Anyone use an electric screwdriver on laptops?

[16k_zx81]

I did some work for the Adelaide ASUS warranty provider here a few months ago, and their lead tech, an old guy with many years experience, was keen on using a cordless electric screwdriver on laptops.

Ive been thinking about it since I did the contract and it seemed like it might offer some speed advantages over twisty kind.

Anyone using cordless electric? What kind? What jobs? Pros? Cons?

Should I buy one?

Jim

 

[Kitten Kong]

I personally wouldnt bother with one Jim. After all the screws are so small, a couple of turns and they are out / in.

Claire bought me one a couple of years ago. TBH it is still inside its case, never been used yet.

 

[abyssinian]

I have been using a Dewalt DW920 for years now, and love it. Laptops are pretty much all I work on, so I have found it to save enormous amounts of time.

You must remember to always use the lowest torque setting though, as it will EASILY strip out the tiny threads laptops have. I have never stripped any threads on the lowest setting. Sometimes I will use a hand screwdriver when replacing the lid hinges just to be sure they feel good. Occasionally I will have to turn up the torque to remove some screws, but always turn it back down before reassembling.

 

[coffee]

Hi Jim,

I think that you will end up striping a bunch of them. I wouldnt do it. You know, I thought about it a while back when I started working on laptops but the screws are basically screwing into a bushing heat seated in plastic. The bushing will probably come loose and spin with the screw. Then your gonna really have problems getting it out.

Anyways, Thats my .02c worth.

Best Regards,

Coffee

 

[PCX]

Yeah, I have to agree. Unless your really old and starting to feel the arthritis set in, you might not see any benefit. That said, I do use one for XBOX 360 repairs.

 

[red12049]

Use one all the time. Love it. No stripped screws or inserts, other than the few that probably would have done so anyway.

Rick

 

[16k_zx81]

Use one all the time. Love it. No stripped screws or inserts, other than the few that probably would have done so anyway.

Rick

what model do you use, Rick?

..

 

[16k_zx81]

Yeah, I have to agree. Unless your really old and starting to feel the arthritis set in, you might not see any benefit. That said, I do use one for XBOX 360 repairs.

Ok, so how come the 360's but not Lappies?

...

 

[16k_zx81]

I personally wouldnt bother with one Jim. After all the screws are so small, a couple of turns and they are out / in.

Claire bought me one a couple of years ago. TBH it is still inside its case, never been used yet.

Yeah I dunno. I have just had a run of Samsung laptops - the ones I was working on had mostly the same screw type, and they are quite long, lots of them, so collectively a bit of time spent twisting them all out.

I cant see how I could use one for all the screws (otherwise would be changing tips every few mins), and as someone also pointed out, Im not sure about 'tricky' screws like on hinges. I think I would rather do them by hand. So what Im envisaging is trying a combination of a standard screw tip on electric and a couple of manual screwdrivers?

Interested to see the responses here. Im encouraged to see some are finding them useful, and would be interested in tool recommendations from those who are?

Jim

 

[James_S]

If it's just a few screws I don't bother but for a complete disassembly the Dewalt DW920 is great. At the lowest torque setting it is plenty safe to use on all but the smallest screws, and it works great for desktops.

 

[abyssinian]

With the DW920 I mentioned above, I use a #1 Philips bit for at least 80% of laptop screws. For anything smaller I usually use a hand screwdriver. The DW920 does have a #0 and #2 bit also, and they are "quick change"....they pop out/in in a couple of seconds and store in clips on the side of the screwdriver itself.

For laptops that use smaller and/or odd screws (Apple, Sony, etc.), I use hand tools.

Side note...I keep one of those super strong earth magnets (like the modern lid switches use) attached to the #1 bit at all times. Really helpful for both removing and replacing screws.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I use a cheap ($15CAD) power screwdriver I picked up at Costco, for case screws. Never had a problem. I prefer a manual screwdriver for the shorter screws and inside though.

 

[red12049]

what model do you use, Rick?

..

It's a small Black and Decker, convertible from pistol grip to straight. Don't have the model handy right now (driver is at work), but will try to remember to post it tomorrow.

This is actually just the latest, I've used them for years, and usually run them until the batteries will no longer recharge acceptably.

Rick

 

[nlinecomputers]

I'd never use one on a laptop. Screw are too easy to strip. On a standard PC case I use one all the time.

 

[codegreen]

I prefer a manual screwdriver. I'd be worried about striping those little laptop screws.

 

[xxsilk109xx]

I use one all the time, it has saved me so much time, I have a little handheld cordless one that is made for smaller electronics so it doesnt have too much torque. I admit I mainly use it for screw removal and then when putting it back together I use a regular screw driver to do the rest so I dont strip them.

 

[PCX]

Ok, so how come the 360's but not Lappies?

...

Because they are sooo long and take forever to pull out. Most of them take a bit more torque to pull out than a laptop screw.

 

[mraikes]

I'm probably 50/50 using power screwdrivers on laptops and desktops.

When I do, it's either one of these Husky's:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...H=REC-_-product-6-_-202025658-_-202479057-_-N

They run a surprisingly long time on a couple AAA batteries. Comes with a nice assortment of tiny bits.

Or this Black & Decker:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_241019-7999...dless Screwdriver Kit &adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

Rechargeable, more powerful, etc.

 

[arrow_runner]

I also use an electric screwdriver. Not only does it save a ton of time I've actually gotten a couple compliments on it from customers that see me use it.

 

[NWPhotog]

I'm probably 50/50 using power screwdrivers on laptops and desktops.

When I do, it's either one of these Husky's:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...H=REC-_-product-6-_-202025658-_-202479057-_-N

They run a surprisingly long time on a couple AAA batteries. Comes with a nice assortment of tiny bits.

Or this Black & Decker:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_241019-7999...dless Screwdriver Kit &adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

Rechargeable, more powerful, etc.

I have one of the Huskys and love it. I don't use it all the time but very handy when I do.