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Best high-speed screwdrivers for the engineer: Wera Kraftform Kompakt Turbo i
I find that having a set of quality screwdrivers makes my life easier and less frustrating. Having the right tool for the job not only saves me time, but it also prevents me from causing extra work (not to mention frustrations) for myself by chewing up fasteners.
So when I found a mechanical screwdriver that offered the speed of a battery-powered screwdriver, I had to get one to try out.
And I love it!
The Wera Kraftform Kompakt Turbo i 16-piece screwdriver set is one of the best screwdriver sets I've used. I'm a big fan of Wera tools, finding them to be intelligently engineered, hard-wearing, and reliable, and this screwdriver kit didn't disappoint.
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At the core of the Kraftform Kompakt Turbo i kit is a special screwdriver handle that can mechanically quadruple screwdriver speed mechanically. It's perfect when you have to screw in a lot of screws, or long screws -- both things you come across in tech and electrical work. This mechanical turbo action can be switched off and on by pressing the button on the end of the handle.
The handle is a little larger than a normal screwdriver handle, and on the inside is gearing to multiply the twisting action.
I'll admit that this handle felt gimmicky at the start, but once I'd used it a few times I found it to be very efficient, and I could quickly switch from turbo mode to drive the faster down to standard mode for the final tightening faster than using a battery driver.
Also included in the kit is a standard handle, which is a nice touch. The 14 included screwdriver blades click securely into the handles for safety and security. There's nothing worse than screwdriver blades that fall off into machinery and electronics (yes, I've had this happen with cheaper screwdrivers!).
Everything in the kit is electrically insulated to IEC 60900 standards, which means all the parts (except for the case) have been tested to be safe for up to 1,000V -- so you'll live to tell the tale if you happen to touch a live wire!
- 827 T i Kraftform Turbo handle
- 817 VDE handle
- 2 x Phillips
- 2 x Pozidriv
- 2 x Pozidriv/straight edge
- 4 x TORX
- 4 x straight edge
- 1 x nylon case
I'm a big fan of the screwdriver blades.
Normal insulated blades have the insulation placed on top of the metal blade, making them thicker than usual, and this can make them hard, if not impossible, to use in some circumstances. These low-profile Wera blades are no thicker than regular non-insulated blades, which means they can reach fasteners that live down rabbit holes.
Everything is packed in a tough nylon case, designed to keep everything in its place.
At almost $150, this kit is not cheap, but it's up there with the best screwdrivers out there. On top of that, the mechanical turbo feature is super handy if you work with screwdrivers a lot, the time and effort that this set will save you will pay for itself pretty quickly. You're also getting the safety and security of using tools tested to be safe to 1,000V, which is always comforting.