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Ratchet screwdriver vs fixed screwdriver: which to buy

Updated: 23 October 2026

You reset your wrist every half-turn because the cupboard will not let the handle swing, and a ratchet screwdriver vs a fixed screwdriver is the decision that either removes that reset or leaves you with a shaft you can trust when the screw is stuck. A magazine does not settle it. Several handles in this set click, and several only look as if they might. This page from the Products Compared editorial team, 22 October 2026, is the buy decision for the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in our [Magazine screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/magazine-screwdriver). We did not measure a swing. Prices are the snapshot. Our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You reset your wrist every half-turn because the cupboard will not let the handle swing, and a ratchet screwdriver vs a fixed screwdriver is the decision that either removes that reset or leaves you with a shaft you can trust when the screw is stuck.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Stubby RA 2

Best overall

Wera Wera Stubby RA 2
9.6/10about £34.99
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 the click is for
  2. 2.The handles in this set that click
  3. 3.The handles that do not
  4. 4.Locked, or a different tool

What the click is for

A ratchet saves you repositioning the bit on repetitive screws, and it works in a short arc. A fixed shaft has no pawls to slip when a screw is seized. High torque can slip a ratchet. Bosch’s three ratchets state 36 teeth. Wera states 9 degrees on the RA 2 only. Ten degrees on the 838 RA belongs to a different driver. Buy the ratchet for repetition and a short swing. Use a fixed shaft, or the locked middle, when the screw may not move.

The handles in this set that click

Four listings claim a ratchet. The Bosch 12-bit, 1600A027PP, is £20.62 with PZ, slotted, Torx and hex, 4.7 from 3,880 reviews, and an 80 mm rod. The £16.83 stubby has PZ1 and PZ2. The £9.28 stubby has PH2 rather than Pozidriv. All three say 36 teeth and up to 50 Nm, which stays a listing claim. The Wera RA 2 is £34.99, 4.8 from 60 ratings, with two United Kingdom reviews. Pick by recess and length, not by the highest star.
Wera Wera Stubby RA 2

Testsieger

Wera Wera Stubby RA 2
9.6/10about £34.99
View offer

The handles that do not

The other eight do not claim a ratchet in the bullets. Wera magazines 1 to 4 are fixed shafts. A UK review on magazine 2 says it is not a ratchet. Magazine 4’s Canada line mentions one. The bullets do not. The Kompakt 28 drew UK complaints that it does not ratchet. The 27 XL is a 300 mm rigid blade. The Kompakt 20 on B000BK7AOS is a retractable bayonet blade and a Rapidaptor chuck. The sheet for 05051021001 does not add a ratchet. The Wiha does not claim one either.

Locked, or a different tool

The middle position, and Wera’s position 0, turns a ratchet into a fixed shaft for one screw. It does not lengthen a stubby or add a Pozidriv bit. Stop when the handle digs into the palm. The Bosch 12-bit is the broad household ratchet. The £16.83 Bosch is the short ratchet with PZ1 and PZ2. The RA 2 is the short Wera ratchet if you accept 60 ratings. For a stuck screw, use Wera magazine 2 in a 65 mm body, or the 27 XL for reach.

Common questions

What does a ratchet change about how I turn a screw?
You drive on the forward stroke and let the handle return without lifting the bit, so you stop resetting your hand. That helps on repetitive screws and in a short arc. A fixed shaft makes you reposition, and it has no pawls to slip. In this set the difference is real only on the three Bosch ratchets and the Wera RA 2. The other magazines do not click.
Is 36 teeth fine or coarse?
It is 36 teeth. Dividing 360 by 36 gives 10 degrees on paper, and that is not a measured swing on these Bosch tools. Wera states 9 degrees for the RA 2 only. Pages that cite 60 or 72 teeth, or 10 degrees for the 838 RA, are not this Bosch. In a tight hinge the indexing can help. On an open rail a fixed driver often feels less sloppy.
When do I lock the ratchet?
When you want the shaft and the handle to move together: the final tighten, or a screw that may not move and might slip the mechanism. Bosch calls it the middle manual setting. A UK review says that position works like a normal screwdriver. Wera’s locked spot is position 0. The lock does not make a stubby longer, and it does not raise a listing’s up to 50 Nm claim into a measurement. If the screw still will not move, stop before the handle digs into your palm.
Will a ratchet break a rusted screw?
Not reliably. Pawls can slip under high torque, which is why a fixed shaft, or the locked middle, is the better first attempt on a seized screw. A stubby ratchet has even less leverage than a long fixed driver. Try once, then change tool. Do not hammer the handle. Gas appliances and a published torque are jobs to hand to a competent person. A rusted hinge in heavy timber is closer to that limit than to a flat-pack cam bolt.
Which of these twelve actually ratchet?
The Bosch 12-bit (B0BX9DT6C3), the Bosch stubby at £16.83 (B0BX9GCLDW), the Bosch stubby at £9.28 (B0DSWH1DSS), and the Wera RA 2 (B0DYP676FP). Each of those bullets describes a ratchet. Magazines 1 to 4, the Kompakt 28, the 27 XL, the Kompakt 20 on B000BK7AOS, and the Wiha do not. A shared UK review says the non-ratchet Wera stubby is not a ratchet. A Canada line on magazine 4 does not override the bullets.
Is the Kompakt 20 a ratchet?
Not this one. B000BK7AOS lists a retractable bayonet blade and a Rapidaptor chuck, at £41.95 with 4.8 from 3,234 reviews, and the sheet for 05051021001 does not add a ratchet. Another Kompakt 20 on the wider market can be a different mechanism. If the photo you remember had a direction ring, check the ASIN before you order. The ratcheting Wera in this comparison is the RA 2 stubby, on a much smaller review count.

Related pages

How to use a ratchet screwdriver

Magazine screwdriver buying guide

Stubby magazine screwdriver

Magazine screwdriver

Best magazine screwdriver for the job in front of you

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)