Have you ever tried to drive a screw inside a tight kitchen cabinet, underneath a staircase, or right in the corner of a built-in wardrobe, only to find that the body of your combi drill is too fat and long to fit straight into the space?
It is one of the most frustrating roadblocks in DIY. You end up holding the drill at a severe, awkward angle, your screwdriver bit slips out of the screw head, and you end up stripping the screw.
The secret weapon tradespeople use to solve this problem isn’t a smaller drill—it’s a magnetic bit holder or flexible extension bar.
This quick guide explains how these simple accessories work and how they save your knuckles during tricky jobs.
1. What Is A Standard 60mm Magnetic Bit Holder
A 60mm magnetic bit holder is a drill tool accessory designed to securely hold ¼ inch hex insert bits.
Standard 60mm magnetic bit holder
My Bosch 60mm bit holder with quick release
If you look inside almost any modern combi drill case, you will see a small metal shaft (usually about 60mm long) with a hexagonal base on one end and a magnetic socket on the other.
- How it works: You clamp the hex base directly into your drill’s keyless chuck. This extends the reach of your drill by about two inches while using a powerful built-in rare-earth magnet to lock standard 25mm screwdriver bits securely in place.
- Why you need one:
- It keeps your short screwdriver bits from getting swallowed or lost inside the drill chuck.
- It adds a tiny bit of clearance, allowing the front nose of your drill body to clear protruding lips or cabinet frames.
The key difference in the two bit types, is that the quick release allows for faster one-handed bit changes.
Real-World Lesson: How I Treat My Mag Bit Holder?
If I am going to be driving or removing screws, the first thing I do is insert my quick release magnetic bit holder. This just makes changing bit types or bit sizes a 2 second job and you never have to adjust or tighten the chuck. It makes life simpler and I like that a lot!
2. What Is A Long Quick-Release Bit Holder (150mm to 300mm)
A long quick-release bit holder is a power-drill accessory which can hold compatible screwdriver bits and allows for fast and easy bit changes
When a standard 60mm holder isn’t long enough to reach deep into a confined space, you need a long quick-release extension bar.
- How it works: These slim steel shafts range from 150mm up to 300mm+ in length. They feature a spring-loaded collar at the tip: you pull the collar forward to pop a bit in, and release it to lock the bit in place with zero wobble.
- Best used for: Driving screws deep inside tight shelving units, fixing brackets inside narrow wooden framing, or reaching awkwardly placed screws on electrical fixtures and curtain fittings.
3. What Is A Flexible Extension Shafts (The Bendy Fix)
A flexible shaft extension allows you to drive screws, in hard to reach spaces as it can bend around obstacles while maintaining torque power.
What happens when a screw is tucked around a blind corner where no straight drill or extension bar can possibly point?
Enter the flexible drill extension shaft.
- How it works: Built using a heavy-duty internal steel spring cable wrapped inside a loose outer plastic or rubber sleeve, this accessory lets you bend the shaft around 90-degree corners while the drill motor spins the bit at the other end.
- The Catch: Flexible shafts are brilliant for low-torque tasks (like assembling flat-pack furniture or driving short screws in tight corners), but you cannot use them for heavy-duty screwdriving or drilling. If you apply high torque, the internal steel spring will wind up like a rubber band and snap.
Real-World Lesson: The Kitchen Cabinet Nightmare
When I was installing new soft close hinges inside an awkward, pre-built kitchen wall unit, the top hinge screw sat right against the inside corner lip of the cabinet frame.
Because my 18V DeWalt combi drill body was too wide, I couldn’t align my PZ2 bit straight onto the screw head. I tried driving it at a 45-degree angle, which immediately caused the bit to slip and chew up the screw head.
If I had grabbed a 150mm quick-release magnetic bit holder, I could have kept the drill body completely outside the cabinet while the long slim bar reached cleanly inside to drive the screw straight. Instead, I had to resort to a manual stubby screwdriver, turning it millimeter by millimeter in the dark.
Lesson learned: Always keep a long magnetic bit holder in your drill case. It turns an impossible angle into an effortless 5-second job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will any brand of bit holder fit my combi drill?
Yes. Almost all cordless power tools use a universal 1/4-inch hex shank standard. Whether you own a DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, or Ryobi drill, any standard 1/4-inch magnetic bit holder will lock straight into your keyless chuck.
Why does my screwdriver bit keep falling out of the holder?
The tiny retaining C-clip or magnet inside cheap bit holders gets caked in metal dust and debris. Clean out the socket with a cocktail stick or compressed air, or replace the bit holder if the magnet has lost its grip.
Next Steps & Related Guides
This article is part of our [Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Combi Drills] Cluster. Explore more of our hands-on guides below:
- [Screwdriver Bits Explained: PZ vs PH vs Torx]
- [How to Change and Tighten a Keyless Chuck Securely]
- [Combi Drill Settings Demystified: Torque, Gears, and Modes]