Ratchet Screwdriver

Ratchet Screwdriver

As you probably already know the screwdriver is one of the tools that you are most likely to find in everyone’s toolset.  Screwdrivers are used to tighten or loosen screws.  They are available in a variety of different types.  Of specific interest is the ratchet screwdriver, as it has the ability to continuously drive a screw without having to lift from the screw.

A ratchet screwdriver contains a gear with two stop levers inside that are spring loaded.  A selector on it will allow you to engage only one of these levers at a time.  This will make it so that the gear in the ratchet screwdriver can only spin freely in one direction.  If you’ve ever seen how a zip tie works, this operates on the same principle.

As you turn your ratchet screwdriver to tighten a screw the level is jammed tightly in to the notch in the gear keeping the gear from free spinning.  When you move the ratchet the opposite direction the clicking sound you hear is the lever allowing the gear to spin the opposite direction.

Most of the ratchet screwdrivers on the market provide for a place to insert different tips called bits in to the end.  We’ve outlined some of the more common bits you should look for when you’re buying your ratchet screwdriver, so that you go in to your purchase educated.

The flat-tip or slotted ratchet screwdriver bit is the best known tip of the screwdrivers.  They are distinctive2 by their flat head.   When looked at from straight at the end, it is just a straight line kind of like “—“.  While slotted screwdrivers can be found with tip sizes up to as large as 1 inch (25mm) across, a traditional ratchet screwdriver would usually be in between .125-.5”.

The Phillips tip for the ratchet screwdriver has a very distinctive and recognizable tip as well.  The tip of a Phillips screwdriver when looked at from the end looks like a + (plus symbol).  The Phillips screwdriver sizes range from a 0 to 4, with 0 being the smallest and 4 being the largest.  .

The tip of a Torx (pronounced “TORKS”, kind of like “forks) driver resembles a rounded star with 6 symmetrical points.  The design allows the screw to lock on to the driver’s tip and not slip or cause the strip or bit to wear out prematurely, this makes it very popular in the automotive and electronics industries.  The sizing of Torx is determined by a T followed by a number, such as T15.  The sizes range from T1-T100, with most common sizes being a multiple of 5 (T10, T15, T20, T25, T30, T35, etc).  Most people don’t need a Torx tip for their ratchet screwdriver, so a lot of the basic sets won’t include them, but when it comes to getting a ratchet screwdriver set that includes Torx drivers, you will need to look at your application, the most common sizes found in these kits range greatly from T10-T30.