What Makes a Good Fastener?

A good fastener needs to be usable in multiple applications and environments. A few examples include decking (both composite and traditional wood), fencing, crating, subflooring, framework and hobby building. Some jobs are better suited to a nail, some to a screw. A combination fastener can give you the best qualities of both traditional options.

Finish options

Once you find a fastener that fits your project, you need to select from multiple finishes that vary in both cost and style. Exposed fastener work may require stainless steel. If you don’t have the budget for it, another option is the SCRAIL® which can be electro-galvanized or FasCoat® plated.

Agility

A good fastener must be easily and quickly installed. Collated combination fasteners, like SCRAIL®, can help you work up to eight times faster than traditional screws or nails. They can be installed with the speed of a pneumatic nail gun and backed out as easily as a screw.

Installation options

Fasteners are available in a host of installation formats including bulk individual units, strips, or coils and several head options like star, Philips, Pozi, square, and versa.

Multiple thread options

You need variety here as well, such as fine, coarse, double thread, and steelthread.

Holding power

Keeping your materials joined is the whole point of fasteners. A good fastener will have dramatically increased holding power over traditional nails.

Backed by a brand you trust

Construction is a tough business, and bad quality materials can crush your reputation as a builder. Buying products from a company that is trustworthy and known for high quality helps you be certain you are getting good fasteners.

Not all fasteners are created equal. Some are heads and shanks above the rest, like SCRAIL® the Faster Fastener® from FASCO America. SCRAIL® collated fasteners are incredibly versatile fasteners that can be driven with a pneumatic nailer at a rate twice as fast as collated screws and eight times faster than bulk screws. They offer dramatically increased holding power versus nails, while gaining the added benefit of easy adjustment and quick removal. Customers can rely upon SCRAIL® fasteners to have the bite to hold strong, without callbacks to fix a squeak or a nail pop.

Now you know what makes a good fastener – as well as who makes them!