As mentioned in a recent post, GEARWRENCH is currently a ToolGuyd sponsor. I can wholeheartedly recommend the brand, based on years of experience with their tools. I have purchased quite a few Gearwrench tools in the past, and have been pleased with the brand’s quality.
I have another post in the queue about a recent Gearwrench shopping spree, but I wanted to briefly share about these Gearwrench screwdrivers.
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I don’t recall when these new handle styles came out, but it was somewhat recently. My older Gearwrench screwdrivers are good tools, but I like these new handles a lot better – or at least this is my initial impression.
The tips are well-shaped, and initial quick testing has me pleased with their fastener engagement. The Pozidriv screwdriver will see some use with my next IKEA purchase.
Sorry about the linty Phillips tip in the image – I took a quick photo for a “new tool day” post, went to tighten two door knobs, and then put the screwdriver in my pocket on the way back to my computer.
It’s always a good sign when I can’t wait to start putting a tool to use.
Durability and comfort will be come apparent over time, but I’m optimistic. I think I made a good choice adding these to my kit, err… my testing queue.
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The screwdrivers all have handle-end style markings, which will make it easy to pull what I need for a task. I generally keep my screwdrivers in drawers, but there are times when I’ll place them in a pouch or work stand handle-up and sorting through unmarked drivers can be a hassle.
I am also very much excited about the triangular handle shape. I have other tri-lobed screwdriver handles and am a fan of the geometry. The handle shape also helps prevent the drivers from rolling away from you.
These are likely going to be comfortable for light to heavy use. We’ll see.
Pause. Add T20 and T25 drivers to my shopping cart. Checkout. *Done*
I have a couple of projects coming up where I know I’ll need to use T20 and T25 wood screws. That will definitely be a good natural project-based test of torque delivery and comfort. Why didn’t I do that first? Well, because I’m excited about liking these screwdriver handles as much as I anticipated and am eager to share this with you ASAP.
There is a hex bolster on the shafts, for applying greater torque with a wrench, and also a textured rubber finger-twisting section.
I wish I could tell you that I love these two drivers so much that I ordered more on the spot, but that would be a lie. The truth is that I had such faith in Gearwrench that I ordered a whole bunch of sizes from Amazon.
This wasn’t my intent at first. I was placing an order for some interesting Gearwrench tools I wanted to review and test before posting about, and the hose puller caught my attention. I could use that, and oh – I have been meaning to test the new handle style.
I came across a screwdriver set option, and while reasonably priced for Gearwrench’s typical quality level, I didn’t need a lot of slotted screwdrivers or a Phillips #3.
It wasn’t before long that I added a couple of screwdrivers, picks, and hooks to my cart.
If there’s a downside to these screwdrivers, it’s that the size markings are on the shaft and not the handle, but this doesn’t bother me. I only mention this because I know some of you might have your own preferences.
The pricing seems fair. The Phillips #2 is just under $10, and other sizes vary from $6 and up individually. There are also quite a few screwdriver set and assortment options.
Buy Now: Gearwrench Screwdrivers via Amazon
Amazon Gearwrench and Crescent Tools Promo
Some screwdriver sizes and sets are eligible for a $10 off $100 promo on Amazon. There are no details as to when the promo expires.
If you want a low-risk way to test Gearwrench’s screwdriver quality for yourself, they have a 1/4″ hex magnetic bit holding screwdriver priced at just $6.99 at Amazon.
I’m adding one to my cart myself, but since Amazon is reporting “only 1 left in stock, more on the way,” I’ll hold off on checking out so that one of you can snag the last one in stock.
The best screwdriver (as with most other tools) are the ones that you forget you’re using. Or, something like that. These seem to be comfortable low-frustration screwdrivers that I hope to use for years to come.
It’s worth checking out some of the existing user reviews on Amazon – these drivers and their predecessors all seem to be universally well-regarded.
Any questions? When testing screwdrivers, I will generally look at fastener engagement, durability, handle comfort, torque delivery, and overall tool-transparency during testing. If there’s something you guys want checked or evaluated, or for the tools to be tested in a particular way, please let me know!
Lastly, thank you to Gearwrench for being a ToolGuyd sponsor!
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Al
I really like trilobed handles. They are comfortable to hold and allow plenty of torque to be applied. I’m just curious, Why are there so many different handle colours for gearwrench screwdrivers? Green, red, yellow, and blue. Are they old stock or just different series?
Stuart
Red: older style
Orange: newer style
I don’t think I’ve seen blue yet. Green? That might be the older style – https://toolguyd.com/gearwrench-screwdriver-handle-colors-green-orange/
Judging from conversations and also some brands’ color selection, some mechanics like to color-code their screwdrivers or color-match with other tools.
As far as I am aware, Gearwrench’s newest screwdrivers are all only available in an orange-black color scheme.
Al
Thank you!
I knew I had seen blue handled, but turned out to be a ratcheting one. :/
https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-8926-Ratcheting-Screwdriver-Piece/dp/B000HBAHN2
Jp
Trilobed is my favorite too. I’d buy these if I needed them. My old sears acetate ones are smelling horrible. Maybe I should replace them but I rarely ever need a regular screw driver. I use precision sets weekly.
Stuart
They have some precision screwdriver sizes as well, with a couple of sizes still in my wishlist, I just didn’t want to explore too much right now.
e.g. Phillips #00: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHQGVFN/?tag=toolguyd-20
Mini Torx set: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHRTJ2B/?tag=toolguyd-20
Hilton
Those handles look a bit too large for the size of the blade. My Wera set have much thinner handles, similar to the Wiha. I’d be scared of over-torquing screws. Love the handle look though.
Stuart
I think these might be mini but not quite precision screwdrivers.
I have a few screwdrivers similar to this, and they have their place.
Hilton
Yes makes sense then.
JoeM
…I’m sorry again, Stuart… this past week you’ve filled my head with lots of new info, and some really amazing things I didn’t know before… I just need a second check to make sure I’m on the right track here…
…Gearwrench already made Screwdrivers, correct? These are just a new Handle design, or has the whole tool been redesigned? I notice the Hex bolster at the base of the shafts, and the black tips, along with what… I don’t remember Gearwrench handle grips looking like, shape-wise… with that big oval around the logo, and all that gripping surface…
These are a new Line of screwdrivers from them, right? Like… The 2021 models? I’m not thinking of another brand releasing screwdrivers, and now Gearwrench has come out with these as an answer to them?
You don’t need to convince me of Gearwrench’s quality here. I think that name often when someone says “Really high quality Mechanics Tools”… Just trying to sort my brain out here…
Stuart
Yes, Gearwrench already made screwdrivers, with different handle geometry and mainly red and black color scheme.
Some had hex bolsters, some did not. That is still true.
Here’s a Square #2 screwdriver without hex bolster: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHR5FXY/?tag=toolguyd-20
This design doesn’t seem very new – a close resemblance was shown off when Gearwrench updated their brand colors a few years ago. But it’s also far different than what I was familiar with and the couple I already own.
I’ve been curious about Gearwrench screwdrivers, and this current sponsorship presented a good opportunity to devote some time and resources to explore them.
These aren’t an answer to competing products, they’re more of a workshop staple, if that makes sense. Their older screwdrivers are decent, these are a little more attention-grabbing (to me at least) and a more advanced handle shape.
JoeM
Okay, that makes sense, thank you Stuart. There’s been a lot of rather cool stuff lately, and my head just feels full, I am glad to have a double-check on this.
That Trilobe shape to the handles is very common among the Lee Valley/Veritas, and a few other Woodworker brands I’ve seen. From what I’ve read of their product descriptions, that is the most comfortable all-day, and high-torque, configuration. So, right off the bat, I am going to predict that these will be Gearwrench-quality, and Veritas-Comfortable to use. It’s already Gearwrench, so it’s very difficult to go wrong here.
As to the sponsorship… I think we’re dipping a little into the old addage: If you find work you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Similarly here… If you’ve been sponsored by a brand you already know you like and trust… is it truly a sponsorship? Or is it merely being paid to do what you already do for them anyways? You tell the truth on the specs, comfort levels, and reasoning anyways, sponsorship or not, so this just seems like more of an excuse to increase how much you can afford to buy for review.
If Fluke suddenly sent me a few of their new Miltimeters, updated models of their standard fair, and their largest lead kit… Then told me to tell them how useful the new designs were, or go looking for any problems… I’d be happy to do that. If they wanted them back afterward, I’d happily send them back, having had the chance to use them. I wouldn’t call it work, or a task, it would just be “Fun with Fluke” time. Same with DeWALT, Dremel, or LG… I would be very happy to be in that test group to get my hands on their products.
I hope this Gearwrench sponsorship/partnership goes for a very long time for you Stuart! It means a lot that you get to do what you love with tools, and still be paid to be unbiased! I’m very happy for this team-up! You seem to have several of them lately that fit right in!
Ex_dtw2003
This bit driver or the Felo?
Stuart
The Felo is 2X the price.
I bought the Felo previously, and the Gearwrench is also on the way.
Based on the Phillips driver, I think the Gearwrench will be an easier recommendation. Even if you really like the Felo Ergonic cushion grip, it might still be worth trying this one for variety.
Jim Felt
Gotta ask. Where are these Gearwrench screw drivers manufactured?
Stuart
Taiwan.
Dave P
I’ve drove thousands of pounds of screws with T-25 heads and I’ve never found a reason to do a single one by hand without the aid of an impact driver. Hard pass on the Torx.
All I care about on a screwdriver is the quality of the tip.A handle is a handle to me, mainly because of I’m going to drive more than one screw, I’m going to grab my impact.
If screwdriver manufacturers would put their money into a better tip and leave their handles alone, regardless of if their current handle is good or just ok they’d have a far superior product than staying with a soft bit and a going with a fancy handle. I guess sexy sells far better than longevity.
Wayne R.
Working with a few machine screw Torx head screws is fine with hand drivers, and I agree about the Torx/Impact combination for wood screws or a lot of either wood or machine screws.
Torx is my favorite head. Too many sizes, but it sure works nicely.
Jared
Based on your aversion to a T25 screwdriver, I presume you mostly do construction work. T25 and other torx sizes pop up in some automotive and powersports applications too however – and an impact driver is both awkward and a bit risky to use there.
Stuart
That is true – at least 90% of my T25 needs are power-driven.
But, with the price of lumber as high as it is, I might as well align torture-testing with project tasks.
I have a dozens (at least) of fasteners to drive, and that will give me a good opportunity to test out the screwdrivers in fatiguing repetitive tasks. This seems better than driving screws into clean lumber that wouldn’t then be usable for much else.
Mikedt
If they had robertson drivers I’d snap up a #2. Might get the Tekton square drive set instead.
Al
They do have them.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHSG6SK/
JoeM
Those are Square head, not Robertson. They’re compatible with eachother, but the Robertson has a superior grip design for holding the fastener.
Not a complaint, just… A Canadian Pride thing.
Jared
👍
Al
It’s good to be proud of your roots.
Some day I will order some Canadian made Robertson screwdrivers.
I really like the square/robertson screws. Used them for the drywall and there was no cam out, they stayed in place while moving the driver. Saved so much time and eliminated so much frustration. It was totally worth paying a bit extra for them.
JoeM
Lee Valley. Canadian tool company, they likely have real Robertson somewhere in the tool catalogue.
Atlas Tools and Machinery is a big retailer in Toronto, and I think they carry the Robertson screwdrivers made by companies other than Canadian ones.
American, Japanese, German, and… I think it’s Taiwanese? (Don’t quote me, I haven’t checked in ages.) tool makers do make Robertson tipped Screwdrivers and Bits. Make no mistake, they are made all over the place. They were Invented here in Canada, but that didn’t stop them from being made elsewhere by other companies.
The main differences are really stupidly simple. To the point you may call me silly for being so proud of the Robertson coming from Canada. The Imperial/SAE Square Head Screw and Driver/Bit is literally just a round or hex shaft (depending on the bit at the end) with a literal flat cube machined to size. The sides of that square are straight, surfaces all flat, totally simple. Nothing wrong with them at all, they are 100% Robertson Compatible, Feel no Shame in buying and using them. Square and Robertson still kick the Philips, Flat, and Pozidrive types off the podium when it comes to fasteners doing their jobs quickly, and efficiently.
Now… A Robertson is a lot like the square, in that if you look at it point-on, you see a square. But turn it to the side and you’ll notice that the base of the square is slightly tapered down to the tip, according to the size. This forms a telltale “Wedge” shape on all 4 surfaces, and both holds the edges tighter than a square head, but also guides the bit or screwdriver into a more solid, positive alignment with the screw, while making any situation where you drop the screwdriver, for whatever reason, significantly easier to re-set into the fastener. Also helping this, and also helping to not strip the screw in most cases, is that the end of the square is Not Flat. It’s convex. Rounded outward. So, if you do somehow strip the screw, you also heat up that part of the face, which leaves a small round divot at the very bottom of the fastener’s shaped grip. What does that help? In the older days, before the simple Stripped Screw removers we have now, you could take one of the Competing sized shapes, Philips, Flat Head, Pozidrive, Etc… And hammer really hard on the end, embedding the new shape into that rounded, soft, divot, letting you “Rescue” that screw or replace it. Robertson literally has its own built-in stripped-screw removal technique. These days, we have bits that work the same way that universally take any stripped screw out. But when the Robertson was invented? They didn’t exist. Robertson built in the possibility that the new-design of the Robertson could be used, for special emergencies, by Philips and Flathead screwdrivers.
And… yeah… It gets nasty when a regular Square drive strips. Both the fastener and the driver, can both suffer damage from too much torque. But they are both significantly more useful than traditional Philips and Flathead (Slotted?) screwdrivers.
Canadians invented the Paint Roller as well. And Basketball. Do you get a sense that we don’t like having to question minor details, or second guess whether something is done or not? Puck… In Net… Basketball… In Net or Not… Ball bounces, or it doesn’t. Paint Roller… Ten times the width of the brush… Even flow of paint all the way across, no brush marks. Faster painting, less time.
Do you see now where we got the idea for Poutine? We saved ourselves so much time doing work and sports, we had the time to ponder how to clog our intestines, as well as our arteries, because we just wanted another excuse to eat Potatoes and Cheese. Come on. We’re a weird, and lovable country full of weirdos, singers, and culture no one understands… It’s hard not to be kinda proud of the Robertson, considering all the other things we did.
(This post is intended to be funny and/or entertaining. Please do not read too much seriousness into it, as you will find many holes in what has been said.)
Jared
These look like good, well thought-out screwdrivers. It would be a good recommendation for someone filling out their tool box. Good quality, reasonable price.
I have different preferences (but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate these screwdrivers). I know hex bolters are popular but I can’t recall the last time I ever used one. I’d reach for my manual impact if it was a really stuck screw (Williams – it works well and was relatively inexpensive).
Tri-lobe handles just aren’t my favorite. I am very fond of Felo’s handles. So much so that I prefer Felo even though I think Wera’s tips are better. Wera’s handles are ok – I feel like they’re too skinny though.
Steve
I agree with Dave P, the important end of the screwdriver isn’t the handle unless it is really awkward but I really miss the old color coding from Craftsman where you didn’t have to look at either end to tell Philips from slotted. Has anyone seen a line of good drivers that have different colored handles for different tip styles?
Stuart
I disagree. The tip is very important – there’s almost nothing worse than a screwdriver tip that deforms the first time it’s used – but handle comfort is also important.
If you have two quality screwdrivers, both with great tip shape and heat treatment, but one has a handle that doesn’t fit your hand comfortably, you’re going to notice really quickly.
Handle comfort – like tip quality – often become apparent with use.
Some brands do have color-coded handles.
PB Swiss is the first to come to mind.
JoeM
Plus, as Stuart has had to deal with me on this on Social Media lately, there’s also the fact that a very large population is colour-deficient of some sort. 70% of all Men are Colour-Deficient in some way. 25% of Them are Blind to an entire colour in the mix. Red, Blue, or Yellow receptors are disabled in the eyes, or in the optical system of the brain.
I’m one of those individuals. The percentage on the Blind individuals doesn’t divide equally either. It’s something along the lines of only 10% of Colour Blindness is of the Blue type. And it doesn’t equate to 45% of each for Red and Yellow either. It’s something closer to 60/30 split for Yellow and Red specifically.
I’m Blue-Blind. So when you mix Red, and Yellow, it turns Gray to me. The rest of the world is entirely shades of gray, with spots of Yellow and Red. So, colour-coding handles… colour coding anything, really, is entirely unhelpful for me. I prefer physical labels, laser engraving, and clear markings. Shapes and patterns are easier to see than colours.
So… Remember… 70% of Men have some sort of colour deficiency. That’s 70% of the major traditional user population that can’t make use of colour coding. Whether that be not being able to see colours as mixed, or not being able to tell one colour from another (Blue-Purple, Red-Green, and Green-Yellow are the most common confusion types.) so how could colour coding tools anything other than a Grayscale/Monochrome set be still relevant in the modern age? Sure, we all learn what colours are in kindergarten these days, we can all code colour names into programming code like we know what colour that should be… But it doesn’t mean anyone can see any of that at all.
I’m not arguing this, of course. Just putting some perspective on the topic. It’s still something not worth causing a fuss about. Those of us who are colourblind still buy our tools, making sure they’re clearly marked so we don’t need to see the colours. Considering that’s 70% of all Men, it may explain why you see companies turning to more labels, and less colour-coding over time. They know their typical consumers are looking for the labels anyways. And those of us with one of these defects, actually see contrast significantly better than the rest of you. So a clearly contrasted label, engraved, printed, or otherwise clearly seen, is just as easy for us to see, as colour-coding is for the rest of you. We can see the distinction in the labels from across a room if needed. We just know the shape we’re looking for, and potentially the number as well. Telling someone to get an exact name is easier for us.
Hans
Facom has a very good set of screw drivers with color coded handles. They are of high quality as well.
Hush House
Ahh screwdrivers. Well my adventure started last June in the midst of the pandemic a small voice says, “Hey honey, let’s clean out the garage.” Perfect, I’ll start with my tool box. My 1995 Pre Fat Max Stanley set were beat. And my acetate Craftsman… enough said. So I thought, let’s get a father’s day gift for myself. I wanted another Stanley set, but they are difficult to find, and when I did they were unreasonably priced. So I found a set of Irwins. Seemed nice on paper, until they showed up. Not good. Painted tips and shanks, junky handles. Sent them back. The search continued. Tempted to buy the German brands. Looked at Tekton, then Gearwrench. It ticked all the boxes, tri-lobed, round shanks with wrench bolsters, black oxide tips… value for money. Found an 8 pcs set on amazon for $37 which includes stubbies. They are outstanding! So my initial impression of Gearwrench increased when I stumbled upon a 16 pcs standard/metric ratcheting combo wrench set on clearance at Ace for $30. As for torx, don’t use them so much. My #2 son bought me a set of Sata’s. For acetate handles and the amount of use their fine.
Harry
Thanks for linking the bit driver. I was unaware Gearwrench offered one so, it’s on its way to me.
Craig A
Will the handle material on these breakdown over time and become gooey/sticky or cracked and brittle? I hate spending good money on handtools and find out a few years later that the plastic parts are either tacky, sticky or even downright gooey.
James
If you want to have a look at another high-end screwdriver program, check out Kincrome:
https://www.kincrome.com.au/torquemaster
Most of the features that you mentioned wanting in a screwdriver are included
Rick C
GW phillips head screwdrivers are made to the traditional American standards, not the DIN 5260-PH/ISO 8763-1 that fit JIS screws.