Bit Bar Inline Max

The most expensive screwdriver I have ever bought but the form factor, design and materials makes a t the Ferrari of EDC screwdrivers

This thing is absolutely amazing.Used it a ton to hang up some shelves over the weekend and performed flawlessly. Plus you don’t even feel it in your pocket like the Bit Bar II. Keep up the great work BigIdeaDesign. Can’t wait to see y’all’s new products in the future.

The most obvious upgrade is the number of bits. The fact that they are double sided as well makes it even better. The old version left something to be desired. For me a flathead and Philips are a must so that left me with only 1 other bit. I could choose between a T8 or T6 but not both. Now I have all the bits I need for complete knife maintenance on top of being able to do any sort of handyman work.
With the old version I had a hard time getting the bits out sometimes, it wasn't impossible but I had to fiddle with it a bit. The new version makes it much easier to retrieve the bits. I don't know if this was intentionally designed (if it was then it's quite genius) but for some of the bits when you push them inwards (towards the middle of the tool as in to unlock the bit) the magnet underneath will pull down on the side of the bit facing the outer edge of the tool creating this sort of teeter totter/seesaw motion which lifts up the side of the bit pointing towards the middle of the device. This creates more space making it super easy to lift up the bit with your finger. This only works though if the side of the bit facing outwards is smaller than the width of the middle part of the bit. For example, this seesaw effect doesn't work with the double sided hex bit. (You can see this seesaw/teeter-totter effect in the attached photo)
Although the length of the tool has increased I don't feel like it has affected carry-ability. In fact, the increased length has helped in terms of grip. I feel that I now have more leverage from having more to hold on to.
The only issue I have with it is that I carry mine in a leather sheath on my belt and I store it in the vertical slot where people would normally put a flashlight. There is no bottom part, it is only an open loop. So what happens is if I make any vigorous movements such as running or jumping, the inner tube (the shiny silver part that holds the bits) will fall out of the outer tube (the stonewashed gray part that holds the clip) on to the ground. I guess I can't really fault the tool, it's more so the way I carry it but if there were some sort of locking mechanism or a much stronger detent then it would be absolutely perfect for me.
Overall I don't have much more to complain about. It still has all the great features of the old one such as the T handle configuration which makes this tool so much more capable compared to other EDC screwdrivers. It is nearly the perfect EDC screwdriver for me and if you have the old one then I would definitely recommend upgrading to this one just from the increase in bits alone (that is if the number of bits on the old one was an issue for you). Otherwise, the other upgrades I mentioned make it worth switching to this newer version as well.

I've been waiting for this for years. It is really disappointing that they just repurposed the design from the original Bit Bar Inline instead of starting from scratch. I've always hoped that they would make a slim version of the Bit Bar using the Leatherman bits or make a slim version of this with Leatherman bits.

The size is ok. Slimmer and wider would be more comfortable to carry. Really wish that it included more useful additions like a metric ruler on one side and inches on the other. This tool has so much untapped potential. I would love to work with them on a complete redesign.

All that being said I carry it daily and like that, it has a few more bits than the original Bit Bar that I used to carry. Really wish more time was put into making it amazing instead of just a little bit better than that last one.

Definitely my favourite screwdriver by far to EDC. Never left anywhere without my inline and the max is no exception. Being able to have a lot more different bits and that are easier the swap around makes it almost perfect. My only problem would be the detent ball bearing that holds the inner part secure is no where near as strong as the original and falls out in pocket too easily. If that is fixed it would be perfect.