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-MIKE-

On 8/21/15 6:08 PM, wrote:
Karl, after we talked about different types of fasteners a while
back, I decided to give SPAX a try. You're right... I like them!
They are a graded fastener, the have a thinner body than the screws
I was using, and they are easier to drive.

Welcome to the dark side! :-)

However...

I like the Torx drive, but the driver they supply seems soft. The
screw heads don't seem too deep, so you have to be at 90 degrees to
have solid, no slip drive. I am used to the hundreds of thousands
of Phillips and square drive screws I have driven, and find the fact
I have to be right on top of the screw to drive it annoying as hell.
In a tight space with a long extension to reach, I can usually drive
a Phillips head about 15 degrees of so off parallel from the head,
not so with the SPAX screws and the supplied bit. Since I do a lot
of maintenance and repairs, this is pretty important to me.

You're right about their supplied bit. I just keep them around as
spares. Buy some high quality Torx bits and use them. They are much
more forgiving to angled driving.

It was highlighted last week when I had the kick off a long bath
vanity that was caulked/marble topped/mirrored into place and I
couldn't get to the carcass base runners any other way than laying
on my stomach and running my impact driver with a long extension with
a screw on it as far back as I could reach. When the screw would
bite and find its way into the wood, it would change the drive angle
and the bit would slip from the screw. After goofing with it (laying
on my stomach getting my arms torn up by the tack strip) for about
30 minutes I gave up and got my Phillips screws out and finished the
job quickly.

This isn't the first time I have had drive problems with the screws,
so I am wondering what the problem might be. When I am over the
screw, they drive very well and their aggressive threads make it
quick. I like they fact that hey are graded for use, and the others
I use aren't.

So is it the bit, the screws, or both? Or do I need to confine my
use of these to more perfect conditions?

As I wrote above, get some better bits. ALSO, make sure you have the
proper size. Spax screws use 10, 15, and 20, IIRC. You *can* drive a
20 with a 15 and a 15 with a 10 when you are straight on and don't need
huge torque, but as soon as you angle out a but, they spin. So always
be sure you have the proper size. (You probably did!)

Next, how water/moisture resistant are these screws? I am getting
ready to install a lot of grab bars in a house, and a few will be in
the house bathrooms. I dont' want to see the bars outside the
shower/bath rust, so I am wary. I would like to have a screw that I
didn't have to drill a pilot hole to install, but I would like to
have rust resistance even more.

Any thoughts would certainly be appreciated!

Robert

Their interior/exterior ratings are printed on the box. I wish they
were printed larger, but they are there. I believe they also carry a
stainless series, too, for times when you want to be super-safe.

--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

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