Bosch IXO Cordless Screwdriver (2.5V Drill)

[Starmage]

The Bosch IXO is essentially a small cordless 2.5V drill driver with a magnetic shuck that takes standard removable screwdriver tips.

What's in the box...
The IXO comes in it's own tin which is handy for storage. For your money you get the drill driver/electric screwdriver, charging station and 10 screwdriver bits. The bits go into holes on the charging station with room for a few more.

Basic Features
- 2.5V LI Ion Battery (Quick Charge time and long lasting life span).
- Forwards/Reverse/Lock switch.
- Pilot light

Battery Performance...
The battery is an Li Ion and seems to last quite well. Have been using it to put furniture together and have not managed to wear it down far enough that it couldn't screw anymore. It does however, work best at full charge and the charging station is designed so you can just plonk the drill in and let it charge while you're not using it. Charge time is about 30 minutes from zero to full charge.

Screwdriver Performance
This screwdriver is at it's best in hard to reach places that don't require much actual grunt to get the screws in (ie with predrilled holes). In putting screws in this screwdriver does very well and is a time saver even when compared to a ratcheting screwdriver (It took me half the time do about 100 screws).

On full charge and with a bit of elborw grease this driver was actually capable of drilling a wood screw through laminate and into chipboard without any issues.

Unfortunately this screwdriver won't screw things in much tighter than you can do it by hand, so if that's what you are after you might want to keep a full drill and screwdriver adaptor on hand (provided it has the right settings for screwdriver duties).

Overall Verdict
For what it's meant to do the IXO does a good job. It's no replacement for a full drill and if tightness is what you're after than make sure you keep your full drill handy. However, if all you're looking for is something that will save you some time (and your hands) and just want to put screws into predrilled holes then this is a real beauty.

My main and only gripe with it is that the pilot light only comes on when you use the trigger. So youc an't use the light itself to help you see the screw head in a dark corner or hard to reach place.

Rating
7.5/10

[Ratbag]

I once had a Bosch IxoII driver. Mine was actually 3.6 volt, but nevertheless I found it to be frustratingly gutless and slow. Usually a slow speed means greater driving torque, but with a mere 3.6v of "power", this poor excuse for a tool had neither! It's only redeeming features were the LED light and it's Lithium battery, which means negligible self discharge of "power" when in storage. But of what use is a tool that can't adequately perform it's required charge? I gave mine away to charity. Avoid.

[spartan]

Very happy with mine. Especially in when trying to put in screws in limited spaces etc..

[adeben]

I've had one for a year, and it has been a very handy item. It is very convenient to use, and small enough for work in confined spaces. If I really need extra power, then I use an impact driver.

[nickdablack]

I have 2 of these. Got the 2nd one as a wedding gift. These have been really handy. It's been really handy being a new parent. From assembling the cot to constantly changing batteries in toys the IXO has saved me heaps of time. I am a big fan.

[Eldanos of KDM]

I once had a Bosch IxoII driver. Mine was actually 3.6 volt, but nevertheless I found it to be frustratingly gutless and slow. Usually a slow speed means greater driving torque, but with a mere 3.6v of "power", this poor excuse for a tool had neither! It's only redeeming features were the LED light and it's Lithium battery, which means negligible self discharge of "power" when in storage. But of what use is a tool that can't adequately perform it's required charge? I gave mine away to charity. Avoid.

Couldn't agree more. I reckon the only thing it would be good for would be to assemble ikea furniture or something like that where you would usually use a normal hand screwdriver. You'd probably need the hand screwdriver to tighten the screw at the end though. Probably a pointless tool for most applications. Only thing I ever foundit useful for was to get into tiny kitchen cabinets to do up hinge screws etc that I couldn't fit my real cordless in.

I suppose it depends what you need it for..