ENGINEER low profile stubby ratcheting palm screwdriver. dr-54, Red

Normal use in my work

I immediately took it trough the test. This product feels very high-quality. The ratchet mechanism is smooth and precise. To change direction, you simply turn it around. This means it has no switch to break, and it remains compact yet easy to use.

Very simple item, one side ratchets left, the other right. Stick in whatever 1/4” impact/screwdriver bit you need and let it rip. Bought this for HVAC service, specifically for unscrewing 1/4” hex flame sensors in furnaces, and it’s a literal godsend. A couple of my buddies in this field have bought themselves one of these after seeing mine. Yeah so does the trick as advertised, this will forever live in my toolbag. One small gripe, it could use a bit of a grippier surface, maybe textured metal or even rubber. Wouldn’t be hard to add this yourself, but this is just one thing that I think could be improved. It’s not a big deal though. Thanks

Short version, buy it. It's a well made tool, functions exactly as designed. Learned a few important things from this purchase. ENGINEER® is the brand name for tools (mostly) sold by the Japanese company Engineer Inc. DR--54 as indicated, is the model number. No English, almost no French, not packaged with export in mind. Alloy (aluminum? Light, non-magnetic) body measures just under 1.5" diameter, just over 9/16" thick, red finish is nice and evenly distributed. Center drive is steel, holds any 1/4" bit on EITHER side, 25/32" long . Ratchet mechanism works in a single direction, you relocate the BIT to reverse. The printed arrow on the labeled side indicates drive direction. Magnets on each side hold the bit in place. There are approx. 45 teeth in one revolution, so pretty fine "swing". Comes with a single bit, marked PH 2, presumably a Phillips #2, an important distinction from the deceptive JIS fasteners. Overall quality is really nice. I will absolutely come back if and when this tool fails to update this review. At time of purchase, value's Japan was the least expensive seller, and delivered quickly.

Un'idea geniale prodotta con ottimi materiali, si riesce ad avvitare/svitare anche in spazi molto piccoli (basta che possa passarci la mano). La presa è buona e l'ingombro minimo, attacco universale per tutte le punte da avvitatore. Prezzo un po' elevato per uno "sfizio" da tenere nella valigia degli attrezzi! Lo ricomprerei

I have always been a firm believer that it's best to do things in the most impractical way possible. If something COULD theoretically be pulled away from the wall by no means does that mean it SHOULD. By the time you factor in all the stuff that would doubtless fall off and then land down the back and all the cables that would get wrenched out and someone would complain about what I did to the floor... No, it makes more sense to jam a screwdriver round the back, scrabble about blindly leaving black rubber streaks all over the wall, stripping the head of the screw and eventually slipping and punching the wall so hard you either leave a dent or a bloodstain... If that sounds familiar... Someone made a screwdriver for us... Well, technically it's not really for us... technically it's for people who have no other choice whilst working on engines or in places you genuinely can't move things but it works AMAZINGLY for people too lazy to actually move things too. It even works for those people who compromise by tilting furniture forwards a bit. It really is a unique item and one that is incredibly well made... which just about justifies the price that is not all that much less that I paid for a set of Wera screwdrivers not that long ago. The ratchet, elegantly reversible by just swapping the bit from one side to the other, and the fact that you can put a lot of strength through something so small also help justify it. You may well still clench your teeth a little bit but the first time it helps you do a job you couldn't have done with any other tool or without having to exert a great deal more effort you'll feel it was worth it. I've given a couple as gifts now and they've gone down well despite my initial fears that people might just think I gave them some tat and chuck it in the back of a drawer. Even beyond its usefulness for both legitimately reaching inaccessible spaces and being lazy it also can serve as an easy pocket screwdriver if you're the kind of person who either feels confident they'll mainly encounter phillips bits or quite sensibly doesn't mind a few regular hexbits sloshing around in the pocket. The closest I can get to nitpicking is sometimes a bit of kitchen roll or similar is needed to grip the bit to pull it out but that's not surprising as I keep one of my hands in a glove full of moisturiser at all times when working to keep it soft for brushing my wife's cheek and the other in a glove full of moisturiser at all times to keep it soft for brushing my cat's cheek. Other than that the ratchet could be a little more sensitive but I guess I will trade sensitivity for it not breaking which I guess could be a risk with something this size. Nitpicking aside, I do love this screwdriver, it's as if someone looked at me, took pity on me, and found a way to stop me taking responsibility for my actions for a few more years.