome!) and I mushroomed out the base of the blade at one point and needed to file it back into useable shape.  I was never the biggest fan of ratcheting drivers, but I need a traveling tool kit, so one driver to stand in for a full kit worked for me.

The four-sided, hard plastic handle does not look very comfortable, but it really, really fits my hand well.  The shape allows a ton of torque application and it never gets too slippery, but hard handled screwdrivers will slip more than their soft handled brothers.  I've used this driver as a chisel on a fairly regular basis (mea culpa and all that) but the top cap still screws on and off without issue.  You can fit about 8 bits in the hollow handle as well.  The turning direction lock (tight, loose and lock positions) spins easily enough, but generally requires two fingers if you have any amount of gunk on your hands at all.

The blade and ratcheting action is smooth and quiet (not silent).  I never had a ratchet internal fail in the field, or slip on me.  When the internals have failed, it has been a slow process- maybe a tooth slip here and there, I was always able to correct this by locking the ratchet in the center position and continue working.  It has about 26 "clicks" per revolution;  the knurling on the blade is great for quick spinning of a screw- in fact it has become one of my "must-haves" on any ratcheting screwdriver.  The bits are standard hex shank, held in with a magnet.  The only problem I ever had with the magnet (or the blade in general), was when using the screwdriver and a flat bit to chisel through some concrete.  After 30 minutes of sledge hammering the thing the magnet came loose.  It just snapped back into place when I put it back in.

The handle and blade clean up nicely with a dry towel, with no ridges or crannies to collect gunk.  One issue with ratcheting drivers in general, or anything that has a socket to accept bits, is the diameter of the tool shaft.  The shaft is wider than the tip of the driver, so the shaft will not fit into small holes.  This crops up more than I would expect, lots of companies design stuff to have a screwdriver blade go through an opening before contacting the screw (light sockets, lots of electrical work, in fact) - and ratcheting drivers have problems here.  The blade has also developed some play over the years.  There is some wobble between the blade and handle (and a small amount between the bit and blade)- but this has never been an issue for me, personally- I know it really bothers others.

This screwdriver has been retired to in-home work, and is usually the first thing thrown into a travel kit when I need to leave the house.  And it is yellow.  Yay!

The new kid on the block:

Snap-on had to go and introduce a new handle about ten years ago (?), and I had to try it out.  The new  version has a handle with three sides instead of four and a soft, rubbery grip, cost, about $72.  It is also about one inch longer.  

The new handle shape just works- the torque you can apply with this screwdriver is really impressive, and the handle never (never) gets slippery.  The ratchet direction lever is re-shaped and can now be flipped with one finger (but the internal ratchet feels the same).  The removable/replaceable blade pulls in and out but now has two- TWO knurled sections, instead of one long knurled section.  The relentless march of progress.  

The handle is still hollow, still holds 8-10 bits, but the top cap is a bit flatter in shape, which helps when you need to apply downward pressure on a fastener.  The top cap also has a hex recess that holds one bit, so if you need an emergency "stubby" driver you have one.  One other small difference, the top cap now connects to the handle with a quarter-turn- no longer screwing on to the back.  I like this, it is faster, and I don't have to worry about damaging the cap threads.

I was worried about the rubber grip getting dirty and staying dirty- also about how it would deal with industrial cleaners I often use on my tools.  On a good day, my tools get cleaned with pure isopropyl, but most of the time I end up using whatever "cleaner" is available on site.  Some nasty chemicals get used as industrial cleaners, but the rubber (ish) handle has never gotten soft or tacky and it wipes down pretty fast and easy (not as easy as a hard plastic handle, though).  After ten years hard at work it has held up pretty well.  It breaks down for packing well, too.

Lastly, the bits I use in these drivers: I no longer use Snap-on bits.  They are just fine, but I found that PB Swiss bits work better for me and my job.  First, the PB bits are color coded by both screw type and size, so it becomes really easy to grab the bit you need.  Two, they just seem to fit perfectly and they never seem to wear out.  

ALL bits wear out, this is what makes the ratcheting driver such a great idea- you just need to replace a bit when it dies, not the whole tool.

PB Swiss bits I use:

Yellow=phillips;  Green=Pozidrive; Blue=Torx; Purple=metric hex; Black=flat; weird, titanium color= square.

Fixed handled Snap on drivers are next...