Square (Robertson) and/or torx depending on application. Square should be for everyday things and torx should be for anything mechanical, yes I know there is a big gray area in the middle there, but flat head, phillips, and hex need to go.
Comment on The torque better not be too strong with this one
tkk13909@sopuli.xyz 6 days agoWait what should the standard be?
AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 6 days ago
arken@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Honest question, why not torx across the board? What do square do well that’s not covered by torx?
someguy3@lemmy.ca 6 days ago
Robertson is tapered, so the bit guides itself in really easily. You just have to hit the hole and it’ll guide itself in. Torx is fickle to line up and orientate.
AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 6 days ago
The way I see it, anything with a square bit can be done by with a hand held screw driver, and anything with a torx bit should probably be torqued to a certain amount and/or be used with a screw gun. Square/Robertson bits are used super often in things like electrical panels and electronics. They are becoming pretty common for cabinetry also. I doubt you’ll see a torx screw in cabinets.
arken@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Thank you for replying. Robertson screws are not common in Scandinavia - at least I’ve never seen one IRL. I use torx for everything, never had an issue with hand screwing them, which is why I asked. But I’m not an expert or professional, just a home owner that tries to DIY as much as I can.
Not having to deal with stripped screws is the biggest plus for me, I hate having to remove a Philips or flathead screw that someone else put in some hard-to-reach location that can’t be turned without breaking. (Which happens surprisingly often, actually.)
Empricorn@feddit.nl 6 days ago
I think it’s slightly more expensive to machine?
flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
Amen, brother!
blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 6 days ago
I have never in my life seen such a screw. Hexagon is the shit here, when it isnt Phillips. Maybe coming from Ikea, I don’t know. Is this format a (popular) US thing?
AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Ya Ikea standardized on hex because it’s cheap to mass produce. It definitely strips though.
Torx has slowly been gaining popularity in the US for a decade or two now, but sadly Phillips is still pretty popular and hex is pretty common also, you will see the square/Robertson screws a lot in electrical panels and in cabinetry but not super common at the hardware store.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 6 days ago
I’d say cross/slit in tiny, torx in small to big screws.
AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Torx for anything that needs to be torqued or used with power tools, Robertson (square) for anything intended to be used with hand tools or more finer work (a screwdriver)
stoy@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
Torx.
Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
Googles it.
Omg, it has 6 sides, that means it’s bestagon
AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 5 days ago
You know! ❤️
tkk13909@sopuli.xyz 6 days ago
I don’t think I had ever actually seen a torx screw head until this conversation lol
stoy@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
If you have an iPhone, you can see two tiny torx screws on the bottom by the lightning/USB-C port
Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 5 days ago
Seems to be common on furniture that you’re supposed to assemble and rearrange, such as convertible crib/beds. One of my kids’ cribs was brand new and the other we got at a garage sale and would be from 2003 or so, and both use torx for this reason