Remember when I reviewed this LTT Screwdriver and compared it to eight other ratcheting
screwdrivers?
I wanna clear up a few misconceptions:
No, Linus didn't pay me.
No, I didn't say this is the best screwdriver—or even the best value!
And no, I didn't compare it to the Megapro Automotive, mostly because down here in the
ol' US of A, not many people have even heard of MegaPro.
If I try searching for 'MegaPro' on Home Depot, all I get is fish-flavored rat poison!
I'm not even kidding!
False accusations of being a shill for Linus doesn't bother me, though.
What does bother me is that I've been using this LTT screwdriver for months, and I haven't
given you an update.
Do I like it?
Has anything broken?
I mean, JayzTwoCents had one break the first time he dropped it!
Let's dive in.
Before I get to the screwdriver itself, I wanna address the marketing.
Linus Media Group didn't pay me anything, and I did, in fact, pay for all the screwdrivers
I tested.
But LTT did send out 'Creator Edition' screwdrivers, and they even paid a couple YouTube channels
for a sponsored video.
For example, MKBHD did a sponsored PC build, and got a red Creator Edition driver.
And Snazzy Labs got a light blue screwdriver for a paid spot in a car review.
I'm guessing the ROI is hard to calculate for those sponsorships.
But it's probably better for the full spectrum of colorful screwdrivers that were sent out
to some of your favorite content creators—including me.
Yes, they did send me this white one for free, and Paul's Hardware and Austin Evans also
got one.
Serve The Home And Coalition Gaming got the Light blue one, MKBHD, JayzTwoCents, and Jordan
Ash got Red, ElectroBOOM got Yellow, Lauren of TastyPC got Violet, and Gerald Undone didn't
get a Purple driver, despite asking nicely.
And that's not all, some other creators picked up LTT screwdrivers on their own.
Like LGR used one in his Aquarium PC build, and when I asked him what he thought, he said...
And that brings me to the first thing I wanted to mention after using the screwdriver for
five months: the 'default loadout' as Linus calls it.
I was annoyed they included hex bits and robertsons—these square bits—but after using it a while,
I was surprised how many times I used the hex bits around the house, especially for
small furniture, like this kitchen towel holder.
But robertson is lot more popular up in Canada.
Down here, the only thing I've ever used them for is my electrical panel.
And I'm not like Matthias (Matt-ee-us) Wandel—I'm not takin' that thing apart every day!
What I have needed a lot, and have always had to go to another driver for, are torx
bits.
I wish there were an option to swap the robertsons for torx...
But that's not a huge complaint, you can always buy another set.
I mean, if you're in this thing for seventy bucks already, what's another seven?
The only other bit I've never used at all is this beefy magnet bit.
99% of the time I can pick up a little screw using the bit that's already in the driver,
and for that other 1%, I've needed an extendable magnet anyway.
So I'd be happier with a more useful bit instead of this magnet.
Besides that, the bits work well, and none have broken.
The black coating wears off, but that's normal with use.
The part of this screwdriver I love the most is the ratcheting mechanism.
Both the ratchet selector and the ratchet itself are great for lower torque use, like
building PCs or screwing in wall plates and rack mount gear.
I kept testing the PB Swiss versus the LTT driver and every time I went back to this
one.
The PB Swiss is great for high torque, like doing car work or screwing into wood.
But its ratchet is a little too tight.
And since I didn't use a ratchet screwdriver before, having the selector move in the direction
you want to screw is more intuitive for me.
I kept having to remember to go the opposite way on the other drivers.
And I think Linus mentioned the screwdriver isn't intended to be used as a hammer.
But you use the tool you got!
I've bashed plenty of wall anchors into drywall with the end of this thing.
And it's held up.
Even after doing about 20 wall anchors, there's barely a scratch!
So those are the things I've enjoyed; let's move on to the things I hate.
First of all, this little bit separator.
This thing is worse than useless—I actively hate it.
It should be able to keep a nice gap between bits.
But inevitably, it rotates.
Then the bits start touching each other and some inner OCD tendency is triggered, and
I have to readjust all the bits again... and yeah.
I think it would've been better to just leave it out.
I try not caring so much, but somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain, it still annoys
me that the thing is there but is functionally dead.
So, a quick update while I'm editing: you can actually change the orientation of the
two bit holder halves, which I didn't know going into this, but somebody told me on YouTube
Shorts.
So I've learned two things: you can actually make it so the bits somewhat stay in place
better and also YouTube Shorts isn't completely bad.
And while I don't hate it, I don't really love the grip either.
I wish there were at least some rubber in the handle, since I do use it for higher torque
screws sometimes, like driving a screw into wood.
For that, I have to squeeze this screwdriver a lot harder than other ones.
It's not an issue at all for low-torque use, like building a PC or installing rack mount
gear.
But it's annoying enough I wanted to mention it.
I called this out in my intial review, and I can confirm: it is annoying in real-world
use.
But, to be fair, if you're gonna drill 10 screws into wood, grab an impact driver.
This screwdriver isn't made for that.
One other complaint I had earlier was how this screwdriver is a lot longer than the
Stanley driver I used to use.
Well, that's both a blessing and a curse.
And it's funny, the Megapro Automotive?
That thing is almost a full inch longer still!
The LTT driver is a little harder to pocket, but it works okay.
The slightly longer and thinner shaft actually helps for building PCs, because a lotta screws
are tight, up against a side, like the PCI screws on my minitower.
So overall, in my use, after screwing in probably a few thousand screws at this point, I grew
to like the this thing more than I thought I would.
I also made a point to try out the Wera and the Williams drivers a bit more, and I still
think overall, the Williams is the best value.
But now that I've gotten use to the LTT bit storage, I do kinda hate the bit storage on
the Williams.
Would you put up with worse bit storage for half the price?
That's up to you.
The Wera was still disappointing, but it wasn't as bad day-to-day as I thought it would be.
It handled okay, but I still think it's overpriced for the quality you get.
My Amazon Basics Driver felt almost as good as the Wera and it's way cheaper!
But the most frequent question after my first review was this: How does the LTT Screwdriver
compare to it's progenitor, the Megapro Automotive.
A ton of people still say the LTT screwdriver is just a rebadged Megapro.
That is far from the truth.
Let's just take a quick look at the physical differences:
The Megapro is more than 2 centimeters longer.
The shaft has no knurling, and it's a straight blade like the PB Swiss.
The bit holder opens with a different detent, the end cap is rounded instead of flat, and
the grip is overmolded with rubber for much more grip.
And that's just the physical differences.
The ratchet mechanism is opposite the LTT driver, and the sound and feel are a lot different.
So these are very different drivers.
And you don't have to take Linus' word—or heck, even my word for it!
There was a great video by Plasticon Plastics that went through a lot of the manufacturing
details.
This screwdriver has a few parts inherited from MegaPro, but it's not even close to being
a white-label rebadge, where LTT just stamped their logo on it.
But what about the value?
I bought this screwdriver direct from MegaPro for $55, and that's a good 20% off what I
paid for the LTT driver.
Well, considering the Automotive has a bit stiffer ratchet, a straight shaft, and a rubberized
grip, I found it was better for high-torque use, and a little more annoying for PC building
or more delicate use.
Though if you primarily work on small electronics, having a dedicated mini torx and mini philips
screwdriver is more useful for that.
But PC building and a lot of IT work in general is right in the middle.
It's not more torque-y like screwing into studs or unscrewing rusty screws in a car.
And it's not as delicate as tiny M2 screws on a Raspberry Pi.
So if you do a lot of IT stuff, the LTT screwdriver might be the goldilocks.
Not too robust, but not too delicate—just right.
I still think the Williams gives the best bang for the buck.
The MegaPro Automotive does feel nice, and it's a good screwdriver, especially the fact
it holds full size bits instead of the weird mini bits the LTT driver does.
But it's also a bit too large, at least for me.
But...
I'm sure I'm a complete moron and this screwdriver is identical or better in every way than the
LTT Screwdriver.
Leave your comments below.
But moving on, another thing I kept getting recommend were electric screwdrivers.
Well, I found this DeWalt for $80 on sale, so I bought it and promised I'd at least give
it a shot.
This is the DeWalt DCF680N2 Gyroscopic Screwdriver, and it came with two 8V batteries, a charger,
and a bag.
And it surprised me—I found myself using it more and more—but not for everything.
It complements a regular screwdriver well for certain use cases, especially for times
when I wanted to get at some awkwardly positioned screws, like when I had to take apart our
vacuum cleaner.
And especially for furniture and racks: this thing saved my wrist from turning fifty screws
when I put together my daughter's bed.
And when I was rebuilding a bunk bed, and had to get into some awkward positions, the
LTT driver got really annoying.
This thing made quick work of that.
I never used my drill for furniture that since it's too easy to strip a screw.
But the gyro control on this thing gives me enough feel to avoid that.
Plus, it's just fun to use!
I don't think I'll use it for PC builds, but this thing earned a spot in my workshop.
It certainly has its uses.
Especially if you have health issues or just don't wanna have multiple screwdrivers, this
thing can stand in for more delicate jobs too.
I bought a few extended bit sets and threw them in the bag, and now I have this nice
little kit I can grab when I don't need a full-on drill.
If you want more direct comparisons to other drivers, watch my other video, where I did
everything from test runout to smashing each screwdriver with a bowling ball!
But I do want to dive a little deeper on durability.
I haven't dropped this except for the one time when I was recording the review
But if there's one thing Linus is known for, it's dropping things
...so you'd expect the screwdriver to at least pass the Linus Drop Test, right?
Well, the first time JayZTwoCents dropped his screwdriver, the bitholder broke!
Now, Jay's a little taller than Linus, sure.
But the screwdriver should survive a tumble from that height, especially when the plastic
is brand new and not brittle.
And Jay isn't alone, this Redditor encountered the same problem!
This thing isn't a 'rugged' tool.
I wouldn't expect it to survive a 13 ft drop from a power pole.
But a few drops from average human height?
Yeah.
Looking closely at the Megapro Automotive, you can see LTT slimmed down the bit retention
clips, so maybe this is a design flaw.
But let's put that to the test—and, don't try this at home!
[DROP]
Now to be perfectly honest this is the second time I recorded this video.
The first time, the audio sounded like this:
So now I've dropped this screwdriver about 30 times, and it still works great.
That's not to say your screwdriver won't break.
I don't know the failure rates, since that's something only LTT support knows, but it seems
to hold up well.
And even if your's does break, YouTuber 'The Wong Reviewer' had a broken bit holder, and
I've seen a few other people have issues after just one drop, and in every case so far, support
replaced the broken screwdriver.
'Trust Me Bro' is still cringe, but I'm glad they adopted a real warranty.
So far LTT Store support is going above and beyond.
And, just because I had a few people ask about this: no, this thing is not insulated, so
if you're an electrician and need insulated tools... uh, maybe don't use this.
One Redditor found that out the hard way—on accident.
Luckily he wasn't hurt, and the screwdriver still worked, but it's a good reminder to
triple-check that power's off!
Finally, I wanted to see what my Dad thought about the screwdriver.
That screwdriver I scratched, over-torqued, and smashed with a bowling ball?
I gave it to him!
He's a radio engineer and works on equipment all over the place.
Has he enjoyed using it?
Hats off to the Linus Tic Tokkers, indeed.
So do I still think the LTT driver is as good as my test results showed?
Yes.
Do I still think it's not the best value for a ratcheting screwdriver?
Also yes.
But that doesn't mean it's not the right screwdriver for you.
Maybe it is, or maybe you should save some money and get the Amazon Basics driver.
And hey!
You could put the extra money you saved towards supporting me on Patreon!
Until next time, I'm Jeff Geerling.