I’ve had this knurled thumb-wheel thingy in my toolbox for some time. It’s aluminum, includes a magnet, and is a bit holder for 1/4″ hex bits. It has come in really handy on several occasions where nothing else (including my trusty Chapman offset driver) would easily fit in a confined space and let me remove a fastener (while cursing the person who used such an awkward placement). The diameter of the knurled part and the length of the whole thing are both about 1″. A friend asked me where I got it, and I could not remember. I’ve Googled various combinations of “knurled,” “thumb-wheel,” “hex bit holder,” and “magnetic,” and even tried Bing, but, so far, cannot find this.
Does anyone know who makes (made?) this item? Are they still available?
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15 Responses to OK, Where Did I Get This?
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Craftsman makes something similar. what they call a finger bit.
Located here:
Here’s the one you have:
http://www.etool.ca/RENDER/1/2018/3047/11987.html
Did a search for “aluminum hex bit driver” on google images. Easier to browse than the actual search results when looking for something specific like this. “finger hex bit driver” found the one Reader posted.
Seems like I might have seen them at Harbor Freight but I could be wrong.
I have one from Harbor freight, I use it for setting up disc brakes on mountain bikes: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Jz4f840sc_c/STMkCMddUvI/AAAAAAAABV8/Er0O999IsrU/s1600-h/100_2879.JPG
-Joe
You might have gotten this if you worked on mid 80s- up Fords. A tool like this is marketed as a solution for removing the TFI module from the distributor without having to remove the distributor itself.
Drivers like this also tend to come with various parts and products that need assembly before use.
I have something similar for sockets, that I found by going through the Sears webpage, tools section, one page at a time until I found the right name for it. I’ve forgotten the name now… Love that thing.
Here’s a link to an OEM for this:
http://www.vimtools.com/product_detail.asp?id=HDMSET
Here ya go. Harbor Freight has them in both 1/4 and 5/16″.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95320
I’ve seen bins of these by the cash register at HF, they’re a buck & a half
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95321
Damn you for finding this today! – I had no idea such a tool existed and it was quite literally yesterday that I needed something like this. I had to resort to holding a phillips head bit in my pliers and a lot of cursing to get to this screw…
HF has ’em in 2 sizes – and they come with an assortment of bits – the 1/4″ has 10 bits with it. Pretty good deal.
I remember when I first found these in a bin at a hardware store back east. They’d just gotten them in and I bought a couple to take back home with me to CA since I’d never seen them around here. The hardest part was keeping it in my toolbag since the other guys around my shop had a habit of “borrowing” them. My next trip I bought 2 for each of them to solve my problem.
An aluminum lathe salesmen use to hand these out.
Check http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com. Their part number is 461-200 for a two piece set for $13.60.
Thanks Tom. That looks exactly like the set I have. I probably got them from Jensen before they merged with Contact East and became Stanley Supply.