I've only owned this for 3 weeks and used it a few times, and I like the smooth mechanism and how solid it feels. At least initially, it seems like a well-made, smoothly-operating, ratcheting screwdriver. So I'll get to my criticisms.
The first problem, which shouldn't even have arisen, is that they claim on the front of the package that it "Drives screws with each left AND right turn." Then it states on the back of the package a similar claim with slightly different language. But . . . NO-- it's the SAME as any other ratcheting screwdriver in this regard, there is no magic here-- it is capable of turning left or, after a quick adjustment, it is capable of turning right, in both cases with ratcheting action. But there is nothing about it that makes it superior or unique in this regard.
*** UPDATE 9/15/2023- CORRECTION! - Additional use of this great ratcheting screwdriver revealed to me how the claimed turning of the driver in the desired direction with BOTH left and right turns actually, indeed works. AND AT THE CLAIMED "DOUBLE-SPEED"! What is needed is to hold a particular center piece, a plastic ring that goes around the middle of the screwdriver, and when holding that with your other hand, then by turning the composition rubber and plastic handle either left or right, both left and right turns of the handle will turn the tip in the selected direction--only-- i.e., either left or right. I hadn't noticed this feature when I wrote my initial review, and it really was still barely clear to me in looking at the packaging "instructions" (just a few words) recently. But this function on this driver truly works as described; you can keep your one hand on the handle and turn left-right-left-right-left-right, etc., while your other hand holds the aforesaid "ring," and the screwdriver tip will turn only left, or only right, whichever you had first selected with the direction piece. AND at the advertised "double-speed"-- you can see this for yourself by testing the screwdriver in normal ratcheting mode and watching how fast the tip (the bit end) turns, then try the "both directions and at 2x speed" mode-- you'll now see the tip end turn MUCH faster. It must be due to Craftsman setting the internal gear ratio at a higher rate. Thus, I'd guess it's possible it might become more difficult to turn hard-to-drive screws in this mode-- just like using a high gear on a bicycle gets you more turns of the wheels and you cover more distance faster, but it's harder on the cyclist when going uphill. Same with driving a car up a steep hill in a higher gear; a lower gear is needed.
However, if you DON'T choose to use this 2-handed feature, then the driver functions as a regular ratcheting screwdriver, and it's a little quieter, also; and in this way, let's say you want to turn a screw left, then every left turn of the handle will turn the screw left, and for every right turn you will hear the soft ratcheting noise with no moving of the screw, as with any other ratcheting screwdriver or ratcheting wrench.
Also: a NEW concern. I bought a couple more of this driver recently, but now I have great trouble putting a bit into the receptacle at the tip end for use and pulling it out again. I turned the bit around, same problem. I tried another bit, same problem. VERY stuck, way too tight. I think it's probably not problem bits but that the far end of the screwdriver, at the opposite end from the handle, may be mis-shapen, because I tried yet another new one that I had purchased, with the bits that came with it, and the same problem occurred! Extremely hard to get any bit in or out. But, not an issue on my original screwdriver bought a couple of months earlier. So, this may be a quality control problem initiated by the poorly shaped or poorly grinded hole on the tip end, so I returned those two drivers the day after they came.
Apart from this update, I will confirm everything else written before and after this section in my review. ***
My next criticism from my initial July review: the driver is actually INFERIOR in that there is no way to "lock" the ratcheting mechanism and use it as a solid, non-ratcheting driver-- it either ratchets left or ratchets right, OR does the "left-and-right turns both rotate the tip end AND at 2x speed" mode-- but you are forced to use it with one of these 2 features engaged, no matter what. HOWEVER, I think this limitation of an inability to use it as a fixed screwdriver is likely due to its having the above 2 very different modes-- engineering-wise, it may not be simple and inexpensive enough to add a fixed-driving feature to such an already complex mechanism. Just a guess.
And lastly, I'm not positive that the bit ends are precisely shaped where they meet a screw-- the Phillips #1 that I used seemed like it slightly stripped a screw, even though there wasn't much tightening done, nor high torque used. Of course, the screw was over 30 years old, and it may have only been turned once in 30 years, so maybe something was a bit wrong (soft) with the screw; that I'm not sure of.
Otherwise, again, at least at first blush, it seems like a well-made, attractive, fun-to-use ratcheting screwdriver. Also, I've read a few criticisms that the plastic cap at the bottom comes off easily or is inferior in some fashion, but I have not experienced anything along those lines at all. The cap seems well-made, it stays put & doesn't loosen, etc.
Jude
T. M.
Jase Guzman
LanceSword
Trevor