Tool-Geekery

     It's expensive enough that I can't recommend it unless you really need one -- or have money to spare.  But it's as neat a combination of useful tools as I have encountered, and comes packaged in a carrier that keeps all of it together.

     I'd better start at the beginning: for a couple of decades, I have carried and used a Wadsworth Falls Manufacturing Company Mini-Ratchet set.  They use a proprietary 1/4" spline drive, and come packed in a neat little box with a wide array of bits, a screwdriver handle, extension, a couple of tiny spin handles and a clever small ratchet with 12° indexing.  It was a small company, and I think it changed hands a few years ago; their website shows most things as "out of stock" these days and there's no contact information now, but they keep the copyright up to date.  Their big set includes 44 bits and easily fits into a cargo-pants pocket.  It is also around $180.00 now.

     Or it would be, if it wasn't always listed as not being in stock.  And it is handy, with almost every driver bit you might need.  There was a time when you'd call up the order department and the nice people there would ship the stuff in advance of your check, if they remembered you from previous purchases.  (Yes, that was a long time ago.)

     Stumbling around on a big sales site, I discovered Wera Tools has the next best thing, their "Tool-Check" line.  Sorted out into Imperial and Metric sets, with a number of interesting variants, the basic versions have 37 bits, a small screwdriver handle, a short (locking) extension and a nice small ratchet with 6° indexing, packed into a neat little carrier with places for every piece.  They use standard 1/4" hex drive (with an adapter for the sockets).  Prices run about $100; a little more for the larger sets and a little less for the smaller ones.  It has most of the driver bits you might need, and since they use standard drive, you can add more.  (The set sensibly includes two #1 Philips and three #2 Philips, the most commonly use-worn types, and you can always stow the spares elsewhere and sub any added bits in their places.)

     Wera's even got a modular system that will let you add and expand the carrier with other small sets.  It's decent quality; give me a few years to stress-test my set and I'll give you a full report, but I don't expect any bad surprises.  You might know Wera from their Kraftform ergometric grip, one of the most widely-imitated driver handle designs in the world.  I'm not saying they've been watching some of you guys work, but their line includes screwdrivers that can be used as chisels without wrecking them, and beefed-up ratchet handles with striking surfaces intended for hammering.*
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* I have to admit that at my work, we've referred to linesman's pliers as an "electrician's hammer" for years.  A good set of Kleins will stand up to this kind of abuse, but the company doesn't encourage it.