Looking for the world's best wall anchors

[bwringer]

After some thought, I figured this sort of fits in the tool section because you use a drill and screwdriver...

Let's say you want to drill a regular old hole in a regular old hollow drywall wall, stick an anchor in, add a screw, and hang a picture or whatever. Nothing fancy.

Where can I get the world's best wall anchors for this situation?

Years ago, I bought a crapload of these really nice German anchors at Meanard's that worked great. No idea who made them -- they were brown, you could use several screw sizes with the same anchor, and they came in a block straight from the injection molder -- you just broke off or cut off the anchor you needed instead of futzing around with a goofy case. And they worked great. I ran out a year or two ago, and I can't find them any more.

All the anchors I have found in the usual hardware and big box stores are garbage -- they're brittle, they don't expand or hold all that well, the package inevitably spills and little bits go everywhere, and they just generally **** in several ways.

Of course, there are hundreds of stupid expensive gimmick anchors, and a few even work well in certain specific situations. Most just create a bigger hole in the wall when they fail.

I figure if any crowd will understand this quest and have the answer, it's GJ...

 

[Dirtydan69]

I don't know if they are the best but I prefer them. They are the screw in kind. They are plastic and have large threads cast into them. I have found they work best when using the screw itself as a pilot hole maker. then unscrew it and use the anchor in that hole. Then insert your screw. They have different sizes that will hold up to 75 lbs. in 5/8 drywall. I have experienced some breakage when using these anchors but just chalk it up to manufacturer defect. I may get 1 or 2 bad ones out of a box.

 

[dutchgray]

Look at Fischer, they make loads of different types.
Over here the brown ones are just a standard anchor and the colour denotes the size.

 

[Davefr]

I don't know if they are the best but I prefer them. They are the screw in kind. They are plastic and have large threads cast into them. I have found they work best when using the screw itself as a pilot hole maker. then unscrew it and use the anchor in that hole. Then insert your screw. They have different sizes that will hold up to 75 lbs. in 5/8 drywall. I have experienced some breakage when using these anchors but just chalk it up to manufacturer defect. I may get 1 or 2 bad ones out of a box.

^^^He's right. That style is really good. (far superior to these crappy plastic wall anchors)

 

[Professur]

I prefer this type myself ... http://www.rona.ca/en/hollow-wall-anchors-p0484274 .. The ones I usually get have a nail point tip. Hard to get more holding power than that without hitting a 2x4

 

[gungatim]

I usually shy away from plastic anchors never met a good one. The metal expanding type are my go-to, that or the toggle-locks...

 

[FigureItOut]

These things are excellent. http://www.parts-express.com/toggle...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[theoldwizard1]

Hard to find just one "best" ! I use all of them depending on the application.

I have 3 different sizes of plastic wall anchors. I bought 100 of each (without screws) so I have a lifetime supply. They actually work well for hanging lightweight stuff on brick/block/cement walls (use stainless screws to prevent rusting).

The screw in plastic that Dutchgray and Davefr mentioned are great, especially to fix a failed smaller plastic wall anchor. Only a couple in stock.

The pointed metal one and toggle bolts have their place also.

 

[bwringer]

I don't know if they are the best but I prefer them. They are the screw in kind. They are plastic and have large threads cast into them. I have found they work best when using the screw itself as a pilot hole maker. then unscrew it and use the anchor in that hole. Then insert your screw. They have different sizes that will hold up to 75 lbs. in 5/8 drywall. I have experienced some breakage when using these anchors but just chalk it up to manufacturer defect. I may get 1 or 2 bad ones out of a box.

Never had much luck with these. They fail if you happen to get too close to a stud. They rip a pretty big hole in the wall if you remove them later or if they fail, and I've had many where the drywall simple crumbles instead of letting the threads dig in.



The togglers look very interesting for heavy loads -- thanks!



Those metal anchors can be pretty nice, but much of the time the spikes around the collar fail to dig in and they spin. And if it's started to expand, then you're stuck poking the thing all the way through, which creates a much bigger hole.

 

[Zeke]

Anchors of all types and applications is a religion. You basically need many different types and sizes for drywall to masonry to concrete, etc.

I do like the Toggler but the keeper stays proud of the wall so if you want a dead flush anchor w/o weakening the hole, you might look further.

These 2 are flush:

The first one has to be purchased with the shank = to the wall thickness. One thing about the Toggler style is that it doesn't care about wall condition (thickness).

 

[Brownsfan]

These things are excellent. http://www.parts-express.com/toggle...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

These are the best I have used. I have used them a ton mounting flat screen tvs.

 

[737mechanic]

 

[dacan23]

For mounting pictures and such you dont need a drill. I use these types of hooks now, just DONT hit a stud. You can push them through drywall without using any tools.

http://amzn.com/B001KVMNPI

 

[dutchgray]

Hard to find just one "best" ! I use all of them depending on the application.

I have 3 different sizes of plastic wall anchors. I bought 100 of each (without screws) so I have a lifetime supply. They actually work well for hanging lightweight stuff on brick/block/cement walls (use stainless screws to prevent rusting).

The screw in plastic that Dutchgray and Davefr mentioned are great, especially to fix a failed smaller plastic wall anchor. Only a couple in stock.

The pointed metal one and toggle bolts have their place also.

I wasn't specifically mentioning the screw in ones, I don't actually like those very much but they have their uses.
Fischer makes a whole range of stuff, for drywall I use their UX series or their dedicated drywall plugs, however I spend a lot of time ensuring I don't have to rely on drywall to hold large loads, by putting ply behind it in likely locations.
Last time I ordered wall anchors I bought 7000 of them, I use a lot of them, mostly fixing to masonry as that is the main of what I have to deal with.

 

[Colin Len]

Let's say you want to drill a regular old hole in a regular old hollow drywall wall, stick an anchor in, add a screw, and hang a picture or whatever. Nothing fancy.

Where can I get the world's best wall anchors for this situation?

Looks like everyone else has been talking about strong hold and heavy duty anchors. Your question may have been general but you did specifically mention picture frames. Whenever possible I've started using "Monkey" or "Gorilla" Hooks: http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Hill...Hook-Gorilla-Hook-Combo-Pack-591818/204404195

Obviously these are pretty specific in that you can't attach things like shelves, brackets...etc TO the wall and instead only something you can "hang" on the hook. But for those instances these are fantastic, they're very strong, reliable and require the smallest hole out of any other anchor I've seen.

 

[nutsnbolts]

We use these at Children's Hospital, or something similar. If it is safe enough to be the go-to for Children's Hospital, it's good enough for me. And I agree with the person who suggested staying away from the plastic ones. We save all the plastic ones that come in our wallboard kits and give them to people who want to hang pictures at home. They will not hold up over time because the plastic gets brittle from temperature change.

https://www.grainger.com/product/WESTWARD-Drywall-Anchor-38VC33?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/38VC33_AW01?$smthumb$

 

[Yosho]

I agree with the gorilla hooks posted above for normal things like picture frames... For heavier duty hooks, I haven't found anything better than wallclaws. They're rated to hold 90lbs a piece and i've used them extensively to hang wall cabinets, mirrors, ect. They work so well, I prefer this over using studs.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032ZN4S0/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Top tip: Drill a small pilot hole for precise placement before you tap/hammer the anchor in... It'll also confirm that you missed the stud.

 

[nutjob]

Toggler has the best product line for drywall anchors.

Products:
http://www.toggler.com/index.php


See here for picture hook:
http://www.toggler.com/products/picture-hook/overview.php

The screw in kind are good until you need to remove whatever is screwed into the anchor. The screw does not unscrew from the anchor but the screw and anchor unscrew together.

Kevin

 

[signcrafter]

I have over a dozen different wall anchors for all different applications. I have two that are my go to depending on what I'm hanging. The "best" wall anchor is the toggler snap off ones. They go into any thickness wall. You drill a 1/2" hole and stick it in and then tighten up the plastic holders and snap them off. Then you have a threaded anchor securely in the wall that you can run a bolt into. You can also take the bolt out without compromising the anchor unlike most other anchors. Depending on brand they hold something like 350 lbs each in 5/8" drywall. http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/overview.php

My other favorite for not as heavy duty are also made by toggler. They are a plastic push in anchor that holds 143 lbs in 1/2" drywall. Drill a 5/16" hole and push them in and then they have a little pin to open them up and then screw whatever into them. They come in two different sizes, 3/8-1/2 and 1/2-5/8. http://www.toggler.com/products/plastic-toggle/overview.php

Those are my two most used, I hang a lot of stuff for other people. But I have a ton of other ones of all sorts and sizes. They all have their place depending on the wall and what you are hanging.

 

[exmaxima1]

I don't know if they are the best but I prefer them. They are the screw in kind. They are plastic and have large threads cast into them. I have found they work best when using the screw itself as a pilot hole maker. then unscrew it and use the anchor in that hole. Then insert your screw. They have different sizes that will hold up to 75 lbs. in 5/8 drywall. I have experienced some breakage when using these anchors but just chalk it up to manufacturer defect. I may get 1 or 2 bad ones out of a box.

They make those same type in die-cast metal as well. Lowes sells them:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_169762-2191-25316_0__

 

[stevenhs]

This the best I've seen so far. You can only buy it at Lowes. Home depot does not have it.
It can hold up to 356 LBs

http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/overview.php
http://www.lowes.com/pd_123585-10337-55175_1z0yk24__?productId=3183849&pl=1

 

[Roberts210]

I used to work for a guy who owned a high-end art gallery. We hung large, $1,000,000 dollar paintings more than once. He insisted we only use Ook's. I've used them ever since for hanging pictures, tho for wall anchors I have used all the different types, just depending on what's available.

 

[Coach James]

Strap toggles/Togglers are the best I have found for heavy loads. The stair handrails in my building were put up with them. I have seen 100lb+ kids hang on the rails and they are still tight...the rails, not the kids.

Another nice feature is you can remove what you hung up and the toggle stays in place so you can return the item to the wall.

Coach

 

[chrisexv6]

This the best I've seen so far. You can only buy it at Lowes. Home depot does not have it.
It can hold up to 356 LBs

http://www.toggler.com/products/snaptoggle/overview.php
http://www.lowes.com/pd_123585-10337-55175_1z0yk24__?productId=3183849&pl=1

I thought these were great too until I bought a pack and 3 out of the 4 had the strap plastic snap before I ever finished tightening the screw into it.

Not quite sure what happened....I was using them in plywood blocking installed in metal stud walls but the strap portion just kept snapping while I was screwing into the flat metal piece.

 

[Woody610nb]

May be over kill for some, but if you really have something to hang, take a look at ghostuds.

http://www.ghostud.com/

 

[Maexle]

Wurth wall anchor, pricey but quality:

 

[Katodog]

EZ-Anchor Twist-n-Lock. Best anchor because you can screw them in easily, and take them out just as easily. Leaves a small hole that's easy to repair, and I have yet to have any of the thousands I've used over the years pull out of the wall. I've used them for hanging shelves (some of which hold a lot of weight), hanging ceiling fans, televisions, anything you can think of.

 

[JimRB]

The snap toggles are great if you buy the right brand. I installed computer arms at work that used the snap toggles supplied by Rubbermaid. 10 toggles for each arm. About 40 arms installed and maybe 2 that messed up. I needed to hang a TV monitor wall mount with some snap fasteners from Home Depot. I think I got one to work out of 8. I dug around in my spare pile and used some left over from the Rubbermaid project. Cruddy ones from Home Depot were returned. Translated, not all toggles are the same. I do not have any of the toggles in the car so I cannot tell you what brand worked great and what was ****. I think I got good ones at Lowes or at Ace Hardware.

 

[chrisexv6]

The snap toggles are great if you buy the right brand. I installed computer arms at work that used the snap toggles supplied by Rubbermaid. 10 toggles for each arm. About 40 arms installed and maybe 2 that messed up. I needed to hang a TV monitor wall mount with some snap fasteners from Home Depot. I think I got one to work out of 8. I dug around in my spare pile and used some left over from the Rubbermaid project. Cruddy ones from Home Depot were returned. Translated, not all toggles are the same. I do not have any of the toggles in the car so I cannot tell you what brand worked great and what was ****. I think I got good ones at Lowes or at Ace Hardware.

That could be....after the first few broke (they were real Togglers, but they were old....I think the straps actually got brittle) and I needed more, I ran to HD since they were closest.

They didnt have the genuine Toggler brand, but the other brand got decent reviews but after using them Im not sure how/why. Ive learned my lesson now!