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  • Magnetic screwdriver bits for drills/impacters
  • matthewmountain
    Free Member

    Having a few DIY projects to do this year, and being sick of dropping screws off the end of the bit at the wrong time, do the magnetic bits actually work?

    Or do they just hold the screwdriver bit in the holder that is in the chuck, and hence means quick changed between bits??

    Surely a magnetic screwdriver bit must exist, to prevent dropping screws at the wrong moment? But from reading the blurb, I get the impression the magnetic is to hold the bit, and there may be some magnetism left to help hold the screw??

    Can any experts help? Any recommendations?

    neilwheel
    Free Member

    The Were ring magnet ones work well, the magnet is on a sliding sleeve that holds the screw head. Standard and impact versions.

    http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p36452

    http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p14087

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    It’s all a bit variable. I had a Makita one that came with my LXT drill that worked a treat, and was nice and thin too. But I lost it and ones that I bought later are mostly useless. The ones that work are usually so chunky that they get in the way.

    simons_nicolai-uk
    Free Member

    Bought the Wera one but found I almost never used it. Wasn’t really convenient.

    nickjb
    Free Member

    Drill a pilot hole and/or hammer the screw in a few mm. No need to hold the screw to the bit. Also are you using the right size non crappy bit? It Should fit Pretty well.

    craigxxl
    Free Member

    I use the Wera Impaktor bit holder and bits

    http://www.toolstation.com/m/part.html?p=79674

    A bit pricey but doesn’t drop screws saving me time and the bits hardly show any wear after lots of uses which actually makes them good value.

    konanige
    Full Member

    The bit is actually held in by a sprung ring inside the bit holder, the magnet is to hold the screw on the bit, obviously there is a limit to how big a screw it can hold and slot heads are definitely out!!! Just make sure you buy decent quality and buy an impact specific one if using in impact driver or you’ll end up with it jammed in your chuck!!

    andyl
    Free Member

    I picked up a pack of dewalt extreme bits as I was fed up with cheap toolstation ones shattering. The bit holder has a sleeve that you pull down over the head of the screw and it helps a lot. Was only a few £ on clearance if you can find one with more bits than I’ll ever need judging on how long they are lasting.

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    The ring magnet ones are the best at actually holding the screw on the end of the driver – but beyond that as Simon says they are otherwise faffy to used – if you bury the screw head at all then the rest of the bit holder can’t follow it and the it makes the bit jump out of the head of the screw – for the same reason it makes getting screws out of anything problematic too. They are also terrible for picking up any swarf and metal debris and getting the bits out of the holder can be a chore as they are so deeply recessed

    The smaller ‘rapidaptor’ is nice and compact and still has decent magnetic-ness, but really the key is using decent quality driver bits that aren’t too worn, and using bits and screws that are a good fit for each other (make sure you’re not mixing up phillips and pozidriver bits and screws)

    In general I find sightly larger (thicker) screws stay put on the driver better – 4mm screws have quite a small head, and therefore quite a shallow contact with the bit. 4.5s and 5mm screws make more contact with the driver bit and stay put more reliably.

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