MacMitch said:
Well I want be using nails to hold up any of my cabinets, thats for sure. The RSS screws may even come into play for the heavy loads, or if I decide the RSS is just a better all purpose screw for me, which is quite possible. Although the Cabinet screws might come in handy for holding down HDPE (plastic) on dog kennel frames and table tops.
Is anyone using the FIN/Trim or RT's? I got some RT's for use in composite deck but have not gotten much chance to use them yet due to cold & ice here. Although the Kameleons do have a couple differences in the tread/head design they appear to be designed to function much like the RT's but with color options. I love my Hitachi 15g nail gun but I realize the limitations of the straight brad/nail.
I will probably have R4 and RSS screws on hand for construction jobs. The Top Star is fascinating for door installs, eliminating shims would be very nice. Although I have used quite a few Tapcons type concrete screws I have not found them to be reliable at holding in either cinder block or concrete walls. I got a small container of Caliburns and will be using them to lock down some 6x6 posts on concrete that are next to a new door, so I should at least get an idea of how easy they are to use with my T15 drill.
No one has mentioned using Pan heads either, pocket holes or drawer slides maybe? The threads look to be somewhere between Kreg coarse & fine threads, closer to coarse, which I hear some people use exclusively for pocket holes.
I use GRK's almost exclusively now, I love em... Yes they're more expensive, but I've never had one stip, break, twist, etc. once I factor the time and money related to those issues, then they are about on par, price wise, with their cheaper competition.
I use the RSS' for cabinet box assembly, and general use.
The R4's are a special screw, they are one of the few screws on the market that have a structural rating for shear strength (a typical screw's fatal flaw). I've had engineers approve them for use on laminated beams, posts and structural saddle installations, so an upper cabinet shouldn't be an issue for it. Overkill, maybe, but what's an extra $1 worth of screws on the entire price of a kitchen install. I personally use the FastCap cabinet screws to hang the cabinets as I can plug the hole easier.
I've found that I never use the trim heads, instead I only use the screw for composite decking, it leaves the same size hole, and it has way more holding power. With the reverse thread you can actually sink the head into trim and then reverse the screw 1/4 to 3/4 of a turn to force a joint tight or to move the trim slightly. It's awesome.
Caliburn's are by far the best concrete screw I've used, I've almost stopped using Hilti anchor bolts.
I haven't used the Topstars, I keep looking into them, but not sold on them yet... they'd leave one hell of a big hole though.
