Starter question

Yes the starter motor does spin easily, as soon as I hit the key/ but the bendix doesn't kick in. I thought that I had said that already.
I have tried (not on this one) the screwdriver trick to "hot wire" starters on other newer vehicles before as a test at work, and when I jump the big lugs with a screwdriver (mostly Ford's, thats 97% of what I have to deal with there) I get the same results as I did on this starter via the key.


And Bewy--- I didn't know that about the Lucas brand, another longstanding familiar name that apparently is a shell of it's former self I guess..
I bought the one I did largely because I recognized the name. There were lots of others available, many "unbranded", many more I'd never heard of.