Outlaw aims to reinvent the screw

By Drew Prindle February 24, 2014

outlaw aims reinvent screw — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Screws and other fasteners weren’t exactly begging for a makeover, but since reinventing the wheel is pretty played out at this point, Outlaw decided to go a different route and reinvent the screw.

The company (which recently finished up a $100K Kickstarter campaign) is trying to start a revolution with aims to unseat the big guys – Phillips, flathead, and all their friends – and become the bench standard in the fastener industry.

With an innovative new design, Outlaw screws help to cure all the headaches that comes with our current fasteners – things like stripped heads, tedious pilot holes, and constant bit swapping. Here’s a quick rundown of the key design features.

Non-slip head

Instead of the standard + shaped Phillips head, Outlaw fasteners feature three tiers of hexagonal recesses. This provides the heads with 18 different contact points instead of the normal four, which makes the bit far less likely to slip out and strip the screw. This design also makes it possible to hold the screw horizontally on the bit without the help of magnets.

One bit to rule them all

Thanks to the tiered design of the screw heads, you can drill any type of Outlaw screw with just a single bit. Even if smaller screws only have one or two tiers of hexagons, the bit will still fit into them just fine.

Automatic countersink

On the underside of their innovative hexagonal heads, the screws are equipped with small ridges that cut a shallow groove in the work surface as you drill them down. This allows you to easily make the screw flush with the rest of the surface instead of on top of it.

Self-drilling tips

Drilling pilot holes for every screw is a tedious and time-consuming process, so Outlaw screws are equipped with uber-sharp self-drilling tips that eliminate the need to pre-drill them. Check out the video below to see just how easy it is.

Unfortunately you won’t be able to find these badboys at your local hardware store just yet, but Outlaw is currently in the middle of its first large-scale production run. If all goes well, they should ship to distributors during the second quarter of 2014.

Find out more here.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

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