What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Tool Question - Electric Screwdriver

T

tboyett

Member
Would appreciate opinions on the best of breed of electric screwdrivers for deburring and other tasks in RV-12 assembly.

Thanks,
Tom
 
I bought a 4v small screwdriver from Costco and I liked it so much that I bought two more thinking that when this dies, I want to have another. Well, it has lasted me for a long time and it still goes as great.

It is light and small. I didn't use it for deburing, now I wish I had but I use it to for taking up the cowl, wheel pants, etc that has screws. It makes the annual/oil change that much easier.
 
I bought an in-expensive Skill brand screwdriver that lasted about 2 months. Not wanting a repeat, I picked up a Snap-On brand screw driver with clutch. Works great. The clutch is awesome and I haven't hopelessly striped out a single screw since I started using this tool. Turns a bit faster than the cheap unit, which suits me just fine.

I use this tool all the time. Worth every penny.
 
I started with a Craftsman Evolv job and liked it so well I bought another to not have to change bits and recharge so often. They are light, have the right speed, powerful and easy to use. They can be broken, I have burned up a couple, but Sears has a one year warranty on them.
Putting in a nut driver and torquing up 3/8 bolts like it was an impact wrench puts too much strain on the poor things I found!
 
Small is nice

I have my big mama 18V Dewalt drill/driver, and using it in awkward positions or tight spots could lead to needing a hernia transplant. I bought an iddy-biddy 4V Ryobi pistol-grip driver from Home Depot (about $20 bucks, I think) which weighs maybe about a pound. It has a light, a torque clutch, and gets used 95% of the time, and seems to be holding up OK.
 
I had one of these for about 20 years:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-654...23HS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1333069191&sr=8-5

Now I have one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW920K-2-7-2-Volt-Two-Position-Screwdriver/dp/B000051WQV/ref=pd_cp_hi_0


If I were shopping now, I would probably get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-049...A1M8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333069191&sr=8-1

The Dewalt is nice, lots of power and fast, but it is bigger and heavier than the milwaukee and the batteries didn't last very long. The first milwaukee I used for over 20 years and then sold it on ebay, that was really better for aircraft work.
 
Black & Decker, Ryobi look good for my price point

Both of those sound like a good bang for the buck. The Ryobi is twice the length and height of the B&D, but they both come in at 1 pound and 2 inches wide. 48 in-lb torque on the B&D, unknown for the Ryobi. Both have clutches. I'll give both a close look. Many thanks to all for sharing.

Tom
 
I also use the cheap Black and Decker lithium driver. It's even got a clutch, which is handy for putting screws in without stripping out your nutplates or crushing your fibreglass. The LED light on the nose is also good for seeing where you're driving.
 
If you just want a simple electric screw driver, you might head to (wait for it) Walmart. They have an $8.88 black&decker screw driver. What I like is the cost, and the fact it runs on 4 AA batteries (I use rechargeables).

I'm sure it will break eventually but at this price and availability it's a simple choice. I've used mine for two years so far. It's great during the condition inspection and it was great when I had to remove-install-remove-install all the floor panels during the AP servo install and for the remove-install-remove-install for the APRS in the wing tip and the remove-install-remove-install for the various reprogramming of that APRS tracker. Yes, I se it a lot!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top