

Shaft: The shaft needs to be strong enough to resist bending. Modern material combinations can offer durability, a degree of “give,” and excellent grip, too. They offer lots of strength but aren’t kind to the hands. Hard plastic hexagonal shapes are common on cheap screwdriver sets. Handle: The handle needs to be comfortable to hold yet tough enough to take the battering and mistreatment it will inevitably receive. When shopping for a screwdriver set, you need to consider the construction of the screwdrivers and the composition of the set. Owning a set that contains many different types and sizes of screwdrivers eliminates the issue of not having the proper tool for the job.īestReviews Screwdriver set features to consider However, if you use the wrong size screwdriver, you won’t get the proper contact area, making loosening and tightening the screw much more difficult than it should be. Phillips and Torx screwdrivers are less likely to damage the head (although it does happen with cheap screws). If the fit is loose, there is a greater chance the screwdriver will cam out and damage the slot. With slotted screwdrivers, the blade should match both the width and thickness of the slot for a snug fit. Most of the problems with tightening and loosening screws come from a poor fit between the screwdriver and the screw. Torx screws have become more popular in industry and manufacturing but remain unusual for household and general-purpose use. As a result, these fasteners were used to make electronic devices tamper-proof. Torx screwdrivers and screws were not widely available at first (the screws are comparatively expensive to produce). The fit between a Torx screwdriver and screw is more direct, and more torque is transferred.


Though similar to a Phillips-head screw, these are designed not to cam out. The screw’s recess is a six-pointed spline, often referred to as a star. The Torx screwdriver is the most recent addition, invented in 1967. It doesn’t harm the screw's head, but it does prevent overtightening. However, too much torque and the screwdriver will slip. Locating the screwdriver in the screw is easier, and more torque (twisting force) can be applied. Phillips-head screws have a deeper, more positively engaging slot. The Phillips-head screwdriver was invented to overcome the issues with slotted screws. Unfortunately, it’s easy to twist the screwdriver out of the slot (cam out), damaging the head and making screw removal difficult. Some people – cabinetmakers, in particular – prefer the appearance of a slotted screw, especially a row of them with the slots lined up. Slotted screws are cheap and so remain popular. The slotted screwdriver has been around for a few hundred years. While there are many types of screwdrivers available, there are just three in common use: slotted (flat), Phillips, and Torx (star). Even though more than 700 of his screws were used on each Ford Model T, the format never really caught on. That honor belongs to a square-headed version invented by P. The Phillips-head screw was invented in the 1930s by Henry Phillips, but it wasn’t the first variation on the slotted screwhead.
