Review on Wera Kraftform Kompakt Ratcheting Screwdriver by John Eaton

Attractive and very hard-wearing. The handle has a larger diameter than a normal Wera screwdriver, but still feels relatively good in the hand. I don't like it as much as the thinner grips, but they deliver more torque due to the larger overall diameter. The button on the back hasn't even unintentionally opened the handle on me in the past year, but it's easy to press and release to access saved beats. The button needs to be depressed approximately 3mm (⅛ inch) to open the latch in the handle and has hard spring tension for quick release. The bit compartment has holders for 6 1" (25mm) insert bits with standard 1/4" (6.3mm) shank. Ring switch for locking, left and right ratchets are metal and marked with a small protrusion that serves as a pointer to left for actions, marked "R" on the plastic handle for right turn and left ratchet, "o" in the center to indicate the driver to lock in both directions, and 'L' for left turn and ratchet right. It works in the opposite direction from my snap-on ratchet to the direction I have to turn the selector to turn to ride. For this driver, turn the selector left to select "R" for motion and right to select "L" for loose action. It has a solid locking feel when selecting different positions, and I haven't accidentally lost my grip in the last year of using it. The pick ring also has flat sides on the hexagonal edge for anti-roll, which works well and looks good. The hex shank provides a good surface that can be easily rotated toward the ratchet with your index finger and thumb for quick removal or tightening of low-torque fasteners. I don't feel like I miss using a knurled round shaft for this purpose and I think I get a bit more torque from turning the hex with my fingers. The shank is a hexagonal tool shank with a magnetic stainless steel bit holder with a friction fit on the end. The bit holder doesn't fit the shank perfectly and has very little wobble, which I didn't notice until I checked for runout. It has a concentricity of approx. 0.5 mm. I actually replaced the first one I bought with a Wera due to the rather poor concentricity of the stainless steel bit holder pressing against the shank end. Bits fit snugly in a bit holder with a magnetic insert with close tolerance. The bit holder holds bit bits well with a strong magnet, and the magnet is strong enough to grab small ferrous objects like 3" (75mm) screws on the end of a bit that is set. The bit holder doesn't have a retaining ring, which I think is a good thing. The bits slide in and out of the holder easily, although the magnet is very strong and holds the bits securely with no locking ring. The ratchet mechanism adopts a very thin precision ratchet, which is well fixed and looks solid and exquisite. The softer green grip bar feels a bit stiffer than most of my other Wera drivers, but still provides a nice gripping surface. I hope this review is helpful.