We Tried Out the MetMo Driver, AKA the “World’s Most Satisfying Driver”
Updated: Mar. 10, 2023
Interested in cool new tools? We recently had the chance to review the MetMo Driver, billed as "the world's most satisfying driver." Here's what we learned.
As a fervent DIYer and tool enthusiast, I like keeping up with the latest and greatest tools for DIYers, and that’s one reason the MetMo Driver caught my eye. Billed as “the world’s most satisfying driver,” its Indigogo crowdfunding page promises it’ll be the last screwdriver you’ll ever need.
Not being content to take MetMo’s word for it, my father and I got in touch with the company and arranged to review the tool before its official release. That’s why I’m one of the relatively few people to date who have held and used a MetMo Driver. Here’s what I’ve learned.
What’s the MetMo Driver?
The MetMo Driver is a ratcheting screwdriver, meaning that it can apply turning force in one direction while moving in the opposite. This allows the user to set or remove screws without having to manually readjust the screwdriver after each rotation. It’s also equipped with a foldout side handle to give the user more leverage—enough to drive full-sized lag bolts into wood. The MetMo Driver is a re-imagined and re-engineered version of the first-ever ratcheting screwdriver, originally designed and manufactured by a German inventor named Conrad Baumann in the early 1920s.
How Does the MetMo Driver Work?
Like other ratcheting screwdrivers, the MetMo Driver drives screws without the need to remove the bit from the screw head after each rotation. Unlike the original version from the 1920s, it takes standard 1/4 inch diameter hex shank bits, making it quite universal for driving screws and bolts. The heavy-duty cylindrical body of the tool has a foldout steel handle that swivels down and provides leverage when driving large fasteners like deck screws and lag bolts.
How Is It Different from a Regular Ratchet?
At first glance, the basic screw-driving function of the MetMo driver isn’t much different than other ratcheting screwdrivers. The two biggest advantages MetMo brings to the table are superb engineering and a foldout handle for leverage. Most ratcheting drivers are composed of a combination of metal and plastic. The trouble with plastic is it can crack and break. Not so with the MetMo, which doesn’t have a drop of plastic anywhere.
Instead, it’s built with high-grade steel, brass and aluminum. It’s much heavier and stronger than other drivers and can handle many times more force application than any other hand driver on the market. In fact, the folks at MetMo have tested it under loads up to 100 kg, and it sustained zero damage. The foldout side handle allows large screws and even full-sized lag bolts to be driven (using a socket adapter), a feature shared by no other hand driver I know of currently on the market.
How Can I Get One?
The folks at MetMo are currently ramping up for full-scale production of their driver. Until that happens, the best place to get your hands on one is their Indigogo page. At the moment, they’ll send you a brand new driver for a donation of $130 to their crowdfunding campaign. This might seem expensive for a screwdriver, but when you’ve held the tool in your hands, felt its heft, and cranked it over a lag bolt and felt its strength, you’ll understand that it’s well worth it.
Originally Published: March 09, 2023
