Be honest tradies, it’s hard to get excited about screws … until a bad one ruins your day.
That’s the view of Queensland carpenter Simon Mee, who reckons the right batten screw can quietly become one of the biggest game changers on site.
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“It’s hard to get excited about screws,” Simon laughed.
“A bad screw will ruin your day, but when you find a good one — especially a batten screw, where you’re using so many of them and they’re so critical — it genuinely makes life easier.
“You actually stop and think, ‘Holy crap, that’s a game changer. I’ll buy them again.’”
After using Buildex Bugle Battens Screws across residential renovation projects, particularly old hardwood Queensland homes, Simon has developed a pretty clear view on what makes them stand out. Here are his five underrated features.
1. The instant start
If there’s one thing Simon noticed straight away, it’s the patented Dual Type 17 tip.
“The biggest thing is the two-times faster start,” he said.
“It’s got a really defined needle point on it, so as soon as you pull the trigger it starts ripping straight into the wood and goes exactly where you point it.”
The Dual Type 17 tip is designed to pierce timber up to twice as fast as conventional bugle batten screws while reducing timber splitting.
On repetitive framing and renovation work, that quicker bite adds up.
Simon noticed it work best when drilling in awkward positions.
“There are so many times where you’re in an awkward spot, you’ve got an LVL on your shoulder, and you’re trying to lock it into position while the batten screw is hanging off the end of the impact driver,” he said.
“There’s absolutely none of that with these. The screw sits in position and doesn’t fall off the end of the driver, and as soon as you pull the trigger it grabs and goes in.”
2. Hex on the beach
Simon is unapologetically pro-hex head.
“It’s just really good to see hex heads becoming popular again,” he said.
“Over the last few years, so many batten screw companies have been trying out star heads, but I’ll always be a fan of hex heads.”
The 5mm internal hex drive is designed for stronger engagement under load, improving torque transfer while reducing cam-out.
“You get a better fix, and it’s great when you can move your impact driver around without the screw falling off the end of the drill,” Simon explained.
3. Faster jobs, less mucking around
On a busy site, speed matters — and Simon said the quicker start is something you genuinely notice.
“When you pull the trigger, the screw starts driving straight away instead of buzzing around for a second before it bites and grips.”
For crews chasing deadlines, shaving seconds off every fastening job becomes meaningful pretty quickly.
4. Cleaner timber, less splitting
Working with old hardwood homes means split timber can quickly become a headache. The Dual Type 17 tip is designed to reduce splitting, helping tradies avoid rework and wasted material.
“A framing nail is never going to achieve the same thing through that old wood,” Simon said. “But you know how much better the fix — and the result — is when you’re using a decent batten screw.”
5. Once you switch, it’s hard to go back
Perhaps the biggest endorsement? Simon said normal batten screws just don’t feel the same anymore.
“Exactly. Once you’ve used them, you can’t go back,” he said. “You use a normal batten screw again and think, ‘This just isn’t the same.’ It ruins it for you.”
Beyond Simon’s favourites, features like the W-Cut thread help reduce driving torque, serrated cutting ribs deliver a cleaner flush finish, and Climashield Class 4 corrosion protection improves durability in harsh outdoor conditions—particularly valuable for fencing, pergolas and exposed timber builds.
For Simon, though, the verdict is simple: “It’s a no-brainer.”
