Worx MakerX competes with Dremel
Unique system offers six tools
Worx has developed craft tools that split the difference between corded and cordless. Using a standard Li-ion battery with an attachable hub, the MakerX system is portable and easy to use.
Fri Dec 17 2021
Worx tools have long had something of a mixed reputation. On one side, they are seen as innovative, unusual solutions to needs that many homeowners have. On the other side, some of their tools can remind customers of the sort of thing their favourite crazy uncle/aunt comes up with - possible, but not necessarily practical.
At least, that's the way things looked prior to 2021. One big shift that came with 2021 was that, Flex, a sister company of Worx (both are owned by China-based global top-ten power tool company Chervon) became a major player in the North American market with the release of a range of 24-volt cordless tools for professionals/tradies. These were not without their flaws, but were generally well-received in the market, distributed mainly through big-box home improvement chain Lowe's.
(Part of the backstory to that move by Chervon is that Stanley Black & Decker's Craftsman brand is going to replace some of the Kobalt brand tools - which are also made by Chervon - in Lowe's stores. Effectively, the Kobalt tools, aimed at tradies, are being split into semi-DIY/handyman for Craftsman, and ultra-pro for Flex.)
The main area where Worx has excelled in the past has been tools for gardening. Its earliest success came with garden line trimmers. One of its least-acknowledged, but really well-designed products is the Aerocart, which transformed the humble home wheelbarrow into a multi-purpose carry tool, along with a wide range of accessories which greatly expanded its capability.
More recently, Worx has turned its attention to one of the sub-markets inside the wider DIY markets, with its new MakerX range of "hobbyist" tools. Actually, though it is not immediately apparent, it's about two such sub-markets. The most evident sub-market is the same one that the Dremel system (made by Bosch) is aimed at, which involves small-scale carving, mostly of wood, but other materials, including metal and hard plastics.
To concentrate on that market for the moment, we could say that MakerX is pointed directly at one of the quandaries that has troubled Dremel in its tool development. Dremel were, of course, for a long time strictly a corded tool. When they went cordless, the designers had to choose between making a tool about the same size as a corded Dremel, which would have meant limited battery life, or making the Dremel thicker and heavier, due to the larger battery. The company chose the latter - and that was probably the right choice.
That has resulted in a Dremel that has the convenience of being cordless but is - especially for those with smaller hands - more difficult to hold, and a little wearisome to use for long periods, due to its weight.
Worx has done with its MakerX range is to more-or-less "split the difference". They have developed a "hub" that attaches to the tool slide on a standard Worx 20-volt battery, with an on/off button and a dial that controls the voltage (and therefore speed/heat etc.).
While this doesn't give quite the "freedom" of a fully cordless device (there is still a cord from the hub to the tool), it does make the tool more manoeuvrable, and usable beyond the reach of an extension cord. This also means, of course, that without an integrated battery the tool can be slimmer and lighter. That means being able to hold it in the "pencil grip" for fine hand-motor control, and that its weight is reduced to the point where it will seldom create wrist fatigue.
Worx has gone on to extend that basic system to include an entire range of small, easy-to-use "maker" tools, for the hobbyist/DIY market. These include:
These tools are further tweaked - just a little - to make them useful across a broader range of activities. For example, the air brush is food-safe - meaning it can be used for tasks such as spray-painting a cake, or applying a thin glaze.
The other market
While all that describes tools that will prove popular with a considerable slice of the hobbyist market, there is another market they also suit ideally: the makers who use 3D printing and CNC routers to build projects.
In 3D printing, for example, most objects require some amount of "scaffolding" to prevent the object from drooping of collapsing during its construction. This is added on to the model by the software that controls the printer. After the print in finished, there is a finicky process required to remove all the scaffolding elements so as to leave smooth surfaces.
Furthermore, many projects require additional steps. Large curved surfaces need to be smoothed over, parts glued together, and, very often, paint applied to the monochrome plastic.
The range of MakerX tools are well-suited to those tasks. One sure sign that this maker community has spotted the advantages of MakerX is the number of 3D designs already available publicly to enhance the system's utility. These include accessories such as a clip-on belt holder for the battery and hub, and a range of nozzles for the blower.
Analysis
With 2022, the hardware retail industry is going to start to enter into what we might term the "new DIY". The experience during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that there actually is more of an available DIY market out there; the question is, how do you successfully engage with it?
One part of that is looking a little more towards the part of it that verges on craft. While many hardware stores do stock Dremel tools, these are usually isolated in power tool bays, rather than in craft-focused areas.
Beyond craft, however, is the ongoing rise of the digital maker culture. While this is still a relatively small area of DIY, it's also the area – outside of the prosumers - which is willing to spend the most on its activities. These are people willing to pay over $3000 for some types of 3D printer, and they do need a range of accessories to support that engagement.
And, of course, in relation to all this activity is that magic, golden word, one which all hardware retailers love to hear - accessories. There is range of supplies, from hot glue to abrasive disks and model paint, that these types of DIYers are going to need.
In fact, this future DIY is probably going to be defined more by its diversity than its similarities. That's really the strategy behind Worx's MakerX products - building a highly versatile system that can be used in a wide range of circumstances. Hardware retailers might want to take note of this, and emulate that approach in their own stores.
