6 in 1 Screwdrivers

Do yourself a favor: get a 6-in-1 screwdriver. It will cover 90% of what you need screwdrivers for.

That’s a four year old “Performance Tools” 6-in-1 screwdriver, disassembled to show its workings.

You get a large and small Phillip’s head bit, and a large and small slot head bit. That’s four. I think the “6” comes from using the bit holder as a nut driver. I never remember to do this, so I don’t know what size nuts these might work with. You should get a set of nut drivers anyway.

Besides not handling goofy things like Torx or hex-head cap screws, this screwdriver does end up too wide to reach some recessed screws. It’s also occasionally too short for deep recesses. Those are rare situations. I always reach for my 6-in-1 screwdriver first. I put together a Weber Spirit grill with my 6-in-1 and a ball peen hammer.

They come in different brand names. I’ve seen Ace Hardware, Buck (not the knife company, I think), Stanley, Craftsman, and weird off brands, like “Performance Tools” and “GreatNeck”. They seem to all be made at the same factory. One Christmas, I decided to put such screwdrivers in stockings. It was cheaper to by an 8-pack of them than to get four individual screwdrivers.