Linus, I respectfully submit that LTT missed the boat on the IFIXIT v. Chinese substitutes video released today

[j_thunders]

I tried to cut a corner and bought a cheap tech toolkit here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0721C316R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Look at the reviews which are generally positive.  The problem with this kit, and with the other cheaper substitutes for the IFIXIT (and maybe the other higher quality toolkits that I am not aware of but that are comparable to the IFIXIT kit) is the quality of the bits. The metal that the bits are made of in the low-end substitutes, and the precision with which they are made, is FAR inferior to the quality of the IFIXIT kit.  I was disappointed that this issue was not addressed in your video.  The hardness of the metal in the screws in most electronics devices is much harder than the metal in the bits of these cheap substitutes whereas the IFIXIT kit I purchased after shredding the cheap subst bits on first use is built to last and last and last.  I spent ten years in a previous life as a machinist, mechanic, and welder and know a little bit about metal and the differences in tools.  The cheap cut-a-corner kit i bought is complete junk as compared to the subsequently purchased IFIXIT kit. The bits on the cheap one literally crumble when you try to use them.

 

You pay for quality, is the bottom line.  And the IFIXIT kit is just that, especially where it counts the most -- the heart of the matter, the bits.

 

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong spot; first contribution to the forum.  But I didn't see a better place to post this. I trust that your mods/admins will move this to the right venue as appropriate.

 

Thank you.

 

[Tech_Dreamer]

Ads are getting smarter.

[mxk]

1 minute ago, Tech_Dreamer said:

Ads are getting smarter.

I mean

[j_thunders]

I don't know if you are trying to insinuate that I am a schill for IFIXIT, or not, but I have no affiliation here.  I can show you a screen shot of my two purchases in December of the cheap kit and the subsequent purchase of the IFIXIT and how I wasted $20 on the first one.  Will that help?

 

It will be like Obama's parents putting an ad in the Honolulu newspaper announcing his birth to rebut accusations that he is not a naturalized citizen from opponents to his presidential run 60-odd year later.

 

Kinda.  But I can show them.

[mxk]

1 minute ago, j_thunders said:

I don't know if you are trying to insinuate that I am a schill for IFIXIT, or not, but I have no affiliation here.  I can show you a screen shot of my two purchases in December of the cheap kit and the subsequent purchase of the IFIXIT and how I wasted $20 on the first one.  Will that help?

I think he's kidding. All that's really obvious in your post is what's obvious about knock off brands; the fact that knock offs tend to be cheaper than the real thing.

 

There's nothing wrong with brand loyalty if you're doing your research about what you're buying.

[j_thunders]

Not really married to IFIXIT as a brand, and even suggest in the OP there might be other kits that are comparable to the IFIXIT in terms of quality but which I might not be aware of.  The point of my post is that the cheap knock off brands advertise themselves as having "X" quality of metal in the bits which -- whatever standard "X" is -- flatly ain't as good as what they are using in the IFIXIT kit (or whatever other kits that as are as good as the IFIXIT kit).

 

 

[it_dont_work]

The ifixit kits aren't worth $60USD bucks, 30-40 maybe. Don't know what's wrong with the states/north america sometimes, big set of crv precision driver bits are $30~Aud. 

 

but personally I hate driver bits, I've always kept to full set of actual screwdrivers, the privilege of space and old trade professions I guess. 

[mxk]

1 minute ago, James Evens said:

Knoch offs can cost more then the real deal  

 

@j_thunders if you want quality why do you even looked at these products? buy the professional product lines of  Wiha, Hazet, Wera and so on

I meant in quality, not price but I understand how my wording may have conveyed that.

[DailyProcrastinator]

I mean yeah my iFixIt kit is way better than a cheap one I used for 5 years previously with regards to bit/tool quality.

[j_thunders]

2 minutes ago, it_dont_work said:

The ifixit kits aren't worth $60USD bucks, 30-40 maybe.

The kit I bought after messing up and buying the cheap sub is here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189YWOIO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

$29.99; I have all the other tools that are in the cheap knock off, but it's the core driver and bits that are the biggest difference between the two.  I would have liked to see that addressed in the video released today.  The cheap kit I bought looked better than the one purchased by LTT in the video today.  It wasn't even close the IFIXIT quality.  That this issue wasn't addressed is what this post is all about.

 

I do not know about the other tool kits/toolmakers that have been suggested in the thread, but will look into them.....

[WereCatf]

35 minutes ago, j_thunders said:

The hardness of the metal in the screws in most electronics devices is much harder than the metal in the bits of these cheap substitutes

I have no iFixit-toolkit, so I have no experience with how good or bad their bits are, but I have plenty of experience with using really cheap screwdrivers and bits. I've bent and broken a whole bunch of cheap-ass screwdrivers and I have a whole bunch of various bits that are all worn out and practically useless by now, so I do very much echo the sentiment here.

[j_thunders]

8 minutes ago, ActuallyMediocreOC said:

I feel like this is like someone reccomending a car over a truck, then buying a car from a different company than the one they reccomended but clearly linked and directed to. Then saying cars can't compare to the quality and power of a truck or something... Like I get what you're getting at but I feel like being worked up enough to do this post is kinda abit much given the circumstances, especially when they said similar sentiments in the video but made clear points to the ones that were actually worth the money

The video completely failed to address the difference in quality of the bits.  I wasted $20 on the cheap knock-off which melted after one use.  The point of the OP is to tell people to spend the extra $10 to get something that will last and not make the mistake I did trying to cut a corner.

[RejZoR]

I bought few UNIOR precision screwdrivers of most common sizes and later a Tactix set with 44 bits that's actually pretty high quality and it was only like 12€ bought in a local tech store. I also have a cheap micro set of screwdrivers that were like 3€ and it's still doing its job for several years. It feels cheap, but it also was cheap lol

[WkdPaul]

7 hours ago, j_thunders said:

The video completely failed to address the difference in quality of the bits.  I wasted $20 on the cheap knock-off which melted after one use.  The point of the OP is to tell people to spend the extra $10 to get something that will last and not make the mistake I did trying to cut a corner.

IMO, you just got unlucky.

 

I bought a tool kit when I was in China about a decade ago (not kidding, I was in China back in 2008-2010), and I still have that kit. the plastic case is damaged and sometimes doesn't open/close correctly but the bits are still good. The only thing I replaced was a few spudgers 2-3 years ago.

 

If you compare the kit I have to an iFixit one, I'm sure it's missing quite a few bits, but considering I paid less than $10 (CAD, not USD) for that kit, I think it's fairly safe to assume there are good quality kits out there that can easily replace the iFixit kit for a fraction of the cost.

 

With that said, IMO, the lifetime warranty on the iFixit kit should be enough for people to consider the iFixit kit instead of Chinese tools alternatives, depending on your luck, you might get a crap kit that will need to be replaced sooner than later, and by then, the price difference isn't that worth it anymore.