Update 2/22/21: This Felo beech wood-handled screwdriver set is back down in price to $20. While not for everyone, these are quality screwdrivers I own and can recommend. This post was originally published on 8/23/19.
If you prefer screwdrivers made of space-age plastics with names you might have trouble pronouncing, don’t buy this Felo screwdriver set.
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If you have sweaty hands, wipe them somewhere and then you can use these Felo wood-handled screwdrivers with minimal slipping.
Is it fun to watch screwdrivers roll off the table? Don’t bother with these, they have an anti-roll design.
Felo screwdrivers have great quality tips that are durable and offer good fastener engagement. What a bummer for anyone who likes to complain about how soft and deformed their screwdrivers are after the first use.
A built-in leather handle cap to protect the tools when struck by a hammer? Who needs that?
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There’s also a hex bolster which can be turned with a wrench for additional torque. Meh, good luck fitting a pipe wrench on there.
Beechwood? That sounds made-up.
Silliness aside, these are quality screwdrivers. I bought a set years ago, and while they’re not my “daily drivers” – get it?! – I appreciate the feel of them and load them in my toolbox every so often. They’re fantastic screwdrivers, although they’re not for everyone. I wouldn’t use these for automotive work, but they should be fine for lots of other tasks that don’t involve grease or chemicals.
It sounds a little cheesy, but these screwdrivers are a treat to use.
Felo Wood Handle 5pc Screwdriver Set Sizes
- Phillips #1, #2
- Slotted 5.5, 7.0, 9.0 mm
Price: $20 via Amazon $22 via Acme Tools
Buy Now via Amazon
Buy Now via Acme Tools
The model number is 22155.
Also consider Felo’s Ergonic screwdriver set. Their Ergonic screwdriver handles have internal cushioning and a rubbery texture. The wood-handled screwdrivers have a warmer feel to them, although it’s probably just in my head, but the Ergonic drivers allow for a stronger grip and can supposedly (and believably) deliver greater torque.
Corey
I own the wooden handle set and love them. They stay clean, great tip design/texture and overall feel very well built.
Hilton
The 7 piece set seems to be a better buy as it includes a smaller slotted driver and a #2 Pozidriv.
You can also get these from KC ToolCo.
Gordon
Having a #2 Pozi around is severely underrated.
Wayne R.
Being a “treat to use” is important in a lot of subtle ways. There are a lot of hand tools out there that barely don’t suck, or flat-out do suck – all of which easily lead to poor work & poor attitudes about that work. Life’s too short for crappy tools.
TonyT
Wera also makes wood handle screwdrivers with leather cap and hex bolster, but based on this set from KC Tool, they’re more expensive than felo:
https://www.kctoolco.com/wera-018251-wooden-handle-slotted-phillips-screwdriver-set/
Brian M
So does Gedore, Witte and Wiha but all four of those are not as nice as the Felo IMO. Slimmer and no ergonomic shape to the handles, poorer quality control.
AC
Was a little disappointed with these. Just a little more sanding to get the shaping ridges out of the handles and maybe another coat of finish and they would be class. I think 15-20% more effort into finishing would really bump them in special territory. Tack on a few bucks and it’d worth it.
I wonder how the Wera’s compare in this regard.
Looks like Grace (US), Wilde (US) and Narex (Czech) make some cool wood handle screwdrivers too.
Brian M
Grace aren’t striking(full tang), no hex bolster. really light weight. They’re nice but they feel cheap in comparison, I would not recommend them if you want to crank down on something a lot. You can get the Grace screwdrivers in hollow ground.
Narex look really nice. Some amazing wood screwdrivers from Japan!
boobob
narex are from Czech
Franco
Very disappointed with Grace. They claim to be gunsmith drivers, but the set I received was pretty poor. The tips all had burrs and some were uneven. Contacted Grace and told them I would never touch these to my firearms. They did immediately sent a replacement set….which were the same. Poor quality control. Ground the tips square and honed the burrs off on a stone. Meh.
Jux
Right?! I’m with you on this. I bought three grace sets because I loved the simple retro look of the handle, but in every set one or more of the drivers were crooked in their handles. Super poor quality control. I ended up mixing and matching the least of the offenders and keeping that set, but it’s still hot perfect. Irks me every time I notice it.
Franco
Yeah, pretty sad. Especially when you want to buy American, expecting quality.
Max
These are my favorite screwdrivers for tasks around the home. They sit under the kitchen sink and are always a pleasure to use. I agree I wouldn’t want to use them in anything greasy.
Hans
If you prefer USA-made screw drivers you can still find NOS vintage Proto wood handled screw drivers on Ebay. They are very nice but expensive.
Thomas M Reece
Is it just me or is anybody else annoyed by barcodes printed on tools? It seems more common on the European products. Sorry, just had to vent.
DavetheBrave
I totally agree- I took some fine steel wool and rubbed off the bar codes on mine. I also rubbed off most of the slippery finish from my handles and it really improved the grip.
TonyT
Yes, I much prefer the barcodes to stay on the packaging.
The Japanese seem to do this too; I have a number of Japanese pens with integral barcodes.
JoeM
Purely to answer the question posed, “What’s not to like?”
Easy… There aren’t sets of every size and shape available to replace cheaper driver sets. You’d REALLY have to do some soul searching to find, and replace, something like a 100 piece Mastercraft set, and I have several additions onto one of those sets. So… Downside is, no amount of money could allow me to walk in with my Mastercraft set, and walk OUT with an identical set from Felo, or the others.
You will notice this is an extremely minor gripe. That’s because it is minor, and easily ignorable. But, it IS the answer to the question “What’s not to like?” as asked. 😉
JoeM
Ah, Memories, am I right?
I have a new answer, in the same spirit:
What’s not to like? They’re not sitting in my toolboxes at this very second, or on order, they’re just available. So… I don’t like that… Same minor level gripe… Easily ignored… but the complaint is valid… I don’t have a set yet, therefore, I don’t like it. 😉
William Adams
I don’t like the chisel shaped flat tips — it’s traditional to allow a reasonable number of tools to fit an arbitrary range of fasteners, but I prefer hollow ground — one of these days I’ll make a full set, until then I use 1/4″ bits and an assortment of drivers:
– Elemen’tary No. 1 — for fussy hardware installation
– Palm Screwdriver with Beechwood Handle (from Garrett Wade — anyone else know of another source?) — an impulse buy, I’ve been using this more than I expected, but the plastic ratchet adjustment doesn’t inspire confidence
– Felo 32350 Magnetic T-Handle Hex Bit Holder – 1/4″ x 125mm — for fasteners which require more torque than a round handled tool can impart
I also often use a Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit but since it’s a bike tool, it’s a bit more effort to get out than the Palm screwdriver
Madcapp
I’d like to see a good set of “perfect handle” screwdrivers on the maket…and not just slotted styles.
William Adams
Yeah, me too — I’ve always been disappointed that when I bought a set from Lee Valley they were imperfect enough in terms of handle fit that I sent them and the replacement set back.
I suspect that they material requirements and mechanics of manufacture would price them out of the market.
Michael F.
I have this set and LOVE them! Take some acetone to the handles to remove the lacquer finish which will also remove the printing, also a light sanding if you have some ridges. Then these work awesome! if your hands are sweaty the wood will actually absorb the sweat to create a non-slip grip. A much nicer thing to hold in your hand than some plasticy rubbery synthetic abomination.
Eric
Did the same to mine. When they’re bare wood they work great for sweaty hands or hands slick with the light oils most things seem to be covered in before they’re shipped.
Greg
If they are good enough for AvE they are good enough for me. After watching his video on different screwdrivers I bought a set. I’ve since bought 3 more for the different tool boxes. I got rid of all my cheap junky driver sets and have used these way more instead. I did remove the finish off all the sets and use linseed oil. Now if Felo would make Torx, Security Torx, Allen, and Triple Squares I would buy them all (hint hint Felo and really if you would just make Torx I’d be happy as can be).
Greg
Didn’t AvE sand down the finish a little so they wouldn’t be as slippery with greasy fingers?
Lynyrd
Nothing better than using wood handle screwdrivers on woodworking projects. It just fits. I use old irwin and newer Grace wood handle Made In USA screwdrivers for this.
MattW.
I have had these for about a year now and really like them. Like many of us we all have way too many screwdrivers so we rotate to justify our purchases. Its in my top 3 sets but there was some mods. I sanded down the handles with a 120g sanding sponge to give them some grip. I ordered mine from Menards for 14 dollars couldn’t resist at that price but the description showed and said chrome shafts I got satin that shows marks more. Like all tips the black wears off after a while nothing to be too concerned with still work.
Kent
I have a set of regular and long Wiha for general shop tasks. They get greasy, used & abused. Fantastic quality for a fair price.
But, a year ago I bought this set, and they don’t leave the woodshop. They won’t get greasy or dirty, and will always be “safe” for woodworking projects. Other than the printed barcodes, they are a perfect for what I do with them.
MM
A friend of mine has a set of these and I like everything about them except the finish. It seems they’d be fine for most tasks but the moment your hands are wet or greasy it is difficult to get a good grip on them. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for cabinetmaking but I’d like something I can use to work on cars, machinery, etc, as well.
In my opinion the gold standard of screwdrivers is the Wiha “microfinish” with the solid black handles (not to be confused with the 2-tone colored plastic ones with the rubbery grip). The black handled ones are solid plastic with a stippled or “sandblasted” sort of grip. Your hand can be soaked in engine oil or grease and you can still get a firm grip on them, and they still have all the other important features: a hex bolster, and the steel goes all the way through the handle for striking. I have some that are 26 years old now and are still going strong despite plenty of use and abuse. I can still put the #2 philips into a drywall screw and it fits so well the entire screwdriver can hang out off the wall being supported only by the tip in the head of the screw.
rob
I have the all black “extra heavy duty” microfinish screwdrivers, but just a heads up to anyone looking for them, Wiha changed the color on all microfinish drivers to purple a good ten years ago. It’s a very small lineup and sold in two variations: through tang with striking cap, hex shank and bolster or standard round shank. They appear to be discontinuing some of the line (hopefully not true).
AB
Don’t know about you guys, but mine have a different shape. They are basically the exact same shape as the plastic Felos but in wood. I can see concerns with grip on these more rounded ones, but no complaints with mine. I do reserve them for woodworking, so generally clean hands work. Got the set of 5 from KC several years back and have added to since then.
Echoing some of the previous comments, there is something particularly satisfying about using a good looking, well designed, wood handled driver.
Travis
I have 2 sets of these and have also given a couple away as gifts. Love them! Definitely worth a little sand paper depending on the amount of lacquer on the set you receive but well worth the effort. They are the kind of tool that just feels good in the hand and you can tell the quality is high (especially for the price.)
Koko The Talking Ape
If you want a wood handled bit-holder style driver, Lee Valley makes a nice one. It has a tightening collet so it will never lose bits. The finish on the torrefied maple handle is silky and perfect. But it doesn’t ratchet. I got one for my brother for Christmas.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/screwdrivers/drivers/75948-veritas-magnetic-screwdriver-handle?item=05K0201
Julian
Alas CDN$41 for us north of the border. But look quite nice.
I still have some of my father’s wooden handled screwdrivers from the UK.
They must be 50 years old or more and still going strong.
The Baker
Dang … well this time it was only twenty bucks.
Igor G
It is twenty bucks now:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XDNSQ2/