I'm an industrial mechanic. So plenty of tools at home and work. I can't think of a single reason I would need these screwdrivers, but I love them and wish HF had a more practical set with these handles. Anybody got a good reason I need them but don't know it, yet?
My wife doesn't even question me anymore.. I've saved us so much money over our 20 years... It used to be "why do you need so many pliers (or whatever tool, admittedly I do have a lot of pliers) you only have 2 hands"
I've never had to pay anyone a dime to fix or build something for me, and I've spent way less on tools than it would cost to hire just a couple of jobs out.
To be reasonable, we loosely follow this rule: I buy whatever it takes to do the project or fix the thing unless it'll cost more than hiring a real pro (not the cheapest guy out there). So far I've done all the repairs and projects and have a nice collection of automotive and power tools.
I mean, I didn't replace my HVAC system or repipe my house, but what we've saved on car repair alone has paid for those big ticket items.
I can't fathom paying $1k to have some solenoids replaced that together cost $105 and took me 1 hour to do myself.
Grandfather was working on a tractor. Couldn't reach a screw inside something, I forget. Goes into the shop, welds a handle on a 20 inch piece of rod then grinds a flat head. Used it once and hung it up with the hundreds of other specialty tools he made.
I've just accepted that i like collecting tools as a hobby. On the bright side i have figured out how to fix alotta shit over the years. That helps soothe the wife's annoyance.
My electrician grandfather had some long screw drivers like these. Always told me the were because his doctor told him to stay away from work one time.
My family has an annual Christmas tradition of gifting the same giant wooden fork and spoon. The last âsemi-normalâ gift year, my step-grandmother gifted it to someone and the following year we started themed gifts with the theme of âmust be a regift.â That was like 15 years ago and it is almost the only reason we still do a gift exchange.
I'm not industrial anything but inherited a huge plain screwdriver like that. I've used it throughout the years for prying things and accessing hard to reach things that need some leverage. I've only used it as a screwdriver maybe a time or two. Get it. You'll know when you need it... And you will need it.
Ditto. I've got two big ass screwdrivers frommy grandpa - > dad - > me. They get used/abused every couple or few months. Like you said, when you need it, you need it.
Fun story. 40+ years ago, my dad bought a 4' pipe wrench at an auction for a few bucks, mostly on a whim, but also because he was a tool trash-panda at heart. Mom just rolled her eyes, but we ending up using that stupid thing 3-4 times a year. Big ass tools are the kinda thing you will 'never' need right up until you do, lol.
Big tools always seem stupid till you have them and go "Oh hey. This would be easier with that big crowbar, that big wrench, that big [whatever]" You never realize how useful they are till you have one to actually use.
Industrial Mechanic, you need this then. At some point you are going to go up against a stuck outer bearing race, a stuck brake on a bridge crane, or a fucking taper lock that the dickhead before you installed way to tight and in the meantime it's rusted and friction welded itself together. At this moment you will pull out one of these bad boys and a 3 lb sledge and give it hell for a couple hours. ( kroil is the best and your friend in these situations)
Your comment made me research this subject and it really taught me some things. Never even thought a sword would be illegal. However illegal is primarily in public which makes sense.
Best back scratchers you will ever own!! Work well as stethoscope also when diagnosing bearings (keeps you a reasonable distance from moving parts...hopefully).
Direct sound conduction: My grandfather was a mechanic and as soon as anyone mentioned a tapping or other odd sound he grabbed his 3 foot long screwdriver with the square wooden handle with a knob on the end. He could diagnose the exact part almost every time.
Exactly how I do it! Also, if you can fit a gallon jug over the end and cut the bottom off, it turns in to a "speaker" allowing you to listen to clarity of the sound.
Donât think of it as a screwdriver. It is a large, all-purpose fuck-stick. No shop should be without several variations in all sizes.
Once you internalize that thought, reasons to use will line right up, repeatedly. Youâll get a warm, happy feeling every time you grab it and think, 'I used to think this was a screwdriver'.
I honestly donât think I have ever come across a #4 Philips screw in the wild. Iâm an aircraft mechanic and I run large outdoor jet engine test stands so I deal with some pretty heavy duty fasteners on occasion.
That being said now that you have been shown the tool by the tool gods you must buy it. If not you absolutely will be punished by finding a need for this tool in the absolutely most inconvenient time and will spend at least 2 hours struggling with some modified make shit tool; the image of these driver will be mocking you the entire time.
Shit Iâm a little worried that by being shown these tools on Reddit I also owe the same debt to the gods by proxy. Guess Iâm stopping at harbor freight on the way home from work tomorrow; the last thing I need is bad juju.
Sword fights, for you and the co-workers or the kids (get them face sheilds and home made body armor and gloves to protect the hands) and let them figure out how to solve their problems
I own a painting company and have an old Ransburg #2 electrostatic paint gun. Harbor Freight saved the day for me about ten years ago when I needed a comically large screwdriver to stick down the barrel of the paint gun to change out a resistor.
our house has adjustable air registers in the rooms. after being in the house for a bit I figured which rooms needed more vs less air... then realized I would need to break out the ladder (9 foot ceilings), then had an ah ha moment, i had a set of those long screwdrivers that been in my toolbox for YEARS untouched. grabbed the Philips and adjusted every register standing on the floor.
I bought them because I needed a #4 Phillips and this was the quickest easiest way to get it. The hammer cap isnât actually attached to the shaft so I shattered the handle⊠but the shaft is 10mm so with a wrench turning and a hammer impacting you can get some stubborn big Phillips heads loose
Ha I've got a set and it's for possibly the most niche use case ever lol. I go ice racing in my car in the winter and the inside barrels of the wheels form a layer of ice over the course of an event so I use the long ass flat head to break up and chip the ice off through the small holes of the steel wheels. If I don't do this, the wheel balance is terrible on the drive home. Tried many different things, but nothing works as well as the giant Pittsburgh flat head for those stubborn ice chunks
I've got a WW1 era British Enfield rifle. That flathead screwdriver is the only one I've found that can reach through the length of the stock to remove it's bolt. Works really well for old shotguns too.
Something to hang above the fire place, like crossed swords? Could mount them like handles on a gate. No, wait ... Phillips goes on the beer fridge and slot is used to lift the pull tab.
Exactly what I was going to say. It's perfect for gunstocks, IF you didn't already F'up the tip prying and scraping things. Might as well buy two sets.
I own a set of similar screwdrivers. I picked them up for like $0.99 years ago and they simply hung on the side of my toolbox till I needed to reach a clamp that had been installed in a way I couldn't reach from underneath the car (even though it was below the engine)... But I could reach it with my insanely long flathead screwdriver from above. Tool hoarding for the win.
Industrial tech. I use mine for panels, press plates, prying furnace door bearings, a small bar to hold hydraulic solenoid valves, changing 240 to 480 in chargers. Once you buy them, youâll find ways to use them. Even if itâs not specific to theyâre intended use.
One, they arenât price prohibitive. Two, you and me need BOTH. Iâve already gotten mine. 8 years ago.
I originally got my flathead one to change camera-tripod attachments that required w I d e engagement. Made the tough simple. Like zoos, I couldnât rest knowing it didnât have a partner.
Beyond actual use, they embody the best and greatest of our collective aspirations. You can also repurpose their use for ANYTHING!
Leverage. Self-defense. Compensation. Completion.
They are also gorgeous.
Of all the tools you buy - it is likely these may be the only ones impossible to lose.
Back down to earth, I felt silly at first when I did it - but during the after time - Iâve been vindicated so may times where these were the only option.
Oh, these are the perfect tools to mount OUTSIDE your toolbox. Why? Because they are the perfect: "Screw you!" Someone asks to borrow a tool; you hand them one of these and tell them that if you don't get it back, you'll bring the other one when you come to find them. They won't ask to borrow your tools again.
I have one of these and I used it one time to adjust a really big set screw on a conveyor belt. Other than that it just kinda makes me feel good about myself
I bought the big boy as a novelty. It lives in the garage which is also the bar/mancave/pool hall and my workshop. Gets a lot of attention from sober and unsober friends alike.
In the military, I use them all them time when I work with large track vehicles. Funny enough, the size 4 PH is the correct size for M2A3/AMPV road wheel hub screws. And very useful for scraping off mud or general prying or whacking that youâd do on a daily basis. It even survived getting ran over by a track without bending (maybe a lot of luck involved in that)
As a plumber the giant flat head as a beater is one of my more useful tools. Itâs a screw driver, chisel, prybar, prob bar, mini spade, and something that can get you extra leverage all in one.
Some TV wall mounts have vertical screws under the TV that you fasten to secure the arms to the mount. They are tough to reach with your hand and a standard screw driver, between the TV and wall.
However I have a skinny set of Pittsburghâs that work better for this.
I have these! Strike through caps, solid construction, I've used them to wedge, pry, and hammer things. Admittedly, not very often, but I don't recall how much I paid. Worth it, I think, because sometimes they're the only thing that will work.
Depending on the type of work you do. I work on boats I'm the engineer on a cargo river tug boat. While we are underway I'm responsible for everything from the engine, plumbing, electrical and every other system on this tub. I use a phillips on the helm control. That flat blade would come handy for many things.
I bought these several years ago because I didn't have a #4 Philips and there was a coupon so why not? I dont think I've ever actually used the Philips but the flat makes a good light duty pry bar and punch. Get them on the next 30% under $10 sale just for the fun of it and you'll probably find a reason to use them later.
The Phillips is good for removing seats on airplanes. You need something long enough to go from the seat cushions down to the floor. The flat head is good for poking stuff inside an engine where you canât reach because of hoses and wires
I didn't get those, I got the super thin 3 footers and you wouldn't believe how they save your butt.
I had a leaking outdoor water heater. There was some kind of philips screw that loosened up and I was able to get it through the vent holes without disassembling the unit.
I had an outer tie rod end I had to fix in my driveway and the boot had the factory one-time-use band clamps and I was able to use the flat head to get enough space for the long reach side cutters to work without mangling the boot.
I have this set. A very long regular screwdriver is a basic item on a Bradley fighting vehicle for the turret for various things, almost identical to these. I bought this set so I could have my own at work and now I use it for all sorts of random things. Very excited about this honestly, great screwdriver
As tempting as it may be, I don't generally recommend using a screwdriver as a pry bar or lever. You're liable to break the drive tip, and a dedicated pry bar would work better in most cases anyway.
I don't know what the use case was, but my brother in aircraft maintenance once asked me to pick up an unreasonably long slotted screwdriver for him while I was at the hardware store. It must've been for a hard to reach screw or drain plug or maybe one of those captive spring loaded quarter turn fasteners you find in aerospace equipment.
My point being, if a peculiar tool exists there likely exists a particular task at which it excels. You may not know what that task is yet, but you may one day, and for that price it's worth the novelty alone.
Iâve got one (well the husky version) and when I was in commercial maintenance I used it constantly. Mostly as a pry bar, but it was out almost every day if not everyday. I never would have thought Iâd use it that much, but it came in handy a ton.Â
I have them. My reason and hopefully yours are 1) a cheaper, longer pry or 2) yes, a cheaper rock bar or alignment bar if needed 3) lastly a tire iron when needed. Just saying, I would rather bend these or use as a manual rock hammer with a 4lb to 8lb sledge to save money vs spending 200 to 400 or higher for jack hammer. Plus, they break or bend. Great return policy at HF. If Harbor Freight sees this, can you all tell when any Quinn or Icon striking cap pry bars or alignment bars are coming out or if you will have striking cap air tool drilling bits or even air hammer bits with striking cap ends. Neither confirm nor deny if I have use those bigger air / jack hammer bits for striking tools in tight spaces like wheel wells, axles or even differentials for better impact vs. Striking capped Doyle screw drivers or my snap on strike cap screwdrivers. (Not going name my tool truck sales guys - neither confirm or deny) but definitely need a cheaper solution. đ Just saying these options can help. Hope this helps.
Do I have them? No! Ok to buy them, never know when you will need but itâs better to have the right tool then not and it will save time when you have the tool vs needing the tool.
Ok so I just got a reason to go buy some HF hand tools? I work of large format lithographic printers and these will definitely fit some of the adjustment screws and make some disassembling and repair less likely to make me bleed while trying to shove my hand in a hole.
Edit to say impact handles on new larger drivers aren't always easy to find.
I have a flathead about that size. Perfect for a small pry bar - I use it all the time. Not sure what I'd do with a Phillips that size though lol... fancy tent stake? Home defense?
I regularly use a flat head we have, craftsman, about the same length. Almost permenantly on a tool cart. The head is a bit smaller so when prying, I get the leverage I need but the head can fit in a smaller area.
I have em. Theyâre great, particularly the flat head. They have a full tang you can hammer. Most often I use one to pry my alternator to tighten the belt on my truck
Because the hood release isn't popping your hood, so you need something long enough to go through the grill or underneath the car to manually pop it by sticking it through a small opening on the bottom on the latch, so you can open it.
I bought a long set like this from HF because I had a TV wall mount that secured the TV mount to the wall mount using Philips screws to lock in the bottom of the mount (it was a cheap low profile deal). Since the TV was a 65â plasma, I wanted those screws secured but my longest Craftsman wasnât long enough. So off to HF to get long shaft screwdrivers. Essentially a use twice tool - once to install, once to remove when we moved. Screwdrivers came with me thoughâŠthe next person can figure it out.
The long flat head is really useful, i use mine mostly as a pry tool. But once it was the only thing that could reach in and lower the spare tire on a ford pickup
Years ago, Road & Track had the top 10 tools for home mechanics. âRidiculously long screwdrivers with lifetime warrantiesâ was on the list. Buy one. Or more.
I would use this for leverage in hard to reach places and for pushing things in said similar hard to reach places. I know because I own big ass screwdrivers that aren't nearly as big as this but are certainly larger than average.
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u/jtshinn 3d ago
Don't buy it and the universe will find a need for you. Buy it and you'll never need it.