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A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know." Bosch may be better known for making some of the best cordless drills– and every other tool imaginable – for both pro and home DIY use. When it comes to the compact and affordable end of the market, the IXO 6 is probably the best electric screwdriver you can buy. It's certainly the most popular.
Skil's screwdriver is another great option, reasonably priced and with a bunch of smart design decisions that mean you won't feel like you're cutting too many corners by saving some money.Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328; We’ve always been fans of the look and feel of the Bosch IXO. The previous version had a more complex design with a large Bosch logo on the side, which was in keeping with the style of Bosch’s other power tools. The new IXO has a simpler look with an understated two-tone colour scheme. It appears more elegant and sophisticated, which will appeal to a wider user base. New Features, Big Difference The battery indicator has also had an upgrade. It comprises three LED lights instead of one, which gives you a better idea of how much power remains. If there’s one area that we wish Bosch had improved is the charging time which still stands at three hours to recharge an empty battery. The table below is a side-by-side comparison of what has changed and what has stayed the same.
The best example of this is the straightforward design of the controls. There are a grand total of two controls that can be easily operated with one hand. There’s a thumb switch on the top for choosing direction and a progressive squeeze trigger that controls the speed, squeeze harder for more oomph. These two controls have that solid build quality present throughout the rest of the product but don’t feel heavy or clunky to use, the controls are remarkably light. Bosch then wrap the handle in this grippy material to produce what it calls the ‘softgrip zone’ which keeps your hand comfortable. Heading towards the tail-end of the year, sometimes I can’t help but spoil myself with a few presents (to myself, of course). Because of the volume of online shopping clogging up courier services around the place, I started early but didn’t have the chance to do some testing and write-ups until just now. If you're currently reading this while wearing a tool belt, knee pads, safety glasses and a mask, you are probably thinking, 'This seems totally underpowered for my requirements,' and you are probably correct.
Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years. Perhaps my biggest annoyance with all cordless screwdrivers of a similar design is simply how close the “head” of the unit is to the bit which, because the bit is centred, means that screwdriving close to a corner (or in recesses) becomes impossible. There is an offset “easy-reach” accessory for this, but the cost is significant compared to the cost of the unit. It would be nice if the design would have a “thinner” section near the head or an offset by default which would make it more applicable to precision screwdriver applications (e.g. repairing electronics) without needing extensions or accessories.
Now more reliable than ever, the new Bosch IXO (VIClassic) Screwdriver makes working in sensitive material such as lacquered wood simple and intuitive. Say goodbye to splintered wood, damaged screws, and over-spin on screw heads by simply matching speeds to each material. A full charge tool 1h 47m 23s, short of two hours which makes it rather painless to recharge, and the delivered charge was 1573mAh suggesting it has a linear charging architecture with an honest battery capacity. The charge current reached 1A. ConclusionWhat else can I tell you about the IXO 6? The bits go in the end – the driver comes with 5 cross-head, 2 Allen, 2 Torx – the star-shaped ones – and only one flat head, as nobody uses them anymore. If you live in an older home, or have more demanding uses in mind, you will certainly need to buy additional bits, but for most modern purposes, the 10 bits provided may well prove to be all you need. While I have previously owned cordless screwdrivers of the Ni-MH variety, moving over to Li-Ion brings a few benefits including lighter weight, low self-discharge so it should be ready to use when needed and the convenience of micro-USB charging. The biggest draw is the fact this unit offers a variable-speed trigger allowing for more careful driving of screws which should avoid the tendency of single-speed tools to strip heads at the end of travel. Of course, with care, even single-speed tools are adequate when used with care, but the older IXO V was not any cheaper with its garishly loud Bosch branding, so I opted for the IXO 6 instead.
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