Well? What is the purpose of flathead screws? Philips seem to be superior in every way.
I’m prepared to be corrected, but I’ve been taught that “flathead screws” are of a shape meant to be installed flush with the surface. It’s a head shape having nothing to do with the tool uesd to drive the screw. You might mean to compare Phillips head with for example slotted head or Torx. This terminology is backed up by my McMaster-Carr catalog.
How wrong you can be. While a phillips head is exclellent for many purposes it requires a lot of down force to keep the driver tip from lifting out of the screw. This is sometimes a self limiting factor on how much torque that can be applied to tighten a screw.
Straight slot screws - I’m sure you meant that as flat head means something different - are just about the only thing used in high precision items like guns. High force can be applied where needed or a measured amount where a specific force is required.
If you’ve had problems with straight slot screws it’s probably your screwdriver. Typical hardware store screwdrivers are crap. Poorly shaped and fitted tips will just damage screw slots and frustrate the user. For $20-30 you can get a starter gunsmith screwdriver set that has straight slot tips of varying widths and thicknesses. Once you find a tip that fits the slot perfectly you’ll see that straight slot screws can be superior to Phillips, Reed & Prince or hex key types.
Flathead screws are used in places where the screw head must be flush with the surface. Take a look at you door hinges and you will see flathead screws are used.
I am partial to using Robertson screws; the square slot is a better design than the Phillips as it can withstand more torque and requires less downward force to drive a screw. This becomes an important factor when one is uses a power driven bit. They cost the same amount of money as Phillips screws and are much cheaper than torx or hex headed screws. They are one of my favourite Canadian inventions.
Slotted screws are pretty useless.
There’s one more thing to consider, if possible always buy good quality screws and good quality drivers.
Ever notice the really tiny screws in the world, like ones used on small electronics and eyeglasses? Well, this is a prime example of how slotted screws work well (and how the screw would be impractical with other types of heads to some degree.
Also, the little screwdrivers made for these little flat slotted screws tend to fit well, and act as a good example that these screws have a good purpose and are sturdy, non-slip devices when used in the correct application.
(Always knew my 500th post was destined to be a screwy one)
I just moved into a new [for me] house, and I can think of two instances where I was saved by the slotted screw.
One:
I was replacing several non-grounded outlets and all of screws had been painted over several times. The paint was easy to scrape out of the slot. Had they been philips I’m sure they’d still be in there.
Two:
I was replacing a light bulb in an outdoor fixture and one of the philips screws stripped and I couldn’t get the screw driver to grab it. So…I grabbed my Dremel™ Rotary Tool and cut a slot in it. It came right out after that.
Of course there are many more times that I’ve cursed slotted screws than have been thankful for them.
Another kind of screw head that looks like Phillips but handles torque better is Pozidriv. Pozidriv has vertical slots so that torque doesn’t cause the tip to push out, but it still has the self-centering feature of Phillips.
Phillips tips have angled blades, so that you can use the same driver for screws of different sizes, and vice-versa. With Pozidriv, like Torx and straigh-slots, you need the right size driver for the screw you’re driving.
McMaster-Carr, drool…
One of the proudest moments of my career was when I received the catalog in both hardcover and CD-ROM formats in one year.
– Pete (the invisible)
Son of a…Why the hell didn’t I think of that?! Yesterday, I spent three hours destroying some two-by-fours that were held together by stripped Phillips screws, becuase I couldn’t figure out another way to get them apart. I had to move my Dremel out of the way to find a crowbar. Possible Pit rant forthcoming.
My dad the airplane structure engineer told me that airplanes use Phillips screws because if you have to drill one out, the drill bit centers itself nicely in the screw head and doesn’t skitter around.
Yeah, I love my McMaster-Carr catalog. I can flip to almost any page and find something I need. O.K., need is not the right word, but I love it just the same!
I had read, although I don’t have any citation in front of me, that phillips screws were invented primarily to speed up assembly line style…er assembly. It took workers less time to get the screwdrivers lined up properly than with slot headed screws.
Phillips head screws always strip too much for my taste. Of course, I don’t really muck around with that sort of thing much, so maybe it is operator error.
IIRC philps head screws were developed when machines started being used to drive the screws. Their self centering ability made assembly work easier and disassembly for the end user harder.
I too have used a dremmil to cut a slot in a stripped philips.
Even though they cost the same, wouldn’t a slotted screw be slightly easier to produce… not require the same molds or what-ever? (Maybe not) The slotted type as mentioned before look easier to make small - the head that is. You need a deeper/thicker head to hold the fancey indentation on other types, but less than 1mm deep for a slotted type in a watch or little gizmo. My favorite is that you don’t need a special screw driver or even any screw driver to tighten/loosen slotted screws. You can use a butter knife, tweezer head, anything long and flat to work them, which is nice when you just want to quickly tighten that damn screw holding up your car’s sunvisor at the red light without rumaging around for the proper tool.
What do you mean, there aren’t any really tiny phillips screws? I’ve often seen phillips screws used in electronics, watches, etc. that are as small as eyeglass screws.
The problem with phillips screws is that its hard to apply enough torque to them by hand. When I’m working on a car or motorcycle, I often have to use an impact driver to get them loose. When I’m customizing a bike, I alwas try to replace them with allen heads (ok, that’s partly for looks), or with slotted screws if I don’t have the right allen head.
A tip I have used many times, dip your Philips screwdriver in to valve grinding compoumd. The grit in the compound will act to increase the “traction” 'tween the driver and the screw. Learned this from “Hot Rod”