For every jobsite roughneck who relies on their 18-volt driver, there are thousands of casual DIY'ers who only need something that turns marginally faster than a screwdriver. That's why the world's most popular power tool—according to Bosch, its manufacturer—is the diminutive Bosch IXO, with around 18 million units sold:
That's the 5th-generation design (the smaller ones in the top photo are the first four generations), which is the one we can buy in the 'States. Over in Europe, they've been rocking this 6th-generation model for nearly two years:
The 3.6-volt tool has a built-in battery that charges via micro-USB.
Three LEDs on the top indicate the battery life.
The trigger is variable-speed.
An LED on the front provides "scattered lighting."
The front pops off to accept different attachments.
Amusingly, Bosch sells some non-DIY-related attachments for it: A corkscrew, a "barbecue blower" and a spice mill.
While I'm not suggesting they stole these ideas, I do have to point out that they're super-similar to a student project done years ago by German industrial designer Timo Kuhls:
That project actually landed Kuhls a full-time job at Festool, where he is the only industrial designer on staff (working alongside 45 engineers). You can read all about that here.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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World's Most Popular Power Tool: The Bosch IXO
It's 2021 and companies still make devices with the flimsy, fragile and incredibly annoying Micro-USB connector instead of USB-C, for shame!