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

Updated: 23 October 2026

The long driver hits the cupboard wall before the bit reaches the hinge, so you want a stubby screwdriver for tight spaces. The useful question is how short the handle really is, and what you give up when the screw is stuck. This page from the Products Compared editorial team, 22 October 2026, stays on reach. It uses the Wera and Bosch stubbies in our [Magazine screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/magazine-screwdriver). The 300 mm Wera 27 XL is the opposite job and stays on that comparison. We did not measure a gap in a lab. Prices are the amazon.co.uk snapshot and they move. Our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The long driver hits the cupboard wall before the bit reaches the hinge, so you want a stubby screwdriver for tight spaces.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Stubby RA 2

Best overall

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

Alternative

Wera Wera Stubby magazine 2
9.4/10about £20.28
View offer
Bosch Bosch stubby ratchet 1600A027PK

Alternative

Bosch Bosch stubby ratchet 1600A027PK
9.4/10about £16.83
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The gap, not the brand
  2. 2.The Wera magazines are not one bit set
  3. 3.The Bosch stubby is a different short
  4. 4.When to put it down

The gap, not the brand

A stubby is an access tool. It reaches a gap a 75 to 200 mm shaft cannot enter, and it is a poor way to drive a long screw into heavy timber. Wera states 65 mm overall for the Kraftform Kompakt Stubby. The sheet for 05008873001 also gives 108 g. That 65 mm is the whole tool, not a 25 mm blade. amazon.co.uk prints 10 g on three ASINs. Use 108 g and 65 mm from Wera.

The Wera magazines are not one bit set

The same 65 mm body is sold with different bits. Magazine 2, about £20.28, holds slotted, PH, PZ1 and PZ2, and it does not ratchet. Magazine 1 has no Pozidriv. Magazine 3 is Torx and hex only. Magazine 4 is Phillips and slotted. The RA 2, at £34.99, adds a ratchet and PZ1 and PZ2. Wera states 9 degrees. It is 4.8 from 60 ratings, too thin to crown.
Wera Wera Stubby RA 2

Testsieger

Wera Wera Stubby RA 2
9.6/10about £34.99
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The Bosch stubby is a different short

Bosch sells two stubby ratchets here, and neither quotes 65 mm. The £16.83 tool has PZ1, PZ2, PH2, SL4, TX25 and HEX5. A UK reviewer said it was not as short as the Wera it replaced. The £9.28 Bosch has PH2 rather than Pozidriv. Choose the £16.83 when you want a click and the gap is only moderately tight. Choose magazine 2 when the last few millimetres are why you are shopping.

When to put it down

Put the stubby down when the screw is seized. You cannot get your forearm behind 65 mm the way you can behind a full-length handle. Lock the middle if you have a Bosch, try once, then fetch a longer driver. The 27 XL, a 300 mm blade at £31.99, is that opposite tool. Do not hammer the stubby. An offset driver is not in this set.

Common questions

How short is a Wera magazine stubby?
Wera states 65 mm overall for the Kraftform Kompakt Stubby. The sheet for magazine 1 also lists a packed size of 115 × 60 × 40 mm and 108 g. That is the whole tool, not a 25 to 40 mm fixed blade of the sort Compel describes as a rule of thumb. amazon.co.uk’s 10 g field on three of these ASINs is not a credible weight. The RA 2 is the same class of short body, with a ratchet added, and 65 mm is still not a Bosch figure.
Will it fit where a normal driver does not?
Often, when the normal shaft is fouling the cupboard and the clearance is tight but the handle can still turn. A standard shaft of roughly 75 to 200 mm is the usual thing that will not fit. The 65 mm Wera is built for that miss. It is not magic clearance. If the handle itself hits the frame, you need an offset driver, which these listings are not. A UK reviewer found the Bosch stubby longer than the Wera it replaced, so stubby on a title is not one length.
Can it undo a seized hinge screw?
Poorly, compared with a longer handle. The stubby exists so you can reach the head, and the short body gives you less leverage once the thread is stuck. Try one controlled effort with the ratchet locked, if you have a Bosch or the RA 2, then change tool. Do not hammer it. DIY Doctor’s plain version of the same limit is that a stubby is a poor tool for driving a long screw into heavy timber. A seized hinge is that kind of job.
Which Wera magazine has Pozidriv bits?
Magazine 2, with PZ1 and PZ2, plus Phillips and slotted, at about £20.28, and it does not ratchet. The RA 2 also has PZ1 and PZ2, at £34.99, and it does ratchet, on 60 ratings. Magazine 1 has no Pozidriv bit. Magazine 3 is Torx and hex. Magazine 4 is Phillips and slotted only. For a UK chipboard screw in a short gap, magazine 2 is the match unless the click is the reason you are paying more.
Is the Bosch stubby the same length?
The listings do not say 65 mm. A UK reviewer who moved from a Wera stubby to the £16.83 Bosch said the Bosch was not as short. The Bosch dimension field is 14.2 × 8 × 4.4 cm, which reads as a parcel, not an overall length. Both Bosch stubbies claim a 36-tooth ratchet. Only the £16.83 one lists PZ1 and PZ2. Treat stubby as a shape, and check it against the gap you already failed with the Wera, if that is the tool you know.
Why does Amazon say the Wera weighs 10 g?
Because the item-weight field says 10 g on magazines 1, 2 and 3. It is not a plausible mass, and it is not the 108 g on Wera’s data sheet for magazine 1. Magazine 4’s field says 110 g, which is at least in a believable range. Do not compare these tools by the Amazon weight line. Do not compare them by the shared 3,645-review line either, because that sample is one pool across three ASINs.

Related pages

Best magazine screwdriver

Ratchet or fixed magazine screwdriver

How to use a ratchet screwdriver

Magazine screwdriver

Screwdriver with bits in the handle: what to check first

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)