While we were watching thousands of people drive (and strip) zillions of screws at Maker Faire, one attendee stopped by to suggest that we’d have had better luck with Deck Mate screws.  Actually, a couple of different people suggested them, which drove us to the Deck Mate website for a look.

Apparently the secret to Deck Mate’s screws is a set of “Anti-Camout Ribs” (ACRs) that match up with a set of ribs on Deck Mate’s special driver bits.  The difference between Deck Mates and other specialty screws (like LOX) is that you can drive Deck Mates with a standard #2 Phillips bit.  The special bits engage the ACRs and are less likely to strip, but if you need to drive ‘em with a standard bit, you can.

At any rate, with that many pros recommending them, they’re probably worth a look.  We’ll see about picking up some for testing when we can.

Deck Mate Screws [Corporate Site]