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SPAX vs fischer adjusting screw for timber battens

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have decided the job is a timber batten. SPAX vs fischer adjusting screw is retaining grooves on a 6 x 160 mm T30 screw, or a clip on a 5 x 80 mm TX25 screw. Choose SPAX when you need the longer screw and will check that 160 mm arrived. Choose FAFS when the gap is within 60 mm and you have TX25 plus the setting tool. Cards and prices sit on the [adjusting screws comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/adjusting-screws). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, compared these ASINs with the maker pages and did not run a lab test. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have decided the job is a timber batten. SPAX vs fischer adjusting screw is retaining grooves on a 6 x 160 mm T30 screw, or a clip on a 5 x 80 mm TX25 screw.

Our top picks

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm

Best overall

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm
7.0/10about £26.95
View offer
fischer fischer FAFS 5 x 80

Alternative

fischer fischer FAFS 5 x 80
6.6/10about £27.42
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Same job, different head
  2. 2.The sizes in this basket
  3. 3.Bit, tool, coating and the listing fights
  4. 4.Which listing to open

Same job, different head

Both screws fix a batten to timber and then set a gap. SPAX has retaining grooves under a flat head. You drive the screw home, then turn it anti-clockwise. The grooves lift the batten. fischer FAFS uses a clip that stays in the timber while the screw turns. Seat the clip with a setting tool, then change direction with the bit alone. If you unscrew an FAFS as though the head had SPAX grooves, the clip has not been seated. fischer also sells JUSS, a double-thread screw for battens about 20 to 30 mm thick. JUSS is not listing B09XV9PS38. The motions are in how to level timber battens.

The sizes in this basket

The SPAX listing, B08JZ1DF4X, is titled 6 x 160 mm, 100 screws, at £26.95. SPAX’s flyer row lists a maximum wood thickness of 40 mm and a maximum distance of 120 mm. Shorter SPAX adjusting screws exist on the flyer. They are not this ASIN. The fischer listing, B09XV9PS38, is FAFS 5.0 x 80 mm at £27.42. fischer’s UK page lists a maximum distance of 60 mm, a 45 mm thread and a minimum timber thickness of 20 mm. Other FAFS lengths, including 90, 100 and 120 mm, are not this card. The prices are close enough that length, not a 47 pence difference, should decide.
SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm

Testsieger

SPAX SPAX 6 x 160 mm
7.0/10about £26.95
View offer

Bit, tool, coating and the listing fights

SPAX in this set is T-STAR plus T30. fischer is TX25. The setting tool is not in the amazon included line. If you cannot get it, SPAX is the screw you can drive with a T30 bit alone. The SPAX title says WIROX and the finish field says untreated. WIROX is for service class 1 and 2. The fischer title says zinc plated. Neither listing is a stainless deck screw. One review, marked Germany, says 6 x 80 mm arrived, beside model number 0161010600803. fischer’s piece count says 1, the included line says 100, and the thread field says UNC. The listing line is 4.1 from 27 for SPAX and 3.6 from 16 for fischer. Coating rules are in the adjusting screws buying guide.

Which listing to open

Open the SPAX listing when the batten and the gap fit the 6 x 160 flyer row and you will measure a screw before you drill. That is the top pick for this pair. If 80 mm arrives, the description failed. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must match the description. Open the fischer listing when 60 mm of adjustment is enough, the timber is at least 20 mm, and you have TX25 plus the setting tool. At £27.42 it is the shorter screw, not a saving against £26.95. Buy neither for direct rain, for masonry without the DuoPower or UX plug, or when a drawing specifies BS EN 14592. Feet that are not part of this pair are on best adjusting screws.

Common questions

When should I open the SPAX listing?
When you need up to 40 mm of wood thickness and up to 120 mm of distance, which is the flyer row for 6 x 160 mm, and you can drive T30. The listing is £26.95 for a stated hundred. Measure on arrival. One stored review says 6 x 80 mm came instead, and the finish field says untreated against WIROX in the title.
When should I open the FAFS listing?
When the gap is within 60 mm, the timber is at least 20 mm thick, and you have TX25 plus the setting tool. The screw is 5 x 80 mm at £27.42. It does not become a 160 mm screw because the price is similar. Confirm the box contains the hundred screws the included line names, not the piece count of 1.
Do I need an extra tool for fischer?
Yes, if you follow fischer’s own page. The setting tool seats the clip flush before you adjust with the bit. It is not in the amazon included-components line. SPAX, in this pair, is driven and then backed off with a T30 bit, with no separate setting tool named on the flyer sequence.
Which bit do I need?
T30 for this SPAX pack, TX25 for this FAFS pack. They are both Torx-style drives and they are not the same size. A bit that almost fits will cam out, which is already a theme in the fischer review texts. Buy the missing bit before you start the first batten.
Which one adjusts further?
The SPAX 6 x 160 row on the flyer lists a maximum distance of 120 mm. The fischer 5 x 80 page lists a maximum distance of 60 mm. Further means the SPAX length in this basket, not a claim that every SPAX screw outruns every fischer screw in the wider range. Other lengths exist and are not these two ASINs.
Is JUSS the same as FAFS?
No. JUSS is fischer’s double-thread adjusting screw, described for battens around 20 to 30 mm, with different travel. FAFS is the clip-head screw in listing B09XV9PS38. Do not read a JUSS feature onto that box. If a page is about opposed threads, it is not this comparison.
Which coating is stated for rain?
Neither, in a way you can rely on. SPAX puts WIROX in unweathered conditions and stainless in the weather, and this card’s finish field says untreated. fischer states zinc plated, and outdoor use is unanswered on the listing. A rained-on deck needs a fixing the timber supplier accepts, not one of these two titles stretched past the coating note.

Related pages

SPAX screws comparison

Adjusting screws

Best adjusting screws for a batten or a light foot

Adjusting screws buying guide for a batten or foot

Furniture levelling feet: match the M6, M8 or M10 hole

How to level timber battens with an adjusting screw

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listings for these five ASINs, not a live re-check and not a laboratory test. SPAX and fischer review texts in the files are marked Germany. Uni-Fine has no UK-marked review in the file.

  1. SPAX UK, Adjusting screw WIROX (retrieved October 2026)
  2. SPAX adjusting screw flyer (retrieved October 2026)
  3. fischer UK, FAFS adjusting screw (retrieved October 2026)
  4. fischer UK, JUSS adjustable screw (retrieved October 2026)
  5. BSI, BS EN 14592:2022 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, competent person schemes (retrieved October 2026)
  8. SPAX coating notes (retrieved October 2026)