Zoozen Access Pro Tool Kit for modders

If you're hung up on what to get that special hacker in your life this holiday season, you might want to consider the Zoozen Access Pro Tool Kit, which provides a nice assorsement of useful tools to modders young and old. Billed as "every possible set of tools for both current generation and next generation handheld and video game consoles," the PR peeps apparently haven't gotten wind of the PS3 or the Wii yet (which go unmentioned in the press material), but you should be otherwise set for most modern console hacks -- without going through all that nasty "work" of building your own tools. No word on price or availability just yet, but zoozen.com should be up soon.

[Steve D. @ Nov 21st 2006 2:44AM]

I think this set (http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/GNS033-47321-898.html) will just do most the job that this item offers?

[brian @ Nov 21st 2006 2:48AM]

Mmmm, probably... depends on the other tools included in the Zoozen set though-- it's hard to tell from the picture what's included.

[allen @ Nov 22nd 2006 4:21AM]

The Wii is a great console! This going to change gaming forever!! I never seen a system to get so much hype. Not only from the gamers, but nongamers, I lot of them are saying "That's cool","I want one..." "Now, that's different", it's bringing a whole new way of playing games to long time gamers that got bored(like myself) of the traditional "button mashin combos" that got tired and old. Nintendo has, of course , set the bar in game playing...They are most definitely in the next gen race.Remember, next gen brings in new ideas, and innovativeness, not add-ons on old ideas. :)

[J8994 @ Dec 10th 2006 3:15AM]

this kit is great, has everything from tools to open xbox, xbox 360, gamecube, ps2/ptwo, psp, ds/ds lite, gameboy and a few others.

the kit is of great quality, and durable. now i can have all the tools ready for a on the go repair run or mod

[Matthew McGuirl @ Feb 6th 2008 6:51PM]

I do love me "a nice assorsement" :P

[Raymond Garety III @ Apr 18th 2009 5:27PM]

tldr of tldr version: Don't buy this. Bits break easily. Zoozen won't replace it.

tldr version: The Zoozen Pro Access Tool Kit v.2 is very poor quality. Bits break under the strain of undoing fasteners. Zoozen refused to answer support requests.

Full version:

The Zoozen Pro Access Tool Kit seems like a great idea; all the bits one could possibly need in one kit, strictly for opening consoles. With this in mind, I asked my friend to get it for me, as he had spilled liquid into my controllers.

I used the Tri-Wing bit to open my Wiimotes, and immediately noticed two issues; first, the bit was too sharp to fit properly in the fastener. To get enough grip on the screw head I had to apply a lot of force. Grinding down the tip a little would fix this. However, the Tri-Wing bit also showed significant marks where it contacted the screw head, like very cheap dollar-store screwdrivers would. With more than a few uses the bit would become rounded off and unusable. The screws showed no marks whatsoever.

I then used the #8 security Torx bit to open a hard drive. The first bit, when trying to undo the fastener, twisted and snapped in moments under little more than wrist pressure. For comparison, a set of Stanley Torx bits placed under the strain of seized, rusted bolts, survived without so much as a scratch. The second bit showed similar twisting, but held enough to open the drive.

The standard screwdriver bits showed marking and bending at their edges when subjected to screws on an XLR connector.

All the bits appear to be of the same poor quality material. Also, there are only half the number of unique bits in this kit. The kit actually contains a duplicate of almost every bit except the long-neck versions, and the linesetter bits.

Please be aware, if you buy this kit the only fundamentally usable bits are perhaps the Linesetter bits, used to open Nintendo NES, SNES, and N64 cartridges, the longneck Philips and Standard bits, and the XBox 360 tool. The Linesetter bits don't grip the screws well but are usable with pressure, the longneck Philips and Standard bits are only useful if you have no regular drivers, and the XBox 360 tool only if you have that console.

A kit of this quality needs to be supplemented with Security Bit sets, which can be found at numerous online retailers, some hardware stores and Sears. Kits of this type include Torx bits in proper sizes and durabilities, spanner bits, and other useful security bits, from $20 to $40 depending on kit size. These kits will have the durability you need.

If you buy this kit be prepared to suffer several broken bits in a very short time. You will have paid for a kit with four questionably useful bits in it, and for slightly more money you could purchase a better kit elsewhere and supplement it with long-shaft drivers.

After this experience I requested a kit replacement directly from Zoozen, and described my experiences, on 3/12/2009. As I had received no response, I emailed again with a second request for replacement on 4/5/2009. Still without a response, I emailed a third and final time on 4/11/2009 and informed them (for courtesy) that if I received no reply within a week I would post my experiences to the public. I again received no reply, so I contacted ThinkGeek, the seller; they were immediately responsive and accepted a return.

I am not trying to claim Zoozen is entirely unresponsive to support requests, only my single interaction with them was poor. I am also not claiming all Zoozen products are poor quality, only the Pro Access Tool Kit. It is a remarkable idea, destroyed by poor quality.

Do not buy this kit for more than $10, and only buy it if you are willing to accept easily broken bits, and willing to pay for replacements.