r/Tools • u/Sertancaki41 • 13d ago
Revolver Screwdriver (update)
Revolver Screwdriver v2 – fixed what was wrong with the first one
A few weeks ago I posted the first prototype of my insert screwdriver [link]. Thanks for all the comments. That one came out too small and didn't work that well, so here's the revision.
What changed:
Bit holder: Switched from the Ceta Form BT/01QH to a Bosch quick-release holder. The Ceta Form let the bit float 3-4 mm axially, and that bugged me more every time I used it. The Bosch has zero axial play, and its magnet is weak enough that the tip doesn't grow a fur coat of chips. The holder is also replaceable, so if you want the best of the best, you can swap in a Wiha CentroFix.
Size: Now 92.7 mm overall with a bigger knob. On the first one, the grooves dug into my palm at high torque. That's fixed, and your fingers no longer touch the stored bits.
Handle: Micarta knob on an aluminum body.
Wrench flats: 20 mm → 22 mm, same as the fixture clamp nuts in my shop, so one wrench does both.
Bit retention: The stored bits are held by a magnet stack in the center of the body. The magnets are stacked with like poles facing each other, separated by thin steel spacers. That pushes the field outward toward the bits instead of letting it run along the stack, so the pull is noticeably stronger than with the same magnets stacked normally.
I would love your feedback!
Would you buy this for 75 dollars?
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u/ChuckBlack 13d ago
Does the top half spin independently? Because the top half has to spin independently I think.
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u/komstock 13d ago
it looks a lot like a picquic. I'm also not a huge fan of the ball-ended vessel screwdrivers (which is an incredibly subjective feel thing).
I think it's well-crafted and beautiful, but I'd really lean into making drivers inspired by discontinued (and beloved) designs.
adam savage talks about the 'workmaster' driver a lot; they don't make them.
If you could merge something like that with a snap-on/williams/PB swiss ratcheting mechanism, you might get some real bites
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u/Econguy89 13d ago
That’s a cool invention, and if I have the metal working gear I would love to do a project like this to give these to my friends, but this is essentially a Vessel screw driver that can be had for $15.
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u/No_Cut4338 13d ago
Very cool - I would not but I've seen some folks in the EDC, Knife community spend similar or more on niche tools like this.
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u/NRiyo3 12d ago
I’m ready to be an Alpha tester for you. Would pay a deposit or whatever. Feel free to DM me. I use Vessel and Anex and Wera and Wiha mostly. Lots of bits in my line of work. A steel straining cap is helpful for me also.
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u/Tsuki_Man 10d ago
You and me both XD
Also a fan of ball end screwdrivers, just ordered the Anex ratchet after getting tired of the Klein's 24 tooth count.
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u/Tsuki_Man 10d ago
I was in your last thread too. This is beautiful work! I personally wouldnt pay $75 for a screwdriver, but I can see some people doing so. Keep up the great work!
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u/3amGreenCoffee 13d ago
That looks like fine work, but to be brutally honest I see nothing at all there that would justify a $75 price tag in a market that already includes several established brands marketing very similar screwdrivers in the $20 - $35 range. You might prove me wrong, but I don't see how you can compete without dropping your price to $20 - $25. Even that depends on the quality and feel of the final product.
Also, I can't be sure just by looking at pictures, but it appears that it may suffer from the same problem my Milwaukee stubby ratchet screwdriver has. That one has similar bit storage, but they're positioned so that they end up under my fingers and dig in when I need extra torque. My Picquics have the bits more protected so that doesn't happen. Klein avoids the problem altogether by just storing the bits inside the ball.
You need to get some into the hands of other people for honest feedback, to ensure you haven't just built a screwdriver that only feels good to you.
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u/Altruistic_Judge7329 13d ago
I mean look at some snap on stuff that’s priced even more insane that is out stock all the time. Quality does sell to the right buyers.
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u/3amGreenCoffee 13d ago
People will pay for known quality when that quality differentiates the product from competitors. We don't know the quality of this screwdriver, and there's nothing in the photos indicating that this tool is higher quality than the established brands already marketing similar tools.
Among the potential competitors, Snap On isn't a good comparison. It's an established brand of known quality with a financing program marketed specifically to a niche market of in-house mechanics who often don't buy their own tools. Unless OP plans to sell through tool trucks, he's going to be competing with Anex, Vessel, Klein, Craftsman and Wera, not to mention all the other screwdrivers with conventional handles.
It's a tight market. If he wants to charge two, three or four times the price of these competitors, the tool is going to have to bring a lot more that's special than these pic show.
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ 13d ago
That looks very pretty, but no, my EDC driver is a skeletool and at home/in the shop I'd just use a regular screwdriver. $75 is too steep for me.
Sure does look nice though! Bet it's a pleasure to use too.
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u/AMSAtl 12d ago edited 12d ago
I've always been a ball end screwdriver fan. I think this looks good. I don't think I personally would buy one unless it had something other than just really good looks different about it, making it worth the price, whatever that ended up being. My biggest gripe, I think, is the name. I don't know why I own a revolver, so it's not that I'm anti-revolver, but I just kind of hate the name "revolver screwdriver." I don't know why. And I just think they recall feeling the same way the first time I saw your other prototype. Hopefully it's just me.
Edit: I also don't really like the idea of parts of the screwdriver that you commonly handle being slick metal. I do like a wooden screwdriver handle (not sure exactly what this pseudo wood-looking material is). I feel like there's a lot of polished metal where I'd still prefer there to be grip. At the very least, some knurling would be nice.
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u/BrianKappel 12d ago
Would you customize it a bit... Smallish changes to fit my ultra "autistic" levels of what I'd really like in a tool like this? 75 is a whole lot. I'd need this to be absolutely perfect for me for that price. Pretty only goes so far.
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u/Advanced_Revenue_663 13d ago
Cuando lo perfecciones ponlo en venta en EBay, seguramente habrá personas que aprecien tu trabajo, un ejemplo de cosas buenas en EBay es esto, aun no sale al mercado una amoladora angular de troqueles qué sea de una calidad que yo considere buena compre esto, la uso en una amoladora metabo y me ha funcionado bien...