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Author: Fixfast Marketing

Installers' Favourite Screwgun is Revealed

  • Read time: 3 minutes
  • Date: 22 Mar 2022
When you’re installing hundreds of thousands of self-drilling fasteners, a reliable electric screwdriver (more commonly known as a screwgun) is essential.

So, we conducted a quick poll to find out which brands of screwgun are most popular. More than 80 of our customers took part and the results revealed a clear winner – Makita.

Animated graph showing total votes for each brand of screw gun

Securing nearly 50% of the votes, Makita screwguns are lightweight and ergonomically designed which means they are comfortable to hold even after hours of use. Crucially, they also feature variable speed controls. This is important because the no-load rotation speed can directly affect the quality of fastener installation and if fasteners aren’t installed correctly, it can compromise the safety and weatherproofing of the whole build.

When installing self-drilling fasteners into [application] a no-load rotation speed of 2,000 rpm should not be exceeded. When drilling into light section, the optimum no-load rotation speed is lower still at 1,500 rpm.

Using a gun that exceeds these speeds (such as a drywall gun) in these applications will cause the drill point to burn out and fail. It can also work-harden the steel, so a new fastener won’t be able to drill through the material either. Of course, if you choose a screwgun that’s too slow, the fastener will not be able to drive through the material it is fixing into. Not only is this frustrating but it can damage the fastener and the material being fixed.

Ultimately, good installation starts with using the right tools and when it comes to the fast, accurate installation of self-drilling fasteners, our customers have confirmed that Makita screwguns are the installer’s choice.

Find out more about how your choice and use of tooling, such as screwguns, could be contributing to common fastener-related installation issues (and find out how to avoid them) at the Skills Hub.