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Tips and tricks for optimal enjoyment of iFixit.

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4mm Bit extension options?

Hello,

My BF had gotten me the 54 Bit Driver Kit from Ifixit years back as a gift and I've lost count on how much money it's made me between my two jobs and my moonlighting, but I recently got into more miscellaneous electronic repair and scrapping and a lot of the stranger devices/appliances require a longer/thinner driver than the Ifixit one. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good, durable extender that doesn't add much thickness, or even a different longer driver that I can also carry with me?

Thanks,

Derek.

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See https://meta.ifixit.com/Answers/View/103...

I asked a similar question on iFixit Meta some months ago and came across you question in searching for it again. I was told my suggestion would be put to the Tools Dev Team but haven't heard anything since, which is a pity because I have a birthday coming up.

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Wiha makes one called System 4 Magnetic Extension Blade for Micro Bits Part# 75901 its super narrow for getting into recessed screw cavities and can be stacked to reach even further. The only setback is its not very magnetic so you might have a hard time picking up larger screws.

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Bradford, thanks for the recommendation. Picked up a couple of Wiha 75901's from Digi-Key, and has already proven useful for opening a game console. Good stuff.

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where can I buy it

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I bought a specific Torx set with about 5-6” shafts which eliminated the extender bulge. Many times ANY bulge will create a problem so I would look for what you need with the long shaft instead of an extender.

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Indeed, the ideal is to have the right screwdriver for every screw - fine if you're in your own workshop with plenty of space for storing a galaxy of tools but we're not always lucky enough to be able to enjoy that. Before the pandemic (and hopefully again in the coming months) I used to attend pop-up community repair events, often travelling by train and/or bus and sometimes up to a mile's walk, and with no idea what challenges I might face. Along with all the other tools, it's then necessary to maximise usefulness whilst minimise weight and bulk, and a driver and set of bits is then the only sensible option and an additional range of long screwdrivers is not an option.

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Hi @pleriche ,

I also attend community repair events and I’m also looking for a solution.
The solution proposed by @cspanpacman seems reasonable but I'm afraid that the buldge would still cause problems, like @ruggb emphasized (at least for the skinniest bits).

How do you manage this problematic in the meantime of an optimized solution?

Personally I was lucky enough to always have a fellow repairer that comes with his huge tool case ready to lend me longer shafts. But I would be more confortable to have an skinny extender. In terms of production footprint (and cost for our wallet) a good extender would save lots of long shaft versions for each bit we could need…

Do you think a good extender would be impossible considering the (failed) attempt of iFixit’s tool development team? (https://meta.ifixit.com/Answers/View/103...)

In short for future folks coming here, according to you, what kind of conclusion could we make about this problem ?

Best regards,
Geoff

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Hi @geoff5 - I still don't have a real solution. I have a set of 50 75mm 1/4" bits that I usually take with me, but they add a fair bit to the weight and arn't always long enough. You would have thought it'd be possible to make an extender consisting of 6 pieces to grip the bit inside a thin but very high tensile band to hold them together. But what do I know?

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Note that as of February 2022, the Wiha magnetic extension suggested by Bradford May 2021 has been reported by DigiKey as discontinued by the manufacturer.

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Derek crwdns2934231:0crwdne2934231:0
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