How to choose a screwdriver - Any tradesperson worth employing will tell you that. “A bad worker blames his or her tools!” But of course if you work with poor tools you’re not going to get the great results that you hope for… In a kitchen the basics are a sharp knife, three sizes of saucepans, a chopping board and a couple of mixing bowls…forget all those fancy gadgets, good chefs can create wonders using these basic pieces of equipment…but as all chefs will tell you, buy the best quality you can afford. You know what it’s like trying to slice tomatoes with a blunt knife, trying to fry an omelette in a cheap frying pan…the results are squashed, boshed or burnt… Well the same is true in DIY…using poor tools and materials is a sure fire way to get poor results. Now when you have spent all your precious weekend trying to put up shelves and paint walls, you want to have a good result to show for it. Well as every Boy Scout will tell you, “to fail to prepare…is to prepare to fail” Here is the first of my essential toolbox contents list. How to choose a screwdriver Screwdrivers – of course you can get special attachments for the electric drill (see later) and dedicated electric screwdrivers, but nothing beats the good old-fashioned manual type. What to look for? :
- Quality metal used in the head. You will put a huge amount of torque (twist) force, through the head of it, as you turn the screw. Cheap screwdrivers are often made of inferior metals that burr or shear under the pressure you put it through.
- Ensure that it is made of a single piece of metal. Again the amount of stress that you put on the shaft as you twist can cause cheaper shafts to snap or bend.
- Comfortable handles – an absolute must if you are putting together a flat pack or other job with ten or more screws to tighten. Firm grip handles will also prevent the screwdriver slipping in your hand.
- Slot, Pozi & Philips drive heads (that’s the flat and cross types) – there is no substitute for having the right head fitting the right screw. Make sure that you have a range of sizes in each of these type heads. A set of twelve screwdrivers (4 of each head) should cover most everyday jobs. You will often see screwdriver sets sold in sets of 10 or 12.
- Short or Long handles? – You often find that you need to get access to a screw in a restricted space. Here a short length handle is of great use. Long handles also give you access to screws hidden down shafts or in places where the shaft will pass through but the hand won’t. Long shafts also allow you to get greater leverage onto a screw, for those hard to shift moments.
- Avoid the temptation to buy a single handled screwdriver with changeable heads or ‘bits’! These area poor substitute and often slip or damage the screw. They are designed so that you can change the head so obviously they wont be as firm and sure. Have one of these as a backup in the car.
- An electrical screwdriver – this is a specialist screwdriver with an insulated sheath to help give you extra protection. They also often have a swivel shaft to make un-tightening and tightening those tricky electrical screws, easier.
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Look for a range of head and shaft sizes in the screwdriver sets.  Slot head screw
 Pozi head screw
 Philips head screw
The screwdriver should fill the screw slot or head completely or come within 1/16" of doing so. If the tip is too small, the driver will not have enough bite to turn the screw and will slip, stripping the head. If the tip is too large, it will not 'sit' all the way to the bottom of the screw's head and will strip the top portion of the head. Ideally, when you 'sit' the driver in the screw head there shouldn't be any play or slop between the two. At worst, there shouldn't be more than 1/32" of play. As a general rule, most Philips and Robertson screws are #2, but the it's best to have a full set of sizes so you're not tempted to use the wrong size driver and take the chance of stripping out a screw head. Don’t use your screwdrivers for ‘lever’, ‘paint-stirrers’ ‘chisels’, ‘palette knives’ or any other function that they are not designed for. If you spend good money on your tools look after them with a suitable case or tool wrap. 
You've spent good money on these tools, they should last you, if not a lifetime, then a good few years...look after them, give them a home so you don't loose one of the group. |
