What's in your tool bag ?

**KEVIN900** · 01-19-2010

What tool can you not live without ? Mine is the Rapi-drive. It's perfect for reassembly. It takes a little practice to get used to it, but is a joy to use. One advantage is screwing in self-tapping screws back into plastic panels. It's difficult to "back in", then change over to clock-wise motion using a ratcheting screwdriver. With the rapi-drive, it becomes second nature; with a more gentle finish. It's also easier on the wrist, as you're spinning from your arm, and not the wrist. What tool separates your tool kit from the rest of the pack ?Rapi-Drive Screwdriver.jpg

**vincent64** · 01-19-2010

I have a Hatchi cordless screwdriver, when I got it, it was about $95 or so, came with extra battery, charger, and case, batteries are Lith Ion.
Variable torque settings, High and Low speed ranges, I have 3 #2 phillips bits with it, short, med and long,
Also a set of drill bits, can handle most any field mod I need to do.
With a full charge it will drill through 1/8" steel, and on low speed, can sink a 2" drywall screw into a stud.
DB3DL.jpg

**KEVIN900** · 01-19-2010

Vincent64, that's a beaut ! All your fellow tech at the shop must be jealous.

**blackcat4866** · 01-20-2010

It was a gift from a fellow tech. I was telling him that I didn't care for the Katun screwdriver much, and was planning on adding a couple ounces of lead to the handle. The balance wasn't quite right. He came in the next day with the Craftsman/Schroder Mag Tip. I've been using it for the last 6+ years.

Three or four months ago I was working in the shop and misplaced my favorite screwdriver. I don't know about you but I must have 50 mag-tip screwdrivers. I put them all in the car to try them out throughout the day. By the end of day two I went to Sears to replace my favorite. (The old one showed up a few days ago.)

**vincent64** · 01-20-2010

Originally Posted by KEVIN900

Vincent64, that's a beaut ! All your fellow tech at the shop must be jealous.

I like it, and I used to think I would never carry one, it dont take up much room, and when faced with a lot of screws, Cougar series come to mind, it sure is faster, and will work like a regular screwdriver cause of auto-lock, it dont come out of the tool bag every call, but when it does it sure comes in handy.

**Robert Sveinson** · 01-20-2010

Originally Posted by blackcat4866

It was a gift from a fellow tech. I was telling him that I didn't care for the Katun screwdriver much, and was planning on adding a couple ounces of lead to the handle. The balance wasn't quite right. He came in the next day with the Craftsman/Schroder Mag Tip. I've been using it for the last 6+ years.

Three or four months ago I was working in the shop and misplaced my favorite screwdriver. I don't know about you but I must have 50 mag-tip screwdrivers. I put them all in the car to try them out throughout the day. By the end of day two I went to Sears to replace my favorite. (The old one showed up a few days ago.)

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Many years ago one of the new techs had the same situation, new screw driver magnetism gone.
The screw driver still worked, it just wouldn't hold the screw.
She remembered a small magnet that was about 1 and one half inch tall,
and one inch wide on the sides and ends. with a hole
through it along the inch and a half direction. She jammed the magnet into one of the upright
pockets in her kit, store the screw driver in the hole in the magnet, and every time you move
the screw driver into and out of the magnet the screw driver is magnetised and the screw driver
remains magnetic until the tip of the screw driver is worn out.
Expenses for screw drivers dropped almost to ZERO!
I can't recall if she got a reward for this discovery!
Lots of gratitude though!~

**mascan42** · 01-20-2010

Originally Posted by Robert Sveinson

================================================== ===================

Many years ago one of the new techs had the same situation, new screw driver magnetism gone.
The screw driver still worked, it just wouldn't hold the screw.
She remembered a small magnet that was about 1 and one half inch tall,
and one inch wide on the sides and ends. with a hole
through it along the inch and a half direction. She jammed the magnet into one of the upright
pockets in her kit, store the screw driver in the hole in the magnet, and every time you move
the screw driver into and out of the magnet the screw driver is magnetised and the screw driver
remains magnetic until the tip of the screw driver is worn out.
Expenses for screw drivers dropped almost to ZERO!
I can't recall if she got a reward for this discovery!
Lots of gratitude though!~

A handy lil tool. I'm still using the one my grandfather gave me 20 years ago.

**KenB** · 01-21-2010

Originally Posted by mascan42

A handy lil tool. I'm still using the one my grandfather gave me 20 years ago.

I made a magnetizer years ago, by taking a 12 volt solenoid with the solenoid "hole" being just a bit bigger than the screwdriver.

I discarded the plunger, and soldered on a lead to each terminal, with a cigarette lighter plug on the other end.

Any time I needed to remagnetize, I just went out to my car and gave the screwdriver a quick zap.

**fixthecopier** · 01-21-2010

Yep, the magnetize block gets my vote for best tool. I told one of my customers about the one we had in the shop 11 years ago, and he went to Sears and bought us both one. I don't use the power screwdriver, mainly because I know I will be a long way from the truck and it will be dead.I have two Dewalt 18 volt cordless drills in the truck, and I use Craftsman and Klien hand tools.