Worx WX997L MAKERX Crafting Tool Deluxe Combo Kit

I grabbed the Makerx rotary tool and soldering iron pack while looking for a replacement rotary tool, and I am writing this about 6 months after my purchase, as I am well aware of how the initial period after a new purchase of a cool tool can induce a short period of fan-boy syndrome, before acknowledging a host of glaringly obvious issues. However, I am glad to say that I am still using the Makerx system daily. So, the best parts.. First is it is incredibly light and thin, which is a bonus compared to some of the other lower-cost rotary tools that are almost unwieldy. The speed is 100% constant as long as you don't overuse the tool and apply too much torque, which is standard with most rotary tools and helps to prevent rapidly broken fingers and wrists, this is a precision tool and not to be used in place of a large craftsmen or Makita Drill or an actual drill press. The biggest thing I love about this is that it is whisper quiet, and I have used it many times at 3:00 AM in my small studio apartment where a normal conversation can keep the neighbors awake. While some other rotary tools do have similar features, such as the WEN cordless rotary tool, which is powered by a 4.2v Lithium Ion Battery, the Makerx is powered by a 20v battery with the same power as any other power-tool interchangeable battery, giving the Makerx Immensely more power, RPM, and battery life. In terms oif the Soldering Iron, this has become my standard daily use soldering iron. I also have 2 TS80 Smart soldering irons and a dedicated soldering station. Prior to this, the $100+ TS80 was my main soldering iron, but the Makerx has since surpassed it. It heats up just as fast, keeps the heat, and cools off very fast, has built in temp display and control on the iron, and it works. I can go through tips fast, but the original tip is still perfect on this Sure, I can't play pacman on it or program a boost temp for when I solder things with higher heat-loss properties, but that's really not needed. I turn it on and solder.. that is it. Both devices give me the performance and power of a standard power tool, but while being very portable. As far as the negatives, and everything has a negative.. I noticed the Rotary tool had a tendency of catching the built in chuck, especially when I pushed it beyond it's torque capability. I don't know if this is a specific issue with my unit, or all of them. However, as a Maker, I prefer doing my own repairs, and the Makerx makes this incredibly easy. They have no screws. You unscrew the top and bottom rings and the rotary tool separates easily into little easily replaceable modules. It is neat just to take a look at it to see the little details that went into the engineering of this. I believe the spring wasn't as strong as it should have been, but I ended up removing the chuck, as it is just as easy to use a any nearby item as the key, and it completely removes the chance of an issue. Other than that, you can't use this without a battery. So, if you only have one battery, when it dies, you aren't using these until it is recharged, which is fairly quick, but having the ability to use wall power is a large annoyance at times. However... I do realize that building the power and battery charger into the power hub would add significant size, mass, and most likely cost. So like all awesome tools, we have to deal with a few annoyances for improvements. As far as the soldering iron goes, I have no negatives to report, other than I wish they included a hot-knife blade, but yes, I did buy one..... and that just demonstrates how useful this is. Read more

I was excited to receive this kit. I have had my eye on it. The need for a soldering iron came up so I got this three-tool kit, which is a great deal. I have not used the other two tools yet, but I did use the soldering iron. I am a beginner at soldering. I had a cheap iron many years ago and learned basics making a couple of projects. This one feels SO much nicer. I watched the temperature change on the display which feels like such a luxury. I replaced some capacitors on a speaker I have. I noticed that the iron takes a while to melt the non-leaded OEM solder used in factory even at max temperature. 900°F is theoretically hot enough, but I suspect the conical tip that comes by default may not have been the most effective shape to distribute the heat for my situation. This isn't really a flaw but i want to give a heads up if you intend to use this for soldering electronics. After removing the factory solder, it worked easily and beautifully when I used my own leaded solder at a lower temp. Battery came half charged, but it gave me enough time to do most of the job even with me going kinda slow. When it ran out I switched it for the battery that came with my Worx cordless drill and it was plenty. I can't imagine this will let you work all day, but it seems great for more casual use. I really like this set. The tools are so compact and light. It's portability is impressive. If you're a professional spending hours a day heavily using tools like these then this probably won't suffice as a primary toolset. But you might love it as a secondary portable set. More than anything, just like their other power tools, this is great for casual and hobby use. I wanted to be better equipped to fix, improve, and customize things I own. The only bummer was the bag which looks pretty cool at first glance but unfortunately it arrived with stitching undone as shown in the photo. doesn't seem like the kind of thing that can survive as a tool bag. Read more

This is an awesome kit. All of the tools work as advertised and are well made. The rotary tool seems to have plenty of torque and runs far quieter than the big name rotary tools. I measured the heat gun at about 500 degrees F. Read more