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How to use screwdriver bits

Updated: October 2026

The screw head is shining, the bit has walked out of the cross, and the drill is still turning. That ruins the recess before the screw is home. How to use screwdriver bits, on a UK drill, is a short sequence: match the recess, seat the bit, push along the screw, start the clutch low, and stop when the bit rises. Which box to buy is the [screwdriver bit set buying guide](/hub/screws-and-accessories/bit-set/sub/bit-set-buying-guide), and the full comparison is [bit set](/hub/screws-and-accessories/bit-set). This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The screw head is shining, the bit has walked out of the cross, and the drill is still turning. That ruins the recess before the screw is home.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard

Best overall

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard
7.5/10about £8.36
View offer
Bahco Bahco 54-piece

Rank 2

Bahco Bahco 54-piece
6.2/10about £14.95
View offer
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 42-piece

Rank 3

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 42-piece
4.9/10about £10.08
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Fit the bit before the drill turns
  2. 2.Drive on a low clutch
  3. 3.Stop when the recess gives up
  4. 4.Hand the job on

Fit the bit before the drill turns

Start with the screw, not the chuck. A Pozidriv head has a cross and four tick marks. A Phillips head is a plain cross. If you are unsure, read Pozidriv vs Phillips before you lean on the trigger. A PZ2 bit in a PZ1 screw rounds the head even though the family is right. The shank on these sets is a 1/4 inch hex. Push the bit fully into the holder until it seats. Electrical Safety First says to seat the bit before you start and to keep your fingers off the trigger while you change it. Switch the drill off before you swap the bit. Reviews of the Bahco holders describe some that run off true at speed.

Drive on a low clutch

Hold the drill so the bit is square to the screw and push along the line of the screw. Accu, a UK fastener maker, describes cam-out as the bit climbing out when pressure, alignment, size, or speed is wrong. The fix is firm pressure, a square bit, the correct size, a lower speed, and a stop as soon as the bit rises. Set the drill to screwdriving, not hammer. Start the clutch lower than you think you need. If the clutch clicks before the head is flush, raise it one step. If the head sinks, the clutch is already too high and can strip the thread. A long bit, such as the 150 mm bits reviewers describe in the Bahco 54-piece set, exaggerates any angle.
Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch 32-piece Extra Hard
7.5/10about £8.36
View offer

Stop when the recess gives up

Stop when the bit climbs, when the recess shines, or when the wood is smoking around the shank. Back the screw out if it will turn. If it will not, a bigger bit will make a bigger mess. A fresh screw in a new pilot hole is cheaper than a chewed frame. Wear glasses when you drive overhead, because cam-out flicks the bit. If a stainless or coated screw falls off the magnet, start it by hand for the first turn, then let the drill take over.

Hand the job on

Do not use a domestic bit set on a gas appliance, a consumer unit, or any fixing whose torque is stated on a drawing. A stair string or a structural bolt is the same kind of stop. A 1/4 inch bit set is not an insulated screwdriver and not a calibrated torque wrench. If you are unsure whether the circuit is dead, leave the faceplate on. An impact driver keeps turning after a clutch drill would have clicked, which is why ordinary extra-hard bits snap. The bit for that tool is a different purchase on the impact driver bit set page. A wrong cross will destroy an impact tip as surely as it destroys a 25 mm Bosch bit.

Common questions

Which end of the holder goes in the chuck?
The 1/4 inch hex shank goes into the chuck or into the back of a quick-change holder, and the magnetic or locking end faces the screw. Push until the bit stops moving. If it wobbles when you turn the chuck by hand, it is not seated. Switch the drill off before you try again. A holder that is only pressed in halfway will walk out as soon as the screw bites.
How hard do I push?
Hard enough to keep the bit in the recess, and square to the screw, not so hard that you bend a long bit. Accu’s cam-out guidance is pressure plus alignment plus the right size. If you are leaning on the drill to stop the bit jumping, the size is wrong or the clutch is too high. Ease off, check the ticks on the screw, and start again at a lower speed.
What clutch setting should I start on?
Start lower than you think, on the screwdriving collar, then raise it one step if the clutch clicks before the head is flush. There is no UK standard number that fits every screw and every timber. A softwood hinge screw and a screw into oak will not share a setting. If the head sinks or the recess shines, you have gone too far. Back off rather than finishing the drive.
Can I change the bit while the drill is live?
No. Take your finger off the trigger and, on a cordless drill, make sure the chuck has stopped before you pull the bit. Electrical Safety First gives the same rule for electric screwdrivers, including the cabled tools that use a UK 3-pin plug. A magnet can release the bit as you tug it. You do not want that tug to coincide with a trigger.
Why does the screw fall off the magnet?
Ordinary steel screws cling. Stainless screws, and some coated decking screws, often do not. A weak or dirty magnet, or a bit that is not seated, does the same thing. Start the screw by hand for one turn, or hold it with your fingers until it bites, then drive. Do not expect a magnet that feels strong on a zinc woodscrew to hold an A2 screw on a ladder.

Related pages

When to stop on a stripped screw

Bit set

Best screwdriver bit set for a first UK combi drill

Screwdriver bit set buying guide for recess and case

Impact driver bit set if ordinary tips already snap

Pozidriv vs Phillips and how to tell the crosses apart

Sources

Public UK sources on drive ends, Pozidriv and Phillips, impact-bit wording, satisfactory quality and work equipment. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. ISO 1173:2001, assembly tools for screws and nuts (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Bosch Professional GB, extra-hard screwdriver bits (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Screwfix, types of screwdrivers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Bolts.co.uk, Phillips and Pozidriv (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Milwaukee Tool UK, Shockwave impact duty bits (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)