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Pozidriv vs Phillips screwdriver

Updated: October 2026

You are holding a cross-head from a UK furniture pack, and the driver almost fits. Pozidriv vs Phillips screwdriver is the difference between a recess that stays square and one you round in the first few turns. A third tip, PZ/S plus-minus, sits in some of these Wera boxes and is easy to mistake for a plain PZ2. This page maps the marks to the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in the [Wera screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/wera-screwdriver). Price sits on the [buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/wera-screwdriver/sub/wera-screwdriver-buying-guide) and the live-work limit on [Wera VDE screwdriver or everyday](/hub/hand-tools/wera-screwdriver/sub/wera-screwdriver-vde-or-everyday). Products Compared is using the listings and public UK explanations of the recesses, not a torque test. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are holding a cross-head from a UK furniture pack, and the driver almost fits. Pozidriv vs Phillips screwdriver is the difference between a recess that stays square and one you round in the first few turns.

Our top picks

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2

Best overall

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2
9.2/10about £20.28
View offer
Wera Wera 6-piece VDE PH and slotted

Alternative

Wera Wera 6-piece VDE PH and slotted
8.8/10about £26.98
View offer
Wera Wera 6-piece VDE PZ and slotted

Alternative

Wera Wera 6-piece VDE PZ and slotted
8.4/10about £25.94
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Ticks mean Pozidriv, a plain cross means Phillips
  2. 2.PZ/S is a third tip
  3. 3.Plain Pozidriv and plain Phillips on these listings
  4. 4.Tips the attribute hides

Ticks mean Pozidriv, a plain cross means Phillips

Look at the screw before the brand on the handle. A Pozidriv head carries small ticks on the diagonals of the cross. A Phillips head is the plain cross, with no ticks. bolts.co.uk describes Phillips flanks as tapered, so the driver cams out under torque, and Pozidriv flanks as parallel, so a matching tip stays seated. On a woodscrew, cam-out is how you chew the recess. A Phillips driver in a Pozidriv screw can feel acceptable at low torque, then the tip climbs out. A Pozidriv driver in a Phillips screw does not seat and sits proud. BuildWiz puts Pozidriv on timber and PH2 on many plasterboard screws. That is a guide to the screws you meet, not a measurement of these blades. PZ2 is not a synonym for PH2.

PZ/S is a third tip

Plus-minus, marked PZ/S, is Pozidriv combined with a slotted cut. Wera describes it for terminal blocks, switches and sockets. It is not a plain PZ2, and it will not rescue a Pozidriv woodscrew. The slim seven-piece, B00TJ3J7MG at £41.80, shows the mix-up. Its head-style attribute says Phillips. UK reviews itemise slotted, Phillips and PZ/S, and say a plain PZ2 is not in the box. Big Pack 300 names PlusMinus on the head-style line beside Torx, Phillips, Pozidriv and flat. The amazon components line does not say which of the 14 pieces is the combination tip. If the screw has ticks and a slot through the middle, try PZ/S gently. If it is an ordinary woodscrew with ticks and no slot, you want plain PZ.
Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2

Testsieger

Wera Wera Kraftform Kompakt Stubby Magazin 2
9.2/10about £20.28
View offer

Plain Pozidriv and plain Phillips on these listings

Trust the components line when the head-style attribute disagrees. The clearest plain Pozidriv box in the insulated group is B09VCSK9H2, £25.94: PZ1 at 80 mm, PZ2 at 100 mm and four slotted sizes. The attribute says Phillips, Flat. Follow the contents line. The Phillips counterpart, B09VCSH3G4 at £26.98, lists PH1 at 80 mm, PH2 at 100 mm and four slotted sizes, with Black Point tips and no Pozidriv. Similar yellow handles do not make them interchangeable. Kraftform 300, B000297UEI at £29.99, and the extra-long three-piece, B001DZXCAQ at £27.12, name both cross-heads in the bullets and do not print each size. Big Pack 300, £54.70, names Phillips, Pozidriv, Torx and flat, plus PlusMinus, again without an amazon size list. Which box to open for a job is on best Wera screwdriver.

Tips the attribute hides

The stubby, B08XTP1LR6 at £20.28, itemises PZ1, PZ2, PH1, PH2 and two slotted bits at 25 mm. Its attribute says Tri-Wing, and there is no such bit. A correct PZ2 that short still misses a deep carcass screw. The roll at £89.53 includes PZ1 and PZ2 in a garbled string, while the attribute says Flat, Phillips. The 2go title says PH/PZ/TX/SL, does not itemise, and disagrees with itself on 12 pieces versus 11. Kompakt 20 and 28 do not name bits. One Kompakt 20 review lists PZ1 and PZ2; that is a review, not the packing list. Micro reviews mention Phillips, not Pozidriv.

Common questions

How do I see Pozidriv on the screw?
Look for ticks between the arms of the cross, on the diagonal. A Phillips screw is a plain cross. Wipe paint or oil off first. A close fit on the first turn is not the same as the flanks staying engaged once you add torque.
What happens if I use the wrong cross-head?
A Phillips driver in a Pozidriv woodscrew may start, then cam out, and the recess rounds. A Pozidriv driver in a Phillips screw does not seat. PZ2 and PH2 are not two names for one tip.
What is PZ/S if it is not PZ2?
PZ/S, or PlusMinus, combines Pozidriv with a slotted cut for terminal blocks, switches and sockets. It is not what a Pozidriv woodscrew asks for. Slim-set reviews expected PZ2 and found PZ/S beside Phillips.
Which set lists PZ1 and PZ2?
B09VCSK9H2 lists PZ1 at 80 mm and PZ2 at 100 mm, plus four slotted sizes, even though the attribute says Phillips. The stubby lists PZ1 and PZ2 at 25 mm beside PH1, PH2 and two slotted bits. Kraftform 300, the extra-long set and Big Pack 300 name Pozidriv in the bullets without a full size list.
Which set lists only Phillips and slotted?
B09VCSH3G4 lists PH1 at 80 mm, PH2 at 100 mm and four slotted sizes, with Black Point tips. No Pozidriv size is on that line. On a UK woodscrew with ticks it is the driver that cams out.
Why does a head-style line say Phillips when the box is Pozidriv?
The attribute and the components line were not kept in step. On B09VCSK9H2 the contents are Pozidriv and the attribute says Phillips. On the stubby the bits include Pozidriv and the attribute says Tri-Wing. Follow the components line.
Does the stubby include a Tri-Wing bit?
No. The six bits are two slotted sizes, PH1, PH2, PZ1 and PZ2, each 25 mm. Tri-Wing is only the head-style attribute.

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Wera VDE screwdriver or everyday: what the mark allows

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Digest dated 16 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.

  1. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Electricity at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BSI, BS EN IEC 60900:2018 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Professional Electrician on insulated hand tools (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE HSG85 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Wera Lasertip Kraftform page (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Wera datasheet 05006617001 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. bolts.co.uk on Phillips and Pozidriv (retrieved 16 October 2026)