On a related note, anyone have any personal experience with iFixit's tech repair kit? I'm looking to gift a set of electronic repair tools for the holidays.
They're not the best quality but also not the worst. I feel like they're a little overpriced, but have bundled in a few unique bits which you don't typically find in toolkits (since they aren't technically tools, like the spudger, suction cups, and heat gun). iFixIt tools are one of these things you should buy on sale, the $80 "Pro Tech Toolkit" is a joke (even $50 seems high).
Unfortunately for iFixIt if you look around on Amazon you can find a lot of third parties that have copied various iFixIt sets almost 1:1 and are charging less than half the price for them. Even for more bespoke items like the spudgers.
You're better off buying high quality screwdrivers (e.g. wiha brand) and then adding the unique iFixIt additions, rather than buying the iFixIt set and getting really mediocre screwdrivers.
No experience with the ifixit stuff, but my set of 'small weird bits' is from wiha, and it includes a bunch of tiny pentalobe bits, one of which fit the screws on the bottom of a friend's apple laptop. I personally really like Wera, xcelite and wiha for my screwdrivers/bit drivers.
Or, to be more specific, I like wiha for tiny bits, wera for regular 1/4" bits and ratchets, and xcelite for fixed screwdrivers. The Xcelite XPE102 is my favorite screwdriver, and the tool I use the most often.
I have an iphone 5 that needs repairing, so I will soon be able to report back on how well the wiha works for that.
Now, I personally like nice tools the way some people like nice watches, so if the difference in price between the cheap tools and the good tools is significant to you and you don't use the tools often, you probably want to ignore my advice.
I've got the pro tech toolkit, and it's worth it for the case it comes in alone. The plastic case with all the little bits is clamshelled together magnetically, and then sticks to the roll with additional magnets.
I don't have much experience with industrial-level toolkits, but the convenience factor on ifixit's kit is off the charts. A worthy gift, imo.
I have their "54 Bit Driver Kit". They are well made and enough for me as I only use then to repair my own home electronics. Not sure they would last much on a pro repair shop.
They don't last in a pro shop. We have about five sets right now at my shop and have gone through more. Of those sets more than half of the phillips head bits are chipped and broken. Anything marked J0* or PH0* is particularly fragile.
The material doesn't feel anything like the tool steel that my auto repair tools are made of. The iFixit bits feel light and flimsy.
Unfortunately for iFixIt if you look around on Amazon you can find a lot of third parties that have copied various iFixIt sets almost 1:1 and are charging less than half the price for them. Even for more bespoke items like the spudgers.
You're better off buying high quality screwdrivers (e.g. wiha brand) and then adding the unique iFixIt additions, rather than buying the iFixIt set and getting really mediocre screwdrivers.