This is an initial review of the Xiaomi Mijia Electric Screwdriver. It's a motorized precision (4mm bit) screwdriver. It can be found for about $40 from US stores, and $30 from Chinese stores. It's similar to the Wowstick, which is also made by Xiaomi. Originally posted on the pedalpcb.com forum.
The case and bits are nice. They're not relevant to me - I already have an 4mm bit organizer, I won't be using the case, and I have plenty of bits. There are some longer bits of the most common types though that I will for sure be using regularly. The case is the same kind as their manual screwdriver - a compartment pops in and out of an outer shell, and the area for organizing the bits is magnetized so they stay put. The case is bigger and the outer shell is an adonized aluminum like the body of the driver itself. Think macbook pro.
Manual is only in Chinese and couldn't find an English one online because this isn't intended for English markets, but it's also just a screwdriver. I only wanted to check the LED charging status. Red = charging, white = charged. It charges over usb-c which is a plus for me because I try to only use usb-c as much as possible for charging stuff.
If you've never used something like this, it's not easy to describe the appeal on paper. They're for things you would be using a manual precision screwdriver for, they're not for assembling furniture. It only took me using my first for about an hour to sell me on them though. They're wrist savers. But you might not really get that until you use one and aren't using your hands to turn a driver. To hammer it home: I replaced mine the fastest I've replaced an electronics thing when my first cheapo one broke, short of replacing a stolen laptop or shattered iphone.
Using it feels natural, I like where the buttons are and I don't have to hold it any differently than I would hold a regular screwdriver. The bit holding part is magnetic, which is generally standard for these. The two torque controls are surprisingly good, they cover really useful ranges and when playing around with it I found myself switching between them for larger and smaller items - I kind of figured that one would be much more useful than the other but they're really good settings. I couldn't get it to start a hand closed enclosure screw, but once the initial seal was broken I could, and it went back in really well. The torque setting can also be switched to manual so that using it as a regular screwdriver doesn't mess with the motor. I found using it that way to be kind of a pain because of it's length, but it's nice that its there.
Feels like one of my better recent purchases. I'd replace it instantly if I lost it after frantically searching for it for a few hours. Hell, I'm already almost justifying buying a backup one.