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How to use a Wera Kraftform screwdriver

Updated: October 2026

You already have the driver: a two-tone Kraftform, a Kompakt with bits in the grip, or a yellow insulated shaft from this comparison. How to use a Wera Kraftform screwdriver comes down to which part of the handle takes the torque, how a spring-loaded sleeve behaves, and when a cut in the insulation means you stop. This is not a ranking. Prices and stars stay on the [Wera screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/wera-screwdriver). Which family to buy is on the [buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/wera-screwdriver/sub/wera-screwdriver-buying-guide). Products Compared is describing the maker's account of the handle and the check in HSE guidance, not a laboratory trial. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have the driver: a two-tone Kraftform, a Kompakt with bits in the grip, or a yellow insulated shaft from this comparison.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20

Best overall

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20
9.1/10about £41.95
View offer
Wera Wera Kraftform 300 six-piece set

Best value

Wera Wera Kraftform 300 six-piece set
8.9/10about £29.99
View offer
Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2

Rank 3

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2
9.2/10about £20.28
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Grip the soft zones, slide on the hard zones
  2. 2.Change a bit, then extend the blade
  3. 3.Look at the insulation before the screw
  4. 4.Lasertip, Black Point, and the Micro cap

Grip the soft zones, slide on the hard zones

Wera splits the Kraftform handle into two jobs. The soft zones take the torque: that is the part in your palm when you drive or undo. The hard zones let you reposition without the soft material grabbing your skin. Seat the tip, drive from the soft zones, let the hard zones glide as you reset, and only then load the screw again. The hex at the end of the handle is an anti-roll. It is not a ratchet. UK reviews of Kompakt 28, £28.38, include people who bought it because that hex looked like a ratcheting Wera and found a fixed driver. The same grip applies to a Lasertip set and to a VDE handle. The Micro 12 is different: its rotating cap is a fingertip spinner, and reviews say it is too small for a seized screw.

Change a bit, then extend the blade

Select the bit before you chase reach. The stubby holds six 25 mm bits: slotted, PH1, PH2, PZ1 and PZ2. Reviews call the cassette flimsy, so open it over a bench. Kompakt 20 adds a Rapidaptor chuck, a magazine and a pouch. The chuck holds a 1/4 inch bit and lets it go, and reviewers say the stack of handle, holder and bit wobbles beside a one-piece shaft. A button on the end sits where your palm pushes. Extending the blade is a sleeve, not a yank. Wera's Kompakt 20 page says you press the locking sleeve to extend, and you press more firmly to take the blade out for use as a power-tool adaptor. The manual for sibling part 05051024001 says the blade is under spring pressure and can eject if you mishandle the sleeve. Point it away from your face. Kompakt 28 reviews say bits fall out and the hollow handle splits if you pry. A loose bar in a drill adds no insulation.
Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20

Testsieger

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt 20
9.1/10about £41.95
View offer

Look at the insulation before the screw

Only some drivers here are sold as insulated: the 26-piece roll, the slim seven-piece, the two six-piece VDE sets, and the 2go quiver. Kraftform 300, Big Pack 300, the extra-long set, the Micro, the stubby and both Kompakt bit-drivers make no 1,000 volt claim. A red and yellow handle does not move them into the insulated group. Before an insulated driver goes near a terminal, look along the sleeve, including the tip and the point where the blade enters the handle. HSE's HSG85 says insulated tools for live work should meet BS EN 60900 and be replaced if damaged. A cut, a crack, a burn, or insulation peeled back is the end of that driver for electrical work. The bench check is visual. No set here includes a voltage tester. Regulation 14 is on Wera VDE screwdriver or everyday. If you cannot prove the circuit is dead, stop and call someone competent.

Lasertip, Black Point, and the Micro cap

Lasertip and Black Point are different features. Lasertip is the textured tip Wera describes for slotted, Phillips and Pozidriv, named on Kraftform 300 and Big Pack 300. A textured Phillips tip does not become Pozidriv. Black Point is the hardened tip on the Phillips and slotted six-piece, B09VCSH3G4, which does not list Pozidriv. PZ/S plus-minus is a third shape for terminals, switches and sockets. It is not a plain PZ2. Use the Micro rotating cap to spin a small screw once the tip is seated. Do not bear down on it as if it were a full-size soft zone. Match the recess on Pozidriv vs Phillips screwdriver. Match the job on best Wera screwdriver.

Common questions

Which part of the handle is for torque?
The soft zones take the torque. The hard zones let your hand reposition without sticking. The hex stops the driver rolling on a bench. It does not ratchet.
How do I extend a Kompakt blade safely?
On the Kompakt 20, press the locking sleeve to extend, and press more firmly only when you mean to remove the blade. The manual for sibling part 05051024001 says the blade is sprung and can eject. Point it away from you.
Can I put the loose blade in a drill?
Wera says a firmer press on the Kompakt 20 releases the blade as a power-tool adaptor. The release is the hazard, and a bare adaptor has no insulation claim.
How do I change a Rapidaptor bit?
The chuck on Kompakt 20 holds a 1/4 inch bit and lets it go. Seat the bit before you extend the shaft. If the bit rocks, reseat it before you add force.
What should I look at on an insulated driver?
Look for a cut, a crack, a burn or peeled insulation. HSG85 says a damaged insulated tool should be replaced, not taped. No set here includes a voltage tester, and a sound sleeve does not make live work lawful.
Is Lasertip the same as Black Point?
Lasertip is the textured tip on Kraftform 300 and Big Pack 300, for slotted, Phillips and Pozidriv. Black Point is the hardened tip on the Phillips and slotted six-piece, which does not list Pozidriv. PZ/S is a combination tip for terminals. Match the name on the listing to the screw in front of you.

Related pages

Wera screwdriver

Best Wera screwdriver for screws, pocket, terminals

Wera screwdriver buying guide: recess before price

Pozidriv vs Phillips screwdriver: ticks or cam-out

Wera VDE screwdriver or everyday: what the mark allows

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Digest dated 16 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.

  1. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Electricity at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BSI, BS EN IEC 60900:2018 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Professional Electrician on insulated hand tools (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE HSG85 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Wera Lasertip Kraftform page (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Wera datasheet 05006617001 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. bolts.co.uk on Phillips and Pozidriv (retrieved 16 October 2026)