A British engineer with a long career in electric vehicles and hovercraft has created the space- and weight-saving KwikPro system, which he hopes will revolutionize the way tradespeople work – and get around. The 10-piece array of trade-worthy tools fits into just one case, because the motor is in the handle, not the head.
By putting the motor into a universal powered-handle which the tool-heads clip onto, design engineer Robert Fowler is able to offer a full set of tools which is not only portable and economical, but could significantly speed-up the time spent on all manner of complex jobs.
And since the muscle is in the handle, subsequent add-on tool-heads should be considerably cheaper than their conventional cousins, where each tool "skin" contains its own (costly) motor.
"Shifting loads of power-tools in lots of separate cases to different job-sites wastes time, energy and money, and can also increase the danger of accidents and injuries," says Fowler. "KwikPro sets are practical one-case solutions which make it easy for power-tool users to speed-up the time it takes to get the tools they need to and from job-sites."
Now, the whole motor-in-the-handle thing may seem enough of a revolution to some, but Fowler is a true boffin, and he clearly wasn't done coming up with ideas. Not content with a clip-on head which looks and behaves like a regular cordless tool, Fowler has designed the drill-heads with a two-way fitting system, allowing them to be used conventionally in a pistol-grip fashion, or end-on (in parallel with the handle) to accommodate work in tight spaces.
But wait, there's more. This last feature is the weirdest, but still ingeniously practical, once you get your head around it. The motor handles in the "Gold Diamond" KwikPro tool set are kitted out with a remote-control feature, intended to assist with difficult-to-access jobs – or possibly just for fun. The remote system means you can control one complete tool with a separate handle, or control two working tools in tandem using just one trigger. It's hard to do this feature justice with words alone, so KwikPro created an animated sequence on its Kickstarter page to demonstrate it.
KwikPro is currently proposing three, 18-volt, tool sets. The KwikPro Silver features one motor handle, four tool heads (which can make up to five tools), a charger and two 2,000-mAh batteries. The Gold and Gold Diamond sets are heavier-duty than the Silver, and comprise two motor handles, eight tool heads, a twin-charger and three 4,000-mAh batteries. Each set also includes a Batman-esque tool-belt which the system clips onto and a hard-case that stores it all.
After thousands of hours making drawings, models and prototypes, Fowler has taken to crowdfunding to raise the capital needed for the tooling and parts required for manufacture, as well as the all important certification testing.
Could Robert Fowler become the James Dyson of the DIY set? The Clive Sinclair of the cordless-drill? He just might if his Kickstarter campaign is successful, but with a June 5 deadline and only £1,700 (US$2,200) of the £38,500 ($49,895) goal pledged so far, we'll have to wait and see.
Pledges begin at £169 ($220) for the KwikPro Silver Set, with an estimated shipping date of February 2020, should all go to plan. Fowler's pitch video for his invention can be below.
Sources: KwikPro Power Tools, Kickstarter
