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Expensive tools have been around forever—just ask any mechanic currently paying off a Snap-On bill. But luxury tools? I didn’t realize that was a thing until I encountered The Warrick, a little screwdriver that feels closer to a fancy pen or engraved Zippo than something you’d leave in a greasy toolbox.
The Warrick is made by a company called The James Brand. One of its reps emailed me asking if I’d like to review it, I replied something along the lines of, “I don’t know about 80 bucks for a screwdriver,” but they were confident I’d be impressed, so one showed up in my mailbox.
Naturally, your first and only real question is: “So, is it worth it?” In terms of pure utility, no … obviously. You can get a multi-head compact screwdriver from a good brand for like $15 on Amazon (I like this one myself) and Harbor Freight practically gives them away.
But you’re not splurging on something like this for junk drawer duty. The optimal application for the Warrick is as a nice gift for somebody who digs mechanical things and appreciates frivolous fanciness. Someone who likes the finer things in life and is likely into watches, pocket knives, sunglasses, that kind of stuff.
The execution is elegant, the materials are very nice, and the packaging is quite pretty. It is Chinese-made, though the packaging pulls an Apple (“designed in”) to try and get your mind off that. Functionally speaking, the Warrick is surprisingly good—the bits tuck into a little drawer that seals really well into the body of the tool, and they snap into the driver head beautifully with a super-strong and satisfying magnetic action.
The size is also kind of perfect. It’s big enough to get good traction in your hand, but so small that it easily tucks into a pocket. Even that weird little mini-pocket that some pants have. I suppose that does count as an actual utilitarian advantage over most other multi-head screwdrivers, which bulge awkwardly in jeans and are liable to scratch up your phone or rip through a pocket.
If you need a little screwdriver, there are plenty of great options that make way more sense than this. But you knew that. The Warrick would be appreciated by somebody who goes out of their way to admire industrial beauty. I mean I once spent like $200 on a titanium key for a Datsun … that didn’t make any sense either, but it brought me a little extra joy every time I touched it.
This thing won’t be for everybody, but if the idea of a particularly stately compact screwdriver appeals to you, the Warrick is indeed very nice.
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