At Pro Tool Reviews, we’re obviously focusing on the Pro user market. As such, we don’t do a whole lot on the DIY side of things. But we do keep an eye on the overall market and sometimes there are innovations on the DIY side that raise our eyebrows. A good example is the new Worx Ai Drill. It’s a 20V Max drill/driver with a couple of convenience features worth looking at. Worx calls it Ai, but it’s in the realm of pressure-sensitive electronics.
Similar technology is in play with tools like Ridgid’s Palm Impact Driver and 909’s touch-sensitive trigger system. Three key features take center stage on the Worx Ai Drill – BitLock, SafeDrive, and PulseAssist.
Worx Ai Drill: What They Say
“Advanced intelligence can be defined as the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior, and that’s just what our engineers had in mind when they developed the Ai Drill. The Ai drill is almost intuitive. It’s so easy to use that first time users and do-it-yourselfers will breeze through h ome and craft projects.”
– Jeanne White, WORX Senior Product Manager
A Closer Look at the Worx Ai Drill Technology
BitLock
With BitLock, you twist the collar to loosen or tighten the chuck around your bit. The motor opens or closes the chuck rather than just your hand strength and auto-centers to get a better grip on the bit. Since it’s pressure-sensitive, it knows when to stop.
SafeDrive
One of three functional driving modes on the Worx Ai Drill is SafeDrive. This senses when the screw head reaches flush to the surface and backs off. This won’t help you if you’re driving fasteners below the surface, but you can enter standard drill/driving mode for that.
PulseAssist
In PulseAssist mode, the drill drives at a slow speed to avoid stripping screws and damaging bits. Presumably, based on the name, this is an additional pulse of energy to snug the fastener down or back out a stubborn screw once the drill has stopped.
From Average Joe to Seasoned Pro?
The entire reason this DIY drill got my attention was in consideration of how this technology might be applied to Pro-level drill/drivers. We see some elements with A-Mode and T-Mode in Makita’s flagship impact driver. And of course, Milwaukee has electronic customization available in One-Key. But is it something Pros will use or just a novelty?
The idea of flush driving, clutchless drills isn’t necessarily out of the question. For now, I’d like to maybe see an auto-sensing technology come to cordless drill, but I want to keep my clutch as well. There’s certainly some question as to how well that pressure sensitivity will do in multiple species of softwoods and hardwoods.
Worx Ai Drill Specifications
- Model: Worx WX178L
- Power Source: Worx 20V Max battery pack
- Chuck Size: 3/8″
- No-Load Speed: 0 – 800 RPM
- Max Torque: 180 in-lbs.
- Price: $128.62
- Warranty: 3 years
- Kit Includes: tool, 1.5 AH battery, 5-hour charger, double-ended bit
