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Worx Screwdriver 3.6V Lithium Ion
by blissman70
As anyone that knows me, or those that have read some of my other reviews, will realise that I have quite a collection of tools in and around my home, shed, workplace, garden and where ever else I can fit a tool or two, including my car. Those tools consist of hand tools, such as those that you need good old fashioned elbow grease to get ... them to work, (this elbow grease can be bought from amazon and the likes of B&Q), such as hand saws, screwdrivers of all shapes and sizes, planes and other. Well you know the ones I mean.
I also own and use tools that need good old fashioned elastic trickery to get going, such as hammer drills, sanders, planes and others, all offering more kick than a Russian made back street vodka that can strip the paint from a door frame in seconds.
Then, in my collection, is the other kind of tools that don't need as much elbow grease and don't have to be permanently plugged into the mains to get going. Those tools are called cordless tools, or battery operated tools, which range from drills, screwdrivers, sanders and others, all offering a good amount of power without the restrictions of a mains cable.
NOTE:
I mentioned such tools as sanders and drills in more than one list due to the fact that those type of tools come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Mains, manual and battery.
But anyway, it is one of the last type of tools on the list that I am going to waffle about today. That being a battery operated tool, or a cordless device, that acts as a screwdriver and saves you having to go off the B&Q to get a tub of that elbow grease.
This tools is actually called the Worx screwdriver and is small unit that offers more than a bit of power.
* Shall I tell you what this one looks like..?
No. why not..? Well, I'm going to anyway as that is what I'm here for.
This driver is made of a strong, mainly orange coloured plastic casing with dashes of black, especially black rubber on the handle, which makes it recognisable as being made from the Worx company.
It's a cracking handy size, being about 130mm high, 60mm wide and about 160mm deep, (from top of handle to base of handle), weighing in at a mere ¼ kg.
On the front there is the chuck, or more the driver bit holder, which is magnetic so that you don't drop any of the bits that you put into it. This chuck can take most 25mm hex bits.
Underneath this chuck there is a rather fine little light that brightens up the area that you are working on with out making it too bright, flashing back into you retinas and blinding you for hours on end. making you feel like you've just finished welding a car wing back on but forgot to wear your eye protection...(if you don't know what that feels like then you're a very lucky person, and probably more careful than I am).
Towards the rear there is the handle, which has a rather firm feel to it and, due to the black rubberised nobly sections that stick out, so that it doesn't slip in your hand when you're using it.
On the front of this handle there is the trigger, which again is a black plastic and a good size so that you can easily squeeze it with your trigger finger, giving it the perfect pressure so you can get the screwing job done.
Directly above this trigger there is a black slider button switch which goes right through the driver and slides from one side to the other, this is the directional control and, when pressed into one side of the driver, pushing out of the other side, it changes the rotation of the motor itself so that you not only have the ability to drive screws in you can also take them out again.
At the bottom of the trigger that is a couple of copper looking strips that seem to be a little out of place on this yellow and black gun shaped device and are very noticeable when you look at it.
These copper strips are in fact the charging connector and are designed to make the connection to the cradle that then charges this one.
Yes, I said cradle, as this is how this driver charges up, instead of the normal way that these types of drivers charge up, which is a simple wire plugged into the bottom of the handle or the rear section.
* So, the cradle - slash - charger then..?
I knew you'd ask about this, basically due to the fact that I have just mentioned it myself.
This cradle is shaped in an arch fashion, and I do mean fashion as it does look the part with a smooth curving spine and solid foundation which makes it sit easily on a surface as it takes the light weight of the driver when it is on charge.
But the nice thing about this cradle is that it manages to cleverly hide the driver bits in a tray that is housed underneath the actual charging unit itself. You lift up the top section of the charger and, hey presto, you reveal the bits underneath.
Clever really and so neat indeed.
To show your bits all you have to do is press the grey knobs, which are on either side of the cradle, then just lift the top off the bottom to reveal the bits.
And that is what this driver and cradle - slash - charger looks like... there's nothing else to mention, looks wise anyway, but I'll still waffle on a bit if you don't mind.
* So how do you charge it then..?
This is a simple matter of placing the driver onto the cradle - slash - charger, making sure that the metal charging components on the drivers handle connect with the connectors on the cradle.
Then switch on the mains and wait for the battery to get to a good charge, or wait longer for a full charge.
And away you go...
This built in rechargeable battery can be charged up in 3 hours for quick use or a full charge of 5 hours. On a full charge you can get a good 10-12 hours of normal use. although normal use depends on many factors of course. I have used it for around six hours, (on and off) in a working day and it still has enough power left in the battery to carry on working, which is more than be said for me.
* What about its power and capabilities..?
It has a small yet quite decent 3.6volt motor offering about 200rpm with no bit in the chuck of course, but once you start to screw then the revs drop dramatically, although not enough to stop you screwing in or out of what ever you're doing of course.
It has a single torque setting, which I think is about 3Nm (Newton meters for those true boffins). So you do have to be slightly careful when it comes to the end of screwing into delicate work as there's nothing to stop the screw going right through that paper thin piece of veneer you're trying to be so careful with
It has a useful spindle lock, which means that if the battery suddenly runs out of power you can finish off the screwing in, or out, using the driver as a standard screwdriver.
Plus, there's a light on the front which comes on when you press the trigger, thus, illuminating the work area so that you can clearly see what you are doing.
* What do I think of this tool then..?
Firstly, I have to say that I haven't used this for a while, mainly due to the fact that I managed to get my hands on this ones stronger brother, (or sister, I'm not sexist, I'm not sexy either, no matter what the mirror tells me). It's stronger brother is more of a professional modal and makes this one look like something that Fred Flintstone may have had in his back pocket.
But when I did use it I made sure that I got my monies worth, putting it through its paces when ever I could, and over the time I have either lost or damaged the bits that came with this driver, although the driver still works almost as good as it ever did.
But, overall, this is, at the end of the day, not a bad little colourful driver indeed that helps you remain blister free in the palms of you hands as you don't have to twist any screwdrivers around to get the screws in and out.
This is small, being only just a handful really, (some ladies may find this not so thrilling..!!!), so you wouldn't expect much power from it, but I was pretty pleased with what it gave me. So, if you look at the sort of size to power ratio this one is up there with the best of them.
Don't get me wrong, there are many drivers out there that offer a lot more power, with a few extras on top, such as torque settings, electric braking system, and more, but for a handy little power driver this offer enough boot to get a small job done.
It is pretty lightweight and very comfortable to use and it has never left any blisters in the palm of my hand, no matter how hard I'm screwing, which is a good thing when using any tools really isn't it? I mean, the last thing you want is a blister in the palm of your hand.? That's not so good.
As for the noise levels. Well, you've heard the saying "as quiet as a mouse.."? yes? Well, this one's sort of fits into that saying, only it's more like a mouse wearing military boots as it does tend to grind a little as you drive a screw into home. But when it's just spinning on its own it is one of the quietest drivers I've come across. Although why you'd want to just sit there spinning the chuck for no reason I don't know? But each to their own I suppose.
I was impressed with the charger unit, or shall we say the cradle, as it not only charged the driver it held it in rest position and it also managed to house several little bits in its under belly, which comes in handy if you only take this entire unit with you as it's all there in one.
The bits are hexagon shaped fitting so that when they go into the chuck they don't slip about when turning, even under pressure. There are enough of these bits to get you going in the first instance, with the majority of them fitting into the single extension bar so that you don't have to keep unscrewing and screwing the chuck in order to replace the bits.
Although the bad news is that the bits that come with this driver, the ones that are hidden away in the charger, aren't the best, in fact, some of them crumbled in the first stubborn screw, which caused no end of trouble really. So I'd recommend using different bits instead of trying these out as they do seems a little too weak when it comes to screwing and unscrewing.
The good news though is that these bits can be bought for a few quid from many DIY shops and most are of good quality so getting new ones that will replace the ones that comes with this driver should be no trouble at all.
* So how much does this driver cost..?
This neat little tool sells for about £20.00, which is not bad at all really as there are many drivers of this type out there that sell for more than this.
* Would I recommend this one..?
Well, if you're after a small driver which can help you erect flat packs and simple small jobs around the house then go for this one as it takes up no room at all really.
But, and this is a big but, if you're after anything that needs to push screws into something 'heavier' that may take some hassle and true grit to achieve then this may fall flat on its face in minutes.
In all, a small, compact driver that is handy to have around.
©Blissman70 2013
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