The Best Multi-Bit Screwdriver

A screwdriver might be the single most essential tool for minor home repairs. It’s the ultimate kitchen-drawer tool, and it can help with loose hinges, toy batteries, and wobbly door handles, all on the fly. But to get the most out of a screwdriver, you need one with a good bit selection—a comfortable handle and a nice ratcheting action are pluses, too. In eight years of researching and testing screwdrivers, we’ve found that the MegaPro 13-in-1 Multi-Bit Ratcheting Screwdriver is the one tool that gets everything right. Other screwdrivers might have additional features or a finer ratchet, but for a solid ratcheting action, fantastic bit storage, a useful selection of bits, and an oddly comfortable handle, the MegaPro 13-in-1 is the screwdriver to beat. This is also one of Wirecutter’s longest-standing picks: We’ve been recommending it since we started writing about screwdrivers in 2013.

The MegaPro 13-in-1 works as well at actual screwdriving as many other high-quality tools. What sets this model apart is the excellent bit storage, which makes it easy to find, store, swap—and never drop or lose—the tool’s six unusually tough double-sided bits. Those bits store in its handle, a comfortable rubberized grip with a unique feature: a free-spinning rear cap, which lets you turn the tool with one hand while using the other to press it into a screw (without the friction burning a fiery hole into your palm). Paying around $30 for a screwdriver may make your jaw drop, but in the eight years we’ve been recommending this model, we’ve received more positive feedback on it than just about any other Wirecutter pick. If you don’t lose it, this is probably the last screwdriver you’ll ever need to purchase.

We tested the MegaPro 13-in-1 alongside the Channellock 13-in-1 Multi-Bit Ratcheting Screwdriver, and they performed identically. Other than the color, they’re the same tool; MegaPro confirmed to us that it manufactures the Channellock on a private-label basis. We recommend buying whichever tool is cheaper or easier for you to get.

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If the MegaPro and Channellock 13-in-1 models are not available, we recommend the MegaPro 211R1C36RD Ratcheting Automotive Screwdriver. In almost all ways, it’s identical to our pick, as it has the same handle, the same nice ratchet, and the same style of storage system. The difference is that it takes smaller, single-sided 1-inch bits, rather than the double-sided bits that our pick takes. It’s nice that these bits are more easily replaceable, but the initial selection that comes with the screwdriver isn’t as useful. This model is usually about $10 more expensive, too.

Budget pick

Husky Ratcheting Multi-Bit Screwdriver

Similar, but lower quality

This is similar to our main pick but nowhere near as refined or as comfortable to hold. Easy availability and a lifetime warranty make it the best option in the lower price range.

Buying Options

$1,299

* from

Home Depot

*At the time of publishing, the price was $14 .

If you’re on a tighter budget, we like the Husky Ratcheting Multi-Bit Screwdriver. It stood out among the lower-priced screwdrivers for its bit storage, lifetime warranty, and ready availability at Home Depot. It can store only six bits at a time, which is a little limiting, and the handle isn’t as comfortable to hold as that of the MegaPro 13-in-1. But it still gets the job done.

Also great

MegaPro 24-in-1 Multi-Bit Precision Screwdriver

Best precision screwdriver

Compared with our top pick, MegaPro’s precision screwdriver has a similar handle, spinning cap, and bit storage. But it’s smaller, and the 24 bits can handle everything from tightening eye glasses to taking apart a computer.

Buying Options

$40

* from

MegaPro

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $36 .

Tinier screws and delicate projects require a smaller tool, and for that we recommend the MegaPro 24-in-1 Multi-Bit Precision Screwdriver. In many ways, this is the little sibling to our main pick, as it has the same smart bit storage and the spinning cap. The bit selection is also impressive, but it represents the smaller spectrum of sizes, including Apple’s pentalobe bit. It offers a teardrop handle similar to that of our main pick, as well as the comfort that goes with that shape. The rear cap spins much more freely, making delicate work easier. It doesn’t have a ratchet, but given the size of the screws it handles, we don’t think this is an issue. Among all the other precision screwdrivers we tested, none offer as much as the MegaPro 24-in-1 in a single, compact, easy-to-use package. The only significant downside of this model is that it has trouble with recessed screws because of the way the replaceable bits fit into the stem. But for a general-use kitchen-drawer tool, this screwdriver makes a nice companion piece to the larger MegaPro 13-in-1. We have more thoughts in our guide to precision screwdrivers.