List of screw drives • Hacker News Board

Re: List of screw drives

#11

Post by SAI_Peregrinus » Tue, May 08, 2018, 1:35 AM UTC

joshu wrote: post #7

Do you find yourself stripping Phillips head acres frequently? That is because you are confusing Phillips and Pozidriv heads. They look similar but have a different head and different amount of engagement. I just bought myself some Wiha drivers after years of using shitty tools. I am so much happier now.

Even using the correct drivers Phillips head screws tend to strip. I have both drivers, and the Pozidriv screws seem to strip quite a lot less frequently than the Phillips. Of course neither strips as rarely as Torx, Allen, or Robinson. Hex bolts are also great.

Re: List of screw drives

#12

Post by analog31 » Tue, May 08, 2018, 1:35 AM UTC

I suspect that aside from tamper proof designs, most screw head development is driven from the manufacturing or assembly side. After all, most screws will never be unscrewed.

Re: List of screw drives

#13

Post by jonahx » Tue, May 08, 2018, 1:38 AM UTC

joshu wrote: post #7

Do you find yourself stripping Phillips head acres frequently? That is because you are confusing Phillips and Pozidriv heads. They look similar but have a different head and different amount of engagement. I just bought myself some Wiha drivers after years of using shitty tools. I am so much happier now.

From http://www.finehomebuilding.com/2015/09/16/what-is-the-diffe...:

"A Phillips bit fits in a Pozidriv screw head, but it will most likely cam out before the fastener is fully tight. This can damage the fastener and is why that cup hinge loosens up so quickly when a Phillips bit is used. A Pozidriv bit does not fit in a Phillips screw."

Re: List of screw drives

#14

Post by slededit » Tue, May 08, 2018, 1:39 AM UTC

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #11

joshu wrote: post #7

Do you find yourself stripping Phillips head acres frequently? That is because you are confusing Phillips and Pozidriv heads. They look similar but have a different head and different amount of engagement. I just bought myself some Wiha drivers after years of using shitty tools. I am so much happier now.

Even using the correct drivers Phillips head screws tend to strip. I have both drivers, and the Pozidriv screws seem to strip quite a lot less frequently than the Phillips. Of course neither strips as rarely as Torx, Allen, or Robinson. Hex bolts are also great.

Phillips screws are design to have the driver leave the socket if it is over-torqued. Frequently people keep going after this has occurred which results in stripped heads, but if you listen to what the tool is trying to tell you then it shouldn't happen.

Re: List of screw drives

#15

Post by hungerstrike » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:09 AM UTC

It seems like choosing a screw drive is almost as difficult as choosing which programming library, framework or environment to use.

Well, maybe not. New ones probably aren’t added quite as often.

Re: List of screw drives

#16

Post by stefan_ » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:18 AM UTC

joshu wrote: post #7

Do you find yourself stripping Phillips head acres frequently? That is because you are confusing Phillips and Pozidriv heads. They look similar but have a different head and different amount of engagement. I just bought myself some Wiha drivers after years of using shitty tools. I am so much happier now.

Well, that and the infernal JIS heads.

Re: List of screw drives

#17

Post by thought_alarm » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:30 AM UTC

In Canada there is a saying: Anyone who doesn't use a Robertson head is just being an asshole.

Re: List of screw drives

#18

Post by askvictor » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:37 AM UTC

I'd like to see the development of these on a timeline, including the rise of power tools. I suspect that hex, torx, and similar are only feasible due to torque-control being available on modern driving tools; prior to that the screw had to be able to disengage (cam out) to prevent it breaking.

Re: List of screw drives

#19

Post by stephen_g » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:40 AM UTC

slededit wrote: post #14

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even using the correct drivers Phillips head screws tend to strip. I have both drivers, and the Pozidriv screws seem to strip quite a lot less frequently than the Phillips. Of course neither strips as rarely as Torx, Allen, or Robinson. Hex bolts are also great.

Phillips screws are design to have the driver leave the socket if it is over-torqued. Frequently people keep going after this has occurred which results in stripped heads, but if you listen to what the tool is trying to tell you then it shouldn't happen.

I’ve mainly had the problem when getting them out. Especially when the application requires thread locking compound and has been out in the field for a few months or years - even when they had been properly torqued with a torque wrench.

We abandoned Phillips and Pozidriv completely and went to Torx for the screws (we were already using hex for bolts). Haven’t really had any issues stripping out screws since.

Re: List of screw drives

#20

Post by rwbcxrz » Tue, May 08, 2018, 2:43 AM UTC

askvictor wrote: post #18

I'd like to see the development of these on a timeline, including the rise of power tools. I suspect that hex, torx, and similar are only feasible due to torque-control being available on modern driving tools; prior to that the screw had to be able to disengage (cam out) to prevent it breaking.

You might enjoy this article from about 6 months ago (as I did). It doesn't get into torx or hex drives, but covers quite a bit of history of Phillips-like drives.

http://www.instructables.com/id/When-a-Phillips-is-not-a-Phi...

Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15748942