Fuck this. Torx, Hex, square drive are all positive engagement. Phillips is literally designed to cam out. Slotted is just the first head type to have existed because of how easy it is to make, but is far inferior to every other type.
acceptable screws
Submitted 1 year ago by SSUPII@sopuli.xyz to [deleted]
https://sopuli.xyz/pictrs/image/5695b0a8-7fd3-479f-9c15-b7b4f4d16912.webp
Comments
thantik@lemmy.world 1 year ago
A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 1 year ago
A good square bit for my impact is a lifesaver as an electrician. Pretty much every conduit fitting set screw can take flat, Philips, or square. When you’re reaching out one-handed from the top of a ladder, you really don’t want to cam out all the time.
Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Flat head screws are necessary when at a very small scale like in watchmaking.
halfapage@lemmy.world 1 year ago
[deleted]Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 1 year ago
Robertson (square) is also great, and it's as Canadian as bagged milk
SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Torx were basically invented because Henry Ford wanted to have exclusive use of the patent and the Canadian didn’t want to do that.
Contramuffin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Really not a fan of Hex (it just cams out way too easily) but Torx is like screwdriver orgasm. Philips just feels like intentionally bad design
partial_accumen@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Philips just feels like intentionally bad design
Philips are designed the way they are so that they “cam out”. Meaning if too much force is applied to the screw, the driver will intentionally pop out to avoid damaging the tool or the fastener. Its a feature, not a flaw. A Robertson (square), torx, or hex will let you apply enough force until the screw or the driver fail catastrophically.
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you’ve tried to do any large amount of work with slotted, you’ll know that it belongs in Mental Disorders. I’ll take Six-Lobe/Torx over phillips or slotted any day of the week.
UsernameIsTooLon@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yea but fuck the security torx screws. Also hot take, but underrated screw goes to tri-wing/Y. They’d be great screws if they weren’t security screws as well.
gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Also hot take, but underrated screw goes to tri-wing
Is that a hot take? Everyone I’ve ever mentioned them to who knows what they are immediately starts shit talking both them and Nintendo for making us buy a screwdriver for one set of devices in our lives
Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You can just get a pack of security bits from HF or online.
MeanEYE@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Wow, person making this chart actually has no clue. First two are absolute worst nightmare. Torx, Pozidrive, JIS, Alan all great with minimum damage.
Hasuris@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
It’s the “grandpa has been using slotted all his life so it can’t be bad” reasoning. I can’t think of a single use case I’d want slotted or even philips, if I’ve got a choice. Torx or bust!
If you’re having trouble with Torx, buy better screws and bits. There are so many terrible screws around. The difference between a deep well fitting head and the cheap trash is massive.
pelotron@midwest.social 1 year ago
Yea, I had quite the wtf moment one time when I stripped a Torx screw.
BorgDrone@lemmy.one 1 year ago
If you’re having trouble with Torx, buy better screws and bits.
Last year I needed to do some hardwood construction outdoors. On the advise of a carpenter I ordered some high quality stainless steel Torx screws online. They don’t sell these in the consumer-oriented DIY store. They were awesome, much harder than the cheap screws, that would easily bend when driven into hardwood, much sharper as well and if you buy a box of 100 or more it comes with a bit which fits perfectly. So much easier to use than the overpriced crap from the DIY store.
johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Most of us are dealing with screws that someone else installed, though. Can’t really control the fact that the manufacturer decided to save .5 cents per units by using cheapass screws that strip if you look at them.
RatBin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
slotted screws are all fun and games, but if they’re ruined…you will never get them out. I coursed these screws. Eventually they got the dremel treatement.
MeanEYE@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Can’t say I’ve ever had fun with slotted screw.
harsh3466@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
Yes!
t0fr@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
You can tell a shitpost is a shitpost when it is entirely wrong
SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Successfully baited 200 comments
t0fr@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Did you really shitpost? Or did you go fishing?
pelotron@midwest.social 1 year ago
Agreed, Phillips needs to get Thanos’d.
lambda@programming.dev 1 year ago
Torx screws 4 lyfe
MataVatnik@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Same with slotted, hate them with a passion, especially when it’s those with the raise head
LookBehindYouNowAndThen@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yeah, they’re literally made to cam out.
Useful for automation, but terrible for repairs.
locke@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
Slotted is absolute shit. Philips is acceptable if you must live in the 1900s.
Torx all the way.
Oderus@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Robertson, or square is the best. Screw will literally stay in the screw without dropping.
DacoTaco@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Pozidrive and torx ftw. The rest can bugger off tbh.
Also, temper proof torx makes me lol. Brb, grabbing pliers to break of the temper proof bit hahaNoobnarski@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Temper proof torx makes me lol, because almost every bit set I own includes them.
If you break it off you will most likely leave some behind, which will significantly reduce the mating area because you cannot insert the bit fully and may lead to stripping the screw.
eyeon@lemmy.world 1 year ago
the only slightly justifiable use of slotted is something like the face plate on a light switch or power outlet, where it doesn’t have to be particularly tight and it’s nice you can remove it in a pinch with a fingernail or dime.
… but really if someone came and replaced all of mine with torx I can’t say id complain, so its not like they’re good in that use case… just less awful
Toastypickle@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is the way
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Posidrive is an alright compromise. It’s drives fairly well with the correct bit, but will also work with a Phillips screwdriver.
anlumo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
but will also work with a Phillips screwdriver
Only if you hate the screw and never want to see it in its full glory again.
Leviathan@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m sorry, calling Robertson “square” is insulting to a superior screw design and fuck you for even pretending it isn’t.
bane_killgrind@kbin.social 1 year ago
6 "lobe" is torx too. Nobody calls Allen bolts hexagon either.
finalarbiter@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t think I’ve ever heard that fastener called an Allen bolt, just the tool (Allen key). I’ve generally heard them called hex sockets heads. Maybe it’s a regional thing?
Leviathan@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Just rude, really.
BreadOven@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Agreed, but I often hear Allen keys referred to as hex keys. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone confused by that though.
Rinox@feddit.it 1 year ago
Nobody calls Allen bolts hexagon either.
That’s not true when working internationally, since it can have different names in different nations. In Italy is Brugola, in Germany Inbus and in other places it has other names. Everyone understands what a hex key is though
Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s a crime against safe screwing to dis Robertson like that.
UnfortunateShort@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Everyone who does not want torx and nothing but torx has never screwed torx screws.
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Honestly, I dont understand why everything isnt square drive.
its simple, and its a pretty strong design that resists camming out and rounding off.
Acters@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Some claim to have stripped Robertson screws but to be fair, the metal used and amount of torque the peson applies is the biggest reason for problems.
Phillips heads were supposed to solve the over torquing problem, but everyone didn’t listen to standard specifications and didn’t bother using them as they were meant to be made and used. The Philips head was supposed to slip once the correct torque was applied. Unfortunately, this positive benefit became a negative. With poor metals and a mismatched driver bit to screw head along with not using the screw head that was meant for the specified torque demands, the Phillips screw became known for stripping.
Trying to implement non overtorquing feature to the square bit and you will find how similar it will look to the Phillips head.
Right now, Torx is the best at not stripping, but good luck if the screw is overtorqued. Eventually, the cheap metal gives out with the screw head, or bit, snapping off.
ikidd@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Fuck large format torx that are exposed to the element. I just weld a nut on them now and pound them out with an impact because you’ll break 2 torx bits for every one bolt you’d get out.
Aux@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Torx are cancer.
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
There is one screw on this chart that I have a mortal hatred for. Just one. That being the fat Phillips (called “Phillips/square” on this chart meme thing).
I have no idea why, but some companies can’t resist the sadistic urge to put tiny versions of these fuckers on equipment that should just use a torque or Phillips screw head. But no, they want you to truly suffer. Because they don’t stop there: they make the fragile little fuckers out of NICKEL. Which means they are extra malleable and prone to strip if you so much as look at them the wrong way. So imagine you need to replace a hard drive on a RAID-type storage pool that’s already down two spares and you can’t fucking get the drive out of it’s sled because the vendor not only hired a bodybuilder to tighten the screws, but simultaneously chose the worst possible metal just for giggles and chose the screw head that they no body will have the proper bit for and will inevitably use a normal phillips on until it strips.
I now have a ritual procedure of putting every drive that gets replaced in the coldest cold aisle in the datacenter for at least 5 minutes just to make these fucking screws less likely to ruin my day.
Fuck whoever invented the fat phillips, even the lowest ring of hell is too good for them.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 year ago
But no, they want you to truly suffer.
It’s called Planned Obsolescence, sweatie. Now go out and buy a new device.
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Buddy. I’m not talking about consumer equipment. I’m talking about enterprise equipment that costs more than your car. Step off.
stoicmaverick@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ya. Just those guys, and anybody who eats turtles. Keep the psychos out of the nice parts of hell.
casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Every awkward fascist, sexist turtle will be gathered into an imaginary pot and cooked alive for all to see. The aroma and broth will be delectable.
If you have no idea what any of this means and no idea why I don this weird username, then please stay out of it for your own sanity. Otherwise, lmk and I’ll begrudgingly curse you with knowledge of the tale of a particularly disgraceful misanthrope and an even worse excuse for a human being.
Etterra@lemmy.world 1 year ago
A lot of those wacky screws exist solely to keep people from randomly messing with them. You have to really go out of your way the get the right tool for the job, and that’s if there even is one.
Like the one-way screws holding together bathroom stalls.
seriousconsideration@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Socket (hexagon) and Robinson (square) are hyper common standards. You use Robinson for wood working due to the shape offering more resistance for high speed driving, and you use a socket with an allen key in order to get precise high torque hand tightening. IMO Phillips and Slot are the worst common standards due to stripping and sliding.
altima_neo@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
I’m American and even i can agree Robertson are the goat.
Phillips and flat suck. Not enough surface area on Phillips, resulting in stripped screws. And getting centered on flat sucks.
Robertson drive, just pop your driver in and it’s self centering, lots of surface contact to drive, and lots of meat on the head to prevent stripping. Anything more than 4 edges is unnecessary.
AresUII@lemmy.world 1 year ago
stoi@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Where my hex fans at?
Jon_Servo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Torx is the only screw I buy when I buy screws. All the phillipses and other shit screws I have were included with some other shit I bought.
strawberry@kbin.run 1 year ago
nah torx and hex are great
jadedwench@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No thanks. I will stick to my torx and hex, and they better be in metric.
- Don’t use over or undersized screwdrivers, especially on smaller electronics.
- Stop torquing while you are still ahead.
- Be especially careful if the metals are soft.
- Keep your driver perpendicular. Better drivers can make this easier.
- Better to back out the screw and try again if it isn’t going in smooth on something threaded. Check for debris and burrs. If you need to apply more pressure, do so carefully.
- I have found that for small stuff, getting nicer drivers makes a huge difference.
Penta-lobes for some of the small electronics are funny I guess, but they don’t bother me as long as I have a bit for it. Main thing is to understand why some of these different shapes exist.
Gabu@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Slot screws are the worst of them all…
Ginger666@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You obviously haven’t ever worked in construction.
T-20 T-25 T-30
Square heads (Robinson) are used by millwork guys (cabinets)
Hex head are also used a lot
creditCrazy@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I actually really like Philips with slot because it’s just a Philips with a slot for when the Philips gets stripped so the two on the bottom right corner are the best in my opinion because if one ether the flat head or the Philips gets stripped you can just grab a ratchet or spanner
NegativeLookBehind@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Flatheads are awful and you know it.
Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Fuuuuckin hell, I haven’t seen a slotted screw since the 1980s. Philips screws are exclusively for electrical.
Is this yet another way the US has dropped 30 years behind modern countries?
joel_feila@lemmy.world 1 year ago
where are they called slotted, I have only ever heard them called flat.
Sloogs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
You’ll call a Phillips a Phillips but not a Robertson a Robertson or an Allen an Allen, smh
PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
My boy, you do NOT do Robinson dirty like that.
ThrowawaySobriquet@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Phillips are for boring fuckin normies who can’t chooch
starman@programming.dev 1 year ago
Pozidrive is clearly superior to Phillips
evergreen@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m seeing a lot of people here claiming that the Philips head was originally designed to cam out/strip to prevent a transfer of force sufficient to twist the head off. While I agree this does sound logically plausible, I could find no reference to such features in the original patent: …storage.googleapis.com/…/US2046837.pdf 🤷♂️
CaptainPedantic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Philips screws are awful. They strip if you look at them wrong. Flatheads should only be used on thumbscrews just in case you need a little extra torque from a screwdriver.
Torx and Hex are excellent.
weeeeum@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I work on electronics and woodworking and Phillips are the utter worst of both of them. The thread lock in computers makes them easy to strip when unscrewing. The resistance of driving them into wood makes them guaranteed to strip when screwing. Fuck them.
stealth_cookies@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The big issue I see with people driving Phillips screws is that they don’t use a large enough driver size. Computer screws for example are Phillips #2 and I’ve never had an issue with them stripping.
nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
Could be that it’s not a Philips but a JIS. I didn’t even know that JIS existed until a couple years ago. The shape is close enough to Philips to mostly work but make it super easy to strip.
NaoPb@eviltoast.org 1 year ago
Maybe I’m just being lucky but I’ve never experienced screws stripping anymore since I’ve started getting better tools for myself.
And in woodworking it can also help to pre-drill a hole using your smallest drill, before screwing a screw in. This also prevents the wood from cracking. I’ve also seen wood screws that have some lubrication pre-applied.
sxan@midwest.social 1 year ago
Torx gang unite.
We had our 20 y/o deck repaired and stained last year. I was chatting with the overseer about what he was going to do and the topic of screws came up; he said he was going to use Torx, and only ever used Torx anymore - I just about cheered.
I’d been losing hope in humanity lately, but little signs of sanity like this, professionals finally getting rid of the hell-bits that are Phillips heads, lifts my heart and gives me hope.
wjrii@lemmy.world 1 year ago
These days, all but the cheapest outdoor-grade screws in the US are torx, generally with a bit thrown into the box that, while cheap, should work fine for a few boxes’ worth.
azertyfun@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’ve heard that was more of a European thing, but the only two serious contenders are Pozidriv vs Torx for screws (and hex vs Allen for bolts).
I just checked my local hardware store’s website, and out of the 176 kinds of 4/4.5mm screw boxes in their inventory, 74 are Torx, 55 are Pozidriv, and 38 are Phillips (ew).
Either Torx or Pozidriv is fine when used properly, however most DIYers don’t understand the difference between PZ and PH and end up stripping their heads. Also it’s much harder to use the wrong-sized bit with Torx than PZ.
So yeah, Torx wins in just about every category and other heads only get manufactured to appease old people and penny-pinchers.
grue@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The only other legitimate use I’ve seen for flatheads is on wooden boats, where you’ll be gooping the head up with tar for waterproofing. Since you’ll eventually have to scrape it back off again to get to the fastener, you want a simple geometry that’s easy to clean.
huginn@feddit.it 1 year ago
The image feels like it should be posted in c/unpopularopinions
nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
Square (Robertson) drives are actually great too. Better than Hex/Allen, but Torx is the most reliable, and the most German. Phillips can take a long walk off a short pier.
Lev_Astov@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I do wish Robertson heads were more common. They’re almost as tough as torx, but tapered to stick on the tip of the tool, which is so convenient.
AresUII@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The ones with bumps in the middle can go fuck themselves
facelessbs@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Square is nice too but square/Phillips is a good damn lie. Because the Philips side of it doesn’t work well enough so it is still just a square but with extra slots
Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 year ago
I feel like spanner would be the best for not having shit getting stripped.