This $7 Amazon Buy Is the Secret to Successful IKEA Furniture Assembly

In the near future, we can expect robots to start taking on some of our more nerve-racking daily tasks, from organizing our closets to assembling a flat-pack chair, while we sit back, sip coffee, and observe in smug satisfaction. Until then, you can certainly call upon TaskRabbit for assistance, or you can personally piece together your own IKEA furniture, one cam at a time. If you do, here’s a potentially life-changing item that will save you time and frustration.

It’s a little known fact that many of the screws IKEA uses are actually intended to be used with Pozidriv bits instead of the ubiquitous Phillips head screwdriver. The two types look similar enough, and are easily confused, but are definitely not the same thing. (Here’s a thorough breakdown on the difference, and side-by-side photos so you can identify which is which). While most Americans own Phillips, Pozi users say the former is less likely to strip IKEA hardware, and slip out of the notch and gouge the surface your working on. Plus, they don’t require you use as much force when tightening up the screw.

This isn’t as big of a deal if you put together one desk every five years or so. But say you are assembling an entire IKEA kitchen, with dozens of cabinets to put together. That translates into a lot of screws, and a lot of unnecessary fumbling, wrenching, and potential damage to the MDF.

Buying anything from the Swedish home goods retailer practically requires one to whine relentlessly about how much it sucks to assemble their furniture. At one point, Buzzfeed infamously pegged the oft-bemoaned activity as “probably Satan’s favorite hobby.” So save yourself from this particular brand of hell, and, before you start assembling, double check your IKEA screws and reach for the right tool for the job.