The Most Common Types of Screwdrivers
No one will undertake to judge the time of the appearance of the first screw and the first screwdriver. The first screw was rectangular or square, later a hexagon appeared, giving more possibilities for tightening. Along with the screws, the keys to them also evolved, but their use remained inconvenient, because the fraction of the circle to which the multi-faceted screw turned remained small, even with the advent of socket wrenches. This was until one day the idea came to someone’s bright mind to cut a groove in the head of a screw and screw it in with a rod with a flat end. Since then, over the years, this absolutely necessary tool has undergone a number of improvements. How many types are available nowadays, let’s discover in this article made by our team.
Main types
Today, in all the variety of screwdrivers, the following types can be distinguished: screwdrivers with a straight slot or slotted; Phillips screwdrivers, hexagonal external screwdrivers, hexagonal internal screwdrivers, ball screwdrivers.
Slotted or bladed screwdrivers remain popular despite the emergence of many special “competitors”. Slotted fasteners continue to be used and the demand for such screwdrivers continues. The main characteristics of straight screwdrivers are the thickness and width of the tip. They are selected according to the size of the head and slot of the fastener. There are slotted screwdrivers with notches on the plane of the tip.
Materials
The material of manufacture for the screwdriver shaft and its hardening is very important. Weak hardening will make the material too soft, too strong hardening will make it brittle. It is possible to determine the quality of hardening with the help of a needle file with a fine notch, but in this way, only its insufficient hardening will be revealed. To avoid unnecessary expenses, it is better to buy one screwdriver first, rather than a whole set at once, and try it out.
Handles
The shape of the handles, their size, and their material are determined by both design requirements and personal preference. Most often they are made of plastics: powdery, harder, but at the same time more fragile or lithium, more elastic. Other materials include rubber and wood. The wood is pleasant to the touch but very fragile. It still depends on your personal preference, which material is more comfortable to hold.
As for ergonomics, there is no universal recipe at all. Someone has a wider palm, someone narrower, fingers are shorter or longer. All these factors influence the choice.
Phillips screwdrivers
It is worth dwelling on them in more detail because their appearance is a kind of revolution. Due to the doubled, in comparison with a conventional screwdriver, working contact area, the “cross” securely fixes the screwdriver in the slot, preventing slipping and damage to the fastener coating.
For different types of work, the length of the screwdriver shaft of the same size varies. This is true for mechanical engineering. In everyday life or ordinary construction work, medium sizes are used.
Hopefully, after reading the article you will know better what screwdriver to get. The best place to get your desired tool is the B&Q website.
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