About six years ago I found and bought my first mini powered screwdriver, a brand called the "iGo." The iGo was the same in concept as this Ultra Tech in that it was a super mini screwdriver, with small driver bits (albeit the iGo bit are not as small as the Ultra Tech). The iGo is powered by two AAA batteries.
Back then the iGo was the only miniature battery powered screwdriver on the market (at least that I could find). There were plenty of large AA battery powered drivers (that use four batteries), for example Black & Decker's drivers. But those are powerful screwdrivers meant for heavy duty jobs such as inserting wood screws into hardwood.
In 2004, when I was first researching and looking for a battery powered mini screwdriver, I wanted something for delicate, small jobs such as working on computers or small electronic devices. (The Black & Decker type drivers are too big, cumbersome and powerful to work on small screws, plus those powered screwdrivers don't come with bits small enough to fit into small screws.) What size screws am I talking about? Look on your netbook or notebook computer case, to see the screws I am talking about.
Enter the iGo powered screwdriver. Those have served me well all these years and I am still using the original two I bought back then. (Actually, I bought five of them and gave two as gifts. By the way, geeks love these powered mini screwdrivers. My friend gave one to her sister's new husband at their wedding reception, part of a box of gifts. Everyone at the reception was asking to play with the screwdriver and he caught two of his guests trying to "forget" they had the driver, by putting it in their pockets.
Fast forward to three weeks ago when I decided to see if there were any new powered miniature screwdrivers on the market. A search yielded pay dirt when I found this "General Ultra Tech Power Precision Screwdriver" (that's a mouthful but that's the official name of it).
I read the description and was impressed that this was obviously a better product than my iGo (even though the iGo was only $5 per driver and it has worked flawlessly). What I liked about this General Ultra Tech is that it comes with six screwdriver bits, including two torx bits (T5 and T6 that typically fit cell phones and small electronics). The bits case has two very small flathead and two small Phillips head bits.
The chuck that the bits fit into are proprietary to the Ultra Tech bits. That means the full size bits that come on bigger drivers won't fit. Besides, bits such as those on a Black & Decker driver are too big to work on small precision screws. And to be sure, a full-sized powered driver would strip screw threads, holes, or heads because there's simply too much power driving the screw.
Sidenote: The iGo driver also has a proprietary chuck and bit. The iGo came with two bits, a flathead and a Phillips, that conveniently stores inside the driver, so you don't lose or misplace them.
Also, the iGo bits and chuck are magnetized, a handy feature when working in tight spaces or difficult to access screw holes. (This General Ultra Tech is not magnetized.)
Impressions of the Ultra tech: This is a great driver. It was a well thought out design and it's perfect for doing precision work.
For example:
-- You grip it like holding a pen. Because it's a small diameter device, you can hold it and easily "target" the screw you are working with.
-- When using the driver your thumb is conveniently on the power switch. So you can power the switch to screw or unscrew without having to twist or contort your grip to operate the power switch.
-- The driver at the base is curved inward, like many pens that advertise a comfortable grip design. So when holding the driver with your fingers it's really a natural grip.
-- Lastly on the grip or feel in the hand, the driver body is 6" long and about the diameter of a U.S. dime. So when holding it, the top half rests on your hand, in between the thumb and forefinger. (This is similar to holding a pen.) This results in your being able to hold the driver firm and steady when using the driver.
All in all, the form factor is a great design and pleasure to use.
Now on performance.
I see some people criticize this as being under powered or incapable of driving certain screws. Excuse me folks, first of all, this is for precision work, not driving bolts or screws into hardwood or metal. This driver has more than enough power to work on any electronic device's screws. If you want more power, trust me, you are going to strip the screw or female threads of whatever you are working on.
True, the driver head has a slight degree of of wobble indicating that these are not machined parts, where tolerances need to be precise.
If the driver contained machined parts these drivers would cost a lot more than $20 to $25. How do I know this? There's a DSLR camera CMOS sensor cleaner that kind of looks the same as this driver, it's a powered pen device that spins fibers at about 10,000 rpm. Those sensor cleaners cost about $100 minimum. Why? Mainly it's because the parts that spin or turn have to be very precise since it will be accessing the insides of a digital camera. The pen obviously contains machined parts and that's why it cost so much. There's some guy on a lathe shaping those precision parts. He has has to be paid.
The Ultra Tech driver is powered by two AAA batteries. I have found on my iGo, because I am not using it that much (maybe 100 times a year) that a set of AAA batteries last me over two years. The driver is still working at that point, but just not as fast or powerful as with a fresh set of batteries.
The package advertises "10+ hours of power" but I imagine that simply means that if you ran the motor for ten hours while the motor is still technically turning at hour ten, by that time the driver won't work. Obviously, at hour 7 or 8 the driving capabilities are weak or lacking torque (screw turning ability) so it's best to swap out the batteries then and not to wait until the batteries are completely dead.
Bonus Tip: It's best to use rechargeable batteries in devices like this. When you feel that the driver is suffering power loss (getting weaker at driving screws) simply replace the batteries and recharge the old ones. I recommend you get Sanyo's ENELoop rechargeable batteries, by the way. IMHO those are the best rechargeable batteries on the market. (Why? Well for one thing, ENELoop batteries don't discharge much when sitting in a drawer, for example. At least not at the same rate as regular rechargeable batteries.
"Screw driving"...
I was very impressed. The bits are small for precision screws and detailed work. And the smallest driver bit even fit eyeglass screws!! Now that's a precision, powered screwdriver. What will keep you from doing "big jobs" with this driver is that the bits are very small, so it can't be used for screws bigger than what you see on your notebook computer, the screws that keep the case together.
Bonus Tip: Do NOT use this screwdriver in powered mode to completely drive in a screw, the driver's motor is too powerful and will strip threads or the screw. When you get close to the where the screw is almost completely screwed in, gently twist the driver to manually finish the job. (When not in powered mode the driver handle "locks" the bit and you can manually turn the driver.
Overall impressions:
This is a great screwdriver to have in one's precision tools box. It performs very well and will make short work in removing screws in tight places or when removing lots of screws at once, such as a notebook computer case (for example, the bottom of notebook computers have anywhere from 15 to 30 screws! Who wants to loosen and tighten those with a manual screwdriver).
I am so impressed I am buying a few more to give as gifts this 2010 holiday season. General Tools 500 Cordless Ultra Tech Power Precision Screwdriver - Cordless Screwdriver - Screwdriver - Mini - Cordless'
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