Southwire 5-in-1 Stubby Nut Driver

Southwire 5-in-1 Stubby Driver Replaces an Entire Set of Drivers

Right around 3-1/2″ long, the Southwire 5-in-1 Stubby Nut Driver won’t take up a whole lot of space in your tool bag. Even better than that, its 5-in-1 design replaces 5 individual tools that could potentially crowd the party.

10-Second Summary

5-in-1 multi-nut driver: 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″, and 1/2″
Stubby length with a cushion grip handle
ASME B107.12-2004 color coded ends for quick identification
Chrome-plated finish
Hollow shafts for screw clearance
Price: $14.48

Drive You Nuts

The palm-sized Southwire Stubby Nut Driver, between the handle and two nesting shafts, can handle a wide variety of nut sizes. 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″ 3/8″, and 1/2″ nuts are all on the table. Plus, Southwire has cleverly hollowed out the shafts to allow for some screw clearance.

One of the nice things about this driver is that it holds all of the shafts, no matter which size you’re using. That excludes the 1/2″ drive on the handle base, though. The rest of the time, you don’t need to worry about dropping the smaller shaft or leaving one behind somewhere (*cough, Ben Parker, cough*).

One little quirk about this multi-tool is that the shafts only click in at two points around the handle. You might have to do a little shaft turning until you find one of them. Once you do, it locks in easily and holds securely.

It has a cushion grip handle that’s comfortable and still lets you put some pretty good torque behind it despite its shorter length.

The butt of the handle has the “5N1” marking to help you pick it out of a crowded tool bag quickly.

Southwire includes colored rings on the shafts to help you differentiate between your sizes visually. These conform to the ASME B107.12-2004 standards. The shafts also have a chrome-plated finish, which ought to help keep the rust off over the life of the tool.

Worth Adding to Your Tool Bag?

Of course, the big deal with any stubby driver is getting into tighter spots than you can with longer drivers. I think most of us would prefer the ergonomics of longer drivers when we can get them.

The real value behind the Southwire 5-in-1 is that you get a set of 5 drivers for not much more than the price of one. Rather than keeping an entire set in your bag that doesn’t see as much use, you can at least reduce the space they take up.

We found the 5-in-1 Southwire Stubby Nut Driver for less than $15 at Lowe’s. When you think about it, it’s not a whole lot to spend on a tool that can tackle the work of an entire set. Plus, its limited lifetime warranty means that you’re more likely to lose it or have a coworker permanently borrow it than ever really need to replace it.