Tool Review: Great Neck Essentials 21011 8-in-1 Precision Screwdriver

Key Features:
 +   Storage for all four bits
 +   Variety of bit sizes
 -    Not much grip on handle


Great Neck is a brand that you'll often find in Big Lots stores -- decent quality tools for a good price.  Essentials is a themed sub-brand that Great Neck uses to market tools aimed at women, which I did not know when I purchased the Great Neck Essentials 8-in-1 precision screwdriver (model 21011).

I found this driver at Ollie's Bargain Outlet for $1.99, much cheaper than its regular retail price.  For $1.99 it was a good deal, but I wouldn't have paid much more for it.

The 21011 precision screwdriver is a small plastic driver that comes with four double-ended precision bits, for a grand total of eight bit sizes -- four slotted sizes (1/16", 5/64", 3/32", and 1/8") and four Phillips sizes (#000 #00, #0, and #1).  The bits seem to be decent quality.  They don't fit very snugly into the driver -- snug enough to work but not so snug that you don't worry they'll fall out.

The driver is easy to use.  Changing the bits is not a hassle.  The bits are marked with their sizes.  There is some grip on the handle, not as much as I'd like but more than some other precision drivers I've used.

The driver is hollow on the top end, allowing for internal bit storage.  It's a nice feature, so you never have to worry about losing the extra bits.  This screwdriver looks and acts just like a knock-off of Husky's precision screwdriver, which sells at Home Depot for about $6.  The only big difference between the two is that on Husky's driver, the bit storage compartment is attached internally, so it doesn't fall out.  On the Essentials screwdriver, the bit holder is supposed to be attached to the cap but it detaches easily, so when you pull the cap out, you still have to turn the driver upside down and shake out the bit holder.

One of the slotted bits chipped when I was using it, rendering that bit useless. It held up under light use for a little while, but the first time I really used it with force, the bit broke.

It's a decent screwdriver to stick in a kitchen drawer in case of emergency, but I would not rely on it at all.  The colors are a little gaudy -- definitely not meant for the inside of a tool bag -- but the driver functions okay.  I wouldn't recommend paying more than a couple of bucks for it.  If you're going to pay $7.99, which is what it's currently listed on Amazon.com for, you might as well get the Husky version instead (though as of this review, that driver is overpriced on Amazon as well).