Fiskars has come out with a new 6-in-1 multi-bit screwdriver that seems aimed at DIYers and crafters.
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Described as the Fiskars Precision Screwdriver, the new driver has a typical “quick-flip” mechanism for changing bit tips. it comes with 2 Phillips and 2 slotted screwdriver tips, and 2 nutdriver tips.
There are some interesting features, such as the large no-roll handle shape, which features Softgrip-gripped components for added comfort and control.
The Fiskars screwdriver also has a free-rotating end cap, frequently found on precision screwdrivers with miniature tip sizes. They say that this leverages your strength to drive in screws with maximum downward force.
Fiskars also says this about the design of the new screwdriver:
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The design of this tool is optimized for size and precision, making it ideal for all your DIY project needs.
First, Fiskars came out with new IsoCore hammers aimed at pros. Then they came out with new utility knives. Now, screwdrivers aimed at DIYers and categorized on their website under crafting and sewing tools?
Price: $17
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First Thoughts
Fiskars has a bunch of new tools aimed at DIYers, and I’ll be posting about some more of them soon. They seem interesting, and Fiskars’ entry in the DIY tool market is interesting at the least.
Talking about the new line, Fiskars says:
DIYers are expressing themselves with more complex home decor projects – endeavors that call for just-right DIY tools that offer the right balance of size, power and precision.
If the new Fiskars screwdriver is as comfortable in-hand as their hammer, you might find them in more than just DIYers’ toolboxes.
The handle looks a little chunky, but also short, which makes it compact. That free-rotating end cap could come in handy, and it’s large enough where it should be both comfortable and perfectly functional.
Their marketing seems to be aimed at folks who never held a multi-bit screwdriver before, which is a little unusual, but I won’t hold them against that.
Here’s a promo video from Fiskars showing its use:
Toolfreak
I do like lots of the Fiskars stuff. Their designs seem postmodern/futuristic compared to a lot of what’s out there, and not just for cosmetics, but in terms of actually being functional and ergonomic.
I think it’d be a good thing if Fiskars got really into the hand tool biz, they’d certainly have lots of innovative designs for the tools, which I think would be a good thing in terms of competition.
They’ll probably be at craft stores as the available tool line for awhile, but eventually maybe they’ll be at hardware stores and home centers alongside the Fiskars lawn and garden tools.
BobM
Is that a giant mousetrap in the video?
Stuart
It’s some kind of… yea, it looks like a giant mousetrap. Maybe it’s some rustic reclaimed wood thingamabob.
Toolfreak
I’m guessing they were going for a “build a better (bigger?) mousetrap” theme to show off the tool being used to build it.
Stuart
But the second project is some kind of table. Based on the target audience and the second video, the first project could be some other kind of home decor item.
JoeM
I have trouble with the Fiskars brand. They make excellent products, definitely, but they always seem to have some sort of identity crisis in design.
On the one side, you have all the working parts, blades, bits, whatever. Things that are supposed to be sharp are so sharp it would give any sharpening expert an inappropriate fantasy or two during the next week or two of sleep after inspecting the Fiskars item. Bits so obviously for a specific use that you can almost use them blindfolded, by smell. Balance of a tool that seems like they employ the disembodied imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien himself to write each tool’s properties into existence… All of this an obvious exaggeration of course, as I have trouble describing the…I don’t know… feeling? Sensation of Using? I don’t know… The Worky Bits Work Goodly Like Magic was involved… Like it takes total nonsense to describe it.
Then there’s the Ergonomics… It NEVER feels like magic, like the rest of the tool. It feels like a REALLY smart, REALLY caring person, sat down at a CAD station, and input the dimensions they measured by hand from all the assembly and prototyping workers, just to have the molds for the handles be EXACTLY Average for the job, and fit the widest possible audience they can get.
And it really feels like these two groups are kept totally isolated from eachother, only communicating via the prototypes being handed back and forth for confirmation.
Fiskars tools are pretty awesome when you find one you genuinely need. They just feel so weirdly different within their own designs. I like them quite a bit, but I just do not understand the weird sensation when using them.
skfarmer
makes sense that they aim them at the crafters, sewing and diy. i know fiskars is a pretty well known name but i would bet they are best known for scissors and who uses them most? yup, crafters and sewing people.
Jared
The chunky handle might be intended to help increase leverage for those unused to wielding a screwdriver.
One thing I usually dislike about these types of screwdrivers is the expense of sourcing more bits. I didn’t spot a detent ball on the bits though (ala Megapro and Channellock) so maybe this screwdriver just uses magnets – in which case presumably you could use any 2″-3″ insert bit.
There’s nothing about this screwdriver that will make me run out to get it though.
Nathan
In general I like the idea of it – if I needed another drawer item this would top the list I think.
Got to ask – has Fiskar’s parent company bought anyone recently – or are they their own. Almost seems like a case of hey you know we own this ________ and they don’t have any market presence.
aaronp33
I see that big knob as being more a hindrance than a help with real work, but it and the larger handles actually look quite useful for older people and/or those with arthritis, who still want to stay handy. Hope they keep at it so I can have some options should I slide into that demographic someday.
PETE
a chunky 6-1 with a ph1 & ph2 is probably one of the last tools i would ever call a precision screwdriver. The bits probably aren’t made by megapro- megapro’s ball detent is on the same side as the bit description.
Robert
Fiskars is generally pretty innovative. Most of their designs are about substance with unique and useful ideas. This kind of leaves me baffled. It’s been done. In fact, it’s been done about 6 million times. It’s yet another 6 in 1 driver that all of us have, usually in multiples. The rotating end cap has been done about a million times as well.
In my opinion, this is just new marketing for an old idea. Everyone puts a slightly different style of grip on these things and calls it a new driver. At the end of the day, it’s yet another 6 in 1 driver. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel compelled to investigate any further. It’s almost like they’ve run out of ideas, but still feel the need to release something.
ktash
I like their scissors. Don’t need the screwdriver, but it looks cool. Reminds me of Olfa, because they also make sewing things. I love those Olfa blades I learned about on Toolguyd. I use the $10 scraper for everything.
Jim Felt
Fiskars. Finnish Design. Kinda like MCM for their branded tools.
But look at their other brands…
“Established in 1649 as an ironworks in a small Finnish village, Fiskars has grown to be a leading consumer goods company with globally recognized brands including Fiskars, Iittala, Gerber, Wedgwood and Waterford.”
Rob Potson
Where is it made? 17 bucks? I can buy a 12 dollar Canadian made Picquic screwdriver that has 7 different bits, not just the 4 of the Fiskar. I think they need to lower their price point on this. Theres plenty of competition.
Ken
Fiskars products are nice except don’t look for them on Fiskars web site most likely out of stock. Have been looking for carbon max 25mm snap off blade and they are continually out of stock. Tried contacting customer service 6 months ago and still no reply.