We get a lot of questions in comments and private messages asking us "what the difference is between our original driver and this new Pocket Driver!" So, I thought I'd take some time to get down the main differences between them for the uninitiated, in the best way we know how, with the power of the GIF and some nice images thrown in for good measure!
The Fundamentals
To kick things off let's quickly look at what they're both designed for, then we'll get stuck into the details.
OG Driver
Two handed operation
Designed to live in a toolbox/ that drawer everyone has with useful stuff in
Perfect for heavy duty tasks like building decking or torquing up a big bolt
Pocket Driver
Single handed operation
Designed to be carried on your person or in a bag
Perfect for light/ medium duty tasks like assembling furniture or tightening up a loose bike seat.
Now let's get into the details!
The Handle
Let’s start with the biggest fundamental difference between the big Driver and Pocket Driver - the Pocket Driver handle is fixed and does not spin like it's big brother. This catches a lot of people out, but the original driver, unless used with the arm closed, is a 2 handed tool. The Pocket Driver is a single-handed tool, so ideal for smaller jobs where you need an extra hand to support what you're working on.
With the original, the handle spins freely and you can lean on the driver with all of your weight so it can drive wood screws, masonry screws and decking bolts with ease. The handle on Pocket Driver being fixed makes it easier to handle and put in things like hex screws or assemble flat pack furniture, where you really need 3 hands!
Arm
The arm is the big visual difference and is also made very differently to the original. The original handle is laser cut out of sheet stainless steel, then bent to shape using CNC machinery. The Pocket Driver arms are milled out of solid billets of plate metal.
The pivot point is much higher on the Pocket Driver so it creates a T-Drive handle when popped out, so again is perfect for single handed use and is much faster to use with smaller screws. The original Driver works best at 90 degrees when the arm is lowered, whereas Pocket Driver has four different arm positions to help you adapt to different situations.
We really liked the inline grip that was possible with the original Driver when it's arm was in the closed position, which allows for quick use with plenty of torque as you can get a lot of purchase on the sides of the arm as you turn it. As we took the Driver into the micro realm, we really wanted to keep this feature, but noticed the smaller form factor didn't let you get a great deal of power through it. With this in mind we experimented with many different arms styles to find the perfect form and finally settled on a full wrap around design that allowed you to pop the handle a fraction to create our offline mode, still allowing access to tight spaces, but with a bunch more torque.
The next major development was with the Pistol Grip mode and is what really stands out when you're using Pocket Driver as it perfectly fits in the palm of your hand... and also kinda reminds me of the cricket from MIB.
Here's a quick overview of the grip modes from the campaign page:
Inline - Quick access, low effort assemblies with maximum control
Offline - Great for hard to reach places where extra torque is required
T-Grip - Maximum power for tough assemblies
Pistol Grip - Ergonomic grip that can deliver a lot of power with plenty of control
Offline
Pistol Grip
Bit Storage
We were able to include bit storage in the handle on Pocket Driver, whereas on the original this had to be introduced and as an extra addon. Starting from scratch allowed us to incorporate it from the the start. Pocket Driver is able to store 2 x 25mm bits internally.
Size
Pocket Driver is much smaller, at about a third of the physical size but more importantly a lot lighter. With the original drivers we couldn't make them in full stainless steel as they would have weighed far too much to be useful, but on Pocket Driver we've been able to have a full stainless version. It still has a good solid weight to it, but won’t pull your trousers down!
Bit Cavity (size of bits it holds)
Talking about bits! The original Driver had quite a deep magnetic hex driver interface, this was intentional so that the driver wouldn't damage bits that were used with it, it did mean that for smaller bits it needs the supplied adaptor.
Pocket Driver is the opposite way around, so it holds small bits with ease, that are more commonly used with hex bits and on everyday dismantling tasks. Again, removing the need for an adaptor makes it much faster to get into action when working.
Power
Pocket Driver has a smaller arm and with one hand logically you will apply less torque through it, but that’s not a bad thing! Tailored for smaller screws, it gives much more control and there is less chance to damage tiny screws heads. You wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to put in a panel pin after all, unless you're Thor maybe…
Precision
Power
Getting Into A Small Space
The big Driver was more compact than a battery drill, but still too big go get inside a modern engine housing. Pocket Driver can really get inside of something and dismantle it from the inside out when you are up to your elbows in a job and can only just about reach with one hand, that’s where Pocket Driver comes into its own.
Custom Shoulders
Just a small feature, but the original Driver used off the shelf fixings. For Pocket Driver we have opted for custom shoulder screws, normally used in precision engineering, to better regulate the fit of the handle so it can move flexibly and reliably while in use.
Chuck
The mechanical design of the chuck in Pocket Driver has been totally redesigned and has 10 castellations instead of 8 like on the original Driver. This allows for a much smoother and precise drive on those tiny screws. It’s a small addition, but being designed for finer work, this will really be noticeable when space is limited and less power is required. Interestingly it is more similar to the third generation Weltrecord from 1950.
Comparison Table
Now let's pop all of that information into a nice and easy to understand infographic.
In Summary
Pocket Driver looks just as good and has the same build quality as our original driver, but for how you use it, well it's a different beast altogether.
Original Driver - Two handed operation for medium to heavy duty work
Building decking
removing stuck bolts
Pocket Driver - Single handed operation for light to medium duty work
Assembling furniture
Getting into tight spaces
Designed to be a modern replacement for Allen/hex keys and be a damn fine micro ratchet screwdriver.
The 'Bit of a survey' results are in!
And the winners are! PZ2 and PH2!
You guys overwhelmingly voted for these two and gave some great feedback as to why slotted bits are dumb... so we won't do that!
These bits will now be supplied with every Pocket Driver we send out and can be stored inside the handle for speedy access.
Thanks so much for the feedback so far, we are still working on some addons that we think you are going to like based on what you all have told us so there is that to look forwards to still!
I really hope you have found this information useful and that it helps answer some questions you may have had. That's all for this week, but if you have any questions or ideas feel free to send us a message, it's always great to hear from you all.