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Powered Screw Drivers

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I've been using this for RC and general light use and I'm really happy with it. The low settings are really soft I usually use 3 for plastic and 5 for metal with 3mm screws.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stalwart-3-6V-Lithium-Ion-Dual-Position-Cordless-Screwdriver-Set/55317528

I do my Tamiya kits with a hand driver because I don't trust electric for JIS but I use this on other RCs with hex heads. I like the fact that I can tighten all screws to the same spec.

 

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I'd also be interested in any first hand experience of the "Wowstick" on 1/10th RC cars, looks like they are pitched at smaller devices so might be underpowered.

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2 hours ago, sosidge said:

I'd also be interested in any first hand experience of the "Wowstick" on 1/10th RC cars, looks like they are pitched at smaller devices so might be underpowered.

I think the wowstick has been discussed  before. If I remember it’s good but may not be tough enough for new building where threads have to be cut into plastic?

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Still using old faithful. Must be knocking on 12 year old now and still going strong. The impact driver that came with it gets regular work use screwing bath feet into floors and it's still away like a good un. 

Use dewalt bits at work but they don't fit the Tamiya screws that we'll so what's everyone's bits of choice? 

IMG_20210312_170601.jpg

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1 hour ago, Wetman said:

what's everyone's bits of choice? 

JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) bit would be a good choice.  

I found that many newer bits work like JIS too.  (off the top of my head, I think DeWalt worked, I'm not 100% sure on that.)  

For manual screw driver, people use Tamiya set. I use Vessel. 

 

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On 3/13/2021 at 12:11 AM, sosidge said:

Hitachi tools aren't Hitachi any more so I'm not sure what's going on there. Should I be looking at Hikoki?

Look for the Hokitoki and then turn around,

I believe that's what it's all about. :ph34r:

I have a craptastic 'Ion' brand one from Bunnings.. you can either use it in the off, or strip mode.

  • Haha 2

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2 hours ago, berman said:

Look for the Hokitoki and then turn around,

I believe that's what it's all about. :ph34r:

I have a craptastic 'Ion' brand one from Bunnings.. you can either use it in the off, or strip mode.

I have the Ozito bunnings one, cheapest they had and my son thinks its cool cos it has a torch on the end. It works surprisingly well, and has torque settings that appear to work. I turn it down for my 10th cars and if i forget to turn it up it struggles on some of the screws on the 8th car.

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I use this cheap piece of work I picked up at my local Walmart for $15. 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-4V-Max-Lithium-ion-Cordless-Power-Screwdriver-1-4-inch-with-Charger-Rotating-Handle-LED-Light-Magnetic-Bit-Holder-Bits/45466955?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=1777&adid=22222222420&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-293946777986&wl5=9007414&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=45466955&wl13=1777&veh=sem_LIA&gclid=CjwKCAiAhbeCBhBcEiwAkv2cY_7SY0n1OXJIIwu38bvu6AIAufSrv5zuKpz3g970Hrry3nnpfumF5BoC1rMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Excellent torque settings - at the first setting it will usually stop well before the screw bottoms out. Doesn't have a ton of power even when locked up so it's great for builds. I've used it to build kits for years, and never stripped a thing. Grease the screw (always, even when doing new kits by hand) and screw it in. I usually start stop a few times just in case I'm overheating the plastic. Do wish it had variable speed, but for the price I really cannot complain. 

I also invested in a few 1/4 hand drivers - 3 for the bench and one for my mobile pit box... I picked up a bunch of bits (Vega) from 1.5-4mm, and various phillips and flat heads. I can then swap the bits between the hand driver and power driver. Pretty much consolidated my entire tool set around the 1/4inch bits. It's been working out great. 

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Fancied a wow stick as the xiaomi stuff is superb but it just won’t have the torque for self tappers 

JJ

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On 6/20/2019 at 10:07 AM, speedy_w_beans said:

Do you ever run into issues with screws getting hot and melting the plastic, making the holes loose?  Even hand-tightening some screws with a ratcheting screwdriver I've felt the plastic go soft before, so I've slowed down my fastener removals and installations.  This seems to be an issue with certain plastics more than others.

I typically lube the threads of the screws and slow it down. Noticed the heat especially with older Tamiya plastics.

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On 6/20/2019 at 3:42 PM, Mad Ax said:

I have a very cheap Performance Power screwdriver from B&Q.  I think it was < £10.  I never use it for RC builds, firstly because I have no JIS bits and secondly because I don't really see the point.  Even with slightly arthritic fingers, the majority of screws don't give me any trouble.  Unless you're racing to complete a car for a build-and-drive event, why rush?  Use a hand-held screwdriver and feel what the plastic is doing.

The main RC-related thing I do use it for is link screws in my custom-built crawlers.  Screwing 30mm of M3 machine screw in and out of 10mm delrin plate is tough on the fingers and wrists but my cheapie B&Q jobbie does it flawlessly.

I also use it for drilling plastic.  It's a single speed driver and it's very slow, way slower than my cordless electric drill at its slowest speed, and it's also much, much lighter, and therefore easier to control.  I have 2mm, 2.5mm and 3mm drill bits on hexes so I can plug-and-play without a chuck.  For plasticard sheel, styrene mouldings, lexan and ABS bodies, which tend to melt if drilled too fast and/or are too small or flexible to clamp to a surface, the hand-held is the perfect too for a semi-precise hole.

If I need real precision I use the bench drill, but it can be a little too fast for plastic and probably isn't quite as precise as it was when it was made 60+ years ago.  The chuck has a bit of a wobble and it vibrates from having an ancient drive belt left installed while it was dry-stored for a while after its former owner passed away.

Since this post got liked today, I thought I'd add that after an entire year of lockdowns, I am still using the cheap B&Q Performance Power screwdriver to screw 30mm M3 machine screws in and out of 10mm delrin plate.  As in, actually 4 hours ago, I was using it to screw a 30mm M3 machine screw out of and back into 10mm delrin plate.  (Not immediately, though.  I mean, I screwed it out, did some other stuff, then screwed it back in again.  I didn't just clairvoyantly screw it out and screw it back in again just so I could mention it on a bumped thread 4 hours later).  It is still going strong despite being used almost every weekend for an entire year for screwing things in and out and for drilling holes in plasticard sheet, styrene mouldings, lexan and ABS bodies.  It had a brief respite from such abuse because I lost the charger wall-wart for 3 weeks, but as soon as I found it I plugged it in and charged it up and started abusing it all over again.

Still using the drill press, too.  It still wobbles, and I still haven't replaced the drive belt.

The cordless electric drill is toast, though.  That badboy isn't holding charge any more, the Li-ion packs have died.  Replaced it with a Bosch cordless 2 weeks ago which is half the size, half the weight and wields like a scalpel.  Yet to see how it fares hammer-drilling into red brick walls, mind, which is probably what killed the last one.

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40 minutes ago, Mad Ax said:

Since this post got liked today, I thought I'd add that after an entire year of lockdowns, I am still using the cheap B&Q Performance Power screwdriver to screw 30mm M3 machine screws in and out of 10mm delrin plate.  As in, actually 4 hours ago, I was using it to screw a 30mm M3 machine screw out of and back into 10mm delrin plate.  (Not immediately, though.  I mean, I screwed it out, did some other stuff, then screwed it back in again.  I didn't just clairvoyantly screw it out and screw it back in again just so I could mention it on a bumped thread 4 hours later).  It is still going strong despite being used almost every weekend for an entire year for screwing things in and out and for drilling holes in plasticard sheet, styrene mouldings, lexan and ABS bodies.  It had a brief respite from such abuse because I lost the charger wall-wart for 3 weeks, but as soon as I found it I plugged it in and charged it up and started abusing it all over again.

Still using the drill press, too.  It still wobbles, and I still haven't replaced the drive belt.

The cordless electric drill is toast, though.  That badboy isn't holding charge any more, the Li-ion packs have died.  Replaced it with a Bosch cordless 2 weeks ago which is half the size, half the weight and wields like a scalpel.  Yet to see how it fares hammer-drilling into red brick walls, mind, which is probably what killed the last one.

If its the 18v combi forget it. Breeze or cement only.

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12 hours ago, Wetman said:

If its the 18v combi forget it. Breeze or cement only.

tbf I generally use the pluggy-inny drill for any masonry stuff.  The old Performance Power 18v cordless would do brick but it took a while.

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