80% of People Use the Wrong Screwdriver For Electrical Work

So , about 60% of my viewers use a standard number two Phillips head screwdriver when they're wiring in outlets or light switches .

And then another 20% use just a slotted screwdriver to do the same job .

Let me show you why both of those screwdrivers are not your best choice and there are better products out there to help you with your diy projects around the house .

This is kind of one of those things that's hiding in plain sight .

And after a couple of minutes of showing you this detail and showing the actual design on these screw terminals and you'll be able to pick the better tool for the job .

And it'll give you two different options to make sure your installs are secure and safe .

So let's take a closer look and see why the Phillips head and the slotted are not the best tool for the job .

So let's take a look at this commercial grade outlet and just do an example of back wiring where we're pulling that plate in and pinching the wire into that opening .

So I'll go ahead and put our neutral on our silver terminal and then we'll grab our number two Phillips head screwdriver .

This one's in pretty good shape overall .

And the value of a Phillips head screwdriver is with single hand operation .

It's easy to keep the screwdriver on the terminal making multiple revolutions .

So you want to start to tighten it down and the number two Phillips head , especially if it's got a worn tip just wants to pop out and , and really without more force pressing down , you can't get much more torque on that screw .

So overall , although convenient , although it's a screwdriver , you probably have around , it is not the best tool for the job .

So here comes the slotted screwdriver .

Now , slotted is gonna have more contact area .

It is gonna be easier for you to apply more torque to get a more secure , hold on that wire .

But the slotted classically is not the best in single-handed operation because it tends to want to slip off easily as you're tightening it down .

So if you are doing multiple outlets and you want to get that secure hold , this slot is gonna be a pain in the butt because you're gonna continue to slide off that screw terminal as you do multiple rotations .

So if this is all you got in your tool bag and you do not want to buy any tools .

I recommend doing your multiple rotations with your number two Phillips , get it tight and then finish it off with your slotted screwdriver to get that torque that you want to ensure that your wires are securely held on the screw terminal , but you have other options .

So let me show you two superior options that are out there and pretty reasonable in terms of pricing .

So , not quite my top choice , but it is a salute to our friends up north in Canada .

And that is a square drive or Robertson screwdriver specifically .

You'd want to get a number one and that fits perfectly in both the screw terminals and also the mounting screws .

The number 6 32 mounting screws on a modern outlet or light switch .

So if we look close and use a number one , Robertson , you'll see that it lines up perfectly with that center section .

So that center section although has small grooves that could help fit a Phillips head is actually designed for a square drive or Robertson .

So this is gonna combine a one handed operation , keeping the screwdriver on the screw terminal , but also more contact area to give you the ability to really tighten down or torque down that screw .

And then you can also just switch over using the same number one and fit it to your mounting screws and then easily mount your outlet or light switch in your box .

So we talked about before 60% of people said they use Phillips head , 20% say slotted and then I have 10% that say they use the number one Robertson with the final 10% which say they use my top choice , which is a Milwaukee E C X number one screwdriver .

Now , why is the Milwaukee my choice ?

Well , because it combines kind of the best of all worlds .

So you have the square Robertson number one in the middle and then you also combine a slotted screwdriver in one .

So this could also be called a hybrid screwdriver , which is going to fit nicely for one handed operation right with that middle section in there .

But also give you all that additional contact area to help tighten down that screw terminal .

Now , I've been using this one for about nine months now and it's by far my go to this is the number one .

So I also have an E C X number two , which is just a little bit larger .

To be honest , I don't use the number two that often this would come in handy for circuit breakers and tightening down the screw terminal that holds in your hot wire .

But for outlets and slight switches , which is something very common for me to do .

This number one E C X is my go to .

Now , the price on these is usually about 20 or $25 .

You can get a standard one like this or you can get installation that would go all the way up the screwdriver for a little more safety or like the Robertson example with the South wire , it's a multi bitt screwdriver .

So it's gonna be able to give you multiple different bits for your different applications .

I'm not a huge fan of the multi bitt screwdrivers .

They're a little , little bulkier obviously to fit all those bits but bang for the buck or for the price .

This is a good option , especially if you're not installing that many outlets or light switches .

So let me know what you guys think .

Do you use a standard Phillips head or slotted screwdriver ?

Are you the 10% that think the world would be a better place if everything was just a Robertson or square drive or have you upgraded to the E C X ?

The number one like I have and I probably will never be going back now if you want to see my top pick for outlets , this is a commercial grade outlet .

The video right here will give you a full breakdown and actually show you the internals of this outlet and why it's my go to for all my projects around the house also with my rental properties and my flips .

So thanks for joining me on this video and we'll catch you on that next one .

Take care .