We had a lot of feedback during this campaign and one thing that kept coming up was a stabiliser, or 'spinning handle', so that the Pocket Driver can have the same two handed function of the larger Driver.
We had a play around with the idea... and it works! Admittedly it will never rival the original Driver from our first campaign, because the handle is that much smaller, but it does let you get more power into a tough screw without it slipping.
Getting into the details - The Barrel Extender
And here it is, a screw in attachment that uses the same mounting point as the cap, so that it can be added and removed at will. It brings the stability of two handed use, whilst giving the convenience of being interchangeable and doesn't involve changing the design of the existing Pocket Driver.
Designed for regular use with wood screws and things that are likely to slip, or alternatively just to make putting in screws a little less painful by spreading the load out across two hands. The Barrel Extender just makes life a bit easier and brings some of the magic of the big Driver into a miniaturised format, whilst still being useful!
Our master metal worker Geoff knocked this one up in the workshop from mild steel for us to test it out and make sure everything works as it should and wouldn't not cause us any problems.
One interesting thing we did now that we could stabilise it properly, was to see how much torque we could put through it without any additional mechanical help from the test rig we used to push the Pocket Driver to its limits.
A few of us had a go with the digital torque monitor and we managed to get it to 11Nm. We only stopped at that point because that was the physical limits of our bodies! I'm not sure what the tensile strength of fingers are, but fairly sure it is lower than what the driver can withstand!
What all this messing about proved, was that there is no way anyone will be able to damage the Pocket Driver by putting more torque than it can handle through it when using the attachment, which was one of our main concerns!
Still Perfectly Palm Sized
It can still be used one handed and fits perfectly in the palm for a single handed use at the same time. So there is no need to take it off to switch between the two uses, but this does replace the use of the single handed T-Drive mode. Although it would have been a neat trick if we could have done!
Spinning Steel
The extra handle attachment brings a part of the original 1940's patent to the design, where the handle you hold spins freely, making it unlike any other screwdriver available today (other than our original Driver of course!) This is what lets you put so much weight behind the screw head so that it can't slip and mangle the screw whilst leaving the other hand free to drive the ratchet mechanism making the whole thing take a lot less effort.
Easy To Disassemble
Easy to disassemble, it uses the same thread as the cap, so when you're putting this together it's a rare excuse to feel like you're preparing for a sniper mission. Out and about this is still easy to do and breaks down to still be nice and portable, Perfectly filling one of the spaces in the pocket pack.
A Cheeky Tuck
With similar dimensions to the Pocket Driver it can pack away into any of the 3 pockets in the Pocket Pack, keeping all the parts together and in one place, ready for when it's needed.
Steel Yourself
Why Stainless steel? Well, if you are going to add something on, you might as well have something indestructible and massively over engineered, it's what the victorians would have wanted. But on a more serious note the shaft that runs up the middle of this handle is getting quite small and given the potential forces involved in its use we figured better safe than sorry!
Power Drive/Pile Drive
Finally and most importantly you can do this... why you ask? We're not sure either, but if you find yourself in a situation where every other tool has failed you and you only have your trusty MetMo Pocket Driver left at your disposal, whilst needing to put a hole in something... perhaps whilst silently sabotaging a galleon... then rest assured it may take you a while, but you can drill a hole!
What about the spare end cap...
We had the same thought, like the Lamborghini manufactures of the world we have opted for some added features at the loss of some perfect functionality, so the cap can just chill out in your pocket or in the pocket pack while not in use.
Tech Specs:
- Weight - 160g
- Size - 20mm x 76mm
- Finish - Turned Stainless Steel
