The most common kinds of screwdrivers are those that have a blade end. These are called flat blade screwdrivers. They have been around the longest. They are what is called traditional, whatever that is. The second most common drivers are the Phillips head screwdrivers. These drivers have a four-star point at the end that fits into the cross-shaped top of a Phillips screw. These screwdrivers are supposed to allow you to apply more torque to the screw. Because of the cross-shaped depression in the the surface of the screw, the screwdriver will not slide from the screw head because easily as the flat blade may from the position mind mess.
Speaking of torque, it is always important to get the right screwdriver for the screw that you are driving. That is important in more than one area. Some folks try to use a flat blade screwdriver in a Phillips head screw or vice-versa. This is not a good idea. Also some will try to use the wrong size screwdriver for the screw. Either the slot head is too small for the blade end of the screwdriver or the blade could be too wide to fit down snugly into the slot of the screw. When you fit the blade or point of the screwdriver into the slot or star of the screw you can tell if there is a snug fit. With the slot screwdriver the blade should not only fit snugly into the slot, but it should not hang out over the edges of the screw either. With the Phillips screwdriver the tip of the tool should fit snugly down into the cross shape with no play from side-to-side. If the tip of the driver does not fit correctly into the screw you could damage either the head of the screw or the surface into which the screw is being driven. Neither of those outcomes is enjoyable, it's a lot more difficult to attempt to extract the damaged mess, than it is to make use of the best screwdriver in the first place.
There are some other screwdriver types that are less commonly known. One of these is the torx screwdriver. This one is designed for high torque applications. The end of the tool has a star shape. It is not exactly like the Phillips, but similar. The star shape allows for very high torque to be applied to the screw. Other types of these high torque screwdrivers include variations that are similar to the torx. These are polydrive, spline-drive, double hex, triple square, and Bristol.
Obviously the different types of screwdrivers apply torque to screws that are put into different types of surfaces. The blade type driver would be used primarily for wood and softer metal surfaces. It is a very good idea to drill a pilot hole where the screw will be placed in the surface. Obviously you want that hole to be just a little smaller in diameter that the screw. Another way to make the hole into which the screw will be driven is to use a nail and hammer. Always use a nail that is smaller than the diameter of the screw to make the hole. And do not drive the nail in too deep. You just want a hole that will allow the first turns of the screw to start to hold when it is put into the hole with a screwdriver. Also the nail needs to be pulled out easily. That hole will make sure that the screw will hold fast when it is screwed into the surface. Also the hole will make it much easier to screw in the screw, you won't have to use as much force with the screwdriver.
The actual Phillips screwdriver allows you to successfully place anchoring screws into harder forest and alloys, while the torx driver would allow you to place screws into very hard alloys. There are a lot of variation of each of these types also. There are short, thin shaft blade screwdrivers that are called Cabinet. These are usually used for working with low torque applications such as putting screws into the soft wood of a cabinet, hence the name. There are variations in the length of the shafts of a screwdrivers. Some are short or stubby for working in tight places. Some have very long shafts for reaching down into hard to reach areas. Contrary to what you might think, the longer shaft of a screwdriver does not allow you to apply more torque to the screw. Having a larger handle for the screwdriver will allow greater torque to be applied. For the extremely high torque applications the ratchet screwdriver can be used very effectively. This tool combines a blade or other type of tip with the high leverage handle. This combination will produce very high torque for putting screws into very hard surfaces.
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