- Home
- Screwdrivers & Screwdriver Bits
Screwdrivers & Screwdriver Bits
A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for screwing (installing) and unscrewing (removing) screws.
A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been replaced in many workplaces and homes with a more modern and versatile tool, a power drill, as they are quicker, easier, and also can drill holes.
The shaft is usually made of tough steel to resist bending or twisting. The tip may be hardened to resist wear, treated with a dark tip coating for improved visual contrast between tip and screw—or ridged or treated for additional 'grip'.
Handles are typically plastic and now soft grip plastic and usually hexagonal, ribber round or oval in cross-section to improve grip and prevent the tool from rolling when set down.
Some manual screwdrivers have interchangeable tips that fit into a socket on the end of the shaft and are held in mechanically or magnetically.
These often have a hollow handle that contains various types and sizes of tips, and a reversible ratchet action that allows multiple full turns without repositioning the tip or the user's hand.
A screwdriver is classified by its tip, which is shaped to fit the driving surfaces—slots, grooves, recesses, etc.—on the corresponding screw head.
Proper use requires that the screwdriver's tip engage the head of a screw of the same size and type designation as the screwdriver tip.
Screwdriver tips are available in a wide variety of types and sizes.
The three most common are the simple 'blade'-type for Pozidrive generically called "pozi or PZ", slotted screws (flat blade) and Phillips (PH or cross head).
Today, there are many more options of screw driver head. All have a very specific fit and purpose, we have tried to list most options available within this section.
The biggest mistake made today is where Pozidrive and Phillips are cross used. Pozidrive ONLY fit pozidrive screw heads (wood screws, self tapping screws) and Phillips only fit Phillips (drywall screws, set screws).