Magna-Matic has come out with a new precision screwdriver, model PSSD, which features a CNC-machined steel body with bright nickel plating. Its handle is hollowed out and fitted with a Delrin plastic end cap, so that you can store a couple of bits inside the screwdriver body.
Also check out their new machinist dead-blow hammer!
It can work with standard 1/4″ hex screwdriver bits, and a powerful magnet ensures that bits “will never fall out, ever.”
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Magna-Matic designed it with a deeply knurled handle which that say provides an “unmatched grip.”
The driver weighs 10.6 ounces, with end cap and a single bit. It comes with (4) bits, also USA-made: Phillips #2, slotted 1/8″, 7/32″, 5/16″.
Price: $35
First Thoughts
This doesn’t really seem like a precision screwdriver to me. Precision-made, perhaps, but it doesn’t really look to be a “precision screwdriver” like the many styles I’ve used in the past. That doesn’t make it any less appealing though – this looks like a fantastic bit holder screwdriver. And maybe it is suited for small fasteners, but that doesn’t look to be the case from the product image.
It doesn’t look to be small enough to be pocketable, at least not like my favored Wera EDC bit holder screwdrivers, but it doesn’t look to be especially large, either. Big enough to be able to deliver enough torque, small enough so as to not be unwieldy. Photos could of course be misleading, but I don’t think so.
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SteveR
I concur that it doesn’t seem to be a precision screwdriver, except in terms of execution. As you noted, the knurling is deep, which I would find problematic. It would cut too deeply into my hand, especially while cranking on a fastener to install or remove it. I’d need to wear a pair of gloves to use it. The handle itself is not really ergonomic, although the shaft appears to be. The main advantage I see is that is has a strong neodymium magnet to hold the bits securely at the business end. Realistically, I have too many screwdrivers (standard styles with plastic handles; with ergonomic bi-material handles; offset to get into tight spaces; stubby; ratcheting, etc.), to even consider it. Others may want one, however; it’s just not for me.
JMG
What amazes me is that tool manufacturers still provide slotted tips as the standard insert group when offering this type of tool. The most used tips in my tool box are #1 and #2 phillips and square drive bit inserts, followed by the many different sizes of torx and hex. The only slotted screws around my house in use these days seem to be the switch and plug covers on the wall ( and I can,t wait for that standard to go the way of the dinosaur).
SteveR
JMG–I think you’re correct in your perception of what types of screws are being used most frequently these days. That applies particularly in terms of electronics. However, there are still a lot of slotted (or “flat blade”) screws in use out there, so they’ll continue to be made available as part of a set of tips. There are even “combo” screws that allow one to use either a slotted or Phillips screwdriver to remove/install them. This is a matter of convenience for the user, who may not have a Phillips screwdriver at the moment, but usually has a slotted screwdriver.
It’s easy to have a “tear-out” with a slotted head, where the blade slips and messes up the slotted portion. My experience is that the slot is almost never deep enough to get a good grip on the screw, unlike Phillips or Torx configurations. It’s also a matter of not having enough points of contact to engage. And how often have you tried to turn a slotted screw with a screwdriver that wasn’t wide enough (or long enough) for the job at hand? Or conversely, was too large for the screw you’re trying to turn? Slotted screws may never entirely disappear, but they are rapidly being replaced by more efficient designs.
JML
The manufacturer is focused on gunsmithing, which is why the slotted screwdriver bits are included.
Mike
Then why not include the flat bits that would actually be useful for that purpose? Gunsmithing bits are something of a specialty item, narrower and wider than most without the taper of a normal slotted driver. These are not suitable for anything you would come across on firearms.
jesse
Kudos for Made in USA.
Stan
Agreed. Never can have enough USA manufacturing these days.
Allen
I wonder what it would take to put a couple of flats on it to put a wrench on.
Looks good.
Billy
The reason that I don’t go for these types of precision screwdrivers in general is because they don’t work with stab type connections that a lot of PLC I/O modules and terminal blocks use. I don’t need a nice screwdriver that I can only use half the time.
Nathan
It’s an interesting idea and made for those that want something pretty in their toolbox.
I wished it either smooth ratcheted or something, but glad it’s made in america. assuming it’s 100% made in america. I hope they make a few more things
DaddyO
My favorite precision screwdriver to date is the Stanley 4-1 Pocket Screwdriver. I enjoy this screwdriver so much that I have a few on hand. It may not get at the smallest of the small screws but for me, it does a fantastic job at getting at 90% of the screws I deal with from small to tiny. Great grip, cheap in price and haven’t found a better one.
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-66-344-4-in-1-Pocket-Screwdriver/dp/B0014KMDZ0/
Hang Fire
An interesting tool for tool aficionados, but if it is a gunsmithing tool it really needs a set screw to hold the bit in place.
george
nice tool. but considering the trouble they went through they then get
cheap on the cap. I hate plastic caps. I seem to break them off regularly.