A long-term review 

By Brendan Jones

If you have been searching for some precise and portable tools for scope mounting and general gunsmithing, give ‘Fix It Sticks’ a look in this long-term review. 

Essentially the difference between the two kits mentioned in this review is: one employs the All-In-One Torque Driver (centre), while the other has 4 Individual Torque Limiters (left and right). 

Up for review in this article is Fix It Sticks. In a specific sense, a ‘Rifle and Optics Toolkit’ in two variations, along with a few other products, but in a broader sense this is a review of the Fix It Sticks ‘ecosystem’ as a whole. 

Fix It Sticks is an American small tools company founded and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its manufacturing undertaken in Taiwan. The brand claims that at the core of their design ethos there are three things: portability, precision and performance. 

In essence, the Fix It Sticks ecosystem is a ¼-inch bit and driver product, with its key point of difference – apart from aiming to be high quality, focusing on the compact portable concept – being its torque drivers and torque limiters. Beyond that, they have all manner of other accoutrements and gadgets related to shooting – some very cleaver, some more gimmicky. While there is a definite focus on shooting, they also offer kits and tools specific to bowhunting, mountain biking and general use. 

Description 

The case is the first thing you interact with: Rifle and Optics Toolkit with Individual Torque Limiters. It is made from a nylon Cordura-style fabric in black. One side has molle-style webbing, the other a large patch of Velcro. The case is 17×10.5cm, and about 3cm deep at the spine. It has a zip closure that goes around three sides, allowing it to be opened right up. Twin zips with lace tabs allow for quick access and closure in any position. Inside the case is a hard rubber bit holder that runs down the spine, that has 21 holes for ¼-inch bits and 11 holes for 8/32 bits. On one side of the case are three sewn-in elastic loops, which can be used to secure the T-wrench. On the other is a mesh pocket, with five more elastic loops inside. 

The kit is listed to come with the company’s T-Way T-Handle Wrench, which takes ¼ bits not only where you would expect, but also in either end of the handle for when more leverage is required. Instead, my kit came with the Modular T-Drive, the only difference being a knurled-thumb screw on top of the handle allowing it to be removed. All three positions have magnetic retention of bits that are as strong as you would want them to be. The long shaft of the T-handle has a plastic sleeve that spins (they also offer ratcheting versions, which I have tested). 

The kit comes with 15 bits (T10, T15, T20, T25, Hex 3/32″, 5/64″, 1/8″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, P1, Slotted 5mm), four individual torque limiters (15, 25, 45, 65 in-lbs), which are labelled in both in-lbs and Nm and colour coded, a ¼ hex to square adaptor, and a half-inch socket. 

A second variant of the kit is the Rifle and Optics Toolkit with All-In-One Torque Driver. The contents of the kit are identical, apart from the four torque limiters being replaced with a single torque driver (15 to 65 in-lbs.), and a more compact case with a different storage layout. 

Testing and opinion 

I have been using this equipment for more than two years – both at home on the bench and in the field. The kit presents well, with the case and the tools inside being high quality, as you would expect for the price. Bits are retained very well in the case and don’t come loose, which is a key trait for taking things into the field. In writing this, I took the open kit and turned it upside down and shook it without anything coming loose. 

The bits are precise and the tools are well made. They fit well into TORX screws, both small and large, with precise tight fits. I haven’t rounded off and snapped any bits or burred out any screws, which is more than I can say for previous sets of shooting-related driver sets I have owned. 

The all-in-one driver doesn’t need to be set and doesn’t ‘break’ at the torque. You simply watch the scale on the side and tighten until the indicator line rotates to match your desired torque spec. This version trades some repeatability/precision for versatility and weight. 

The individual limiters work by clicking over once the specified torque that limiter is designed for is reached. These trade versatility for ultimate repeatability. It’s pretty boring, as far as a review goes; they just work. They do what you want them to do, which is what you want tools to do. Primarily, mine have been used for mounting and changing optics, maintaining correct torque for changing stocks and general home gunsmithing tasks. The whole reason I adopted this ecosystem is for swapping optics in the field, going between scopes for testing purposes, and swapping a day scope and thermal scope using return-to-zero mounts, with repeatable, precise torque settings. They have performed this task flawlessly. In my opinion, the individual torque limiters are as repeatable and consistent as you can get. 

When more leverage is desired for larger torque values, the bits can be changed to the ends of the handle. Pictured here is the top of the line Ratcheting T-Way Wrench with Locking Hex Drive, but this feature is common to all version of the T handle tools. 

A quality compact kit works the same at home as it does at the range or in the field. A big, bulky toolkit doesn’t travel well, if you take it at all. 

I have no way of testing their accuracy, but it’s stated the 31 individual designations from 4 in-lb through 100 in-lb have a nominal 6% +/- accuracy, and 10 per cent for the 140 in-lb version. It’s also claimed limiters below 40 in-lbs should retain accuracy through 20,000 cycles and over 50 in-lbs through 5000 cycles. 

Other gear 

The Fix It Sticks lineup has exploded with all kinds of other gear compatible with its system and tailored to shooting sports. I do own and use some of their other products, like scope-levelling devices, but this article can’ t hope to scratch the surface of what’s on offer. Readers will have to avail themselves of the website to do their own research, albeit at their own risk to their credit card… 

Availability and pricing 

Fix It Sticks products can be found in many Australian gun stores and online retailers, as well as Amazon. The most popular kits and individual items can be sourced from those places. The Fix It Sticks website ships to Australia and has the full complement of items listed individually, additional to kits. Like most websites, there are discounts for first-time signups and promotions and discount codes offered throughout the year. 

Prices on the website fluctuate daily with the AUD-USD currency markets, but at the time of writing, the Rifle and Optics Toolkit with Individual Torque Limiters was $303, and the Rifle and Optics Toolkit with All-In-One Torque Driver was $194. A savvy shooter will shop for the best price at time of purchase and arbitrage the currency lag of the website versus brick-and-mortar stores to their advantage. 

Conclusion 

Fix It Sticks are not cheap. But they are the best mix of quality, precision and portability I have found. When weighing up the price, you should also factor in other costs – such as the costs of: 

• re-buying cheaper tools a few times first  

• an equipment failure on day one of a week-long hunting trip 

• needing to make last-minute adjustments or repairs at the range on the morning of a shooting competition 

• some quality tools might pale into insignificance when weighed up against the cost of a ruined bucket-list trip, a lost competition, or the lost trophy of a lifetime. 

Buy once, cry once, as they say, in more ways than one. In such scenarios, the price of having a precise and portable toolkit on hand, and one you can rely on, is, in my opinion, priceless. 

This was an un-solicited review, with all the equipment purchased by the author at full retail pricing.