How different wall anchors work - GIF

[Altair]

How different wall anchors work.




Previously:

Technique for evenly attaching devices to a wall - photo
Installing joist hangers - GIF
Wall plastering machine

[hemmjo]

Interested video, however the purpose of the video is unclear. It shows incorrect use of all the anchors.

Specifically the Yellow, Metal, and Gray are designed to be used various, but specific thickness wall materials with a hollow cavity behind. They are designed such that the wings can expand behind the wall and spread any load against a larger surface.

The red anchor is to be used in a hole where it is fully confined by the hole. Typically this would be something like concrete or masonry where it can expand and get a tight grip in the sides of the hole. However in the example, dismissing the fact that the wood itself would hold better than the plastic, the anchor SHOULD have been installed into the bottom piece then the screw inserted through the top piece in order to pull the two pieces together.

I can not comment on nail and the wood dowel, have never seen that before.

Having not seen the video in context, it almost seems it was made specifically to show the incorrect way to use anchors.

[Floradawg]

If you really want it secure use a toggle bolt if practicable.

[Paul Alciatore]

I have used many anchors in various walls and can only say, is this video a JOKE?

In my youth I hung draperies and other window treatments on a professional basis. Curtain rods are one of the most demanding things that can be attached to a wall because they must withstand the forces of opening and closing the curtain over and over again. I would NEVER have used even a single one of the plastic anchors you showed. ALL of them would have pulled out of the wall after the drapery was opened and closed just a few times. And I would have been back to correct the situation. Frankly, the first thing I did was to drill with a small diameter bit to see if there was wood behind the wall's surface. If there was, then NO ANCHOR was called for as the simple wood screw would hold better than any of them.

That leaves the single metal anchor you showed, commonly called a "Molly". Those are great and were my anchor of choice when the wall was HOLLOW. They are designed to expand their metal fingers into triangles which would grip on about a 1" area of the dry wall or plywood wall board and that provided the best anchor that was possible with a hollow wall. Using them as shown in this video, in a small diameter hole in a solid material is just asking for them to be pulled out. Don't do it.

This video teaches NOTHING of value.

[Paul Alciatore]

Toggle bolts are OK, but can not be reused. When you take the bolt out, the toggle nut drops down inside the wall and can not be retrieved without ripping the wall apart. The Molly style anchor is much better for a hollow wall.

And if you want to hide the hole, it is easier to plaster over a Molly anchor as opposed to the large hole left by the toggle bolt.

If you really want it secure use a toggle bolt if practicable.

[Floradawg]

True. Advantages and disadvantages for most decisions.