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1298 Review
80 Karma

Review on πŸ–ΌοΈ Hillman 48275 Painted Square 3 Inch: Enhancing Your Space with Precise Design by Christopher Gulledge

Revainrating 5 out of 5

I ended up with the external Phillips screws.

Nothing seems the same anymore and now that includes screws, especially heads. I have a lot of deck space and walkways because we water a lot here in the high desert and the winters bring a lot of snow so the ground gets very muddy. I started with nails and the weather is so rough it pulls them out to the point where you can trip and it's a waste of time trying to knock them back. I've given up nails for almost everything. I'm building because they bend so easily now that it's difficult to get them all the way in, so I chose gold screws for the patio. Now they're so bad I can't drive them in unless I drill through the top piece of wood, and even after drilling I often end up with a blown head and I can't go in them enough to get a smooth surface. I've tried them on my decks/paths and the torn heads were a real problem despite drilling through the top boards 2x. Hillman has always been a hardware supplier and these screws are no exception. The square heads are really hard to loosen and I can now use an electric drill instead of a cordless drill which takes a lot of charging for a lot of jobs. I'm replacing a 30 foot rail with carved sides and 2x6 planks on top and every time I rip my head off one day I can dash through it without any bad words. I also use the Grip Rite Prime Guard pan head star drive screws and this type of head is good too and no drilling is required to hold the boards firmly together. The wood is also so bad that there is always something that is slightly warped or hollow. So unless I'm drilling with these screws the fit isn't always good, but the heads hold up to being removed and re-threaded. They're pricey, but what's gone is you just screw in one and move on to the next... and the color matches nicely. The only thing that bothers me is that the bit is so tight in the screw head that it jams and when I'm ready for the next screw I have to go back to remove the bit... but it's a lot better than what happens with the Phillips slot. Head when you combine torque and speed into it. I had to use 3" wood screws because I couldn't get enough bite into the 2x wood to fix any warping in the wood. I will only use a Phillips for drywall screws from now on and never again for custom lumber...especially for work outdoors.

Pros
  • Industrial & Scientific
Cons
  • boring packaging