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I think we've all been in a situation at some time in our
lives where the need has arisen to use a drill in a tight situation, or
where the space around a fixing has not been adequate to allow use of a
corded or cordless drill to drill or drive with. In these instances we
often need to resort to a different tool or face some more complex
procedure to get the job done.
You can certainly buy right-angle drills for some of these
tasks, and even right angled drilling attachments, and these
come in handy, but the problem is that they are just that, a right angle,
and they cannot be changed to other angles.
Enter the "Orbiter", a drill attachment that allows you
to drill and drive at just about any angle, and in confined places. The Ozito
Orbiter is the product we are looking at today. Note that it is the same
"Orbiter" product as manufactured and sold by Milescraft and available in the USA. The
only difference is the name on the handle.
The Orbiter
The Orbiter allows you to drill at angles and in places you could not
before. You do not need any other special attachments to use it apart from
your normal corded or cordless drill, and a drill or screw driving bit, of
course. It looks pretty much like a ball stuck to a handle with drill
attachments sticking out each side... Scientific description... check!
It features a unique split body construction which splits
the "ball" in half. On one half is the drill chuck to which you can fit
your drill bit. It is a 3/8" (10mm) capacity, keyless chuck which allows
quick and easy bit fitting of any drill bit up to 3/8" shank diameter, but
could be replaced with a different type chuck easily enough if you favor
keyed drill chucks.
On the other half is a 3/8" hex shaft, and this is the part
that attaches to your drill to provide the power to spin the bit. The 3/8"
shaft will fit just about all corded and cordless drills, so no problems
with compatibility. Unlike fixed drilling attachments, the spherical or
"orbital" design allows the Orbiter to change drilling angles readily.
Each half independently rotates around 360 degrees. The combination of
setting each half independently and the unique beveled gear assembly
located in the "ball" allows the wide array of angles to bet set for the
drilling task at hand.
You can lock the angle setting at any position to ensure it
will not move during use. This is accomplished by twisting the handle left
and right to lock and unlock. A small spring-loaded yellow lock latch will
positively lock the Orbiter for use. No matter what position the drill
chuck and hex shaft are located, the hex shaft always drives the drill
chuck. Unlocking is achieved by simply releasing the latch and rotating
the handle a half turn or so. Once unlocked, you can again move each half of the
orbiter independent of each other.
The red soft-grip rubber handle allows a firm and steady
grip of the tool and is comfortable to use. It too can be rotated around
its arc to allow you to move it to a comfortable working position once
your drill angle has been determined, or to move it out of the way of any
obstacles in the working area.
In Use
As you can see by the relative 'shortness' of this review so far,
there is not a lot to the Orbiter device, but the simple things in life
are often the best, right? Well, I'm not going to say that is wrong in
this case, because this is certainly a very handy tool to have in your
toolbox. It replaces a dedicated right angle drill, and also replaces the
right angle drill attachments currently on the market, although the
Orbiter is perhaps 10-15% larger than some of these. We used it to install some
drawer fronts, for many woodworking tasks where a regular drill simply
would not go, to drill holes for fixings and mountings at various angles,
even to reach some screws and nuts on the car in the garage.
This is certainly a handy tool for more than just
woodworking. We found the locking latch to hold fine in use. There were no
signs of drill bits slipping in the chuck, however, I have seen better
chuck jaws on more expensive drills than those used on the Orbiter, so
time will tell if they continue to hold well after more extended, heavy
use. As mentioned, the chuck should be easily replaceable down the track
should the need arise.
I did read one user's comment in my research that stated
"the red dye on the handle rubbed off right out of the box". I haven't
noticed anything on my hands or any sign of wear on the handle so far.
Perhaps that was an issue with earlier models I do not know.
The Orbiter does have a bit of weight to it, but not a lot
more than a standard right angle drilling attachment. It may cause some
fatigue with extended use, but its benefits certainly outweigh its
physical weight by a great margin in my opinion. In use it is also
very quiet. You wont notice any real noise production over and above
that made by your drill.
There is not a whole lot more I can say about the Orbiter.
It's definitely a must-have item if you find a need to occasionally drill
holes or drive or remove screws from places your regular drill cannot go.
The picture of the Orbiter's action above will give you an excellent idea
of how each half rotates and why it is able to be set for virtually any
drilling angle. This tool addresses a common problem with drilling tasks,
and it does so very effectively.
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Available to
Order/Purchase through these companies...
Click graphic to go to
their direct product page for this item |
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In Australia |
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The Ozito Orbiter is available from Bunnings
Warehouse outlets in Australia.
Bunnings Warehouse
Ozito Website
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In
the USA |
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Orbiter |
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Ozito Orbiter Photos
All photos copyright onlinetoolreviews.com. Use without prior
written permission prohibited
The Orbiter package
A very useful "ball on a
stick!"
The rubber wrapped handle is
comfortable to use and offers good grip.
The 3/8" hex shank will fit most all
corded or cordless drills.
The 3/8" (10mm) chuck has enough
capacity for most tasks.
The locking latch allows you to lock
and release the Orbiter.
Attached to my cordless drill and
ready to go.
Drilling clearance holes for wiring
between rafters. We couldn't drill these without the orbiter.
An example of the Orbiter configured for regular
right-angle use, here securing a fixed draw front.
Here the Orbiter is configured at about 60
degrees to allow us to remove this hex screw with a power drill in an
automotive application.
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