What Brand Driver Bits Do You Prefer

[Larry Edgerton]

I use GRK screws and they come with a bit in the box that will easily do two boxes of screws.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have some el-cheapo from Sams that I bought 20 years ago, and the Phillips bits are still going strong. I also got a gift set (also from Sams I think) with drill bits and assorted drivers, and I use them infrequently. Lately, most of my screws have been Robertson style deck screws or Kreg pocket hole screws, and the long drivers either from Kreg or Woodcraft brand seem to work best. I also have a Porter Cable set that came with a clever little case that fits into the big pocket of a bucket boss for carrying tools that I use a lot.

I constantly lament the Blue/Orange Borg going to star bits over square head bits. 15 years ago, all you could find were Robertson bit screws, and I love them. I never have one strip out, and they lock onto the bit so you do not need to hold it to get it started.

Doc

[Larry Edgerton]

I prefer Torx heads, but the box stores use a proprietary head on a lot of their screws which means you have to use their junk bits. I refuse to be drawn into that crap, so I use GRK almost exclusively that use standard Torx bits that you can buy anywhere, and as mentioned above they put a new bit in every box. Cheap screws cost me money. Its all about the money. I gave away all of my Philips screws except for hardware ones that show.

If you don't have a impact driver, get one. Short learning curve so you don't sink too far, and never look back. My Milwaukee's are a lot more controllable than my Makita's.

[roger wiegand]

I've been awfully happy since switching 90% over to torx heads. Haven't worn a bit out yet, though I've lost a goodly number of them. The rest of my work is in antique piano and organ restoration where anything other than a slotted plain steel screw just looks completely awful and out of place. No power driving them I'm afraid.

[Curt Harms]

I'm not sure if this would work for your application but I have a Makita branded version of this:

http://apexbits.com/apex-1-4-hex-pow...er-sleeve.aspx

It works surprisingly well with slotted screws.

[roger wiegand]

Thanks Curt-- I've tried those and always seem to end up bunging up the head with them. My own incompetence, no doubt. It's not so many screws usually to be a problem. By the time you've made a properly sized pilot hole and scrounged an appropriate old or NOS cut screw, driving it in by hand with a correctly sized screwdriver isn't so bad.

I'm not sure if this would work for your application but I have a Makita branded version of this:

http://apexbits.com/apex-1-4-hex-pow...er-sleeve.aspx

It works surprisingly well with slotted screws.

[Bill Ryall]

I've been buying exclusively Milwaukee branded bits. They hold up pretty well, albeit a bit more expensive than their yellow branded competition. (I won't buy the yellow ones. Broken way too many of them)

[Art Mann]

Am I the only one who regards driver bits as disposable commodity items? I buy them cheap in quantity from the big box stores and just throw them away after several days. Not even the best brands will survive the kind of (ab)use I put them through for very long.

[Bill Ryall]

Am I the only one who regards driver bits as disposable commodity items? I buy them cheap in quantity from the big box stores and just throw them away after several days. Not even the best brands will survive the kind of (ab)use I put them through for very long.

I view them as "disposable", which is why I have fairly large quantities on hand of all the common tip styles. I'll wear them out, lose them or break them. That is why it tend to buy the Milwaukee branded ones. Very hard to wear out or break. Unfortunately, just as easy to lose as the other brands.