What's the name of this type of screwdriver that turns when pushed?

Question

In this video of "Breaking Bad", beginning at 0:21, Mike uses what looks like a Phillips screwdriver, but presses the tool to turn the screw. I always wanted one of these; what's the name of this type of tool?

Answer 1

Also known as a spiral ratchet screwdriver.

An old design, used by professionals and amazingly still available.

One advantage is it has no batteries to go flat and no waiting for it to charge!!

Answer 2

That is a push pull ratchet screwdriver. It has a spiral shaft mechanism that turns the push/pull into rotary motion.

This would be a relatively bad choice for any new holes (e.g., screw into wood where there is no existing hole), because it could easily slip. But I see two good uses for it (besides the "really cool movie use", of course):

• Arthritis or similar problems - Turning a screwdriver can be hard on the fingers and the wrist. Pushing is much easier. For some people, this could make the difference between doing the job themselves pain-free or doing in a very painful way or having to get help from someone else. Power tools are a common way around this type of problem, but they have additional costs and those tools are often much heavier, which can exacerbate the same type of physical problems.

• Tight spaces - There are places (the movie clip is not one of those) where you have limited room to work and a screwdriver like this will help get the job done without repeatedly scraping your knuckles/pinching your fingers/etc.