Square is really good too.
Phillips and flat head bits fit in a variety of sizes of screw heads. We seem to have chosen convenience over performance.
YouShutYoMouf 19 points 3 years ago
motorwerks 5 points 3 years ago
If memory serves me correctly square drive is patented, & thus requires licensing, which is why it's less commonly used.
bobs_monkey 10 points 3 years ago
And then bolts
Omnomnom-oom 17 points 3 years ago
That is actually a feature of this design. They were the answer to in-line screwdrivers who had no precise stopping torque: cam-out before the thread is damaged.
buckykat 28 points 3 years ago
I know it's an intentional feature, but it's a bad feature. Camming out damages the head of the screw. This exchanges repairability for manufacturing simplicity. Additionally, the sloped shape makes it possible to use slightly oversized or undersized drivers, further increasing the chance of camming out and damaging the screwhead.
motorwerks 3 points 3 years ago
To your point it's a compromised solution for a problem that no longer exists.
RubberElectrons 2 points 3 years ago
Bug turned into a feature: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Cam_out
MyFeetOwnMySoul 43 points 3 years ago
Anyone who willfully uses a slotted screw on a new project in the presence of even somewhat reasonable alternatives should have a lifetime ban on designing any items for anyone.
Also, use Robertsons, gink.
PupBiru 19 points 3 years ago
it’s single valid use: somewhere that you may not have tools but might require an impromptu fix… preferably paired with a much larger screw than technically required so you can use things like coins as a driver
nightauthor 14 points 3 years ago
Yeah, like mounting plates for cameras…. Um, I think that’s the only place I’ve appreciated a slot screw
Syntopicon 2 points 3 years ago
We put slots on the thumbscrews used on some of our connectors for military radios. This was a soldier can open or tighten them down with a knife blade.
perviouslyiner 2 points 3 years ago
Basically when it's large enough that using a coin instead of a screwdriver is more convenient
MyFeetOwnMySoul 1 point 3 years ago
No.
Thumbscrews, or wingnuts.
cannedtuna 3 points 3 years ago
Fuck electrical wall plates I guess then? It’s so hard to find any switch plates or device plates that come with Phillips instead of Slotted.
nameisnotimportant 4 points 3 years ago
security torx
Do you know what's the deal with them except having to pay / find extra bits?
ThatWeirdGuy1001 11 points 3 years ago
They're designed so the average person isn't gonna have the tools to mess with them.
Taxxor 6 points 3 years ago
Most of the sets I own have a hole in them, so I think for the scenario that the average person does actually have a torx set, the chance is pretty high that it's also one that they can use on those "security" torx screws. So I don't see them that much more secure than regular torx. The only reason I could think of is that you also can use a normal screwdriver to unscrew a torx, which is harder to do with that extra pin. But it can still be done^^
SpookySnek 1 point 3 years ago
It used to be more secure but manufacturers started to just put a hole in all of their torx bits to compensate lol. Now it's pretty much pointless
CaptainLemmit 9 points 3 years ago
If you're determined enough you can jam a slot screwdriver in a torx and turn it, the security bit makes it so that you have to be REALLY determined when you jam the slot screwdriver in
AClassyGentleman 29 points 3 years ago
Situation: There are 20 screw standards.
John Corporate: "20 standards... I know, I'll create a new type of screw that will be unique to my corporate overlords and prevent users from repairing their own devices!"
Situation: There are 21 screw standards.
thesanewriter 1 point 3 years ago
Yeah, given enough time sometimes one of the standards will win and kill the others, it kinda just depends (in part on luck)
Harlehatschi 6 points 3 years ago
Wish Windows knew that
Knightfall 28 points 3 years ago
Canadian here. I'm offended the Robertson (square) has been shamed like this.
Feweroptions 12 points 3 years ago
Robertson head gang represent. It's just so good.
owenfromcanada 3 points 3 years ago
Agreed. And frankly, the square/slotted should be in its own (lower) tier.
nihilist_hippie 3 points 3 years ago
💯
barsoap 15 points 3 years ago
Torx are the better hex as they apply torque to six planes, not six lines. It's right-out impossible to strip a torx.
The disadvantage is that it's harder to machine but that really doesn't matter for cast screws. Tools are also cheaper that's why IKEA etc. use them.
barsoap 6 points 3 years ago
Nah, cheap hex tools are cheap, those one time use allen wrenches. Torx comes with a higher minimum quality as you can't just bend some rolled hex stock and have something that passes as a tool.
High-grade bits are expensive in either case, shape doesn't matter much in that segment so tradespeople go by what's the best shape and that's torx. Really makes a difference when you're going through thousands of say drywall screws a day: They never cam out, you can set precise torque with an actual torque limiter and screw them in at ridiculously high speeds without pressing down on the screw. Aim, fire, done, next, especially if your whatsitcalled in English has a magazine.
(if you over-torque a torx screw one of two things is going to happen: Either the screw head breaks off, or the bit. Also a kind of torque limiter)
In other applications they might be overkill but only having one type of screw around makes up for the minimal amount that torx is more expensive.
Things like external hex or if you want squares or really whatever of course also have their place, no matter the even number of sides it's all wrench flats.
And for some reason electricians are fond of their combined flat/pozi screws. First outlet manufacturers used flatheads, then when switching to pozi they realised that while J. Random Consumer might have pozi screwdrivers their one insulated one is a flathead so they combined the shapes, then along come electricians and buy screwdrivers for that combined shape because it self-centres and nearly self-rotates and doesn't cam out easily.
ArumiOrnaught 23 points 3 years ago
I strongly dislike how many times I've stripped a Phillips and used a die grinder to force it to become a flat. Torx is fine.
Sir_Osis_of_Liver 8 points 3 years ago
I used to restore "barn bikes", most of them were Japanese. It took me a while to figure out the difference between Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and Phillips screws. Of course over the years, a lot of the fasteners had already been cammed out by previous owners using a Phillips screwdriver in a JIS screw. I had to resort to the die grinder method far more than I'd have preferred.
gerowen 23 points 3 years ago
I hate phillips. It seems like their only purpose for existing is to strip out so that you can never remove them.
Personally, any time I have a project, I always opt for torx (star). The screwdriver bits for them are not tapered so they don't push themselves back out of the screw-head (unlike phillips), so they tend to stay in place and grip much better. It's a lot harder to screw up a torx screw or bit than a phillips one.
snaf 7 points 3 years ago
They actually were designed to cam out in low torque applications so consumers could not over-tighten them. The problem is now those consumers only know what a phillips is, so they're used for everything.
RubberElectrons 2 points 3 years ago
Hilariously, that "purposeful cam-out" was the manufacturers/patent-holders trying to turn a bug into a feature. https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Cam_out
tour_glum 5 points 3 years ago
Same. I use torx for everything. Also gotta love the square Robertson ones, they're just not common where I live. I hate Philips, although for anyone not aware, there is a difference between posi drive an Philips and going to the effort of making sure you have the correct one massively reduces torquing out and damage to screw head.
catshit_dogfart 1 point 3 years ago
IMO, phillips is for electronics and some small applications. Something you're really not putting much pressure on and probably driving by hand and not a power tool.
OminousOrange 5 points 3 years ago
The real "actual screw".
perviouslyiner 1 point 3 years ago path: 0 616520 634411, hotness: undefined, score: 1, children: 0
cannedtuna 1 point 3 years ago
Lately I’ve seen a lot more Phillips Square, which is nice when you strip the fuck out of the Phillips head. Those are alright.
JarmenKell 20 points 3 years ago
Hex screws are sick tho. Great when there isnt much space to tighten regular screws.
Sir_Osis_of_Liver 17 points 3 years ago
Torx or Robertson, are the only ones worth a damn.
0421008445828ceb46f496700a5fa6 13 points 3 years ago
I like pluses and squares. Minuses need to be removed from existence
FluffyBun98 12 points 3 years ago
Square drive on personal projects, forever and always. Maybe I'm buying the wrong torx, Phillips, and flat screws, but they strip out way too often. I've never had issues with square drive screws no matter where or how I use them
catshit_dogfart 5 points 3 years ago
Yup, anytime I'm driving into solid wood, it's square head screws. Phillips heads slip out under the stress and end up stripped.
RubberElectrons 2 points 3 years ago
Bug turned into a feature: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Cam_out
Sir_Simon_Spamalot 1 point 3 years ago
The ISO defines it as so
Invishiro 9 points 3 years ago
Square is my favorite but never used in industrial maintenance much. The square combos are on new electrical devices for construction though. I use mostly Phillips/slotted. A few security torx. Lots of hex heads, and all the small electrical terminals are slotted.
Whey_Isolate 8 points 3 years ago
Oh god as a vintage camera collector spanner screws are the bane of my existence
SpookySnek 2 points 3 years ago
Relateable lmao
phuntis 6 points 3 years ago
nah you can throw flathead in mental disorders too phillips is the one screw to rule them all and all those nerds can shut up about maths of why the others are technically superior that's all great on paper but phillips is actually a thing you try using your "perfect" torx screwdriver on any scree you can't cause none of them are torx phillips is good enough and actually used flathead isn't even really used that much anymore it's only slightly less rare than the others and it just plain sucks
Vupperware 11 points 3 years ago
Dang bro that was hard to read
lazyplayboy 6 points 3 years ago
Phillips is terrible, it's literally designed to cam-out, which means it strips if the screw has got seized in position.
Pozidrive is a million times better than Phillips.
phuntis -1 points 3 years ago
don't care I've never seen a pozidrive screw in my life my autocorrect even just changed that to positive it's such a meme that no one uses so Phillips is better by virtue of actually being used
nihilist_hippie 3 points 3 years ago
I usually see Spanner type screws in my local hospital.
7upCoconut 3 points 3 years ago
That makes sense. They're not an easy bit to stumble across at the hardware store so they're considered tamper resistant. It's not impossible to get one out, but you're going to be pretty determined without the bit.
Hospitals are public spaces with sensitive medical equipment. They don't want someone getting into things they shouldn't.)
ghostinthemachine 6 points 3 years ago
If you or any of your friends have wooden decks, check there. That's where I've seen them the most.
cassisvibbin 1 point 3 years ago
spline screws >:(
hiyaaaaa23 1 point 3 years ago
Hex is the best, cmv
animelivesmatter 1 point 3 years ago
Pentelobe is too much of a delusion to even get on here, inshallah the EU regulation train will erase them for good
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Torx is the only head that needs to exist. The rest can go fuck a rusty chainsaw.
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