The Hoto Precision Screwdriver Kit Pro is an electric screwdriver and repair kit for electronic devices like laptops and mobile phones but I’ve also used it for 3D printers and general repairs around the house. Basically anything with small screws and bolts including glasses, watches and childrens’ toys.
Overview
In the box you get the screwdriver in a clamshell charging case with an assortment of bits and accessories, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, an anti-static wrist strap and an instruction manual.
At first glance the case looks like it has an aluminium finish, but it’s all plastic. It’s pretty heavy at 644g and measures 215.5 x 121.8 x 26.5 mm. It’s similar in weight to my trusty iFixit Pro Tech Tool Kit which I’ll compare it to later.
It opens up to just over 90°, so don’t try and force it to sit flat on your desk. It’s a little stiff to open and needs both hands. The electric screwdriver stores and charges in the hinge of the case. A spring holds it in place – it’s quite a tight fit. The screwdriver has a 350mAh battery, but there’s no battery in the storage case so you’ll need to charge it with the supplied USB cable. It does also charge with a USB-C to USB-C cable. The tiny battery takes over 2 hours for a full charge.
You can only see the red charging light when the case is open. Hoto doesn’t mention how long the battery lasts, but I barely had to charge it in my testing. Unfortunately the battery is not replaceable which is a little concerning with the screwdriver only coming with a one year warranty.
This kit comes with a useful selection of 26 bits – 20 short 28mm bits and 6 longer 45mm bits for deeper reach.
You can see below what’s included but most bits I use day to day are included, apart from a 2.5mm hex which is used a lot on 3D printers for example.
There are also no nut drivers or larger flathead bits.
They are 4mm bits, just like those from iFixit and iFixit bits work fine in this screwdriver.
Which is good since I don’t see any spares listed on the Hoto website. The double-ended bits that come with Hoto’s manual compact precision screwdriver also fit.
Which is a great little screwdriver by the way.
The included Hoto bits have short tips compared to modern iFixit bits but the longer bits offer a useful selection of sizes when you do need to deal with screws and bolts in deeper holes and I haven’t got any of those in my iFixit kits.
The screwdriver couldn’t be much easier to use. There’s a forward and reverse rocker switch and a torque slider switch. It only has a single speed of 170 rpm which I confirmed with a tachometer.
I would have liked to have seen a faster speed for longer screws but it does keep things simple.
The screwdriver is nice and slim for an electric screwdriver at just under 17mm in diameter. It feels nicely constructed with an aluminium finish and weighs exactly 60g. There’s a knurled grip for using the screwdriver in manual mode, but it’s not super comfortable for use like this – there’s no contouring.
It’s also quite long at 158mm which gets in the way sometimes in tight spaces.
The bits are held with a reasonably strong magnet and there’s a little ring light that comes on when screwing. This could be very useful but it’s just too dim unfortunately.
Performance
I’ve been testing the screwdriver, taking apart laptops, 3D printers, tightening glasses and using it for endless other general repairs.
There are two torque settings. The first gear is meant to be 0.05NM and the second gear 0.2NM. Hoto specify a maximum torque of 3NM in manual mode. That’s usually plenty to start turning even tighter small screws. For small electronics 0.05NM is often enough certainly for tightening, especially if you’re screwing into plastic. You can barely notice the difference between the first and second gear. I measured both gears with a digital torque screwdriver and got between 0.1NM and 0.2NM and always less than 0.3NM. Additional gears would be nice, as would some extra speed as I mentioned earlier.
The bits are made of S2 steel and I haven’t worn out any bits yet but I will report back longer term right here. Unlike iFixit, Hoto doesn’t offer any lifetime guarantee on the bits and again, I don’t see any spares available which makes this kit less desirable for any sort of professional use. At least you can get spare iFixit bits which also fit in the case.
I’ve only mentioned the bits so far, but the case also includes some useful accessories for taking apart electronics.
There are 3 plastic prying levers, 5 opening picks, a pointed and hooked spudger, a metal spudger, a metal pry tool, a suction cup, and blunt and angled tweezers.
There’s also a very useful magnetic mat for organising your screws and a magnetising and demagnetising area.
This is very well implemented and works well.
Just rotate your bit around either hole to magnetise or demagnetise it.
I’ve got a fair bit of experience taking electronics apart – I ran a computer repair business for 10 years. I generally use the opening picks, plastic spudgers and angled tweezers more than anything else. The plastic picks and prying levers are sacrificial – they’ll break ideally before your electronics, so I’d again question getting spares if this kit is going to be used heavily. Only the iFixit opening picks fit in the Hoto case. The quality of the accessories so far appears similar to iFixit but I will report back longer term.
Conclusions
Overall it’s a compact and neat screwdriver kit with some useful accessories for electronics repairs. I especially like the magnetic pad and the magnetisation slots. The screwdriver has enough torque for most of the small screws it’s intended for, and the manual mode is particularly useful for loosening tight screws and nipping up larger bolts for example.
I do question the availability of spare bits and tools and the LED needs to be brighter to be useful. It’s also quite expensive, especially at its retail price although check the links down below for any offers – it’s often heavily discounted.
Even discounted, it’s still more expensive than Fixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit, which has far more bits and accessories and is backed up with a lifetime warranty – they’ll replace any bits that break for example. Of course it’s not electric, which is the main selling point of the Hoto and I have enjoyed the extra speed and convenience that comes with an electric screwdriver.
But with its internal non-replaceable battery it’s unlikely to last 15 years like my iFixit kit. So you have to decide what’s more important to you – unfortunately you might want both!
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As an Amazon affiliate, I get a tiny commission from purchases made via any Amazon links, but it costs you nothing extra:
Hoto Electric Precision Screwdriver Kit Pro: https://amzn.to/3z3JAkk
iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit: https://amzn.to/4c8e7MC
iFixit Essentials Kit: https://amzn.to/45A7sIx (cheaper version with fewer bits and accessories – but I still find it handy)
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