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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
In Dutch they are called “inbus”, which apparently comes from the German name “Innensechskantschraube Bauer und Schaurte”, where Innensechskantschraube means inside six sided screw and Bauer und Schaurte is the company who patented the screw type.
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
🧢. Every biomed and applied math phd I’ve ever had the misfortune of knowing both wasn’t in my orbit for longer than two weeks, and 100% tried to pull rank like "I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for my degree I am a doctor." Meanwhile, my sociology professor, who’s had his doctorate for 15 years now, is either “Martin” or “Marty” to his students dependent on how far in the semester you are with him and whether or not you’ve had one of his classes before.
A screwdriver - not a drill or impact driver. For those I always use the correct bit. But the $1 Phillips driver in my desk isn’t gonna over-torque a posidrive.
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.
Fair. It all depends on where it breaks off and how tight the screw is. In electronics the screws arent in very tight, and breaking it off often breaks it off all the way down to the base.
Whatever happens, tamper proof is a huge fail and a good joke
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
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.
I’m not Canadian myself, but I did know that. Other than some cheaper ones being a bit weak from the large-ish chunk required for the square-drive, they’re really great. Much more pleasant to use than Phillips.
The worst one I ever came across was five lobe tamperproof on a Seagate external hdd. Couldn’t find any bits for it that didn’t have to be imported. Ended with a rather destructive disassembly
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