Professional Ikea Furniture Assemblers Must Have: Pozidriv Bit Set

I’ve been putting together Ikea (and other manufacturers’) flat pack kit items for a long time, but I just recently learned about Pozidriv. If you put together break-down furniture for a living (or even a serious hobby), you need to know about them too.

In short, Pozidriv is the trade name of a very slightly different type of fastener and tool. Both the tool and the fasteners look very similar to regular Phillips drive, but if you know what to look for, they are easy to tell apart. The fasteners will have the four lines radiating out from the center as seen here. The bits and screwdrivers are marked PZ1, PZ2, and PZ3, denoting the three different sizes, just as Phillips bits are marked P1, P2, and P3. (Or PH1, PH2, and PH3.) So far, I have only used the PZ2 and PZ3 sizes.

Why use Pozidriv? Because when you use a Pozidriv bit or screwdriver in a Pozidriv fastener, they work far better! The fasteners are held more securely while inserting, and the bits almost never cam out. You can, and many do, use standard Philips screwdrivers/bits on Pozidriv screws and they work ok, but they cam out pretty easily and don’t hold very securely when inserting. Pozidriv screwdrivers/bits don’t work very well at all on Phillips (non-Pozidriv) fasteners.

When I recently learned about Pozidriv, I checked out the Ikea screws and, sure enough, they are Pozidriv. So I ordered a set of bits. My local hardware stores don’t carry them, but they’re easy enough to find online. Just search for Pozidriv bit sets. They are more expensive than Philips bits but I suspect they will last far longer because they don’t have the extra wear and tear of camming out frequently.

Is it really worth it to get and use Pozidriv bits or screwdrivers? Well, I’ve run across Pozidriv while assembling more than just Ikea products so it’s pretty wide-spread. I love the very fast and positive feel I get when using them. The difference is quite noticeable. If you are a “the right tool for the right job” kind of person, you’ll really appreciate the switch. I like that they hold very tight, like a hex fastener, but the tool doesn’t get stuck in the fastener as hex bits do when the tightening is completed.

CAUTION: Pozidriv will take a lot of torque before it cams out. So you need to use the proper drill/driver with the clutch set properly or know how much torque you should put on a screwdriver or you will be stripping out fasteners right and left! But once you get the electric screwdriver dialed in and are using Pozidriv bits and hardware, it’s really sweet!

If you do try out Pozidriv, I’m interested in how it worked out for you. Please comment below.

Jeff

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