Exciting stuff, but what’s a good go to screw selection box.

Every thing you buy (curtain poles, shelves, locks) comes with screws that are made of cheese – I just want a large selection box of high quality general purpose screws for use in wood and rawl plugs etc, that won’t round off instantly.

What’s a solid brand option to hunt out? It’s tricky with selection boxes as there’s always sizes you rarely need, but equally don’t want 20 boxes of hundreds of each size either.

Cheers!

Whatever selection box is on offer in Screwfix or toolsation. Both fine for general DIY and will have all sizes you need

eg. https://www.screwfix.com/p/silverscrew-pz-double-countersunk-woodscrews-trade-pack-1400-pcs/96706

I’m a big fan of Ulti-Mate

https://www.toolstation.com/ulti-mate-stick-fit-trade-pack/p28865

I have the metal case with individual removeable plastic compartments, and I love it.

Thanks. Liking the look of that Ulti-mate set with the removal boxes. Plenty of sizes that I’ll rarely use, but can then just top up the regular ones.

I got this one from Screwfix last year. Good selection of sizes and if I use one of the boxes up then I just get a box of that size and tip it back in. Makes life so much easier for the casual DIY’er to be able just to grab the box out of the garage and have all sizes available to me where I’m working.

Diy then turbo gold or whatever they call them nowadays are fine.
Posh ones I 💕 TIMco

As daft as it sounds, I got a really handy box of assorted screws from IKEA.

Something like this  https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/fixa-200-piece-wood-screw-set-70224228/

If I’ve got a “project” I’ll buy the screws I need but for general round the house DIY the IKEA box has served me well.

I bought this a few years back, it seems fine for general use…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071Z6RY4F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

B&Q has a pick ‘n’ mix counter. Take a baggie, fill it with as many screws as you can possibly manage whilst still able to zip it shut.

Are they “high quality,” probably not. Are they better than the ones bundled with Stuff, absolutely.

Also, if your problem is routinely rounding off screwheads, are they all “cross head” screws or do you know the difference between Philips and Pozidriv? Using a driver of one with a screw of another is always going to be suboptimal and likely to mess up screws.

I use a lot of screws. For wood I like Reisser Cutter or Spax. These have a sharp fluted point for cutting cleanly into wood and a cutting surface under the head for self-countersinking. Most importantly learn the difference between Pozi (Pz) and Philips (Ph) heads and use the right one.
Wall plugs – always Fischer DuoPower. A bit more expensive but faultless.

Plenty of trade pack sizes at b&q, only when are you going to be using up 5000 of the things,and there will always be sizes you’ll never use.
So you can buy a small Spax box with a range of sizes, but not too many.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/spax-pz-mixed-screw-case-245-pcs/78062?kpid=78062&cm_mmc=Google-_-Datafeed-_-Screws%2C%20Nails%20and%20Fixings?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google-_-TOKEN1-_-TOKEN2&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz7zzzpW_hAMVsJJQBh3hWwvAEAQYASABEgL9XPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I was gifted the Screwfix version of this by my brother in law about 20 years ago when I first bought my own house.

Has been invaluable knowing that I generally have the correct screws for the job.

https://www.toolstation.com/ulti-mate-ii-stick-fit-zinc-yellow-plated-screw-metal-case/p82203

I was gifted the Screwfix version of this by my brother in law about 20 years ago when I first bought my own house.

I’m well sorted for screws here, but I’m banking that as an excellent gift idea. See if I can remember that for when my kids move out 20 years hence.

For years, I have been buying boxes of screws for just what I need to suit a particular job, & now have quite a selection of screw sizes.
But, I still never have the right ones for the next job I need to do and generally end up buying more.

Also applies to tools, plumbing fittings and most other DIY hardware requirements.

“I’m a big fan of Ulti-Mate
https://www.toolstation.com/ulti-mate-stick-fit-trade-pack/p28865”

Yes, these screws are my favourite, far better than the silver range from Screwfix, and also better than their gold range too.
On an aside, I needed 3 boxes quickly this week, Screwfix is 4 miles away, so went there, got 3 boxes of Gold 5 x 50’s, thought they were quite cheap. It wasnt until I opened them that I found it was a box of 50, rather than the usual 200, but in the same size box.I was a bit miffed as I wanted rather more than 150, should have read the listing better, but really, screw boxes containing 50 rather than 200, thats a new one on me.

I like the plastic storage boxes, cardboard boxes are a pain for screws. With the storage box you can see the screw size you want, good ones you can lift out the individual tub if needed. When a tub gets low buy another box and tip it in.

Obviously if you were to drop a storage box of screws upside down with the lid off…..

The B&Q gold ones are OK value for money for normal stuff, but will snap if you abuse them, Reisser etc are a lot better.

Might also want to keep a mixed bag of single and twin thread.
Single you find really works best in softwood, cheap b&q cls, whitewood and that ilk. I always find single has a deeper thread than twin, so grips better

Ulti-mate multi pack looks like something for my future.
(That and making sure I’m positive about positive!)

which ever one you get, please make sure that you button up the catches to close it before you pick it up.

picking up and separating a box of screws isnt nearly as much fun as you think it is…

picking up and separating a box of screws isnt nearly as much fun as you think it is…

It’s great fun. Try it in the dark – somewhere where you routinely park and therefore want to be sure recover every last screw. Did I mention mud? Oh yes its muddy too.

Spax do decent sized reasonably priced selection boxes to keep in the house for odd jobs.

Ditto – Fischer Duopower plugs.

Both available from Wickes, and as you stated, allows you to throw away the ‘free’ junk you get in the box with every mirror, photo frame, shelf bracket etc etc.

I like timco.

However the gold bnq twin thread are ok.

Also, if your problem is routinely rounding off screwheads, are they all “cross head” screws or do you know the difference between Philips and Pozidriv? Using a driver of one with a screw of another is always going to be suboptimal and likely to mess up screws.

Don’t forget JIS!

Also get one of these. Saves so much time bending down for dropped screws, trying to fiddle them out of the awkward pace the fell, getting the extra one out of the box that is exactly 2.74cm beyond reach…

Blue Spot 2.25kg (5lbs) Telescopic Magnetic Pick Up Tool

Unscientifically, any assortment I’ve bought in a box like this has been really good. Maybe it’s just superstition, maybe it tells you something about the supply chain like there’s Massive Screw Factory X in China that makes good stuff and uses these boxes, maybe they cost 10p more and so the bottom feeders don’t use em but whatever, I have faith in the box and it’s never let me down. Having individual sorty boxes is a bit of a gamechanger if you are a knobber like me, just lift out the whole compartment and put the rest away and you’ll never knock it over or drop leftover screws into the wrong one.