Torx head wood screws vs Phillips

[dwasifar]

I needed a big box of 3" wood screws for a project. At Lowe's, all the choices were Torx head instead of Phillips like I'm accustomed to. I've never used Torx for wood, only machine screws, but that was all they had on the shelf. So I tried them.

Wow, where have these been all my life? Positive grip, no cam-out, not even once. The bit works for you and not against you.

Probably I'm the last to know, right? But it's the little things that make a big difference.

I wonder whether Torx would work for drywall without causing problems mudding over them.

 

[Elsinore13]

Torx head > sliced bread

 

[Sloper0204]

Square Drive > Torx >>>>>>>>>>> Phillips.

Just difficult to find square drive screws at your local big box in the US anymore, which is why all of the screws I currently have around the place are Torx.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

From my experience impacts solve most of the problems with Philips (if we are talking wood applications), but given the chance I'd take torx every day.
I have this box of like some sort of hybrid torx I got at a garage sale, it has a pin in the middle of the bit that goes a bit deeper into the screw, then also a torx, 9/10 times you can put the screw on the bit, and it won't fall off, it's great. Some sort of decking screw if i recall the box right.

 

[skunkape1]

Square Drive > Torx >>>>>>>>>>> Phillips.

Just difficult to find square drive screws at your local big box in the US anymore, which is why all of the screws I currently have around the place are Torx.

Square drive is all we use at my cabinet shop. 'Tis true that they need to be ordered as all the usual brick and mortar stores don't carry them.

 

[bwringer]

Yep, square head beats the snot out of Torx for wood screws. I love how it's tapered, so you can put the screw on the bit and it will stay there.

But yeah, there are very few square head fasteners available off the shelf in the US of damn A.

 

[JRC3]

I'm in the process of switching over. Man, I thought impact drivers where far superior to cordless drills...Then add Torx screws to the mix.


Phillips 1-1/4 screws for actual drywall will never change.; But for driving screws in studding, sheeting, and everything else I'll pay the extra few bucks for the Torx.

Try it. You won't regret it. I'm in the early stages of psoriatic arthritis and I will attest to the difference.

 

[Wamsutta]

The GRK R4 screws are really nice. They take a T-25.

 

[James-W]

Phillips screws are still used for drywall, but most people are using torx screws for wood these days. I seldom use Phillips screws anymore.

 

[Wamsutta]

I don't like the Spax Torx head screws; they cam out when going in reverse. I think it's mainly because they're using an undersize T-20 drive. They should be T-25 like GRK.

 

[SRSemenza]

GRK drive depends on the screw size and type. In R4 #4 are T10. #6, #8 are T15. #9 , #10 are T25. Trim head #8 are T10. Cabinet #8 are T15. Pan head #8 are T15. Some of that list has been discontinued but still available if you search the net.

They all work great with driver or impact.

I actually like Torx better than square for wood. I find that that the bit gets wedged into the head too often with square. The torx still have no cam out issues in my experience. Plus the GRK are just damn nice screws and a very full line selection is available , which used to be even more complete before they discontinued some. The complete line made it possible for me to switch almost completely to one drive type and brand.

Seth

 

[doublearon98]

I HATE SQAURE HEAD for anything that takes some torque to screw in. Torx are the way to go for that.


Drywall screws, phillips all day every day.

Cabinetry, pocket screw we only use square cause it takes no power to screw a cabinet face together

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[Negen]

At my local home depot they do not really carry quality Philips screw's mainly torx the only square screw's I see there are kereg screw's which round out pretty easily.

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[6PTsocket]

I've had a gradual transition from Phillips to Square drive to TorX and pretty much just use the TorX now. All for wood, they really draw things together nicely, especially if you slightly
over bore the outside piece, allowing it to pull in nice and tight to the piece your screwing into.

You are supposed to have a clearance hole in the first piece you are going through. If you thread into both pieces and they are not rock tight clamped together, the wood threads in the first piece have to strip before they can pull up tight.

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[CR888]

Anything is better than Phillips or flat. Torx, hex & square remove 99% of the swearing during a project. Having a good selection of quality drivers in various lengths is nice.

 

[Dave455]

Here in the U.K. we havn’t seen Phillips woodscrews in decades, most are Pozidriv.

The Pozidriv are a vast improvement on the Phillips as the drivers don’t ‘cam out’ - as was originally intended, they just didn’t catch on in the U.S.

Even so, I find the Torx to be a huge improvement, and I use them as my first choice now!

 

[Davefr]

I agree 1000%. I recently did some decking using about a thousand #10-3" stainless steel Torx screws using an impact driver and there wasn't a single cam out or broken screw head.

They give you a free bit in each box and the same bit lasted thru all the boxes. It's still good.

Torx + Impact Driver is a marriage made in heaven. I count the days when we'll never see another abomination called Phillips.

 

[finn]

Torx for the win!

I am having trouble finding a T10 bit for the tiny head trim screws that lasts, though.

The first bits I tried snapped at the level of the female portion at the screw head, and the current batch twist and cam out, and then strip.

Time for round three.

Or else drill larger pilot holes.

 

[Ign]

I swore off Phillips decades ago. Then impact drivers came along and they're the only reason Phillips still exists IMO.

But this is one of the things that amazes me about how slow the market is to shift: even though Phillips still clearly ***** *** most of the screws at my HD are Phillips. There's now a good amount of star drive and no square drive.

For square try the SMALLER retailers like Ace and Do It Best. You'll have to settle for the "dual-torq" heads which are a square broached into a Phillips thus either bit will work. Works great for all I do which is building shipping crates.

My pet peeve? Fastenmaster and their spider drive (8 point). We don't need YET ANOTHER driver when good ones already exist (although I don't know if Torx users have to pay a royalty to Accument?). A P3 bit will work in spider drive in a pinch.

 

[mustanginky]

Only downside I see with torx in woodworking is, at least in my experience, is they get filled with sawdust making them hard to back out if need be.

 

[5ktq]

Up here in Canada you have to go out of your way to find wood screws that aren't robertson (square drive). Funny how things like that are.

Even at american stores, eg home depot.

 

[MBfreak]

I am all for Torx in any application.
The two exceptions are scratch plate and jack socket screws when building electric guitars, has to be chromed Phillips, also used in the few visible fasteners in MBs interior on 60´s cars.

Increasingly hard to find.

Ola

 

[Ign]

Up here in Canada you have to go out of your way to find wood screws that aren't robertson (square drive). Funny how things like that are.

Even at american stores, eg home depot.

Someone linked an article here once about how Roberts tried to push (or even patent?) his square drive in the US but was told to go pound sand, so he went to Canada where it was embraced. It was actually a good read.

 

[MFolks]

The Kreg pocket hole screws are mostly square drive, in many material types and lengths,I've seen those on the Grizzly website and carried by Lowes in the stores.

Noticed the other day,the Lowes stores are selling Craftsman tool boxes, and probably soon the tools.

 

[SRSemenza]

Topic has become torx vs square To me drywall is the only place (barring some special application) where Phillips is still useful.



GRK discontinued the pan head line. Which is what I use for torx pocket screws. Some can still be found but not easily. Luckily I bought a lot of them. I find the torx head easier to fit a driver into when it is hidden in the pocket hole. This comes up if I am doing a final tighten , removing, or adjustment, after the screw was initially driven. It also drives me nuts when the driver is stuck in the screw head in a pocket hole with a square. Just added aggravation during assembly. Torx also seem to "find" (rotate into the recess) more easily than square when reaching into a semi blind location such as the back of a cabinet or the like.

Seth

 

[ddawg16]

My stash of Phillips is running down....for a reason.....once they are all gone, the only thing I'll keep them around for is drywall.

One important point overlooked....those thorx wood screws are a lot stronger and won't break off like some of the Phillips screws. They also 'drill' into wood much better.

On the Kreg square heads.....those are fine. You don't want too much torque...otherwise you run the risk of damaging/splitting the pocket hole.

 

[dwasifar]

Topic has become torx vs square To me drywall is the only place (barring some special application) where Phillips is still useful.

Why is that? Is it harder to mud over Torx/square than Phillips?

 

[dwasifar]

I'm hoping the switch to Torx will put an end to this:

If you look carefully you can actually see the shape of the Phillips bit point.

 

[Ign]

Dual-torq readily available at lots of smaller retailers

 

[doublearon98]

Why is that? Is it harder to mud over Torx/square than Phillips?

Drywall screws are cheaper and still work great for sheetrock

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[dnschmidt]

I vote for square drive. Torx are certainly superior to Phillips but to me Robertson is the best, especially when used with the proper two piece driver, and I don't even live in Canada. That stated GRK are killer screws.

 

[L.Cheapo]

My parents had a deck built 21 years ago. One corner post was rotted, so I took to replacing it. I had to remove a top railing cap and a section of railing to get to it. Thankfully the builders used square head screws. Not a single one stripped out coming out or going back in. If I need to do any woodworking in the future, that's what I'll use--cost be damned.

 

[CobraRed]

I vote for square drive. Torx are certainly superior to Phillips but to me Robertson is the best, especially when used with the proper two piece driver, and I don't even live in Canada. That stated GRK are killer screws.

This.

Going from Phillips to torx has all the draw backs of needing specialized driver bits and hardware but not quite the benefits of square drive which is miles ahead of everything else IMO

 

[speed bump]

Why is that? Is it harder to mud over Torx/square than Phillips?

When driving sheetrock screws you want them to go deep enough that you can mud over them but not deep enough that they tear the paper and don't actually hold the sheetrock. The cam-out action that you experience with Philips is desirable when coupled with a depth stop to ensure that screws are driven to the proper depth.

I'm a big fan of torx construction screws, I also use square drive screws but they don't have as much contact area with the driver and are very difficult to remove if you can't get the driver straight on them.

 

[rlitman]

Square Drive > Torx >>>>>>>>>>> Phillips.

Just difficult to find square drive screws at your local big box in the US anymore, which is why all of the screws I currently have around the place are Torx.

Square drive works best with proper Robertson drivers, but with any drivers, it is better thah phillips.

As for it being superior to torx, that I'm not all in agreement with.

Square drive can be nice in how it sticks onto the bit, but torx is far less likely to cam out. That doesn't matter as much in plain steel screws, but square drive in stainless is absolutely awful.

 

[Davefr]

I've used both square drive and Torx in decking. I prefer Torx. Torx is more forgiving to angle deviation between bit and fastener. Square drive likes a nice straight lineup.

 

[Slednut]

You can call me stupid but I never use square drive or Torx to install decking. They both fill up with stuff so if I want to remove them I have to use a drill bit and then blow them out with compressed air.

If I don't do this step I end up stripping out the Torx or square drive. Phillips are self cleaning, when I insert the bit into them the stuff squishes out. Some of the stuff they fill up with are the small pebbles from asphalt shingles.

If I were a contractor I would only use Torx, the probability of me having to come back and removing them would be very slim.

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I exclusively use torx or square drive, I hate Phillips with a passion, I end up stripping and throwing away more screws than I drive. Even on automotive applications I prefer torx or hex over Phillips or flathead.

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[xin]

The GRK R4 screws are really nice. They take a T-25.

That is the brand I buy as well.