last time I twisted the head off a screw was putting hinges on my china cabinet 2 years ago, oddly enough from Rockler. on the other side I don't remember the last time I twisted the head off a drywall or decking screw, but I almost never use them on anything but pine, rather glue and staple/brad nail
Bad guess.
You got a lighter tough than I do. I'm twisting them off all the time. But, my work is rough stuff, not fine work.
Steve
... are they made of a special alloy which makes them black?\
When these screws were first introduced, it was as a high-tech item, using stronger steel than nails, and having improved resistance to pull-out. And, the 'black' coating was black chromium (very durable, intended both for corrosion resistance and for surface hardening). Because they were a clear improvement, they caught on.
Some non-black coatings (zinc chromate and galvanized) are getting common.
I doubt if all the black coatings are black chrome, there are cheaper black (black phosphate) coatings. When they were a 'new' item, though, that tough black chrome finish was a selling point of these fasteners.
Had about 10% of Rockler's best break off at the head when screwing red oak face frames together (pilot hole drilled correctly) ... that is unacceptable and is "enuf o' dat stuff", as they say in NOLA.
Get a can of paste wax and lube the threads with a short stab in to the wax, the screws go in with much less effort from your driver. I use Minwax finishing wax.
Now that you mention it, I have used their deck screws for our son's swingset. They seemed to work OK. It's their woodscrews that have given me grief, and most lately, I've had problems with their bolts as well.
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