Klein Tools 32517 Multi-Bit Screwdriver / Tap Tool, 14-Piece

Six tap sizes are built into the Klein 32517: 6-32, 8-32, 10-32, 10-24, 12-24 and 1/4-20. Those cover the machine screw threads you hit most on electrical boxes, device straps, fixture studs and strut, so you can chase a damaged box thread and drive the screw with the same tool.

No. The 32517 is not insulated and will not protect against electrical shock, so it is not for use on energized conductors or terminals. If you need to work live, use a 1000V insulated screwdriver instead. Klein also warns against using it to pry or chisel, and to wear approved eye protection.

Four screwdriver tips (#1 and #2 Phillips, 3/16-inch and 1/4-inch slotted) plus three nut driver sizes (1/4-inch, 5/16-inch and 3/8-inch). Combined with the six taps, that is the 14 pieces. For an electrician that is device screws, panel covers and hex-head sheet metal screws handled out of one handle.

The shank is 4 inches long and the tool is 7.75 inches (19.7 cm) overall, so it reaches through a standard device box or a 4-11/16 square with an extension ring. For deep can lights or long stud runs it may come up short, in which case a bit holder with an extension is the better choice.

Yes. The tap is a replaceable part, ordered as Klein Cat. No. 32518, so a snapped tap does not retire the tool. Worth stocking a spare if your crew is chasing threads in old boxes regularly.

Both, and that is the point of it. Most multi-bit drivers only hold driver and nut driver tips; the 32517 adds six machine screw taps (6-32 through 1/4-20) so you can cut or clean a thread and then set the screw without switching tools. If you never need to chase threads, a plain multi-bit driver is simpler; if you are mounting devices and fixtures to older boxes with buggered threads, the tap function is what you are paying for.

It uses Klein's large Cushion-Grip handle in yellow and black, sized for comfort and torque, which matters because tapping needs more twist than driving a screw. The whole tool weighs 0.5 lb, so it rides in a pouch without much penalty.

For general maintenance work it covers a lot: #1 and #2 Phillips, 3/16 and 1/4 slotted, 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 nut drivers, and six taps, all in a 7.75 inch tool at half a pound. Two limits to note when you spec it for a crib: it is not insulated, so it cannot be issued for energized work, and it is not rated for prying or chiseling.