Valve screwdriver
A valve core screwdriver fits onto the valve core to screw it in or out. You use it when replacing a valve, on a flat tyre, or when you pull the core to let the tyre down faster. The tip has a slot that matches the core, so it will not slip off and the valve stays intact. Before you order, check the valve you are working on: a standard valve takes a different tip from a valve with an odd core. If you use it daily, pick one with a handle that sits well in the hand, even with cold fingers. Swapping valves also calls for a matching valve set, so you are not left without parts halfway through.
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Choosing and using a valve core screwdriver
Which tip fits your valve core
The tip of a valve core screwdriver has to drop straight into the slot of the valve core. On a standard valve that is a fixed size, but some valves use an odd core, for instance on certain tubeless rims. Measure the old core or take the valve to the bench. If the tip does not fit, you screw the core in crooked or damage the seat. A tip that is too thick will not go in far enough, and one that is too thin rounds off the core.
Short or long
A short valve core screwdriver fits in your pocket and suits a valve you can reach easily. A longer version gives you more room on a valve set deep in the rim or behind a wheel trim. Look at where you have to reach the valve: on a rim with a deep valve hole you work with a longer shaft, on an ordinary valve a short one is enough. The tip stays the same width on both, so the choice is only about reach and grip.
When to replace it
A valve core screwdriver wears at the tip. The slot widens or the tip bends, and then it slides off the core. Run the tip along a straight edge and check whether the slot is still sharp. If the tip is worn, replace it before you round off a core. A rounded core often only comes out with a valve key or by replacing the whole valve.
When swapping valves
If you screw a valve core out to replace the valve, a new valve goes with it. On tubeless tyres you also want to keep the rim edge clean and get the tyre over the rim smoothly. Use tyre mounting paste on the bead for that. Tighten the core by hand first and only nip it up with the valve core screwdriver, so you do not strip the thread in the valve.