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Screwdriver with bits in the handle: what to check first

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are halfway through a flat-pack wardrobe when one hinge is Pozidriv and the next bolt is Torx, and the only driver in the drawer is a single Phillips. A screwdriver with bits in the handle keeps those tips in the grip and offers a 1/4 inch hex socket. The handle still has to match the screws in a UK house before the price is worth reading. This page uses the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in our [Magazine screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/magazine-screwdriver). We read those listings and public UK sources, not a lab test. Our amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are halfway through a flat-pack wardrobe when one hinge is Pozidriv and the next bolt is Torx, and the only driver in the drawer is a single Phillips.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20

Best overall

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20
9.6/10about £41.95
View offer
Bosch Bosch 12-bit pop-up ratchet

Best value

Bosch Bosch 12-bit pop-up ratchet
9.4/10about £20.62
View offer
Wera Wera Stubby magazine 2

Alternative

Wera Wera Stubby magazine 2
9.4/10about £20.28
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are actually buying
  2. 2.Recess first
  3. 3.Reach, ratchet and retention
  4. 4.The check you can skip

What you are actually buying

A magazine screwdriver is one handle with the bits stored in it. On these listings the store is a pop-up cassette, a captive swivelling magazine, a bayonet holder, or a lift-up cap. The working end is a 1/4 inch hex. Ordinary 25 mm bits fit the Wera and Bosch handles here. The Wiha is built around slimBits. The Kompakt 20 and the Kompakt 28 do not claim a ratchet. Start with the recesses you own.

Recess first

UK wood screws and chipboard screws are commonly Pozidriv, with extra ticks between the arms of the cross. A Phillips bit can cam out of that head, and a Pozidriv bit does not seat in a Phillips screw. The bolts.co.uk recess guide is why that mismatch should retire a handle before you compare brands. The Bosch 12-bit lists PZ1 to PZ3 and no Phillips. Magazine 2 carries Phillips and Pozidriv. Magazine 1, magazine 3, magazine 4 and the £9.28 Bosch stubby do not list PZ2.
Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20

Testsieger

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20
9.6/10about £41.95
View offer

Reach, ratchet and retention

Wera states 65 mm overall for the Kraftform Kompakt Stubby. Bosch’s 12-bit bullet lists an 80 mm rod. The Wera 27 XL lists a 300 mm rigid blade. A UK reviewer said the Bosch stubby was not as short as the Wera it replaced. Ignore the 10 g Amazon prints. Wera’s sheet for magazine 1 quotes 108 g. Short gaps are on the stubby screwdriver for tight spaces page. Bosch’s ratchets state 36 teeth. Wera states 9 degrees on the RA 2 only. The Kompakt 20 on this ASIN is a retractable blade, not a ratchet.

The check you can skip

Stars on these twelve listings sit between 4.4 and 4.8. That band does not tell you which recesses are in the handle. Magazines 1, 2 and 3 share one 4.7 from 3,645 reviews. Count that pool once. The RA 2’s 4.8 comes from 60 ratings. Snapshot prices run from £9.28 to £51.11, and they move. Read them after the bit list, the length and the ratchet have ruled tools out.

Common questions

What counts as a magazine screwdriver rather than a bit set?
A magazine screwdriver stores the bits in the handle and drives them from a 1/4 inch hex socket, so one tool covers several heads without a separate case. A boxed set can hold more tips, and you still carry the box to the job. The Bosch pop-up ratchets, the Wera stubbies, the Kompakt handles, the 27 XL and the Wiha LiftUp all keep that store in the grip. A pouch of loose bits is a different product.
Do I need Pozidriv bits for UK wood screws?
For most UK wood screws and chipboard screws, yes. The recess is Pozidriv, often marked by ticks between the cross, and the usual household sizes are PZ1 and PZ2, with PZ3 on larger screws. The Bosch 12-bit lists all three. Wera magazine 2 lists PZ1 and PZ2. Magazine 1, magazine 3, magazine 4 and the £9.28 Bosch stubby do not. If those are your screws, those handles fail the first check however many stars they show.
Is a Phillips bit good enough for a Pozidriv screw?
It will often turn the screw, and it is liable to cam out once the screw bites, which chews the recess. A Pozidriv bit is the match for a Pozidriv screw. A Pozidriv bit does not seat in a Phillips head, so the reverse shortcut fails too. Use PH1 or PH2 only where the screw is actually Phillips.
Does 1/4 inch mean I can use ordinary 25 mm bits?
On the Wera and Bosch handles here, the socket is the ordinary 1/4 inch hex, ISO 1173 Form C 6.3, and 25 mm is the length these magazines are built around. The Wiha listing is a slimBit tool whose bullets claim 1,000 V AC approval. A bare workshop bit in that holder is not how that claim is described. Check the mark on the tool you unpack before you treat any handle as insulated.
When is a stubby the wrong first buy?
When the screw is seized, or when you still have room for a longer handle. Wera’s 65 mm overall length reaches a hinge a normal shaft cannot, and it gives you less leverage. The 300 mm Wera 27 XL will not enter that same gap. Buy the stubby for access. Use a longer driver, or the locked middle on a ratchet you already own, to break a stuck screw, and stop if the handle digs into your palm.
What does an insulated Amazon attribute actually mean?
On its own, very little. Wera magazine 1 has a special-feature field that says Insulated, and the bullets state no voltage, no test and no BS EN IEC 60900 approval. Only the Wiha bullets in this set claim a 10,000 V AC test and 1,000 V AC approval. That claim still needs the mark on the tool you received, and it does not switch off regulation 14.

Related pages

Best magazine screwdriver

Ratchet or fixed magazine screwdriver

Magazine screwdriver

How to use a magazine ratchet screwdriver safely

Stubby screwdriver for tight spaces: what 65 mm will not do

Sources

Public UK and maker sources are listed below. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this comparison. This page did not lab-test the drivers. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. BSI, BS EN IEC 60900:2018 live-working hand tools (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE INDG354, electricity at work (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE, reducing force on the hand (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. ISO 1173:2001 screwdriver bit drive ends (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. bolts.co.uk, common recess styles (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Which?, faulty products and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Wiha LiftUp electric 38613 (retrieved 22 October 2026)