IFIXIT Pro Tech Toolkit Review
Hey guys, how's it going?
Huge thanks to IFIXIT for sending out The Pro Tech Toolkit for me to check out! Let's take a look.
IFIXIT is a website where people would publish guides for consumer electronics(smartphones, computers, laptops) or just about anything else, repairs and teardowns(taking them apart). As they grew and grew their community also grew, so they added a forum.
"25,000+ Repair Manuals, 7,000+ devices supported, and 95,000+ questions answered; since 2003."
They also added a store where they sell the tools and kits needed to perform their repairs and teardowns. IFIXIT is now a thriving, trusted online community where you can get repair and teardown information for just about any piece of tech that you own! You can check them out over at "www.ifixit.com". They released their first "Pro-Tech Toolkit" a couple years ago and the community loved it! They still sell their original as "The Classic Pro-Tech Toolkit" for $10 less than this one as a lighter offering for people who don't need as much stuff as the one I'm checking out.
The design of the kit is not a feature that i'm particularly fond of, the Velcro strap for latching it together is a little short and just barely hangs on the the cover, and it looks pretty bulky. Besides that, it's super portable and durable enough to throw in a bag.
The contents of the kit are as follows:
64 Bit Driver Kit
Anti-Static Wrist Strap
Small Suction Cup
3x iFixit Opening Tool
iFixit Opening Picks x6
Nylon Tipped Reverse Tweezers
Angled ESD Tweezers
Blunt ESD Tweezers
2x Spudger
Metal Spudger
Jimmy
Magnetic Pad
Tool Roll
No doubt the star of the show is The 64 Bit Driver Kit. It comes in a plastic/ABS case and while that may sound dismaying at first, this is extremely durable plastic/ABS. It's molded in a shape in which when it's dropped, the corners will take all the impact, due to that the corners are also built very strongly. IFIXIT wanted a case for the driver kit that could be easily accessed, has a secure fit, and can be separated form the rest of the kit in case you don't need all those other tools. So they used magnets. This is a good approach! There are 4 neodymium magnets on the lid itself and the driver kit portion that snap together quickly and securely. Although one thing to note, when the toolkit is completely closed, it sits at an obtuse angle; when you try to set it straight, the magnetic lid moves out of place. There is also a heavy duty magnet on the bottom of the case along with a matching one on the bottom of the outer case which takes care of holding the driver kit portion in place. It's super easy to take off just the driver kit portion in case you just want that, thanks to the magnets on the bottom.
And believe me when I say, these are amazing! IFIXIT researched all of the latest and recent consumer electronics and used some of their own, industry standard, guides and manuals to compile the most common tools needed in order to perform IFIXIT repairs. The driver kit includes extremely common bits, such as Philips Head and Flat Head, but also some super unique, cool ones; such as the triangle bit, and some Torx Security bits(these feature an extruding point that the screw must bite into in order for it to be loosened, thus providing extra security).
Here's everything the kit includes:
150 mm Flex Extension
64 Bit Driver
4 mm Screwdriver Bits
Phillips - 000, 00, 0, 1, 2
Flathead - 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4 mm
Torx - T2, T3, T4, T5
Torx Security - TR6, TR7, TR8, TR9, TR10, TR15, TR20, TR25
Pentalobe - P2, P5, P6
JIS - J000, J00, J0, J1
Hex - 0.7, 0.9, 1.3, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5 mm
Tri-point - Y000, Y00, Y0, Y1
Nut Driver - 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5 mm
Square - 0, 1, 2
Gamebit - 3.8, 4.5 mm
Spanner - 4, 6, 8
Triangle - 2, 3 mm
SIM Eject Bit
1/4" to 4 mm Driver Adapter
The "Pentalobe" bit notably, is used by apple in many of their products such as their Macbook Pro's. The individual bits are made out of 6150 Alloy Steel. Steel is great for this purpose due to its toughness, but it can be brittle and hard to work with in its raw form, due to this they used alloy steel. When you "Alloy" a metal, you're essentially fusing it with another metal in order for it to inhabit desirable traits, say for example combining a really tough and hard metal with a rust-resistant metal would help it become rust-resistant. None of the bits were bent or anything and nicely snapped into the driver.
The Driver is essentially the head/handle of the screwdriver. This specific one has a nice weight to it which makes it feel really nice in the hand, another thing that adds to the fact is that this is made out of anodized aluminum. It also has a textured aluminum grip similar to the one found on The Alvin Draft Matic pencils that I reviewed a short while ago, this allows for reliable 2 handed operation. I consulted my father, who is quite experienced in this field, and he told me that on normal screwdrivers, when you turn the screwdriver, the entire body would move;, hence making it hard to get a good grip on the screw. This one has a swivel portion that is placed where you index finger would usually sit, this makes it so that the entire driver portion stays put, while only your fingers and the swivel portion move. The last thing I want to touch on with the driver is that usually magnets and electronics don't react well with each other, although this particular driver is magnetic(it snaps on to the bits and holds them securely in place). I've used it on my phone and i'm going to try using it on other electronics, so far there has been no interference which leads me to believe that the magnetic charge/field is very low on the driver.
Now, the driver kit itself, blew me away. It's lined with felt that is blue on the inside and black on the outside along with also having glossy inscriptions that have a small picture of the bit along with the name of the bit. The felt also helps hold the bits very snug and securely in place. Along with that we also get a flexible, 150 mm, screwdriver extender, in case you need to screw in some tight spots.
Besides that, all of the tweezers are made out of metal. The opening picks are made out of plastic. The 2x Spudgers are also made out of plastic along with the 3x opening tools. The suction cup is heavy duty and features a key ring. The anti-static wrist strap is also of equally high-quality and is a nice, welcome addition to the kit. All of these items feature individual "IFIXIT" branding along with their logo. The "Jimmy" tool is used for taking apart things such as monitor bezels or phones. Although, when I first saw it, I thought it would be the perfect unboxing tool for cutting tape and such. Its rubberized along with a heavy duty, military-like construction.
In conclusion, this kit is not for everyone. If you're the kind of person who you think would use this on a daily basis or even frequently, order this right now; it's a no-brainer. But if you're just looking for a high quality, portable, toolkit; I advise you to see if some of IFIXIT's other items suit your needs, if not, try something else.
Final Verdict - 9/10
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Although I wish the $70 price tag could have been lower,
all of these tools are of extremely high quality and you couldn't
assemble something similar on your own for less money, or with some of the amazing and extremely useful features as The Pro-Tech Toolkit. For $70 it's a good buy for an industry professional or someone who would use this on a daily basis, if you're just looking for a general, around the house toolkit; try something else.
Thanks for reading guys, see you later!
