Thread: Best quality S2 driver bits?

A question for all you tradies out there. Who makes the most durable S2 driver bits? I get sick of replacing rounded-off bits that are prone to slippage.

According to an American review, DeWalt is the most durable but def not the cheapest.

I use S2 screws a lot including literally hundreds of 10Gx50 for my deck. If you buy the impact driver bits they are more durable. I have a Makita extension impact bit that has lives in my impact driver for the last 3 years. It was the bit I used for the deck. The only time I take it out of the impact driver socket is to put in a different bit to undo non sq dr screws. It is still going stong. In saying that, anyting bosch/makita/dewalt should be fine for screws up to about 65mm length.
My bit will twist the screw head off the shank before it will round off.
If you are using cheap number8 brand bits, or bits of similar quality these will not be durable.

As an aside, a bit of candle wax in the screw threads assists hugely. You can wax the thread by dragging the screw like a file across the side of the candle.
For bulk operations I have an old camping pot full of wax. I heat it gently until the wax is liquid and dip the bottom half of a few hundred screws in it and lay them out on newspaper.

The wax lubricates the thread as the screw goes into the timber and for outdoor structures depending on the grain of the timber, the wax will penetrate immediately around the screw head. This helps to keep water out of the screw head holes over time and makes it easier to undo the screws later.

GFB was real good quality when i was in the trade

Originally Posted by longshot

I use S2 screws a lot including literally hundreds of 10Gx50 for my deck. If you buy the impact driver bits they are more durable. I have a Makita extension impact bit that has lives in my impact driver for the last 3 years. It was the bit I used for the deck. The only time I take it out is to put in a different bit to undo non sq dr screws. It is still going stong. In saying that, anyting bosch/makita/dewalt should be fine for screws up to about 65mm length.
My bit will twist the screw head off the shank before it will round off.
If you are using cheap number8 brand bits, or bits of similar quality these will not be durable.

As an aside, a bit of candle wax in the screw threads assists hugely. You can wax the thread by dragging the screw like a file across the side of the candle.
For bulk operations I have an old camping pot full of wax. I heat it gently until the wax is liquid and dip the bottom half of a few hundred screws in it and lay them out on newspaper.

The wax lubricates the thread as the screw goes into the timber and for outdoor structures depending on the grain of the timber, the wax will penetrate immediately around the screw head. This helps to keep water out of the screw head holes over time and makes it easier to undo the screws later.

a bar of soap works well, as it eventually dissipates into the wood unlike wax. that means more friction between the thread and timber after a few weeks

found milwaukee to be the best for no2 sd very sharp corners and will even hold s/s but make sure they inserted in screw fully or they will rip the head apart and then its the mickey bar only about $4 for the 80mm bits each .the t25/27 agreat aswell

They probably all come out of the same Chinese factory. Anything from the States would be better

Originally Posted by longshot

I use S2 screws a lot including literally hundreds of 10Gx50 for my deck. If you buy the impact driver bits they are more durable. I have a Makita extension impact bit that has lives in my impact driver for the last 3 years. It was the bit I used for the deck. The only time I take it out of the impact driver socket is to put in a different bit to undo non sq dr screws. It is still going stong. In saying that, anyting bosch/makita/dewalt should be fine for screws up to about 65mm length.
My bit will twist the screw head off the shank before it will round off.
If you are using cheap number8 brand bits, or bits of similar quality these will not be durable.

As an aside, a bit of candle wax in the screw threads assists hugely. You can wax the thread by dragging the screw like a file across the side of the candle.
For bulk operations I have an old camping pot full of wax. I heat it gently until the wax is liquid and dip the bottom half of a few hundred screws in it and lay them out on newspaper.

The wax lubricates the thread as the screw goes into the timber and for outdoor structures depending on the grain of the timber, the wax will penetrate immediately around the screw head. This helps to keep water out of the screw head holes over time and makes it easier to undo the screws later.

I remember my dad lubing all the screws he used in building our home, in the 1970's all with a hammer and push screwdriver. He had a couple of old cakes of sunlight soap with slots all over them from running the screws through them before using.

Originally Posted by m101a1

found milwaukee to be the best for no2 sd very sharp corners and will even hold s/s but make sure they inserted in screw fully or they will rip the head apart and then its the mickey bar only about $4 for the 80mm bits each .the t25/27 agreat aswell

That was the one I forgot to mention. Use these a bit at work and they are good. They also seem to do a good selection in the little sets of hex socket bits that they sell. Not like my little Makita set that for some reason has about eight S2 bits if not more.

I found they all the same,
but not for the boys thou (especially the new guy),
somehow they found a way to wreck them regardless of what brand or make or how many I gave them.
If I have to choose which brand, it's Dewalt.

I think knowing how to use it properly is more important than bit brand or make itself.

Have some long Bosch bits that have lasted a while. Where space is not limited I've found the cheap Irwin bits ok. Came in a packet of 50. Is just the bit and needs a holder to be used. Are good because they are cheap and just throw them when rounded

Yeh, I'm familiar with the issue of correct alignment. For various reasons, I've done quite a few jobs where you're reaching up or round a corner to drive screws and this obviously doesn't help alignment or keeping continuous pressure down on the screw. Once a bit slips a couple of times, it's often on the slippery slope downhill. I always prefer longer bits, at least 50mm, as this helps visual alignment. The Irwin ones are ~OK but not outstanding in my experience.

I might suck it up and buy a pack of DeWalt bits to try.

Find alpha to be pretty good. But not as good as the GFB but I haven’t seen them around for a while. They were so hard they would shatter and shear off rather than strip. Wera also worth a try?

I use Milwaukee and found them to be alright but I'm only comparing them against cheap bits but sometimes I would imagine that all the bits at the top end would probably be good as each other but also I have been knowing to get the angle grinder & cutting disc out & cutting the end off that's rounded and get a few more Miles out of the screw driver bit before replacing

That's a great Scotsman's tip

Was just going to say that. If you're good you can get 3 goes out of a bit, but some are tapered and won't fit after a shorten.