Screwdriver buying guide
Updated: 22 October 2026
You are on the kitchen floor with a flat-pack hinge and a drawer of drivers that all look like a cross. The boxes shout piece counts and the word magnetic. This screwdriver buying guide puts the choice in the order that saves the screw: Pozidriv or Phillips, then the size, then reach, then whether the bit stays put. The twelve amazon.co.uk listings sit on the [screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/screwdriver). Peter F. wrote this on 22 October 2026 from those listings and public UK sources, not from a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are on the kitchen floor with a flat-pack hinge and a drawer of drivers that all look like a cross. The boxes shout piece counts and the word magnetic.
You are on the kitchen floor with a flat-pack hinge and a drawer of drivers that all look like a cross. The boxes shout piece counts and the word magnetic. This screwdriver buying guide puts the choice in the order that saves the screw: Pozidriv or Phillips, then the size, then reach, then whether the bit stays put. The twelve amazon.co.uk listings sit on the screwdriver comparison. Peter F. wrote this on 22 October 2026 from those listings and public UK sources, not from a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pozidriv on the listing | Reach | Magnet | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Stanley Stanley six-way STA068012 | Not printed | 27.2 cm shaft | Not stated | 6.7 | about £7.66 | View offer |
 Duratech Duratech 60-in-1 cased set | PZ0–PZ3 printed | Cased handle, fixed length | Holder only | 6.5 | about £14.99 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Jorest Jorest 25-in-1 extending driver | PZ1 and PZ2 | Claims 4.53 in extension | Claim disputed | 6.3 | about £9.99 | View offer |
On this page
Match the recess before you count the bits
A 60-piece case does nothing if every cross-head is Phillips and the hinge screw has four extra ticks. Those ticks mean Pozidriv. A plain cross is Phillips. ISO 8764 treats PH and PZ as different tip forms. Read the listing for a size such as PZ2, not a headline that only says magnetic.
Four ticks at the corners are the mark. Drywall screws and some imports stay Phillips even in a British house. Duratech prints PZ0 to PZ3. Amazon Basics does not, and a UK review calls that the flaw. The Stanley six-way is Phillips, slotted and two nut drivers. Mixing the two drivers is on Phillips vs Pozidriv.
PZ2 covers most cupboard screws; PZ1 and PZ3 are the edges
BuildWiz treats PZ2 as the usual tip for wood screws around 3.5 mm to 5.0 mm. That is their rule of thumb, not our bench test. A 4 mm chipboard screw sits in that band. PZ1 feels loose in that head. PZ3 sits too high and walks out.
Accu mentions PZ0 to PZ5. BuildWiz says you mostly meet PZ1 to PZ3. Those are two descriptions, not one official list. The extending Jorest prints PZ1 and PZ2 and stops. Bosch Professional’s GB page lists a PZ2 blade, 100 mm, to ISO 8764, at £6.89 including VAT, under the £14.99 Duratech case. Buy the single blade for one cupboard screw. Buy the case when the same afternoon also needs Torx or a second Pozidriv size.
Reach, ratchet and magnet are the next three filters
A stubby fits a corner cupboard and fails on a deep drawer runner. The Stanley 0-66-358 is £6.92, with 4.6 from 7,093 reviews, and UK texts say the cap loosens anticlockwise so the bits fall out on the undo. Hold the cap rather than pushing harder.
The Jorest claims 4.53 inches of extension and prints PZ1 and PZ2. Sharden is praised for drawers, and UK reviews say the Pozidriv bits were missing and square drive arrived. Duratech’s magnet stops in the holder. Jorest and Amazon Basics claim a magnetic tip, and UK reviews call the hold weak or disagree. A rubber grip is not insulation for a live circuit. That limit is on insulated screwdriver 1000V.
What the pounds in this folder actually buy
Around £3 to £8 you get a specialist tip or a simple Stanley. HeiTao’s 1.2 mm five-point driver is £3.19 with 5.0 from two reviews, and it is not a cross-head. The six-way is £7.66 with 4.6 from 2,713 reviews and no Pozidriv, which is why it can be best value and still wrong for flat-pack.
From about £9 to £15 the multi-bit handles cluster: Jorest and Sharden at £9.99, Amazon Basics at £9.89, ApexSelect at £11.56 with 5.0 from 17 ratings, Duratech at £14.99 with 4.6 from 629. Seventeen stars are not several hundred reviews. OQIMAX is £20.99 with 4.8 from 21, and some texts describe 40 pieces rather than 74. TOOLUTION is £27.90 with a 1000 V line and no IEC 60900 named. The Bosch GO 3 at £56.50 is a USB-C driver, not a printed PZ2.
Common questions
Do I need Pozidriv or Phillips for flat-pack?
Look at the screw, not the carton. Four extra ticks mean Pozidriv, which a lot of UK flat-pack still uses. A plain cross is Phillips. A PH2 bit turns a Pozidriv screw with play and often chews it. A Pozidriv bit will not seat in a plain Phillips screw. Drywall and some imports stay Phillips.
Is PZ2 the size for ordinary cupboard screws?
For many wood screws around 3.5 mm to 5.0 mm, PZ2 is the size UK bit guides point to. Treat that as a guide from BuildWiz, not a result from this comparison. PZ1 is for smaller fittings. PZ3 cams out of a small head. A PZ2 stamp does not help if the screw is Phillips.
Is a 60-piece set better than one PZ2?
Only if you will use the other tips. A fixed PZ2 on the Bosch Professional GB page is £6.89 including VAT, under the £14.99 Duratech case. Buy the blade for one cupboard screw. Buy the case when you also need another Pozidriv size or a Torx hinge. Piece count does not replace a printed PZ size.
Should the tip be magnetic, or only the holder?
You want the screw on the tip, and several listings only magnetise the holder. Duratech says the magnet does not reach the bit. Other rows say magnetic tip while UK reviews report a weak hold. Try a screw on the bit before you work overhead. A magnet does not correct the wrong recess.
When do I leave this guide and buy an insulated tool?
Leave it when the screw is in a consumer unit or any circuit you have not proved dead. A cushioned handle is not insulation to a named standard. TOOLUTION claims 1000 V and does not name IEC 60900 or VDE. Kitchen hinges and flat-pack do not need that tool.
What if the title says Pozidriv and the reviews say the bits were square?
Check the tips against a known Pozidriv screw. UK reviews say that for the Sharden driver: the page says Pozidriv, and buyers say square drive arrived, inside 4.4 from 2,082 ratings. A high star line does not prove the bits. Duratech prints the PZ sizes, and the UK texts do not say those bits were missing.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources listed below. Shelf prices and star lines for the twelve listings are the amazon.co.uk figures in the saved listings from 19 October 2026, not a fresh check on 22 October 2026.
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE GS38, electrical test equipment for use on low voltage systems (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE INDG291, providing and using work equipment safely (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- ISO 8764-1:2004, screwdriver tips for cross-recessed screws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- IEC 60900:2018, live working hand tools (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BSI, BS 2559:1994 specification for screwdrivers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- PB Swiss Tools, Phillips and Pozidriv explained (retrieved 22 October 2026)