Fanttik E1 Max precision screwdriver review

REVIEW – I wear reader glasses every day, pretty much all day.  And I remove/place them on my head dozens of times every day.  So because of that, the arms of the glasses are always becoming loose so I have to screw them back in, which requires a very small screwdriver.  I also, from time to time, open up my various gadgets for one reason or another… to replace a part, to fix something, etc.  And if you have ever done things like that, you know the value of a reliable set of small screwdrivers of various sizes. The Fanttik E1 Max was designed for just such a purpose. If you need to work on something that has small screws and/or tight spaces, you might benefit from having the $55.97 Fanttik E1 Max precision screwdriver. So let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Fanttik E1 Max is a rechargeable screwdriver designed to work on electronics/equipment with small screws and tight spaces.

What’s in the box?

• Fanttik E1 Max precision screwdriver
• Aluminum alloy case
• 50 screwdriver bits
• Magnetic storage box
• Prybar
• Tweezer
• Manual
• USB-A to USB-C cable

Product specifications

• Size:  7.09 x 1.77 x 1.77 inches
• Weight: 15 oz
• Battery:  350 mAh lithium-ion
• Motor speed:  200 RPMs
• LED lights on screwdriver tip
• Torque: high torque of 0.2 Nm, low torque of 0.05 Nm, manual torque of 3 Nm
• 50 bits made of S2 hardened steel:  6 are 45mm long, 44 are 28mm long
• Aluminum Alloy magnetic case

Features and performance

The first thing you’ll notice about the E1 Max is the unique aluminum alloy case that it comes it.  It’s squarish in shape, with rounded edges to make it nice to hold. When you press the end of the case, it will release and pop out slightly, then you press the round end of the screwdriver, which is in the middle of the end of the case (see pic below), and that releases the screwdriver.  It’s a pretty nifty design, and when you are done using it, you simply reverse the process to get everything back inside the case.  Because of the way this is designed, all the bits and the screwdriver are contained nicely inside the case and won’t roll around your workbench or toolbox.

On the end of the Fanttik E1 Max screwdriver, you’ll see the USB-C port for charging, which is nice because it’s exposed on the end of the case, so you can charge the E1 Max without having to remove it from the case. Again, nice design change over some of their previous screwdriver products where you had to remove the screwdriver from the case to charge it.

When you remove the storage box from the case, you’ll see an array of 50 bits of all sizes and shapes that are held into the box by magnets. But the magnets are subtle, so you can easily remove whichever one you want to use and simply snap it back into place when done. You’ll also see two extra tools that fit in the magnetic box:  a tweezer and a pry bar tool.  These are really handy when you are working on opening the cases on those gadgets of yours or you need to reach inside somewhere with the tweezers to grab a screw that you dropped.

On one end of the box, you’ll see some small indentations that function to magnetize/de-magnetize your bits if needed.  It’s really handy to have magnetized bits when working in small spaces, as you know.  But I found that these indentations worked sometimes and didn’t work other times.  So it was spotty for me.

Just for kicks and giggles, I tried using the E1 Max to screw a small screw into a 2×4, and of course it wouldn’t work. The E1 Max isn’t designed for that, so it only works on things that it was designed to work on… glasses, laptops, cameras, cellphones, etc.

On one end of the Fanttik E1 Max is the tip where you insert the bits.  On the other end is where the USB-C charging port is.  On that end, you’ll also be able to twist it to switch between high torque, low torque, and no torque if you just want to use the E1 Max as a regular screwdriver.  As far as speed goes, the motor can give you 200 RPM, and it should be noted that you can’t tell the difference in the speed between low and high torque, so don’t be surprised about that.  On the side of the E1 Max are the two buttons that you press to drive a screw or remove a screw.

Overall, the Fanttik E1 Max screwdriver performed as well as expected.  I use it quite often, as I mentioned at the beginning, to fix my reading glasses.  I don’t have a job where I take gadgets apart every day, so, the E1 Max isn’t an essential tool for me, but I could see where this would be a very valuable tool for the person who works on equipment regularly. So if all you are doing is working on your glasses, I would skip this tool and just get some cheap screwdrivers for that.  Fanttik says the non-removable lithium ion 350 mAh battery will last for 400 uses, but I have a hard time believing that it would last that long just based on my short time using it.  That seems like a lot of usage time to me.

What I like

• The build quality is great
• Convenient charging port
• Handy flashlight to light the workspace
• A multitude of bits of all shapes and sizes all contained in the case

What I would change

• I wish it were a little more powerful
• The magnetizer feature isn’t very consistent
• It would be nice if the case was big enough to hold the charging cable too
• The battery isn’t removable/replaceable

Final thoughts

If you are a person that needs to work on various types of gadgets/equipment with lots of small screws, this is going to be a valuable tool for you.  Having said that, if all you will do with this tool is fix your glasses occasionally, skip it and just buy a cheap set of small screwdrivers made for glasses.  The Fanttik E1 Max screwdriver is pretty rugged, and the design of everything inside the case is great because it prevents any of the bits from falling out and rolling around your workbench or toolbox.  When you are working in small tight spaces, it can be pretty important to have a screwdriver with a magnetized tip to grab those small screws. The E1 Max has a small indentation to magnetize your bits if needed, but it wasn’t 100% consistent for me.  Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. I wish the motor were more powerful with greater torque because I found myself a few times with some old tough screws that wouldn’t budget at first and required me to use the manual mode to get them started before the motor worked. This isn’t a screwdriver that will drive your wood screws into a board by design. So as long as you know the purpose of this tool, it will perform just fine for you.

Price: $69.97
Where to buy: Amazon or Fanttik
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Fanttik