Universal Screwdriver product reviews

I am forever needing to use various types of screwdrivers be it flat head, phillips or torx drive, and keeping that many different types of screwdrivers handy can be a real pain and take up alot of space. Well now you don't have to worry the universal screwdriver gives you all those type of heads in a variety of sizes in one easy to use unit.

I was rather sceptical when I first saw the screwdriver with it's slightly offset shaft and large bit drum holder, I was sure it would feel awkward and ungainly to use, well was I mistaken, neither the bit holder nor the offset shaft/barrel made any difference to how easy it was to use.

The 12 different bits give you just about every size and type of screwbit you could want, it gives you a variety of sizes for flatheads, phillips (which work just fine with pozi drive screws), torx and hex. The only thing I did miss having in was a square drive bit, but only missing one major type of bit is not a huge loss. Also the fact that the bits are also magnetised makes it alot easier when your trying to get to those screws that are in those hard to reach areas.

This is a great tool and is one that will take pride of place in my toolbox.

Over the years, the market has seen almost every type of screw-in fastener imaginable, from the classic flat-blade through Phillips cross-head, and then on through the geometrics: square posidrive, triangular, star, hex... and quite probably more. Having to have a driver for each head would be bad enough, but when you also consider size variations as well... it becomes a nightmare in a toolbox. Even multi-head and reversable drivers won't cope with them all... and the multitude of tiny head-bits can be a right hassle to keep track of.

Enter the Universal Screwdriver. Though it uses standard head-bits with a hexagonal shaft, it's strength comes in how it deals with those bits, by taking a lesson from firearms, and slapping 6 bits into a revolving barrel that clips into the handle. Barrle clips in, you select which bit you want, and shove the shaft forwards to lock the head in place. Do what you need to do, pull the shaft back to stack the head bit away again, spin the drum, or insert a new one, and away you go once more.

No matter what screw you need to work with, you'll know that a thoughtfully-packed drum will see you right. I would like to see spare barrels available for purchase, and perhaps some form of accessory that allows easy transportation and access to your arsenal of screw head-bits, so that you can quite literally be prepared to remove any screw you encounter, however for the average home user - who is the target market for a tool of this quality, since it is not built to industrial-grade standards - two drums will be quite sufficient, as the standard pack covers flat and Phillips heads across a range of sizes, plus some hex and star heads. No square posidrives though, which I found disappointing, but since they are a fairly consistent standard, it was a simple matter to pop down to the hardware store and pick up a few spares to replace the star heads.

Overall, though I found it a little awkward to use in tight spaces, such as disassembling a PC, it certainly is a handy tool to have for those moments when you suddenly realise that though most of the screws in the bookcase are flat head, there's one shelf held in by Phillips screws, or the door hinges in a flat have a different screw in each hole pretty much, etc. You'll always be ready, when you have one of these in your belt.

For the average home handyman (I must emphasise 'Average' here) like myself, you can never find a screwdriver when you want one. And even if you can find one, it is invariably not the one you need. So, when handed this screwdriver, I was expecting a fiddly gadget of no real use. Yet again, I was wrong.

Admittedly there is something of a man toy about this gadget, almost like a pump action screwdriver. Pull the handle, twist the clear barrel and push back. Simple.

Yes, really. Pull - twist - push.

Each clear barrel hold 6 different bits and the handle unscrews to hold another 6. This means you have twelve screwdrivers in one. I expected the off-centre handle to be a bit off-putting but it worked like a dream, I expected the barrels to be hard to swap - nope, wrong again. Pull it out and push the new one back in.

So, in one drawer, I now have the screwdriver sat waiting, ready for any household emergency and believe me, it has come in handy so many times already.