Fix-It sticks, they’re expensive yes, but this review is to make sure that you know what you’re getting for your money. First off I will start by saying after using them for this review and for the past 2 years while competing in various shooting competitions, I do think they provide excellent value especially when it comes to maintaining your guns. I want to find out and show you why they cost what they do, and why they’re still worth it especially if you’re law enforcement, military or a rifle or gun sports competitor, and even for a hunter.
How Fix It Sticks Work
Fix-It sticks torque drivers and torque limiters make over tightening fasteners nearly impossible. Fix-It sticks has two types of torque tools individual torque limiters and all-in-one torque drivers.
The individual torque limiters are compact torque limiting tools they work with any quarter inch hex driver or wrench and work with any quarter inch hex bit individual torque limiters are fixed to a specific inch pound rating simply tighten the Fastener and when the proper torque is reached you’ll hear an audible click and the limiter will spin to prevent further Torque from being applied.
Individual torque limiters are available in two sizes small and large, the small torque limiters are available from 4 through 55 in/lbs and roughly 5 in/lbs increments, large torque limiters are available from 60 through to 100 in/lbs. The individual torque limiters are color coded and marked with a torque settings for easy identification.
The Works Tool Kit with Torque Driver
The Worx tool kit but this is the updated version which actually comes with a torque driver as well as all the torque limiters. The torque driver versus our torque limiter, what’s really great about the torque driver is number one we have from 0 to 65 in/lbs all in one tool unlike those torque limiters that are limited to that one torque setting we can also use this to hit those in between numbers or those odd torque settings as well so for instance if we had to hit 24 in/lbs all we would do is crank this down to just below 25 and we’re good to go for 24. This all-in-one torque driver gives you the convenience of all of those different torque limiters in one single tool and it doesn’t get much easier than that, a really nice feature to have. Providing that much more utility for those odd torque requirements that you know sometimes that you get out there.
Yes this is the full gun maintenance kit, which is why it is so expensive, but if you do not need to have all those tools with you in the filed, for instance if you just hunt with bolt action rifles or you shoot PRS style competitions with bolt action rifles, you should look at the much more affordable All-In-One kit below.
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Fix It Sticks all-in-one Torque Driver
For your range bag, or even your work bench, if you do not need specialist tools for certain little gun parts, or if you only shoot bolt-action rifles, then this Fix It Sticks all-in-one torque driver kit is actually all you need. It is much lighter and cheaper compared to the Works kit, and it is the exact kit I have had in my PRS and hunting rifle bags for the past two year.
When you use the link above to shop for one of the products, we receive a small commission from the sale, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this site going, and does not affect the price you would pay usually in any way whatsoever.
Fix It Sticks Quality
The precision ground chrome bits are not only stronger than most other bits I have used, they do not round off the fasteners like most other bits on the market do. Another seemingly simple, but actually very useful feature of the chrome bits, is that they are very easy to spot if you drop one and it is in a dimly lit area or shade.
The strong neodymium magnet in the t-handle, which holds the bits in place, is so strong that I have yet to have a bit fall out when not wanting it to, even after 2 years of hard field use. In fact, it sticks so hard, that sometimes you have to get a very proper grip on the bit to just take it out. It is a really good feature for the use of this type of product.
Testing The Torque Calibration
Obviously when it comes to something that fastens to a precise torque, the calibration of such tool is quite important. The Fix It Sticks kits do not come with calibration certificates like some of torque drivers on the market do, which would have been a nice feature, but not bulletproof as I sometimes doubt those calibration cards or certificates are actually tested and done for every single tool from the production line.
I did my own very rudimentary testing, by taking the torque on a few fasteners up to equal or just under certain torque settings, then verifying it with 3 other torque wrenches that did come with calibration certificates, including the Wheeler Fat wrench and a Vortex torque wrench. It proved very consistent to the point that I would trust it.
That and the fact that none of my fasteners on any of my rifles or optics fastened to the correct torque specs with my Fix It Sticks torque driver has ever come loose in the field, during a hunt or a competition. In fact, the only fasteners that has ever come loose on my during a competition, was a picatinny rail, which I did not double-check myself, and trusted that the gunsmith fastened it to the correct specs (won’t trust that again).
Conclusion
I think every single person should have this in their range bag or kit ready to go, for when bad things happen and your guns go down or whatever it is, you are ready to repair it right there. Not only out in the field too, in fact, these Fix It Sticks tools have proven so reliable and easy to use, without damaging hard to get, sensitive and rare fasteners on my guns and optics, that I now find myself mostly grabbing them when undertaking any work on my rifles at home of in the workshop too.
Yes they are not cheap, but from a buy-once-cry-once point of view, these Fix It Sticks are definitely worth the price for me for what you get.
Who are they for? Well I read on another well-known site that they say Fix It Sticks are not for everyone, and most shooters don’t need them. I strongly disagree with that sentiment. In fact, it makes me question how a gun-related group of people like that actually maintain their guns not only in good working condition, but also safe working conditions. Gun and optics fasteners and fixtures are absolutely critical to the functioning of the weapons, and as important is ensuring those fasteners are tightened to the correct torque specs, not under-fastened or over-tightened as this could adversely affect the safety and efficacy of the firearms. Over-tightening scope rings for instance, will damage the scope tube and permanently cause it to malfunction.
That being said, this means that any gun torque wrench will do the trick, however, it would be bad advise if we were not to recommend the higher quality wrench and tools, that not only last longer, but that also prevent fastener damage because of the high-quality bits used. So in my opinion, backed by what I stated above, I do believe at least the basic all-in-one Fix It Sticks kit is a requirement for all rifle owners and shooters.
Fix it sticks alternative
There are many Fix It Sticks alternative kits, tools and sets available on the market, even from reputable brands too. But don’t let that fool you too easily. Cheap bit sets, you know the problem with these sets is that those bits, more easily round bolts off left and right. They’re just cheaply made, the screwdriver’s cheaply made the bits are cheaply made and it really does end up tearing up your fasteners and stripping those fasteners out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stripped fasteners or rounded them with low-quality bits sliding or rounding themselves. The hassle, time and cost to get rounded fasteners our and replaced, makes just getting good quality bits like these worth it in the first place.
