IDEAL Industries Square-Recess Tip Screwdriver

IDEAL's square-recess tip screwdrivers are offered in #0, #1 and #2 tips. The #0 comes with a 4 inch shank (35-690), the #1 in 4 inch (35-691) or 8 inch (35-692), and the #2 in 4 inch (35-693) or 8 inch (35-694). Match the tip number to the screw recess, not to the shank length: a #1 driver in a #2 recess will cam out and chew the socket.

Square-recess terminal screws on breakers, load centers and wiring devices are most often a #2 recess, with #1 showing up on smaller device and control terminals and #0 on fine instrument work. IDEAL covers all three, and the #2 is available with either a 4 inch shank (35-693) for close device-box work or an 8 inch shank (35-694) when you need to reach past gutter wire into a panel interior.

No. These are standard chrome vanadium steel square-recess drivers with a cushioned rubber comfort grip, not insulated tools. The rubber grip is for torque and hand comfort, not protection. For work on energized conductors you need a driver rated and marked for insulated use, so de-energize and verify before using these.

The 4 inch shank is the one you want in a device box or a tight junction box where there is no room to swing a long driver. The 8 inch shank buys reach into panelboards, gutters and deep enclosures. Length only matters for the choice if you are buying #1 or #2 tips, since the #0 is built on a 4 inch shank only.

Don't. A Phillips tip only contacts the corners of a square recess, so it slips under torque and rounds out the screw head, which is exactly the failure that leaves a loose terminal. These IDEAL drivers have a tip ground specifically for square-recess screws, which is why they seat fully and let you push torque straight down the fastener. Many combination-head screws accept both, but a true square recess needs a square tip.

The shank is nickel-chrome plated for corrosion resistance over a chrome vanadium steel core, so it tolerates humidity and truck-bin conditions better than a bare steel shank. That plating is a surface finish, not a seal, so wipe the driver down after wet work rather than leaving it standing in water.

The handles are color-coded by size, so a crew can grab the right tip out of a pouch without reading stamped numbers. That matters most if you stock more than one size, for example a #1 and a #2 for mixed device and panel terminals. For purchasing, order by part number: 35-690 (#0 x 4"), 35-691 (#1 x 4"), 35-692 (#1 x 8"), 35-693 (#2 x 4") and 35-694 (#2 x 8").