Skil Palm Size Screwdriver

[Doug Shepard]

Had to go to HD this morning for a few odds and ends. I decided to browse through the tool section for no particular reason - I wasn't shopping for anything. Anyway I spotted this little thing and was tempted a bit.
http://www.skilshop.com/screwdrivers/2336-01.html

I'd normally shy away from Skil stuff but I've been occasionally toying with getting a 2nd tool for driving screws so I don't have to swap back and forth between a drill bit and a screwdriver bit. My main drill/driver is a Panasonic. The small size of this Skil might also have some advantages. HD had this for $40 and it includes a decent set of various driver bits. But I've got to wonder how many screws you could drive with this little thing before needing a recharge and whether it has any torque at all. Anyone used one of these? And if so, what's your opinion of them?

[Jim Becker]

That is an interesting little tool, Doug. 'Could be useful for "in the kitchen drawer" for all those house-based driving needs so a trip to the shop is cut out during inconvenient times...such as late at night in the middle of a rain storm. As a second driver, it would also be convenient...I often use two tools in my shop in that respect.

[Paul Kinneberg]

Doug, I bought one last spring when I was wiring my shop worked great for installing all the outlets/ fixtures. As far as screwing into wood not so hot.

[Rennie Heuer]

I keep a small Ryobi around for outlets/switch plates, etc. Comes in handy for small tasks, kinda lightweight for anything larger than small scews.

[Jim W. White]

I have one at work I bought for assembling and troubleshooting small electrical assemblies. It works great for small machine screws and such but I think it would be totally unsuited for driving wood screws.

Jim in Idaho

[Doug Shepard]

Thanks guys. Was thinking of putting one on my Christmas list but think I'll skip it. Was hoping it might at least have enough torque and charge to put in maybe a dozen woodscrews into piloted holes, but it sounds like it's probably too wimpy for that. Too bad. It's such a cute little thing.

[Rick Cabot]

Hi Doug
We just purchased the Bosch Pocket Driver for the shop. An amazing tool well worth the price and the trauma to my arthritic wrists. Plenty of torque, great ergonomics and long lasting lithium ion batteries. We purchased ours at the local Home Depot and would recommend it without hesitation. Just remember, it will drill holes, but was made to be a screw driver! Take a look at the following link: http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=189200&G=70084&I=69862

Regards,
Rick Cabot

[Dave Falkenstein]

Bosch also makes a small driver in an "I" configuration:

http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=189200&G=70084&I=69859

Not cheap, but also not a Skil. I saw these drivers at the recent Woodworking Show - very nice. They were selling lots of them.

[Doug Shepard]

Bosch also makes a small driver in an "I" configuration:

http://www.boschtools.com/tools/tools-detail.htm?H=189200&G=70084&I=69859

Not cheap, but also not a Skil. I saw these drivers at the recent Woodworking Show - very nice. They were selling lots of them.

That looks real useful. Maybe a little too pricey for my Christmas list. But it may very well end up being one of the things that "Santa" gets me.:D Looks to be about 4x the cost, but also 4x the driver. And the best thing is - it's not a Skil.

[Rick Cabot]

Dave
I looked at the "I" configuration of the Bosch Pocket Screwdriver. It was about a half pound heavier and the grip was uncomfortable for my hand. The ergonomics were not as user friendly as the "L" style driver.

Rick Cabot

[Travis Lavallee]

I recived one of those about 5 months ago as a prize for a contest skil had put on. we had about 4 hours to build this shelf from their plans and a chunck of pine shelving. We had to use all of their tools so I really got to see what they were like. This driver worked alright, but you had to put about the last turn in wit ha twist of the wrist, on piloted pine. Not very well suited to screwing into wood, but it did save time from changing the drill bit. One tool we used that worked quite well was the skil jig saw. It was quite smooth to run, and easy to work with. The rest were all mediocre, except for the table saw. Awful. Talk about failing the nickel test, this would have failed a 1 inch cube test. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap benchtop saw for portability sake.

Also, I found it quite funny that Bosch is Skil's parent company.