The Short Answer: Which Screwdrivers You Actually Need
If you only buy five screwdrivers, buy these: a #2 Phillips, a #1 Phillips, a medium flathead, a small flathead, and a T25 Torx. That handful covers nearly every screw in a home, a piece of flat-pack furniture, a light switch, and most workshop jigs. Everything else on the screwdriver wall — the 40-piece sets, the stubby drivers, the ratcheting handles — is a convenience, not a necessity. The rest of this guide explains why those five earn their place, what the other drive types are actually for, and how to use a hand screwdriver without chewing up screw heads.
Most stripped screws are not caused by bad screws. They are caused by the wrong driver: a Phillips that is one size too small, a flathead that is too narrow for the slot, or a driver tip that has worn round after years in a junk drawer. Matching the driver to the screw matters more than the brand stamped on the handle. A correctly sized driver seats deep, grips the full depth of the recess, and lets you push straight down the axis of the screw while you turn. A wrong one rides up out of the recess, and every slip rounds the metal a little more.
That is also why a small, well-chosen set beats a big cheap one. A 40-piece discount set usually means soft tips that deform on the first stubborn screw. Five decent drivers with hardened, properly ground tips will outlast it and frustrate you far less.
Flathead (Slotted) Screwdrivers: Still Worth Owning
The flathead is the oldest screw drive still in common use, and it survives for a reason. You will find slotted screws on light switch plates, outlet covers, older door hardware, and plenty of electrical terminals. A medium flathead — around 5 to 6 millimetres wide — handles most of those, and a smaller one covers terminal screws and eyeglass-style jobs around the house.
The rule with a flathead is simple: the blade should fill the slot from edge to edge, with almost no side-to-side play. A blade that is too narrow concentrates all your force on a thin strip of metal and slips out, often across whatever you were working on. A blade that is too wide will not seat at all. If you own just two flatheads, make them a 3 mm and a 6 mm, and you will cover nearly every slotted screw you meet.
One more thing flatheads are quietly good for: light prying and scraping, like lifting a paint can lid. It works, but it chips the tip, and a chipped tip slips on the next screw. Keep one old, battered flathead for that kind of abuse, and keep your good ones for screws only.
Phillips Screwdrivers: The One Everyone Reaches For
Phillips is the drive most people picture when they hear the word screwdriver, and it dominates in wood screws, drywall screws, appliance screws, and flat-pack furniture. Phillips sizes run from #000 (tiny electronics) up to #4 (heavy construction). For general workshop and household work, #1 and #2 do almost everything. The #2 is the workhorse: it fits the standard wood screws and drywall screws you will use most often.
Phillips has one famous quirk, and it is deliberate. The cross shape is designed to cam out — the driver rides up out of the recess when torque gets too high. That was meant to protect assembly lines from overtightening, but in a home workshop it mostly means stripped heads if you use a worn tip or a power driver carelessly. The fix is unglamorous: push firmly straight into the screw while you turn, and stop the moment the screw seats.
Pozidriv, Torx, and Square: The Drives That Grip Better
If Phillips is the common language, these three are the dialects that hold up better under load.
Pozidriv looks like Phillips but has four extra shallow lines radiating between the arms of the cross. It is common on European-made furniture, cabinets, and some construction screws. A Phillips driver will sort of fit a Pozidriv screw, and that is exactly the trap: it grips badly and strips the head. If you buy flat-pack furniture from European brands, a #2 Pozidriv driver earns its drawer space fast.
Torx, the six-pointed star, is the best gripping drive most workshops will ever use. It barely cams out, transfers torque cleanly, and is now standard on decking screws, automotive trim, appliances, and power tool housings. A T15 and T25 cover a surprising amount of work; add a T20 and T30 if you work on cars or build decks.
Square drive, also called Robertson, is the quiet favourite of deck builders and cabinet makers in North America. Its square recess holds the screw on the driver all by itself, so you can drive one-handed overhead without the screw falling off.
Screwdriver Drive Types at a Glance
| Drive type | What it looks like | Where you will find it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips | Cross with four arms | Wood screws, drywall, appliances, furniture | Cams out under high torque; use the exact size |
| Flathead (slotted) | Single straight slot | Switch plates, outlets, terminals, old hardware | Blade must fill the slot edge to edge |
| Pozidriv | Cross with extra tick marks | European furniture, cabinets | Phillips drivers fit badly and strip it |
| Torx (star) | Six-pointed star | Decking, cars, appliances, tool housings | Sizes look similar – check T15, T20, T25 markings |
| Square (Robertson) | Square recess | Decks, cabinets | Less common in hardware stores outside North America |
| Hex (Allen) | Hexagonal recess | Flat-pack furniture, machinery, bicycles | Metric and imperial sets are not interchangeable |
Precision and Specialty Screwdrivers
Below the standard sizes sits a whole world of small drivers: the precision set for eyeglasses, phones, laptops, and small electronics. These use Phillips #000 and #00, tiny flatheads, and small Torx sizes like T5 and T6. They are worth owning as a set because the screws they fit are too small for regular drivers and too easy to ruin with the wrong tool.
A few other specialty drivers earn their keep in specific jobs. A stubby screwdriver, with a handle barely longer than your thumb, reaches screws in cabinets and behind appliances where a full-length driver cannot swing. A ratcheting screwdriver speeds up long runs of screws — think assembling a shed or fitting a kitchen — because you never have to lift and re-seat the tip. And an insulated screwdriver, rated for electrical work, is not a luxury if you ever open a consumer unit or work near live terminals: the insulation on the shaft is the only thing between your hand and a shock. Regular drivers are not substitutes.
How to Choose the Right Size
Size is not about the handle. It is about the tip, and the test takes two seconds: seat the driver in the screw head and wiggle it gently. The right size sits deep with almost no play. If it rocks side to side or sits shallow in the recess, try the next size up or down.
For Phillips, #2 fits most household and workshop screws; #1 fits smaller screws in electronics housings, hinges, and light fittings; #3 appears on larger construction screws. For flatheads, match the blade width to the slot width. For Torx, the size is stamped on the tool — T10, T15, T20, T25 — and there is no reliable way to guess it by eye, so check the marking rather than forcing a close fit.
Handle size matters too, in a different way. A fat handle gives you more torque for stubborn screws; a slim handle gives you more feel for delicate ones. Comfort is not cosmetic — a handle that hurts after ten screws is one you will stop using properly.
Technique: How to Use a Screwdriver Without Stripping Screws
Push first, turn second
Put most of your effort into pushing the driver straight into the screw, and much less into twisting. Downward pressure keeps the tip seated; twisting alone is what makes it jump out.
Keep the driver in line
Your wrist, the driver, and the screw should form one straight line. Any angle turns your pushing force sideways and lets the tip climb out of the recess. If you cannot get straight at the screw, reposition yourself or the workpiece instead of fighting the angle.
Start screws by hand
For the first few turns, spin the screw in with your fingers if you can reach it, or turn the driver slowly. Cross-threading a screw in the first turn is hard to undo, and power drivers make it worse.
Stop when it seats
A screw is tight when it stops turning under steady pressure, not when you cannot force it further. Overtightening crushes wood fibres, strips threads in soft material, and cracks plastic housings. For wood screws, snug plus a quarter turn is usually enough.
When a screw is stuck
Do not just push harder. Tap the driver handle firmly with the palm of your hand to shock the threads loose, or apply a drop of penetrating oil on metal fasteners and wait a few minutes. If the head is already damaged, a rubber band between the tip and the screw sometimes gives enough grip for one last turn.
Building a Sensible Set — and What to Skip
A good starter set fits in one drawer row: a #2 Phillips, a #1 Phillips, a 6 mm flathead, a 3 mm flathead, a T25 Torx, and a bit-holding handle with a few common Torx and square bits. Add a small precision set if you repair electronics, and an insulated driver if you touch electrical panels. That is a complete kit for most homes and workshops.
What to skip: the giant 100-piece sets where half the drivers are sizes you will never use, and any driver whose tip visibly wobbles in the handle. Also skip the temptation to buy the cheapest set twice. One mid-range set with hardened chrome-vanadium tips will last longer than three bargain sets, and it will not round off on the screw that matters.
Store drivers upright in a block, a rail, or a drawer tray rather than loose in a toolbox where tips bang against pliers and wrenches. Retire any driver whose tip is chipped, rounded, or bent — a damaged driver damages every screw it touches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size Phillips screwdriver do I need for most household jobs?
A #2 Phillips. It fits standard wood screws, drywall screws, appliance screws, and most flat-pack furniture hardware. Add a #1 for smaller screws in hinges, light fittings, and electronics housings.
Can I use a Phillips screwdriver on a Pozidriv screw?
You can, but you should not. The shapes look similar but the fit is loose, so the driver slips and strips the head. A dedicated #2 Pozidriv driver costs little and grips properly.
Why does my screwdriver keep slipping out of the screw?
Usually one of three reasons: the tip is the wrong size, the tip is worn round, or you are not pushing straight down the screw’s axis. Check the fit first, replace worn tips, and put your effort into downward pressure rather than twisting force.
Are expensive screwdrivers actually worth it?
Up to a point, yes. Hardened, precisely ground tips and comfortable handles make a real difference in grip and control. Beyond the mid-range, you are mostly paying for branding and handle materials, not better screwdriving.
Should I buy a screwdriver set or individual drivers?
Buy individuals for the five or six sizes you use constantly, and a set for the sizes you use rarely, like precision or Torx bits. That way your daily drivers are good quality and your occasional ones are covered without buying duplicates.
Bottom Line:
A screwdriver is the simplest tool in the workshop, and it is also one of the easiest to get wrong. Match the tip to the screw, push straight, stop when it seats, and keep your tips in good shape. Five well-chosen drivers will handle nearly everything in your home and workshop — and the screws you never strip are the ones you never have to drill out.
