Every quarter I put in the same order: Simpson Strong-Tie screws, anchors, and a few tools for the crew. I’m the procurement manager at a 24-person concrete company, and for six years I’ve watched our fastener and tool budget hover around $90,000 a year. Nothing teaches you about total cost like replacing an expensive anchor because you saved on the wrong drill.
The question that shows up in our group chat at least once a month is: “Which Simpson Strong-Tie concrete anchor do I need, and is a drill or impact driver better for it?” This article is the answer I end up typing anyway.
The comparison that actually matters
For most of our work, the choice is between 3" Titen HD screws and wedge anchors. Both are Simpson Strong-Tie concrete anchors. Both work. But they are not interchangeable.
I compare them on four dimensions: speed, holding values, total cost, and rework. If you only look at unit price, you’ll miss the most expensive part—labor.
I’m not a structural engineer. My experience is based on roughly 200 anchor orders for slabs, foundations, and protected exterior work. If your project is a high-rise or seismic retrofit, use Simpson’s published load tables and talk to an engineer. That’s the boundary I respect.
3" Titen HD screws vs. wedge anchors
Installation speed
A Titen HD screw is the fastest option. Drill the pilot hole to the size on the package, blow it clean, drive the screw with an impact driver. Done. Exactly what we need when a crew is setting eight sill plates before lunch.
A wedge anchor is slower. It involves extra steps: drill, clean, set, tighten the nut to torque. That torque step can add two minutes per anchor. On 500 anchors, that’s over 16 hours of labor. Not ideal, but if the application needs a wedge anchor, it’s worth it.
Holding values
Wedge anchors generally show higher allowable pullout and shear values in Simpson Strong-Tie’s tables, especially at deeper embedments and larger diameters. When a ledger or equipment base is going to see real load, I don’t argue—I buy wedge anchors.
Titen HD screws are not weak. They’re code-listed screw anchors with published values for common concrete applications. Put another way: for light to medium framing attachments, a 3" Titen HD works fine. For baseplates and guardrails, I use wedge anchors.
Total cost
I want to say our last 1,000-piece order of 3" Titen HD screws ran around $1.40 each, but don’t quote me on that. The wedge anchors in the same diameter were close, maybe $2.00. The real difference was labor. At a fully loaded crew rate of $75 per hour, saving two minutes per anchor is about $2.50 per anchor. So the screw with the higher unit price can be less expensive by the time the hole is done.
(Should mention: those are from a Q4 2024 supplier quote, not public pricing. Verify current prices—fastener pricing has moved around.)
Rework
If a Titen HD screw ends up in the wrong spot, back it out, drill a new hole, and move on. You might not reuse the screw, but you haven’t ruined the concrete. A wedge anchor is buried. Moving one means cutting it off, patching, and a much longer afternoon.
Conclusion: for most above-grade framing and non-structural attachments, I order 3" Titen HD screws. For high-load baseplates and lateral loads, I order wedge anchors. Both live in the trailer all season.
Wait, is a drill or impact driver better?
I get this question more than almost any other. The honest answer is you need both tools, but not for the reasons people expect.
A standard drill is fine for wood or drywall, but for a concrete pilot hole you need a hammer drill. A regular drill just spins a masonry bit and mostly polishes the hole—worse than expected. The hammering action breaks up the aggregate. Use the hammer drill for the pilot hole.
For driving the Titen HD screw, an impact driver is better. The impact driver delivers rotational bursts instead of constant torque, which seats the screw and prevents cam-out. A drill with a clutch will also work, but it isn’t as clean. So, the answer to “is a drill or impact driver better” for Simpson Strong-Tie screws is the impact driver.
For wedge anchors, neither is the right tool. A calibrated torque wrench is. An impact wrench can over-tighten the nut and crush the expansion zone. It’s tempting to think “more torque is better,” but the spec on the box exists for a reason.
Angle grinder review from a procurement guy
Not every anchor job needs an angle grinder. Titen HD screws don’t leave a protruding bolt. Wedge anchors do. Sometimes you also need to cut all-thread rod or rebar. So here is my angle grinder review, shortened to three sentences.
Skip the $30 grinder. I bought two cheap grinders early in my career. Each ran for about 40 cuts before the bearings sounded like gravel. The mid-grade grinders I bought after that are still running after four seasons. Cheap gets you a spinning blade, not longevity. Not great, not terrible, but for regular jobsite work, buy mid-grade.
I won’t name brands because the right angle grinder review depends on how often you use it. If you cut once a month, rent or borrow. If you’re a contractor, put one mid-grade grinder on each crew’s truck. It costs less than a failed anchor inspection.
Pressure washer troubleshooting: a pre-anchor checklist
Dirty concrete ruins anchors. Mud, laitance, and curing compound are the three things that make a good anchor install mediocre. Most of our crews carry a pressure washer for slab prep. And every time a pressure washer sits for a few months, someone asks me why it won’t build pressure.
Pressure washer troubleshooting, in my world, usually goes like this:
- Check the water supply. The inlet screen is clogged or the garden hose is kinked. That fixes more than half of my cases.
- Check the nozzle. A worn nozzle drops pressure. That’s a $10 part, not a pump rebuild.
- Check the unloader valve. Pull the trigger and see if pressure returns. If not, the unloader may be stuck.
- Purge the air. Run the engine with the trigger open for 30 seconds. Air in the system causes surging.
Should you use a pressure washer or a stiff brush? For a whole slab, pressure washer. For a single anchor hole, use a brush and compressed air. You can’t rely on the drill to clean a hole.
So what should I buy?
Here is the version I give to a smart apprentice or a small contractor who wants to stop guessing:
- For sill plates, ledgers, brackets, and light structural framing into concrete: Simpson Strong-Tie screws 3" long—Titen HD—are my default, with a hammer drill for pilot holes and an impact driver for driving.
- For baseplates, guardrail posts, and equipment subject to lateral loads: wedge anchors, with a calibrated torque wrench.
- For hard-to-reach cuts: a mid-grade 4-1/2" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel.
- For dirty concrete: a pressure washer before you start. If it won’t build pressure, run through the troubleshooting list above.
If I could redo one decision from my first year, I’d buy the better angle grinder first and stop trying to save $50 on the wrong tool. That’s a lesson learned the hard way.
My experience is based on a 24-person crew doing mostly residential and light-commercial concrete. If you’re working with high-strength concrete, overhead anchors, or seismic conditions, don’t take my word. Use Simpson Strong-Tie’s published load tables and talk to a structural engineer. The vendor who says “this is the boundary of what I can tell you” is the one I trust with the next order anyway.
