Top 10 Sonic Screwdriver Designs

I feel like my content is starting to lack a little: just reviews, reviews and more reviews(and those only come out a few times per month anyway) so it's time to have a little bit of fun and do some simpler things to spice up the blog a little. I can't do many Top 10s yet, because I haven't finished the classic series and the whole "Top 10 X in New Who" really doesn't appeal to me. I prefer to look at the series as a whole. With that said though, I do believe I've seen every design of the sonic screwdriver now that I'm in the Fourth Doctor era and today, we're going to find out which one is the most fan-tastic!

10. The War Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

This one is just kind of forgettable. It's a less interesting version of the Eighth Doctor's sonic. Also, unlike all the other LED-lit sonics, the plastic surrounding the light bulb is transparent, so the color disappears when the Doctor turns it off. Fun fact: this sonic was literally designed and built out of a Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver toy.

9. The Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

It's just a little too much for me. Revolving light, all the fancy twists and turns downwards... it doesn't look comfortable to handle and not very pleasing to the eye. 

8. The Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

This one's a design classic. It's very basic, for sure and has no stand-out features, but is very believable as an actual tool.

7. The Eighth Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

Basically the same as the Fourth's, but with a red crystal in the middle, jazzing it up a bit.

6. The Second Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

This one gets default extra points for being the first incarnation of this wonderful tool. You'll notice it's the only LED-lit sonic of the classic era(discounting the Eighth Doctor). Other than that, the design is admittedly weak. It's just a light with probably one button somewhere at the back and since it was only used three times, we can guess it wasn't particularly useful yet either. I honestly can't tell how it became popular like this. Maybe it was the concept that people liked? I dunno.

5. The Ninth and Tenth Doctors' sonic screwdriver.

This sonic has so far managed to be the longest-running and it really is a great design, with a futuristic, silver casing and a snazzy blue light on top. It has an addictive, cool sci-fi thing going for it, kind of like Apple, but cooler. I would like to note however that I have a toy based on this screwdriver and the black end at the bottom kept falling off until I lost it. Now I have an embarrassing half-sonic.

4. The Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors' sonic screwdriver.

Design classic.

3. River Song's sonic screwdriver.

This one has all the qualities of the 2005-10 sonic screwdriver, but adds an awesome steampunk style to it. It looks like it's had some heavy use and has been built apart and put back together again. It barely sticks together, but at the same time, it's perfect. I love it.

Also, let's address the elephant in the room, the giant continuity error: in my headcanon, the Eleventh Doctor just gave her one of his old spares he saw lying around. Because let's face it, that's exactly the sort of thing he'd do.

UPDATE: This theory was disproven in the 2015 Christmas special, where we see the Twelfth Doctor give her what's presumably the very same screwdriver the Tenth Doctor kept, making it a paradox. Or something. 

2. The Eighth Doctor's Big Finish sonic screwdriver.

I haven't actually listened to that much Big Finish(though I did review Dark Eyes), but this sonic screwdriver is amazing. It has an alien blue crystal(Metebelis III?!) on top instead of those tiresome LEDs, a timeless, wooden and golden casing and metal swirls near the crystal giving off some Time Lord vibes. It's a horrible shame we've never actually seen it in use.

1. The Twelfth Doctor's sonic sunglasses.

I know I'm a complete and utter cheat for putting these in the list, but the sonic sunglasses deserve all the love they can get. It's the perfect idea: keeping the sonic device on the show whilst also decreasing its use and taking away the "water pistol" factor. Also, and I swear this is true: I found an identical pair of these lying around my house the same day I saw the episode. Since then, they've spent every day in my pockets.