this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
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[–] buckykat@lemmy.fmhy.ml 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

phillips worst screw self stripping garbage

[–] Omnomnom-oom@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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@lemmy.fmhy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Scary_le_Poo@beehaw.org 44 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Torx is the only head that needs to exist. The rest can go fuck a rusty chainsaw.

[–] YouShutYoMouf@lemmy.fmhy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] motorwerks@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago

If memory serves me correctly square drive is patented, & thus requires licensing, which is why it's less commonly used.

[–] punkskunk@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

And then bolts

[–] deten@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

This is the way. Also I'm new to Lemmy so forever will this be how I start my experience here.

Torx is hands down better in every way than flathead and Phillips.

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[–] vreraan@kbin.social 34 points 1 year ago

The torx are the most resistant, the rest can also cease to exist.

[–] MyFeetOwnMySoul@lemmy.ca 33 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, like mounting plates for cameras…. Um, I think that’s the only place I’ve appreciated a slot screw

[–] Lianrepl@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sewing machine too! Always using scissors to open that slot screw to change the needle

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[–] Scrath@feddit.de 29 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Torx is great but fuck security torx

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[–] AClassyGentleman@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
[–] jxk@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

To be fair, UTF-8 did win the character encoding wars. Kudos to the Unicode designers I guess.

[–] Xanvial@lemmy.one 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

USB also won the cable data war. The 2000s era cables is wild

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[–] Harlehatschi@vlemmy.net 6 points 1 year ago

Wish Windows knew that

[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My favorite is hex, self centering and doesn't strip easily

[–] priapus@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hexagons are the bestagons

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[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

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.

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[–] Knightfall@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Canadian here. I'm offended the Robertson (square) has been shamed like this.

[–] Feweroptions@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

Robertson head gang represent. It's just so good.

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[–] i_r_weldr@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Square is called a Robertson and is the standard for construction in Canada. None of that bullshit Phillips trash.

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[–] ArumiOrnaught@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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@kbin.social 6 points 1 year 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@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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.

[–] flpasc@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I. Love. Torx! They just work! Don’t mind the angle, don’t mind the force! They’re just perfect! Never going back. (At least for everything related to woodworking)

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[–] Sir_Osis_of_Liver@kbin.social 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Torx or Robertson, are the only ones worth a damn.

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[–] JarmenKell@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

Hex screws are sick tho. Great when there isnt much space to tighten regular screws.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Robertson, hex and torx should be on that list, the rest of that shit can stay in the scrap bin of designs

[–] 0421008445828ceb46f496700a5fa6@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I like pluses and squares. Minuses need to be removed from existence

[–] kakise@mlem.a-smol-cat.fr 19 points 1 year ago

Minus is great because you can use a butter knife on a pinch to unscrew/screw it

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[–] FluffyBun98@yiffit.net 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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

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[–] Invishiro@midwest.social 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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.

[–] Xariphon@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

6-lobe is life. I got a box of them for a set of stairs I had to rebuild, and the sheer ease of use makes me never want to go back.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.fmhy.ml 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Never heard anyone call Torx "6 lobe". But yes, Torx all the way.

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[–] mcburgs@lemmynsfw.com 9 points 1 year ago

Americans will do anything the hardest way possible, huh lol

Robbie superiority.

[–] yote_zip@pawb.social 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Uriel238@lemmy.fmhy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

Sadly, some of the more exotic ones have been used to dissuade third-party repair. Some repair shops have been on a mission to replace iPhone screws with more common standards to facilitate general access.

[–] TheCee@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago

Triangle, but with bevels. I believe old McDolan toys had those

Also, why has Python its own screws?

[–] Whey_Isolate@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh god as a vintage camera collector spanner screws are the bane of my existence

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[–] ciko22i3@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

Anything that is compatible with slotted or phillips is fine.

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