2022 test19 productsBlades, Bits & Abrasives
Which Bit Holders Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 19 bit holders options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Budget pick
DeWalt (locking)
Price shown in test: $9
Check price on Amazon
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Claimed specs | Country of origin | Weight | Speed test (avg seconds per screw) | Torque test (inch pounds before failure) | Magnetic bit retention, locked (grams) | Magnetic bit retention (grams) | Magnetic pull on a fastener | Magnetic bit retention, unlocked (grams) | Magnetic pull on a fastener (grams) | Visibility rating | Bit change effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ryobi medium length$5 each (stated as $15 for three lengths) | magnetic tips for secure grip on 1 inch insert bits, screw guide prevents wobble, impact rated, one of three lengths tested (2 3/8, 3, and 4 3/4 inches) | Indonesia | 41 g (as stated in the transcript for the middle of the three weights listed) | 4.9, about three tenths of a second slower than the short Ryobi | 759, first place overall of all 19 entries, shaft broke free from the main body | 811 | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Horusdy$10 for 10 bit holders, or $1 each, the least expensive brand tested | manufacturer claims super magnetic with good absorption, not easy to fall off during use | China | 25.7 g | 4.67, held up very well with only a small amount of wear | 723, second place overall, shaft twisted quite a bit before finally snapping | not tested | 488, close to 1 lb, no separate lock/unlock states described | not strong enough to lift the screw | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Wiha ClickFix$20, the most expensive bit holder tested | one handed quick change tool for standard impact bits, hexagonal shaft pressed into a round bit holder assembly | Germany | 31.6 g | 4.7, running at 78.4F, the coolest of all brands tested, still looks as good as new | 719, third place overall, main body finally cracked, described as performing even better than the Wera | over 3000 | not tested | not tested | 545, just over 1 lb | 106, fourth place in the magnetic pull leaderboard | not tested | not tested |
| 4Hilti$8 | 2 inches in length, compatible with Hilti's line of high performing drywall screwdrivers | Czech Republic | 20.6 g, pretty light, constructed of two pieces pressed together | right at 5.0, still in great shape afterward | 689, moved into third place at the time it was tested (later passed by Wera and Wiha), main body experienced a crack from end to end | not tested | 1098, described as a very strong magnet, no separate lock/unlock states described | not tested | not tested | 68, fifth place in the magnetic pull leaderboard | not tested | not tested |
| 5Wera Rapidaptor$18 | quick release chuck for one handed bit exchange with both insert and power bits, free spinning outer sleeve, press in self locking mechanism, hexagonal shaft fitted into a hexagonal shaped bit holder assembly rather than the round holder used by most other brands | Czech Republic | 26.5 g | 4.6, tied for fastest of all 19 entries (with Bosch and short Ryobi), running at 93F, still looks as good as new | 673, fifth place overall, shaft finally broke | 3000 | not tested | not tested | 250, the easiest bit change of any brand tested | 25, barely edged out Milwaukee's 19 grams | not tested | not tested |
| 6Norske$10 | heavy duty magnetic bit and screw holder engineered for high torque and heavy load, retractable guide sleeve to eliminate wobble, heavy duty ring magnet | Taiwan | 33.5 g, constructed of two pieces pressed together | 5.6, quite a bit slower than average, stayed cool at 85.1F, small amount of wear | 652, sixth place overall, more torque than DeWalt locking, shaft became disconnected from the main body | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1088, first place overall in the magnetic pull leaderboard, just over 2 lb | not tested | not tested |
| 7Milwaukee$11 | intuitive auto locking design, small profile quick release collar for one handed bit tip changes, two magnets to maximize magnetic transfer and holding power | China | 44.3 g, constructed of two pieces pressed together | 5.0, slightly faster than average, no temperature issues at 88.2F, still in great shape | 621, seventh place overall, shaft with a torsion zone finally broke | 3000 | not tested | not tested | 1095 | 19, weakest magnetic pull of any brand tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8DeWalt locking$9 | locking mechanism for accessory retention, pull back on the collar to remove the bit, magnetism for fastener retention, slim 11 millimeter profile for tight spaces | Taiwan | 37 g, constructed of two pieces pressed together | 4.7, faster than most other brands, second place, still looks as good as new at 84.4F | 608, eighth place overall, shaft broke after quite a bit of torque | not tested | the transcript states 3000 grams in the unlocked position and separately 717 grams, in an order that appears inverted relative to how locked/unlocked figures are stated for other brands; kept verbatim as stated rather than reordered, see note | not tested | not tested | 65, about the same as Hilti | the only locking bit holder among all brands tested to earn the best possible visibility rating of one | not tested |
| 9Irwin Lock and Load$7 | highly durable, patented jaw design holds bits securely on six flats, designed for one handed quick release, described as the most user friendly of the locking systems tested, pull inward on the sleeve to remove the bit | China | 44.4 g | 5.3, slower than Makita Gold, still looks as good as new at 96.2F | 538, ninth place overall, no torsion zone design, shaft finally gave up | 3000, held easily | not tested | very little pull, no exact figure given | 498 | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10Bosch Impact Tough$6 | claims 10 times the life of standard bits, extended torsion zone to absorb high torque, heat treated manufacturing, pull outward on the collar to install or remove the bit | Vietnam | 26.3 g | 4.6, tied for fastest of all 19 entries (with Wera and short Ryobi), stayed cool at 86.9F, still looks as good as new | 465, tenth place overall, narrow torsion zone finally broke | over 3000, held easily | not tested | not tested | approximately 1000, described as nearly a thousand grams of pressure to remove the bit | 35, strongest magnetic pull recorded up to that point in testing | not tested | not tested |
| 11Neiko Lock and Load$8 | magnetic drill bit holder, speeds up drilling, allows setting driving depth, requires some disassembly to change bits | Taiwan | 23.7 g, constructed of two pieces pressed together | 5.4, slower than average at 88.6F, very small amount of wear | 436, eleventh place overall, main body appears to be made of aluminum and broke | not tested | 937, described as a pretty strong magnet, no separate lock/unlock states described | not tested | not tested | 682, third place in the magnetic pull leaderboard | not tested | not tested |
| 12Ryobi long length$5 each (stated as $15 for three lengths) | same magnetic tips and impact rated design as the other two Ryobi lengths tested, constructed of two pieces pressed together (unlike the one piece short length) | Indonesia | 35.4 g | 5.1, the slowest of the three Ryobi lengths, stayed cool, held up very well | 412, twelfth place overall, shaft broke free from the main body | 992 | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 13Makita ImpactX$3 | convenient pickup and retention of screws, C clip securely retains 1 inch bits, one piece design engineered for maximum durability | Taiwan | 27 g, heaviest of the brands introduced to that point | 4.7, tied for first place at the time it was tested (with Horusdy), slightly hot at 110F, still looks as good as new with no visible wear | 381, thirteenth place overall, refused to break for a long time, the shaft twisted into the shape of a pretzel before finally giving up | not tested | more than 3000, held via a retaining ring rather than a simple lock, described as very strong | not enough pull to lift the screw | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 14Ryobi short length$5 each (stated as $15 for three lengths) | same magnetic tips and impact rated design as the other two Ryobi lengths tested, constructed in one piece (unlike the two piece medium and long lengths) | Indonesia | 28.2 g | 4.6, tied for fastest of all 19 entries (with Bosch and Wera), moved into the lead at the time it was tested, looks as good as new | 366, fourteenth place overall, gave up a little sooner than expected, broke at the narrow torsion zone | 1098 | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 15Makita Gold$7 | ultra magnetic torsion impact bit holder, claims its magnet is two times stronger than standard bit holders, extreme torsion technology allows the torsion section to flex under load | China | 33.6 g | 5.0, slower than Bosch and almost half a second slower than the leaders, the extended impact zone seems to have slowed it down, 88.5F | 361, fifteenth place overall, about 100 inch pounds less than Bosch, torsion zone gave up quickly | not tested | over 3000, very strong, held via a retaining ring | not tested | not tested | 798, second place in the magnetic pull leaderboard, close to 2 lb | not tested | over 7 lb of pressure required even to change the bit due to the retaining ring |
| 16Yakamoz$8 for three bits, or approximately $3 each | uses a locking system | China | 26.9 g | 5.38, second place at the time it was tested (behind Horusdy), stayed cooler than Tomato Palace at 101F, experienced a lot of wear as the shaft began to spin inside the main body | 352, sixteenth place overall, shaft separated from the main body | over 3000 | not tested | not enough pull to lift the screw | 319 | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 17Crescent Vortex$10 | claims to make bits last 500 times longer, claims to be unstoppable and unbreakable, optimized tip geometry, helps eliminate cam out and promotes fastener retention | China | 81 g, by far the heaviest of all 19 entries | 6.0 on the first screw, 6.23 on the second, 6.64 on the third, losing speed with each subsequent screw, extremely hot at 222F, the hottest of all brands tested | 289, seventeenth place overall, its unstoppable claim did not hold up; no external damage visible, so the narrator later cut it open and found an internal sleeve that stretches to limit torque transfer rather than a torsion zone shaft | not tested | 1789, described as very strong, about 4 lb, held via a retaining ring | very little pull, no exact figure given | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 18Tomato Palace$5 for 10 bits, or $2 each | claims industrial grade heavy duty chrome vanadium steel, claims very strong magnetism, 2.4 inches in length | China | 19.2 g | 5.84, about a second slower than Horusdy on the first screw, shaft began slipping inside the holder, very hot at 168F, soft metal with a lot of wear and tear | 168, eighteenth place overall, shaft broke free from the assembly very quickly | not tested | 278, just over half a pound, no separate lock/unlock states described | not tested | not tested | 3, described as very weak | not tested | not tested |
| 19DeWalt$5 | 4 and 3/4 inch bit holder, sleeve provides finger protection, holds screws securely, magnetic bit holder | China | 41.6 g | began well but slowed dramatically and started smoking; needed 7.86 seconds on the first screw, then gave up about 2 seconds into the second screw; a lot of wear and tear and extremely hot | 166, nineteenth and last place overall, tested on a fresh replacement unit since the first unit broke during the speed test; shaft broke away from the main body | not tested | 462, described as not too strong, no separate lock/unlock states described | very little pull, no exact figure given | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- speed test: time to drive three 5/16 by 5 inch screws with a fully charged impact driver, individual and average times recorded along with bit holder temperature and visible wear after the test
- dust and shake durability test: each bit holder shaken in a container for about a minute, plus a check that any locking mechanisms still function
- torque test: maximum torque a fresh unit of each bit holder can handle before failure, using a torque adapter
- magnetic bit retention test: grams of force to pull a bit out of the holder, tested in the locked position and, where applicable, the unlocked position
- magnetic pull test: grams of force a bit holder's magnet can exert to lift a fastener/screw
- subjective visibility/profile rating and a qualitative note on how easy or difficult each design is to install bits into
“it seems like the dewalt with the locking mechanism is the best value when you consider all the features it has in the price”
Data notes and caveats
No single overall winner is crowned by number; the only explicit overall placement given is Horusdy at sixth place. The narrator gives three separate closing recommendations instead of one winner: DeWalt (locking) as the best value considering all features and price (used as budgetPick here), Ryobi as an even cheaper alternative that performs well at about $5 each, and Wiha (the wheel, ClickFix) as a personally favored top performer despite being the most expensive brand at $20; this third premium recommendation has no dedicated field in the schema and is captured here in notes rather than overriding budgetPick. This video has the same two brand phonetic collision found in other Project Farm wrench and tool videos, between Wiha and Wera, both captioned with very similar sounding strings (the wheel, weia, we versus rear, wearer, weir, wira). Both were resolved confidently using their distinct real product names, Wiha ClickFix and Wera Rapidaptor (the video's own YouTube tags include wiha clickfix bit holder review), by testing order, and by cross checking against four separate recap leaderboard sentences (speed, torque, bit retention ease, and magnetic pull) that each list both brands' figures together and matched the individually stated numbers exactly. Products are ordered in the array by final torque test placement, the most complete cross validated leaderboard in the video; this is one reasonable axis among several, not a ranking the video itself declares as the single best-to-worst order.