Best multi-bit screwdriver

Klein’s 32500 is my top pick because its three nut drivers fit the jobs a plumber hits most. Klein lists 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 inch nut drivers. Most worm-gear hose clamps take a 5/16 or a 1/4, so this one handle tightens the clamps on a disposal, a dishwasher drain or a rubber coupling.

The tips cover the common heads. Klein lists #1 and #2 Phillips, 1/4 and 3/16 inch slotted, #1 and #2 square, and T10 and T15 Torx. That’s eight tips on four double-ended bits that ride inside the shaft.

The way it changes is simple. Pull the bit out, flip it or swap it, and push it back in. Pull the bit holder out, and the shaft becomes the nut drivers. Klein calls the components interchangeable for quick switch outs.

Klein lists a hollow depth of 1.75 inches on the nut drivers. That matters on a long bolt or threaded rod. A shallow nut driver bottoms out on the rod before it reaches the nut, and this one gives you more room.

Klein’s data sheet lists the overall length at 7.25 inches, the shaft at half an inch across and the weight at 8 ounces. The handle is Klein’s Cushion-Grip in rubber. It’s not insulated and not magnetic, per the same sheet.

Klein’s listing says the bits have a blast finish that holds firm and reduces cam-out. That’s the bit slipping up and out of the screw head, which is how a Phillips screw gets stripped.

Bits wear out, and Klein sells replacements by catalog number: 32482 for #1 Phillips and 3/16 slotted, 32483 for #2 Phillips and 1/4 slotted, 32484 for the square bits, and 32485 for the Torx. You don’t have to buy a new driver when the #2 Phillips rounds off.

If you carry one screwdriver on plumbing calls, make it this one.

Klein’s 32315HD is the pick when you’re driving a lot of screws. Its ratchet lets you turn the screw without letting go of the handle. Klein says the collar sets the direction at forward, fixed or reverse, so you can lock it solid when you need to break a tight screw loose.

It carries the widest range of everyday tips on this page. Klein lists Phillips #0, #1, #2 and #3, 3/16 and 1/4 inch slotted, #1 and #2 square, Torx T10, T15, T20 and T25, and #1 and #2 combo bits. That’s 14 tips on seven double-ended bits that store in the handle.

The Phillips range is the reason to buy it over the 32500. A #3 Phillips fits bigger screws, like some heavy bracket screws, and a #0 fits tiny trim screws. Neither is in the 11-in-1.

The Torx range helps too. Many construction screws use Torx heads, and T20 and T25 are common sizes. The 32500 stops at T15.

The bits are Klein’s impact rated ProFlex bits with a torsion zone. Klein says they connect straight to a 1/4 inch impact driver, so the #2 square you use by hand also drives strap screws in the impact. The ratcheting handle stays a hand tool.

Klein’s product page lists leaf spring bit retention, a 4.23 inch shank, an overall length of 9.5 inches and a weight of 9.92 ounces. The handle is Klein’s Cushion-Grip. It’s not magnetic and not insulated, per the same page.

On a plumbing job, I’d use it for the long, boring runs: a dozen pipe straps on a basement run, the screws on a tub access panel, or a row of hangers under a floor. The ratchet keeps your grip in place while the screw turns.

The trade-off is the nut drivers. It has only a 1/4 inch, so a 5/16 hose clamp needs another tool. If you go this way, pair it with a separate 5/16 nut driver.

Bits wear out. Klein lists six replacement pairs, 32491HD to 32496HD, like 32492HD for the #1 and #2 Phillips and 32496HD for the T20 and T25.

Klein’s 32500HD looks like the classic 11-in-1, but every part is rated for an impact driver. Klein says each component works in an impact driver and in the included handle, so you don’t need a separate set of power bits.

It also has the most nut drivers here. Klein lists 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2 inch. The 1/2 inch turns a 5/16 hex nut, a size the other picks can’t reach. Klein’s listing says the nut drivers are color coded, so you can grab the right size without reading the stamp.

The tips are a little different from the 32500. Klein lists #1 and #2 Phillips, 1/4 and 3/16 inch slotted, #1 and #2 square, and one Torx, a T25. You lose the T10 and T15, and gain a nut driver.

Klein’s data sheet lists the material as S2 steel, the shank at 3.63 inches, the overall length at 8 inches and the weight at 7.7 ounces. The bit retention is quick change. It’s the lightest of the four Klein drivers here.

One thing to check. Klein’s listing says the bit holder is magnetic and works as a 1/4 inch power nut driver. The data sheet lists “Magnetic: No”. I’d plan on it not holding a screw by itself until you’ve tried it.

Where it pays off on a plumbing call: run the 5/16 nut driver in the impact to snug a row of strut clamp screws, then drop it in the handle to finish a hose clamp by feel. The same part does both jobs.

Its four nut drivers run from 1/4 to 1/2 in., the widest spread of the six. It’s the only pick here with the 1/2 in. size, which turns a 5/16 in. hex nut.

The handle is for hand driving. The bits and nut drivers are the parts that go in the impact’s chuck.

Wiha’s 77891 is the 11-in-1 for people who hit bigger Torx screws. Wiha lists Torx T20 and T25, where Klein’s 32500 has T10 and T15. T20 and T25 are common on construction screws.

The rest of the kit matches the Klein. Wiha lists 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 inch nut drivers, #1 and #2 Phillips, 1/4 and 3/16 inch slotted, and #1 and #2 square. So you still get the 5/16 for hose clamps.

Wiha says it’s manufactured in Monticello, Minnesota. That’s the only pick here with a US factory named by the maker.

A few details show care. The handle has parallel flats so it doesn’t roll off a sink deck or a ladder top, which Wiha calls out by name. The nut driver part is chrome plated and the double-ended bits are phosphate finished, both for corrosion protection, per Wiha.

Wiha says a spring-loaded detent ball locks the handle and insert together. That keeps the shaft from pulling out of the handle when you back a tight screw out.

The bits are Wiha’s tool steel with precision machined tips that Wiha says reduce cam-out. Wiha lists the shipping weight at 0.55 pounds. It doesn’t list a length.

One catch: Wiha says the parts don’t fit its SoftFinish 6inOne, so buy replacement parts for the 11inOne. Wiha sells them as a separate kit.

On a plumbing call, I’d use it the same way as the Klein 32500: the 5/16 on a hose clamp, the #2 Phillips on a cover, and the T25 on a strap screw that the Klein can’t turn.

The handle is sized to the blade, Wiha says, for consistent mechanical advantage. Wiha calls it dual durometer, meaning it’s molded from two materials of different hardness.

Wiha backs it with its No Hassle Guarantee.

Klein’s 32307 is a specialist, and it’s here because plumbers who work in commercial buildings need one. Public restrooms often use security screws on partitions, dispensers and access panels. A normal screwdriver can’t turn them.

Klein lists 26 bits. There are ten tamperproof hex sizes: 3/32, 7/64, 1/8, 9/64, 5/32 and 3/16 inch, plus 2, 2.5, 3 and 5 mm. There are nine tamperproof Torx: T7, T8, T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30 and T40.

The rest cover the odd heads. Klein lists Torq-Set TS6, TS8 and TS10, and tamperproof spanner SP4, SP6, SP8 and SP10. Spanner screws are the ones with two holes in the head, sometimes called snake eyes.

A tamperproof bit has a hole in the center for the pin in the screw. That hole doesn’t stop it from turning a plain screw of the same size, so these hex and Torx bits work on normal fasteners too.

Klein says powerful rare-earth magnets in the barrel hold the bits and the screws. That’s a help on a small security screw you’re fishing out of a panel overhead. It’s the only one of the four Klein picks with a magnet listed on its data sheet.

Klein’s data sheet lists a stainless steel barrel, a 3.38 inch shank, an overall length of 8.49 inches and a weight of 8.8 ounces. There’s also a 1/4 inch nut driver.

On a commercial service call, it’s the driver that gets a dispenser or a partition panel open so you can reach the valve or supply behind it. Without it, you wait for maintenance to bring the key.

What it doesn’t have is a plain Phillips or slotted bit. So it rides next to your everyday driver, not in place of it.

Wera’s Kraftform Kompakt 26 is the pick for cramped spaces. Its blade has two positions. Wera says it lowers into the handle for confined spaces, then a push of the clamping sleeve extends it to full length when you need reach.

That’s exactly the problem under a sink. A screw on the back of a cabinet, a disposal mounting screw or a strap behind the trap often sits where a long driver hits the cabinet wall. With the blade pulled in, the Wera gets in there.

Wera lists six bits: #1 and #2 Phillips, two slotted sizes at 5.5 and 6.5 mm, and #1 and #2 square. They’re 25 mm long and store in a press-button magazine in the handle. The seventh piece is the 889/4 R Rapidaptor bit holder, 100 mm long.

The Rapidaptor chuck is Wera’s quick-release system. Wera says you can swap bits in a single motion, and a free-turning sleeve keeps the tool steady while you drive.

Pull the blade all the way out and it works as a bit holder in a drill or driver, per Wera. Put it back in the handle and you’re back to hand driving. It’s the same trick as the Klein 32500HD, done a different way.

The handle is Wera’s Kraftform shape with an anti-roll feature, and the set comes in a belt pouch. Wera says the multi-component grip is made for low-fatigue driving.

What’s missing matters for plumbing. There are no nut drivers and no Torx bits, so it won’t touch a hose clamp or a T25 strap screw. I’d carry it as the under-sink driver, next to an 11-in-1.

Wera doesn’t list a weight or overall length on the page I read.