DeWalt Ratcheting Screwdriver with Removable Bar and 12 Bits

A compact ratcheting driver with a few smart touches—and a couple of costly missteps

I put the DeWalt ratcheting screwdriver into regular rotation for a few weeks—assembling cabinetry hardware, swapping out outlet covers, tightening hinge screws, and tinkering on small appliances. On paper, it checks the right boxes: a tri-material handle that’s easy to grip, a heavy-duty ratchet, a slim magnetic bit holder for tight spaces, and a removable bar that can drop right into a drill. In practice, the core driving experience is solid, but two design decisions—the internal bit storage and the bar retention—make it a tougher sell as an all-in-one solution.

Ergonomics and build

The handle is the highlight. DeWalt’s tri-material grip feels secure even with a little oil or dust on the hands, and it’s shaped well enough that I could lean into stubborn screws without hot spots. The overall package is compact, with a slightly slimmer profile up near the bit holder that helps when you’re trying to sneak into a cabinet corner or around a bracket. Balance is good with the bar installed; it doesn’t feel nose-heavy or toy-like.

The ratchet selector has a positive, tactile click between forward, lock, and reverse. There’s minimal backdrag, so driving small fasteners one-handed is easy, and the mechanism held up fine during day-to-day tasks. I didn’t put it through abusive torque tests, but driving wood screws into pre-drilled pine, snugging machine screws into metal plates, and freeing a few paint-stuck switch plate screws didn’t phase it.

Fit and finish are generally decent: no sharp molding seams, no loose interfaces, and the magnetic bit holder is aligned and true. However, the plastic bits used in the handle’s storage cap and the internal cartridge feel more brittle than I’d like, and that matters (more on this below).

Ratcheting performance

As a driver, this is a competent piece of kit. The ratchet engages predictably, and there’s enough tooth count that you don’t need a huge swing to advance a screw—handy when your elbow is boxed in by a shelf or appliance housing. The lock position is firm and works well as a traditional screwdriver when you want to avoid any ratchet play.

I appreciated the slim magnetic bit holder at the business end. It’s narrow enough to reach into hardware recesses where a bulky chuck would foul out, and the magnet is strong enough to keep a bit seated without constantly checking that it hasn’t pulled out on withdraw. Using just a bare 1/4-inch bit in the handle (stubby mode) is also genuinely useful in tight quarters; the magnet still does its job, and the handle shape gives you more leverage than a typical stubby driver of the same size.

The removable bar and drill use

The removable bar is one of the smarter ideas here. Pop it out and you’ve got a 1/4-inch hex shank that drops into a drill or impact driver, turning your bit set into a quick, portable kit. The magnet at the end of the bar holds bits securely in powered use, and I liked being able to switch between hand and power without hunting for a separate bit holder.

Where this goes sideways is retention of the bar back in the driver. On my sample, the bar doesn’t positively “click” into the ratcheting head the way you’d expect from a detent ball or wire spring. Push in, pull out—it’s too smooth, and occasionally the bar will start to creep out during use or drop free if you point the tool downward and give it a shake. It’s not every time, but it’s frequent enough to erode confidence. As a stopgap, a single wrap of thin tape on the shank improved friction and kept it put, but this is a hack that shouldn’t be necessary on a brand-name driver.

Bit selection and internal storage

The driver ships with 12 bits. The assortment covers the basics you’d want for household and light shop work—common Phillips, slotted, and a sprinkling of square and Torx. The bits are serviceable, and I didn’t notice premature rounding or sloppy fit in fasteners during routine use.

The internal storage, though, is the Achilles’ heel. DeWalt uses a cartridge-style insert that lives in the handle. To access, you flip off the cap and slide the cartridge out, exposing small plastic holders for each bit. In theory, it’s tidy and space-efficient. In reality, seating the bits firmly enough to stay put is fiddly, and removing them without disturbing neighbors is harder than it should be. On the job, I had more than one “yard sale” moment where a couple of bits wriggled loose as the cartridge came out, which is especially maddening when you’re on a ladder or leaning over an engine bay.

Compounding the problem, the plastic post that anchors the storage cap doesn’t inspire confidence. A waist-high drop onto concrete scuffed the cap and left the post with a stress mark; it still functions, but I wouldn’t bet on it surviving many hard knocks. The rest of the handle seems robust, so this stands out as an odd weak spot.

If onboard storage matters to you—and that’s the appeal of a multi-bit driver—it needs to be quick and reliable. Here, it’s neither. After a few frustrating sessions, I ended up keeping the most-used bits in a small pouch and only stashing spares in the handle.

Everyday usability

In real tasks, this driver gets a lot right:

• The ratchet is smooth and strong for its size.
• The magnet and slim nose help you get into tight hardware recesses.
• Using the handle in stubby mode is genuinely handy.
• The removable bar’s drill compatibility is convenient.

But the two strikes—bar retention and bit storage—drag on the experience. If you’re swapping between bits frequently, the storage slows you down and occasionally punishes you with dropped pieces. If you’re carrying the tool between locations or working above ground level, the loose bar can surprise you.

A couple of practical tips improved matters:
- Preload the most common bit into the bar before climbing or reaching. Reduce how often you open the storage on a ladder.
- Add a thin wrap of tape or a small O-ring near the shank base of the bar to increase retention in the head.
- Consider upgrading the included bits to your preferred S2 set; they’ll fit fine and may seat more confidently in the cartridge (results vary).

Durability and warranty

Outside of the storage assembly, nothing on my sample hints at imminent failure. The ratchet hasn’t developed play, the selector still clicks crisply, and the magnet hasn’t weakened. The 1-year limited warranty is there if something early breaks, but a warranty doesn’t rescue lost bits or downtime on a job. I’d rather see stronger mechanical retention and a more forgiving storage design from the outset.

Who it’s for

If you want a comfortable ratcheting driver primarily to keep at a bench or in a drawer—and you don’t care about onboard storage—you’ll probably enjoy using this. Treat the handle as the ratcheting grip, the removable bar as a drill-friendly bit holder, and stash your bits in a separate organizer. In that configuration, the tool’s strengths shine.

If you need a self-contained, toss-it-in-the-bag multi-bit driver for field work, service calls, or ladder time, the storage and bar retention become liabilities. There are simpler, more secure storage solutions on other drivers that trade a little cleverness for a lot more reliability.

The bottom line

This ratcheting driver drives screws well and feels good in the hand. The magnetic holder, stubby capability, and drill-ready bar are thoughtful touches that make it versatile. Unfortunately, the internal bit storage is fussy and unreliable, and the bar’s loose fit in the head undermines confidence. Those aren’t minor quirks on a tool that’s supposed to keep everything you need in one place.

Recommendation

I don’t recommend this driver as an all-in-one solution due to two deal-breakers: the unreliable internal storage and the weak retention of the removable bar in the ratcheting head. If you love the feel of the handle and plan to keep your bits in a separate organizer—and you’re willing to tinker with the bar fit—it can serve as a decent ratcheting handle. For most users who want a dependable, self-contained multi-bit driver, better-balanced options exist.