If you guys are tool lovers like me, you have probably made the observation that there are several distinct levels of tool quality. Off the top of my head, here’s how I would categorize things: homeowner, serious DIY’er, contractor/pro, and premium. In the world of hand tools though, there’s another level that you might not be aware of. And that’s what I call “super premium’. Brands like Bridge City Tool Works where you can pick up the CT-17 Block Plane for $859, or Sauer & Steiner where you can drop over $2000 on a coffin smoother. Top of the line doesn’t begin to describe these little gems. But boy they sure are expensive! So let’s leave the topic of diminishing returns for another day. All I’m trying to do here is set the mood for a quick introduction to what I consider to be, a super-premium tool.
Recently, I received two Elkhead Tools screwdrivers for review. When I opened the box, I swear I thought I saw an angel emerge, along with the sounds of gleeful children singing and the smell of daffodils in the spring. Oh it was a sight to behold! But my tool-lover’s bliss was soon replaced with anxiety and stress as I remembered that I would actually have to write a review on these tools. Here’s the problem: no matter what I say, no matter how awesome this tool is, nothing will change the fact that its “just a screwdriver”. And at $70 each, they don’t come cheap. So you don’t even need to say it…… because I get it. After all, my idea of splurging on screwdrivers was buying a set of three for $38 from Lee Valley (a purchase I don’t regret but I still feel a little guilty about).
So how do I go about reviewing such things? Maybe a side by side with my Lee Valley screwdrivers? Perhaps a pseudo-scientific head to head screw drivin’ throw down with my no-name drivers that came with that thing I bought from Sam’s Club??? Nope. Any elaborate tests or comparisons would feel forced and quite silly. After all, its a screwdriver. The best I can do is make some observations and judge these tools on their own merits. I’ll let you decide if a screwdriver is the kind of tool you want to consider an investment.
The Elkhead screwdrivers are, as you might expect, pure awesomeness. The handles are made from Cocobolo with a wax finish that is flawlessly smooth. The dense cocobolo gives the tool a perfect balance. And when I say perfect, I am not exaggerating! I had fun for a several minutes just balancing the tool with one finger at the thinnest point of the handle. The tools look so good, I was almost afraid to use them.
But use them I did. Since I will most likely reserve these bad boys for hardware installations where a precise fit between the head of the screw and the tip of the driver is crucial, my “tests” were limited to driving a few brass screws into some maple. Probably no surprise that the tip was seated perfectly and it gave me confidence that the screw would not strip out. Will this stop me from using steel screws to “prime” the hole for my hardware installations? Probably not, because I am too paranoid about stripping brass screws. But I do know which screwdriver I will be reaching for when that last critical turn takes place.
I know my readers, and I know what most of you are thinking already. But as people who spend a great deal of time crafting items of beauty, well beyond what their simple functions would require, we have to at least respect the craftsmanship behind super premium tools like the Elkhead screwdrivers. I have to give the folks at Elkhead Tools a huge congratulations for making the most finely-crafted screwdriver ever to be grasped by these grubby mitts! And I can’t wait to see what other tools they might develop as the company expands its line.
I see on their website that they will have a booth at the Woodworking in America conference so be sure to stop by if you are attending the show.
30 Responses to “Elkhead Tools Screwdrivers”
Hi Marc.
When you tweeted about these the other day I replied asking about what they could accomplish that my $26 for 25 piece set couldn’t. I take it back. I agree there’s something to be said about craftsmanship and precision.
That’d be like asking why spend $1700 on a macbook when you can get a no-name pc for $400.
Renzo
Okay. I’ll say it. I love you Marc, (plutonic only) (platonic?) but I have to say a bit overboard. Of course, you already understand that and stated as such in your article, so ’nuff said. To each his own, I guess.
I would agree that there is something to be said about craftsmanship. They are certainly beautiful pieces of art.
For me, though, I have never viewed my screwdrivers as anything other than a utilitarian tool. Something to get the job done. I’d be afraid to use the things!
Very impressive pieces, though. Very impressive.
How well do they double as masonry chisels? My Stanley screwdrivers can take quite a beating. :)
In all seriousness though, since these are all about the handles, I’m just wondering if the tool part is replaceable. I would hate to have a chipped screwdriver whose only use is for me to grind it into an awl.
Nice. Over my budget for now but I can see the paying tribute to craftsman ship at some point in my life.
How well do they open paint cans?
:-)
It’s all about inspiration. Beautiful tools will inspire beautiful work!
It sounded good anyway.
They are a good looking set of screw drivers.
Screw down. Not up.
If you break one, will they replace it? Like Sears does with Craftsman tools?
I have to regularly re-sharpen my screwdrivers. It would hurt like hell to put a grinder to one of these babies.
DD
how well do they work when your wife borrows them to dig a hole in her garden?
Ditto that …
I recently bought a set of 4 robertson head screwdrivers from the guys at Elkhead tools. I have had occasion to use the #3 and the #2. Using them puts me in the same frame of mind I get into when I am using my Lie-Nielsen planes or my Rob Cosman Dovetail saw. Utter perfection and perfect function! $70.00 bucks a piece? I drink 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day.@ $2.00 a cup. Thats at least $200.00 per month for something that I literally pee away. $280.00 for a set of 4 robertson ( why anyone would use any type of screw except a Robertson I’ll never understand) screwdrivers that will last my lifetime is nothing. If they only last 20 years, thats about 0.87 cents a month.
Would you pay $70 bucks for a really, really great cup of coffee? :->
Why yes…..yes I would. :)
if the cup of coffee kept tasting good for 20 years, it would be a no brainer. But as the individual cup of coffee is about 2 bucks, I don’t expect 20 years worth of enjoyment from it.
If you can get 20 years of pleasure from your screwdriver, then it’s a bargain at $70.
My screwdrivers don’t usually last that long. When I was building my boat I drove so many screws that it made sense to buy the just the bits in quantity and run them in my power drill. I’d wear them out in a couple of days. Maybe that’s why I never really got that much pleasure out of driving screws. It always seemed like drudge work to me. I have a nice set of quality screwdrivers for when I am doing gunsmith work, but I don’t do all that much of it. Otherwise I don’t use many screws in my woodworking projects.
DD
This is what I like I best about this site -sensability. In the ideal world, we would all have the best of the best but until then we make tradeoffs. Great review!
Let’s talk about screwdrivers for a minute. I am amazed, lately, at the variation between various screw driver heads and various screw heads. Recently, I got some of those bronze-colored like deck screws from HD with the star heads in them. In the box was a special fitted bit that would drive these heads. These were excellent screws and the bit drove the screws with more ease than I have ever experienced in driving a screw. There was almost no downward pressure required to maintain sure contact with the screw head. The only force needed was the force of turning.
Today, with the thousands of regular and specialized screws, I think, the manufacturer of whatever screw should provide an engineered driving bit that is made specifically for their screw.
I know that there might be some reluctance out there in fine furniture and cabinetry to allow a star-head screw-head to be visible. But I am certainly going to use these screws in the future as much as I can. I used to think that square-drive was the thing … but these star-heads are really amazing!
I know … I was supposed to be talking about fine screw drivers …
Chester
I don’t think it has to do with the price or function, don’t women spend over $100 (me being modest) on a night gown for some occasion and never wear it again. Guys spend the same on their cars etc etc..
I think it comes down to how cool is it. Like Renzo said, for the price of a mac pc you can get 3 windows based pc’s but a mac is so much cooler to have.
So yes… If woodworking is your passion then those right there and some damn fine screws and I’ll get some as soon as I can hide the $70 bucks for Mrs Boss.. tell her I had to get my transmission fluid flashed (so she won’t ask for more details hehe)
Fijat
Over the years I must of gone through 100′s of drivers. Some lost, some bent or chip using them as pry’s and others just warn out. A couple of years ago I bought a set of Klein’s and I made it clear that these were only to be used on screws. They are a joy to use and the right tool for the job. My old conglomeration was a hit or miss and made driving screws an adventure. Klein isn’t really expensive but good, they do their job. It is how I take care of them. Having a set makes it easier to find the right fit. By making this set special to me, it instills the confidence to do the job right.
I don’t actually own any tool that cost as much as $70.
My router is closest. My table saw is a cheap circular saw bolted to an MDF board on a pine 2×3 frame; this also constitutes my workbench. My chisels and clamps are from the bargain bin, my saws from supermarket specials, and my planes are from eBay (though decent Stanley Baileys). My jigsaw cost 7 euro’s (and I should have gotten an extra router at 8 euro’s… stupid), and that’s about it. Oh yeah, a cordless drill, box-store house-brand.
While I should definitely invest in some quality tools, I feel that “super premium” is of no use to me. :-)
I grew up with a lot of cheap tools – you know, those that come in a package that say “made in Taiwan”. It’s the stuff my dad gave me for my birthday as a kid that he found in the bargain bin at the hardware store. I went through a lot of those tools, stripping out the tips of the phillips head screwdrivers, breaking the rachet mechanism of a socket wrench, etc., etc. In retrospect, all those tools were junk, and I had plenty of bloody knuckles to prove it.
Then one day when I was in my mid-20s, I walked into Sears and bought all new Craftsman hand tools. I think I spent something like $700, which would probably be like spending a couple grand on hand tools today. But I’ll tell you that I have yet to break a Craftsman hand tool, and I’ve given them a lot more abuse than I ever gave those cheap Taiwanese tools. Today I look back and feel like it was one of the best investments I have ever made.
That being said, I am quite happy with my Craftsman hand tools and I see no value in “upgrading” to $70 screwdrivers (or any other rediculously overpriced hand tools). Mind you, I generally believe in the “you get what you pay for” principle, but once you reach a certain quality bar, what’s the point of going any further. If a $7 Craftsman screwdriver with a lifetime guarantee gets the job done, why do I need a $70 tool?
I can think of an awful lot of other places to invest my woodworking dollars. Like, I dunno, perhaps some wood?
From a woman’s point of view I have to tell you that I consider tools a very important part of any persons profession. Have you ever looked at the price of the tools a doctor for instance uses? I shudder to think of what a cheap scalpel would do to a person getting surgery. On the opposite end of the scale, has anyone ever considered how many people make a trip to the ER due to cheap tool breakage and causing injury to the user? Yes there are the “cadillac” of all tools out there but they also exist in other professions as well. So Yes, I buy the best tools I can afford and if I even think that a cheaper one will do, I remind myself of the time I had a cheap 3/8 ratchet break in my hand and I ended up with a 1 inch deep gash in the palm of my hand. So if you think it’s a tool you need to do your job to the best of your ability, then go for it! Your reputation stands on your abilities and craftsmanship and if that tool makes you shine then it’s money well spent, have at it!
just remember if you forgot where you put it, it doesn’t matter how much it costs when you need it in a hurry.
How could one possibly forget where the $70 screwdriver is?
That reason alone justifies spending the money!
when i say i forgot it thats the response i have learned to accept when my wife uses “our” tools and never puts them back exactly where they belong.
I do believe in spending extra for quality but WOW thats a lot for a screwdriver, that my 9yr old son would loose in the lawn while modifying his bike and I would find with the mower!
Nate
you guys are missing the point. If your wife or kids use your tools and you can’t (or don’t want to) stop them, then these are not the tools for you. If you use your flat head screwdrivers to open a can of paint, the only thing a flat head screw driver is good for by the way, then don’t buy one of the screwdrivers. However, If you cherish fine tools then these screwdrivers are a no brainer. Price out a high end hand plane, a Sauer Steiner or a Holtley and all of a sudden 70 bucks for a screwdriver is nothing. I used my #0 robertson screwdriver today to install some #4 screws and was, yet again, in awe of the tool. It felt wonderful to just pick it up let alone use it. $70.00, who cares!
The mere fact that these tools exist is a blessing in itself…God Bless America…