Klein has recently come out with new heavy duty thru-handle nut drivers (thank you Neil for the heads-up/reminder!!).
Features include magnetic tips, hollow shafts and handles for use on threaded rod of any length, Klein’s classic cushion handle design, and color-coded size identification.
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Nut driver sizes are also designated on the ends of the tools, for easy IDing when reaching into a tool bag.
Here’s a snippet from the press release:
“These nut drivers are designed for flexibility, with the hollow-through shaft, said senior product manager Raul Rosales. “Each nut driver is formed from a single piece of cold-formed steel resulting in a solid piece of metal that can withstand a great amount of torque.”
Without a hex bolster or socket recess in the end cap – not impossible but difficult for a pass-thru handle – it’s going to be tough to exert “a great amount of torque.
I missed the hex bolster at first, and you might have too. Look closer. There’s a huge hexagonal section formed into each nut driver’s shaft, which can be used with a wrench when higher torque delivery is needed. They call it “wrench-assist.”
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The new Klein nut drivers are available in 6 sizes. They will be sold individually, and in sets of 4 and 6 drivers.
- 1/4”, 5/16”, 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2” and 9/16”
- 4-piece set, 635-4, comes with 1/4″ thru 7/16″ sizes
- 6-piece set, 645-6, comes with all sizes
Pricing: $86 for the 6-piece set
Buy Now(via Amazon) (Looks to be coming soon)
Buy Now(6pc set via Home Depot)
Compare(Klein Standard Nut Drivers via Amazon)
Klein Promo Video:
First Thoughts
Everything about these new Klein heavy duty nut drivers looks great, although the pricing is a bit higher than I would have expected. (But they’re still lower priced than the Proto nut driver set I had my eye on before springing for a Wera set.)
The pass-thru feature should come in handy when working with threaded rod, or even just longer bolts. Color-coded end caps and tips are a plus – even essential to some. And the extended length wrench-assist hex bolster is a surprising but welcome feature for when higher torque delivery is needed.
Nice work, Klein.
We’re still waiting on confirmation as to whether or not they’re made in the USA. Considering the $85+ price for the 6-piece set, I would expect it.
fred
When I talked about them on ToolGuyd Forun – I speculated that these were in response to Milwaukee’s – which also have pass through and I believe a hex shaft .
https://discuss.toolguyd.com/t/have-you-seen-any-interesting-tools-that-are-new-to-you/230/60
mike aka Fazzman
These look awesome!!!
fred
Just to compare – the Milwaukee set is considerably less expensive:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-SAE-Hollow-Shaft-Nut-Driver-Set-7-Piece-48-22-2407/204246880?keyword=milwaukee+nutdriver+set
Mike
They do not have the pass-through feature, just a deep recess in the shaft.
fred
Sorry – I guess I clicked on the wrong set – the hollow core – pass-through set (48-22-2507) from Milwaukee sells (at Home Depot) for $86.72 – but ToolsPlus sells it for $60
E. Baker
I snagged both the Metric and SAE sets off ebay for roughly 30 bucks each. So if you shop around and don’t mind waiting for them to populate at a much cheaper price than conventional online retailers, they can be had for a fraction of their original price.
Cr8ondt
But are they demo rated?
Mike
One question, and it really can’t be answered until someone has one in their hands. Will the cusion grip be the old style vinyl grip or the ‘improved’ style with the hard, flaking rubber? These photos clearly show the old style, but Klein has a habit of showing the good stuff in their marketing literature while the production versions are very different.
I’m not a fan of magnets in these. They pick up random junk and are hard to clean out. The magnets themselves inevitably crumble or fall out anyway. A version without them would be nice.
Kind of a moot point for me, though. $86 for the set is too high, even at Klein’s inflated prices for newly released tools. A set of combination wrenches with a flex head ratcheting box end would be money better spent.
Scott K
I have not had a use for nut drivers, but I have a question that I hope too many don’t find dumb: What is the purpose of a bolster/wrench assist on a nut driver? If you required the torque provided by a wrench for a hex nut, wouldn’t it be easier to just use an adjustable wrench in the first place?
Powarum
Working where adjustable wrenches can’t go, ease of use, no adjusting, and can just grab and use. Its something more for electricians and cable.
Scott K
Thank you
Nate 818
I live in the world of unistrut and 3\8 allthread. I welded a 9\16 pass through socket to a 9\16 deep thin wall socket that I cut the drive portion off of. It’s the greatest thing ever. If you hang heavy air handlers on deep strut you need one.
fred
I’ve also seen folks using a “big willy” nut driver that has a 1/4 hex driver end and come in 3, 6 and 12 inch lengths.
http://smartboxcanada.com/tools.php
Tom A.
I bought the Milwaukee set about 3 yrs. ago for half the price of what Klein is charging . They work great and haven’t let me down.
AndrewC
Nut Drivers, I feel, are one of the most underrated tools. These things are great for dealing with small hex head screws in hard to reach areas like washing machine/dryer and small homes appliances.
The pass through design is great, but another cool feature is the magnetic tips. Since you are sometimes dealing with hard to reach places when using nut drivers, having a magnetic tip to retain the fastener is a big plus.
Noah
Overpriced for a set of “globally sources assembled in USA” nut drivers. Milwaukee beat them to this and Klein should have responded faster.
My other complaint is that these magnetic drivers are often too deep to properly hold the thinner machine screw nuts or short flange sheet metal screws. With the flange head sheet metal screws the magnet is too far back to hold the fastener, and with the machine screw nuts they’re impossible to retrieve when fully removed from a bolt or stud. For a magnetic nut driver I’ll keep my Xcelites.
Zack
I HAD an old set from a company that I think was called ‘New Hampshire Tool.’ I don’t remember what happened to them but they were wonderful. The shaft had a much larger diameter than any others I found. Quite often the hollow shaft doesn’t have a large enough diameter for the bolt to pass through. The shaft on these had a diameter as large as the end. I’ve struggled to find a replacement for those.