Craftsman Professional  1/8 x 3 in. Screwdriver, Slotted

With it's lifetime free replacement guarantee and a most comfortable handle, what more can you say..... A great screwdriver.

I can't think of very many projects I've undertaken over the years that hasn't required the use of at least one screwdriver. Usually, an assortment of these versatile tools is necessary due to the never ending changes being made in the fastener industry. The good ole fashioned slotted screwdriver still ranks among my most useful tools!

Craftsman has always had a solid line of screwdrivers. Who hasn't bought a set or been given a set as a gift? Most of us started out our tool collection with these tools.

Well, the designers at Craftsman never seem to be satisfied with "good enough."

They have worked to improve on what many people consider the perfect tool and in my opinion they have succeeded. In a world where most tool manufacturers seem only to be concerned with gadgetry like laser guidance systems, ratcheting what-evers or battery operated this-and-that's, Craftsman has broken down the key features of the common slotted screwdriver and improved it. You may find some of these ideas used by other companies but I doubt you will find them all used on one tool by anyone else but on the Craftsman Professional Slotted Screwdriver.

1. The business end of these screwdrivers is precision ground to ensure a secure fit with the fastener with little chance of slippage. This will protect the tool and the fastener.
2. The tip also features grooves cut into the blade. This further improves the grip with the fastener and enhances your turning power.
3. The shaft is solid and strong! It is round and chromed, rather that 4-sided. This enables the user to keep the tool cleaner to enable years of satisfactory use.
4. The largest sizes include a bolster at the joint between the shaft and the handle. This further improves the strength of the tool.
5. The handle is comfortably designed to prevent user fatigue. Large enough to provide a firm grip and molded with thumb rests.
6. Each Craftsman Professional Slotted Screwdriver has a hard resin end cap on the butt end of the handle making it easy to identify the size.
7. Craftsman backs this tool with its famous lifetime replacement warranty.

I can't think of anything I would improve. Can you?

I'm writing to slate these because they appear to be the best offering Craftsman has for screwdrivers but they do not appear to be anything more than a fancy plastic handle. Besides the handle, a screwdriver like this needs to be made from a good steel alloy for the purpose and hardened appropriately. It also needs to be shaped correctly. Craftsman does not provide any information on the alloy here or the hardness. They only indicate the nickel chrome finish and the grit-blasted tip. The chrome is easy to clean, but the grit blasting is a waste on the slotted tips because they must be reshaped. The slotted drivers are tapered so that two things are sure: if the screw is inside a hole, the wide shoulders will gouge the hole; and only the top edge of the screw's slot will be engaged by the tapered screwdriver tip. The screwdriver cannot engage the base of the slot because it tapers. Therefore, the screw slot will almost certainly be destroyed unless these driver tips are reshaped. The driver tips will need to be reground so the faces of the blade are parallel with the slot. They might even be slightly undercut so the tip is guaranteed to engage the base of the slot, or the tip can be burnished to roll a sharp edge of steel that will engage the base of the slot. As they come from Craftsman, they are guaranteed to become one of those broken, twisted-tip screwdrivers that you already have several of and which you reach for when you need a small lever to pry something. I rate them 3 stars because with some work, they can be fixed.