I have one similar to your cheaper one and use it often. It will quickly tighten or loosen a screw with little hand motion, which is very helpful in most places on a 3D printer. I'm 71 and while I can still get things done this makes it easier and faster.

I was thinking of getting a "stick" type electric one but in the end I settled for a (still smallish) Bosch IXO 6th Gen. You have fine control over the speed and with maybe one or two exceptions it usually still fit in everywhere. Plus it can also used for bigger screws because it can have serious power if you want it to.

Really appreciate your honest feedback and helpful and making my decision. Cheers.

Purchased the cheaper one! Thanks for the review! i have been tempted but you made my mind up!

The video I needed! Thx. Ordered the cheap one.

I just got my ES126 in the mail from Banggood and it's well worth the $35 dollars I paid for it! They had it on sale with a promotional code to bring the price down so low I finally had to own one. Shipped it out fast too.

I also have the cheaper grey one ,its helped heaps with small/med screws on plastic threads ,no more stripping the threads oor over tightening things,still use the good ol normal drivers oc! thanx for sharing got mine with aprox 30 bits from aliexpress 7 weeks later outback aussie worth the wait just wish it ran longer between charges/could charge use it but dont want to break it.

I got the "cheaper" type many years ago when that design first came out in 2018. At the time they only came in 2xAAA battery power and no light. Found it was too weak to drive screws into fresh plastic holes and found myself using it as a ratchet that's electrically assisted 😅 which i didn't mind because it only cost me $20. So after a few weeks of using it i decided to upgrade it with EBL Rechargeable Lithium batteries. I installed a dummy battery which is just a jumper and only used one AAA 3.7v Lithium battery, but just one of those batteries have more power and amps than two good alkaline AAA's. That turned it into a real screwdriver that can torque down small screws and remove fresh screws from the factory. Best part is that it seams to be really balanced with it, as when it starts to feel very week the battery only drops to about 3.2v (under 3v is bad for lithium batteries) so you don't really damage the batteries. I can get done about 5 jobs requiring 30+ screws before it starts to feel weak, then i just rotate in a fresh battery (i have 3 extra in a case i designed)

That "premium" screwdriver looks like a knockoff of the Miniware ES15S, which would have been a better comparison. It has a higher max RPM, higher max torque, and a thrust bearing to reduce wear and tear, to name just a few features. The magnet is strong, and the light is even. I almost never use my Ifixit screwdrivers anymore - but there is always a place for manual tools.

I know about the expensive versions and had them in mind for when the need arises. I am about to replace a keyboard on a macbook pro which to do properly and for best key feel requires about 80 tiny screws for the assembly. I thought this might be a good use for a small e-screwdriver. After a little research I opted for the cheaper one but only based on what was on the specific online store I use. I didnt go looking for reviews. The one I got is the same as your "cheap one". I figured it was bad I could return it and perhaps go up a notch. I wasnt sure if the uber expensive one was worth the money but if that was the way to go ultimately... I got the "cheap one" today and gave it workout on some screws. nice! seems good. and now I am seeing your evaluation and feel good about my purchase. the keyboard job is next week.

Agreed.i have a slightly larger cheaply Alix model but even tho the buttons are at the front they are uncomfortable and just feels terrible in the hand

As someone who has both the sq126 and ES15, considering how many screws you do and undo, I feel for you the upgrade is worth it what with the addition of torque limits, an auto reverse mode to avoid bits getting stuck, more torque (meaning you can finish off more bolts without significant manual twist) and speed and brighter lights. I also want to say that my experience has been quite different. I definitely even as a normalish able bodied person found the automatic screwing to be immensely helpful in reducing wrist strain even for a series of a dozen bolts or so. For 3d printer applications, I find its easily worth the money. Definitely also worth having a bigger quarter inch driver as well for the big boy m5+ screws though. To me, I just don't care that these have a slight bit more slop to the feel. If it's good enough, it's good enough. If the screw is in while my wrist doesn't hurt, I'm chuffed.

Great review/comparison of a curious product category. I was having problems with manual screwdrivers due to joint pain and etc, so I dropped about $90 on one of those giant yellow DeWalt electric screwdrivers. It came with three batteries and has speeds from very slow to as fast as a drill. With a proper bit it can do light drilling. It was a huge help with assembling my two newest PCs, at a cost less than the expensive but flimsy & tiny "electric screwdrivers" sold alongside them. In addition it's quite useful for heavier household chores. The small units such as those you reviewed here pose it no real competition and often cost more.

I only need this for some tight spaces I tend to go into, I wish they'd make a shorter one where turning my hand isn't an option

Very good like always!

Bought one, thanks!

This review was perfect. I’ve been thinking I need an electric screwdriver for a while but reality was… I wanted a new tool. I’ll grab the cheap one and have it for when the situation calls for it.

$30usd craftman electric screwdriver has been working great for me. Uses standard 1/4 drive bits as well.

Yeah, these types of drivers are not for building 3d printed items or for torquing down large screws. They are designed for electronics repair techs who are taking apart laptops and phones and what not. The Sequre one is really designed to be held with your index finger on top and thumb on the button, basically the way you would use a precision screwdriver. I have a Miniware ES121 that is about 5 years old and I use it constantly. Saves a ton of time. Mainly for phone/laptop repair and for building/repairing FPV drones.

I'm 40 now and i thought that thing with your wrist making slight noises while turning screws for a longer time and sometimes the start of a light pain in the hands was very uncommon and only happened to me for some reason. But while reading only some comments here, it seems far more widespread and even starting at a much lower age. Thank you for making my decision about an electric screwdriver from AliExpress, as i allways had an eye on the much more expensive one which i never bought because of it's huge pricetag. Now i will just directly order the cheap one...

The ES15 is pretty good for disassembling notebooks. The battery life is kinda short though. The bits that come with it are of really good quality. And it can work as an impact driver, which is quite good if the screw is small and it is stuck.

Nice compered, I totally agree in everything. 👍🖖

bigger but the dewalt 8v gyroscopic screwdriver is very intuitive and has been very durable. I use it frequently in my work repairing medical equipment.

I bought a cheaper one based on your suggestion. I got it today. It's so nice.

Just guessing, but I would assume the more expensive one has the button farther back so you can hold the button while also driving forward with your palm on the back. As for the rotate to activate, that might be useful if it has an always on feature so you dont ahve to hit/hold the button to drive. Then the button placement would be irrelivent. Seems like something they would have thought of (and may have).

Looks like you could design and print a handle, more like a traditional driver to slide over the cheap one to give better grip.

I had the cheaper one. Really liked it BUT after a year or so of time to time usage brushes of brushed motor burned out tho everything else was working great. You can dissemble it if you know what latches are there without damaging it and you could probably replace the motor but I couldn't find replacement motor. Just because of that it's hard to recommend it. If you need to buy a new one every year it's not that cheap of an option The one from Miniware use BLCD (brushless) motor so it basically will never wear out which could actually be worth it but I don't know if durability of other parts good as well cuz I never had one

i think they are useful, it gets annoying when i twist a reg screwdriver the entire laptop moves and then i end up losing a screw so this is a game changer

I've been thinking of getting something like this.

well, i have a cordless drill already. So just get some hex bits. Big but good for most cases.

I've been using an impact driver for disassembly for a while now, it's hard to beat up to 4000 RPM, but that electric screwdriver is cheap enough to give a try.

Bosch Go 2.0 is awesome. It is used most of all my tools.

i have both, and now use the cheap one because it's much lighter, without the annoying autosense function. but it's got definitely lower rotation speed which makes the operation slow. make sure there are at least 300rpm.

Hi was wondering if you could post the heat press, please

The more inportant thas is the torque... What is in each one the max?

Have a bunch of different ones at work like this, honestly barelly use it. Im always reaching for the milwuakee m12 dual speed with torque setting. They have their uses but just lack torque. I work on electronics and recently got the wiha 51 pcs individual set, its amazing and worth the 200+ $ price tag. If you need screw drivers for work on electronics, you will not regret that purchase.

How would these compare to Skilz, Craftman or Dermel Go Cordless Screwdrivers?

I don't drive small technical screws every day, but I do deal with them often. I have 3 sets of 4mm tips (One in the car for glasses, One in my Soldering toolkit for electronics and my best set in my office). Recently I developed tendentious in my right hand - so rotational movements are painful & I'm right handed. A light shining into the screw holes would be very helpful. I'm considering the cheap 4mm battery driver to help with stripping or assembly of items, Left Handed. Any advice?

One thing you did not talk about was build quality. Which one will still be around after years of constant use. It is possible this is another example of "you get what you paid for".

I own a Xiaomi Wowstick for about 20 Euros. But most of the time I use my manual screwdrivers. The torque is the Wowstick is not strong enough to tighten or loosen screws, even in a notebook. But the holding power of the gearbox is strong enough to loosen a screw manually, and then I use the motor to fully unscrew. But: there is one case, many people overlook. If you have to place a nut on an inaccessible place where you additionally can’t see properly, you can put in the screw and let it turn with the screwdriver. Then try to fiddle the nut in its place and pray, that the screw catches the thread of the nut. In this case, even the cheaper model can be very helpful.

I've owned the ES15 for almost a year and a half and after using it about 3 times just working on consoles I put it away and went back to just using my cheap precision screwdriver set from Amazon.

does it still work? Can you replace the battery?

Just using my Bosch GDR12V-110 (impact driver) for almost anything. Except the fine stuff.

As a IT field tech replacing 5 laptop motherboards with 20+ screws each I've debated a small electric screwdriver. I use iFixIt's toolkit and that screwdriver is pretty great. Also every bit I could ever need. Idk if an electric screwdriver is really gonna save me much work.

great video

I have 3 electric drivers but always use manual drivers while repairing expensive products such as iPhones and iPads. Maybe I trust my hand more when it comes to torque.

Rotation is locked inside by Sprag Clutch. That Miniware ES-126 clone should have in settings posibility to set how much you need to turn you wrist to activate it ( atleast that is what older brothers have - even in text config file when you connect it to the computer ), i can choose between full speed and speed vs wrist rotation angle. ES-126 should have some kind of torque settings and it should do that electricaly ( which is much better than mechanical solutions where you can overtight and most ppl do ). Maximum speed and torque is still limited by gearbox inside ( ES-120 had bigger torque than ES-121 but lower speed ).

exelente video

The cheapo one is so much nicer looking!

Great comparison/review. I'll stick to my simple manual screwdriver set - much simpler and more reliable with direct drive. I see these as a solution looking for a problem that doesn't really exist.

Save your hands the grip fatigue and grab a joycon to replace that mouse

I have the ES126 and pretty much agree that it's not worth it. I was so excited when I got it but now I still find myself using my Wera hex set 95% of the time.

What about the Xiaomi WOWStick 1F+ ? I use it since 2 years and it comes with lot of accessoires. All for only 40€.

Do any of these have a speed ramp? I can't imagine using these and watching countless screws go flying across the room because the driver started at its rated speed. My 12 dollar China driver even has variable speed.

Than think about a disable person ect that have problems with ther hands,its much easyer to push a button and hand the hand still than often to move the hand wrist. 🤗

I have both wow stick and esp15, wow stick is so weak no torque m2 screws and starting m3 at best, esp15 is perfect for printer m3 and m4 level of torque and last alot longer

If you ever get a chance to try Wiha Speede 2 give it a go. That one is a real game changer.

Which one can hold screws magnetically?

WOW stick, nuff said

Chat if torque should be limited to electric forums (ie where it really matters) not general screwdriving :)

I agree that torque on these things doesnt really matter as long as theres "enough" of it, but I very much disagree that measuring it is pointless, and I disagree even more that its limited by your grip strength (if I understood that correctly. This magic "enough" amount of torque is nowhere near what these produce and its certainly nowhere near what you can hold on to. I keep searching for a electric pen screwdriver that doesnt suck because I really like the idea, but everytime I try one its so poor that I go back to my Makita 8v. While bigger, bulkier and a bit more unwieldy, you get an actual usable tool with a mechanical clutch, variable speed trigger, option for pistol grip, decent rechargable batteries (with a spare) and most importantly speed and torque that actually make you reach for it instead of forcing yourself to use one for the gimmick. It can screw a wood fastener straight into a 2x4 without predrilling, but even that is nowhere near a torque where you couldnt hold on to it. Like, im not trying to sell it, just saying ive done everything from changing oil on vehichles to building a full voron with it, and that if you have to ask yourself it something is a useful tool or not, get a good quality hand tool instead. Good hand tools > bad power tools every single time! Also the thing that makes you able to use it by hand without spinning the motor is a motor brake, usually its either a one-way clutch that disengages when the motor starts or just achieved with gear resistance. The latter one kinda sucks as you are likely to either break the gears or overcome the resistance and turn the motor regardless

So we know the ES126 isn't worth the price, but the comments seem to be pretty happy with the ES15, which unfortunately isn't part of the review. Gonna have to go with inconclusive on this one.

I have the cheaper version and it doesn't have enough torque. Looking for something better.

Cool

Don't wait till it starts hurting to use it. Cherish your health more. Repetitive actions are not good for your joints, at any age. If there is a better way for doing some things, use that. Also, sometimes, the most annoying part of a job is these mundane activities like having to take out 15 screws just to connect an antennae wire you forgot about and then putting all of them back together.

Well, I don't think you know the features of the ES-15 given how easily you dismiss it. For what it is, a Precision electric screwdriver, torque control is important. I do a lot of tiny fasteners into plastic, and having proper torque control is extremely important. These are very good at that, and means I can do a ton of tiny screws, with ease.

Is this a reupload? I watched this vid last night too!

I got a cheap one and it lasted five minutes. Is now dead. Might go not cheap next time.

Sorry, but you lost all credibility at the 6 minute mark. "I've forgotten how to access those properly, so all those settings are useless". It's not the tool that has a problem. My ES15, by the way, allows you turn off the automatic turn-to-activate, but of course, you'd have to read the manual to see if yours does. Also has multiple torque and speed settings. I'll have to get back to you on how useful it is-- I just received mine as a gift.

I don't get it. The screw sizes these drivers are designed for are all "spin the driver shaft in your fingers" easy.

Is this De Ja Vu?

I watch you more than pruduc you are talking about screw driwer but you show yourself

this dude already had his mind made up

Top tip - for the high-end choice the Philips IXO 6 electric screwdriver is variable speed, $60. An angled design reduces the overall length so sometimes better in tight spaces.

This xiaomi hand screwdriver you said it's terrible is actually one if the best set out there for a precision work btw. Anyway, I love electric screwdrivers for what I do, unscrewing hundreds of screws is no fun.

Just say you hate them! Everybody knows it... lol

Why do you have a computer mouse in your hand at all times?

"I've forgotten how to access the settings on the screwdriver, so they're all but useless to me now." For real??? And your tone made it sound like it's a fault of the driver. What the hell are you buying a screwdriver with an LCD and an ARM processor inside for?? What a ridiculous take

Using your hand is overrated

Totally disagree. With exactly the same cheap model that you presented, I was able to screw in/unscrew about 100-110 screws. Then completely dead. When you open and close 10 laptops daily, the only thing that matters is reliability and durability. I bought the cheap model trying to protect my "overpriced" screwdriver, which I have been using every day for almost 2 years and which is worth every cent. The cheap model = money thrown out the window!

Too much talk, too little show wtf dude. Just show us how they perform for fucks sake

30s isn't the cause of the pains and aches. It's the dramatic reduction of movement and exercise. You can hit the gym, get a trainer and turn into a monster in the best shape of your life in your 30s, 40s and beyond.

😆