looking for source of cheap square drive screws

My current set are Rack-a-Tiers. Bought them at my local electrical supply house - Guillevin International.. The beggars were $8 each, or something like that - but they WORK.

Dave wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Sometimes if the bit gets stuck in the screw head, all you have to do is reverse the driver slightly. Usually releases the bit quite effectively.

Puckdropper

Au contraire, mon ami. If your bit sticks in the screw but isn't well retained, the drill comes away without it. The ball retainer gives it more oomph to pull out when it sticks because you have to drill to hang onto.

-- The human brain is unique in that it is the only container of which it can be said that the more you put into it, the more it will hold. -- Glenn Doman

I pay about $0.80 apiece for mine. I go through 2 or 3 per deck using the Makita impact driver. On the Ryobi drill driver, they last for a year.

-- The human brain is unique in that it is the only container of which it can be said that the more you put into it, the more it will hold. -- Glenn Doman

I'd like someone to come up with a CREDIBLE cite on that. It appears to fall into the "urban legend" realm.

It's a lot more fun that way, too!

Simple Google search for about 30 seconds will get that information right from the horse's mouth, but....

Unfortunately the information has been removed from the Phillips manufacturer website, recently

At $0.80 each you get what you pay for - mabee.

Still not getting it. I can release the drill/driver bit and it will hang on to the screw. Picture the drill just hanging there connected to the screw.

"Nothing" separates. I often have to screw the removed screw into a scrap of wood to be able to have enough grip to separate it from the driver bit. I have no problems with the driver bit coming off of the drill.

That would not surprise me but I have always had this problem now and then.

Unless you are removing the screw. ;~) This is really a PIA when removing screws and cannot easily remove them from the bit.

If driving the screws I can wiggle the drill ad driver bit back and forth to facilitate the release.

At $0.80 each, I can find them here, same day, or I can keep a stock of them as I usually do. Isn't a year long enough life for you? ;) For decking, driving 3-1/2" or 4" screws into lumber all day is a real killer of bits. They wear out/round over @ 1,350 lb/in and 2,800bpm.

As with all consumables, I charge the $2.40 to the client. Yeah, I get what I pay for. The "good" bits from LVT and other places don't hold up much better, and they will snap at the tip, leaving the aluminum holder intact. The occasional bad bits from other sources @ $2-3 apiece don't hold up nearly as well.

I'm very happy with the $0.80 bits. I get ten to your one with decent life. What's -not- to like? They're a very good value.

-- The human brain is unique in that it is the only container of which it can be said that the more you put into it, the more it will hold. -- Glenn Doman

On 1/18/2012 7:36 PM, snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: g

I'll look into that. May I ask how many screws you typically go through in a year?

I am noticing that the bits may actually be Racky brand bits sold by Rack-a-Tiers, an electrical supply company. And that probably explains why they are more expensive although buying on line puts them in the $3.95~$4.95 range.

Thinking more about this, I wonder if the heat generated when driving or removing the screw causes the bit to grab the bit more tightly. That would certainly explain why this is not a constant problem.

Let me explain it this way, imagine putting a drop of super glue in the head of the screw and letting it cure with the bit inserted. It is that tight of a fit. Pulling on the drill and bit does not separate anything. Working the drill and bit back and forth 2~3 seconds finally works the bit free of the screw. AND that is easier when driving screws. Removing screws is a bigger problem.

Life expectancy is not the issue, being able to simply remove the bit from the screw is.

Are you using summer screws or winter screws? :-)

Yeah... that could be it as the type of "coat" they wear could be a factor.... the light grey hot dipped ones seems to be sticker than the newer dark ones... ;~)

John

How many times I gotta told you, two? You musta voted for Butch!"