REVIEW – As I get older, these old hands have started to develop a little arthritis and using hand tools have gotten a little more difficult and painful. Screwdrivers, one of the most basic of home hand tools, are especially more difficult. I have found myself reaching for a drill with a screwdriver bit attachment to get most jobs done pain free. However, using a drill like that can very easily strip or break the screw. I have bought and used a few inexpensive, low-powered electric screwdrivers to help out, but none of them work very well, and the battery would run out at the most inopportune time. HOTO Tools has a great line of home tools for all kinds of projects and uses, including their 3.6V Electric Screwdriver Kit, which I’ve been using for the last few weeks. My hands are very grateful.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: Screwdriver Kit: HOTO Tools:$59.99 (Regularly $79.99), Amazon:$49.99; Larger Toolkit: HOTO Tools:$79.99 (Regularly 109.99), Amazon $69.99
Where to buy: Screwdriver Kit: HOTO Tools, Amazon; Larger Toolkit: HOTO Tools, Amazon
What is it?
The HOTO 3.6v Electric Screwdriver Kit is just that, a small kit with a powerful electric screwdriver with 25 bits (24 short and 1 longer) and one extension rod (bit holder), that should meet most needs in the home. This screwdriver has a powerful motor (4 Newton-meters or torque), and a large lithium-ion battery that is rated to drive 800 screws on a single charge. The screwdriver has 3 levels of power, which provides more torque and I assume uses more battery power as you move up from level-1 to level-3. The HOTO Electric Screwdriver is primarily designed for light to medium screw driver tasks, but as you will see below, it can drive shorter screws into wood.
An almost identical electric screwdriver, with one key difference, is also available from HOTO in a larger kit that comes with a few other tools that are useful around the home. These two kits are compared toward the end of this review
What’s included?
- 3.6v Electric Screwdriver
- 24 bits (see below for included types)
- Extended Cross head (Philips) bit
- Extension rod
- Plastic magnetic toolkit box with lid
- Instruction Manual
Tech specs
Screwdriver Length: 7 in (178 mm)
Screwdriver Diameter: 1.25 in (32 mm)
Forward and reverse buttons
Maximum Torque in Electric Mode: 4 N·m
Maximum Torque in Manual Mode: 8 N·m
Case Dimensions: 1.75 x 4.625 x 8.25 in (46.2 × 120.2 × 211 mm)
Main Unit Net Weight: Approx. 1 lb – 7 oz. (651.4 g)
Rated Voltage: 3.6V 6A (MAX)
Operating Temperature: 39º to 104º F (4°C to 40°C)
Storage Temperature: -4º to 140º F (-20°C to 60°C)
Bit Size: C6.3 × 25 mm
Flat Head Bits: SL4/SL6
Cross Head Bits: PH1/PH2/PH3, PH2 Long Screwdriver Bit
Hex Bits: H2/H2.5/H3/H4/H5/H6
Torx Bits: T9/T10/T15/T20/T25
Pozidriv Bits: PZ1/PZ2
Square Bits: S1/S2
Triangular Bit: 2.3
U Shape Bit: 2.6
TW Shape Bits: TW1 C6.3 × 50 mm
Rotation per Minute (Unloaded): 220 rpm
1500 mAh Lithium-Ion internal battery
USB-C charging port
Charging Time (0% to 100%): < 150 min
Emergency Stop Circuitry
Design and features
The HOTO Electric Screwdriver Kit comes housed in a very minimalist designed plastic case with a magnetic sliding lid. It is a very smart looking design, and goes well with all of the well-designed HOTO tools and products. Check out their website. Their designs are futuristic and minimalist.
Sliding the lid up and off reveals the electric screwdriver and the very nice array of bits and one extension rod (bit holder). The bits are standard sized (6mm hex base) that fit many handles and bit holders.
The screwdriver itself is 7 is (178 mm) long, and 1.24 in (32 mm) in diameter. It weighs only 9 oz (255 g) and fits very nicely in my hand.
There are only two buttons, one for driving (forward) and one removing (reversing) screws. What else would you need? Maybe an off button? The screwdriver in this kit does not have a way to turn it off.
The chuck of the screwdriver, the part that holds the bit as it’s being used, can be turned to select one of 3 power levels. There is a nice CLICK when the check is moved from level to level.
The chuck has a ring-light on the end of it to give a little light assistance when using the screwdriver. The light is fairly dim, and barely noticeable in a lit room.
The screwdriver has an internal 1500mAh lithium-ion battery that charges via a USB-C port in the end of the screwdriver. From 0% to 100%, the HOTO Electric screwdriver charges in around 2 hours, depending on the charger used. There is not a USB-C charging cable or charging brick included.
Setup
The HOTO Screwdriver, in both kits, has to be charged to 100% before the first use. This took about 2 hours the first time. During my review period, I never ran it completely down to 0%. It just kept on going.
Performance
As expected, the HOTO Electric screwdriver completed all the light-duty tasks I used it for. Changing the batteries in my grandson’s remote control car, for instance. The screwdriver is perfect for this kind of use on toys, watches, electronics, etc.
It also worked very well for more intensive uses, like working on my bikes. Tightening up the various screws on the handlebars, or installing a water bottle holder. It was not successful removing the lug nuts holding the front or rear tires. I did not expect it to handle these larger, tighter nuts.
One use that did surprise me though, was its ability to drive screws into pine boards and aluminum. I tried three different screw types (2 cross or Phillips head, and one hex head). It was also successful driving a self-tapping screw into an aluminum down spout. See the video below for the results of this testing I did. Doing this level of work did use quite a bit of battery power. I noticed that after performing these tasks, the battery was weak and needed to be topped off.
One area of improvement I noticed during my testing was that the small bits did not hold screws magnetically. There is a magnet in the screwdriver where the bits are inserted, but the material used for the bits was not magnetic. The extended cross head (Phillips) bit is magnetic, but none of the 25 smaller bits were. This was disappointing.
3.6V Screwdriver Tool Set
HOTO also sells a larger home toolkit that has a slightly different 3.6v Electric Screwdriver. along with a few additional tools. And it all comes in another very futuristic, minimalist case.
The latches on this larger toolkit’s case are almost hidden on the sides, and it has a nice handle for toting the tools around the home. The case opens up and lays flat, and all the tools are snuggly packed away in their tight, form-fitting places.
This kit not only has a 3.6V electric screwdriver, but it also has a hammer, tape measure, spring-assisted needle nose pliers, a crescent wrench (adjustable spanner), and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable for charging the screwdriver. The smaller 25-bit kit does not include a charging cable.
This kit has a limited assortment of 10 screwdriver bits and an extension rod.
The electric screwdriver in this kit has the same power and usefulness as the smaller kit’s screwdriver, however, it has one key feature missing on the smaller kit’s offering, an off-switch.
The screwdriver in the 25-bit kit lacks an off switch, and the screwdriver can inadvertently be activated (forward or reverse) while inside the case when it is closed. The screwdriver in this larger toolkit can be switched off on the chuck by turning it to the left. I’m not sure why the two kits have different models of virtually the same electric screwdriver, but they do.
Final thoughts
These two kits offered by HOTO are great examples of good design from a company that prides itself in functional, great looking tools and products. The HOTO 3.6v Electric Screwdrivers in both of these kits have made a great addition to my tool bag and for the light and medium-duty tasks around the house and in my shop.
What I like about HOTO 3.6v Electric Screwdriver
- Off button on the screwdriver included in the larger tool set.
- Very powerful motor.
- Very lightweight screwdriver.
- Included bits is adequate.
What needs to be improved?
- No off position on the screwdriver included in the 25-bit kit.
- The lid of the screwdriver kit case is easily slid open.
- The screwdriver can be turned on inside the case when closed.
- No charging cable or brick supplied.
- Bit holder on the screwdriver needs a stronger magnet.
Price: Screwdriver Kit: HOTO Tools:$59.99 (Regularly $79.99), Amazon:$49.99; Larger Toolkit: HOTO Tools:$79.99 (Regularly 109.99), Amazon $69.99
Where to buy: Screwdriver Kit: HOTO Tools, Amazon; Larger Toolkit: HOTO Tools, Amazon
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$45.24 (as of March 12, 2025 17:48 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
